Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including The desktop PC needs a makeover, Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C Review, ASUS ROG Maximus VI Extreme Review, Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2457) Review, and NZXT H630 Silent Ultra Tower Computer Case Review



The desktop PC needs a makeover @ The Tech Report

Many of our desktop PCs are filled with empty space, including unoccupied expansion slots and drive bays. With a few form factor adjustments and a handful of simple design tweaks, we could make the average enthusiast desktop more compact, easier to build, and more straightforward to use.

Read more: The desktop PC needs a makeover @ The Tech Report

Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C Review @ Vortez

You don’t have to look too far to discover that Prolimatech have been a prolific influence on the CPU cooler market with their Megahalems and Super Mega offerings. Whilst the cooling segment has many brands and models for the consumer to choose from, these particular models have stood out as being shining examples, and today we are to look at the Megahalems in its third instalment.

The Megahalems Rev. C continues with the trusty dual heatsink design from previous versions but now has the added AMD hold down components for AMD system builders. Prolimatech have always been keen to laden their coolers with appealing and clean aesthetics and Rev. C does not shy away from this. With a robust mounting kit, six burly copper heatpipes and support for numerous socket types this latest production looks set to impress, so let’s check it out!

Read more: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C Review @ Vortez

COUGAR Dual-X LED Fans (140 & 120mm) Review @ Techgage

Way back in March, we posted a news item announcing COUGAR’s new Dual-X LED fans. I, for one, was immediately smitten with how they looked in the press release photos. We requested a couple of samples, and, thankfully, COUGAR responded by sending a few for yours truly to examine.

The company sent both its 140mm and 120mm fans.

Read more: COUGAR Dual-X LED Fans (140 & 120mm) Review @ Techgage

ASUS ROG Maximus VI Extreme Review @ OCC

When you look at the performance delivered by the Maximus VI Extreme at stock speeds, it is going to deliver performance within a few percentage points across the entire test suite. Really there were no surprises here with the stock performance. When overclocked, the M6E delivered performance increases across the board making for a truly inspired performance. On this board I was able to eek out another 50MHz of bench stable performance out of my 4770K thanks to the flexibility and the granularity of the voltage options in the Crash Free BIOS BIOS at up to 4749MHz by manually tweaking many of the options, even though the auto rules for all three of the Level Up options are robust enough to get clock speed levels of 4.2, 4.4, and 4.6GHz stable as long as your chip can run the number. If manually tweaking is not your strong suite, you have the previously mentioned Level Up feature in the BIOS as well as the 4-Way optimization tool in AISuite III.

Read more: ASUS ROG Maximus VI Extreme Review @ OCC

MSI Just Game Mousepad Review @ HiTech Legion

Indoor basketball and volleyball are two sports played on essentially the same surface which is often made of highly polished maple. Why is it then that the players wear basketball or volleyball specific shoes? If you are cynical then it can probably be chalked up to the marketing department earning their paycheque. From a functional perspective however, the two shoe types are mostly designed to accommodate the most common movements associated with the sport. Both require lateral movement but basketball puts a deeper emphasis on forward movement as well. Volleyball shoes are also lighter with extra midsole padding for additional support ideal for jumping straight up. Basketball shoes on the other hand, while also having midsole support are designed to have thicker soles to handle greater landing impact because of the forward momentum exerted when jumping. High-tops are also much more common in basketball for additional ankle support while it has gone out of fashion for volleyball players due to the added weight.

When it comes to mouse movement, the variance is even greater due to different surface type available and different mouse sensors. Even between the different “speed” oriented surfaces, friction and table grip vary. With plenty of options to choose from, it is a wonder why many companies even throw their hat in the mix. In the case of MSI however, it is not surprising that they would introduce a mouse pad now considering they have managed to successfully streamline their product branding and establish a dedicated gaming segment.

Read more: MSI Just Game Mousepad Review @ HiTech Legion

Corsair Carbide AIR 540 Review @ Hardware Canucks

When was the last time you looked at a new case and said: “Now that’s unique!”? Sure, there have been some noteworthy case design innovations over the last few years but the number of enclosures that dared to be different can likely be counted on a single hand. Corsair’s Carbide AIR 540 on the other hand takes a path less travelled by utilizing a stunning dual chambered layout alongside a particularly compact form factor.

Read more: Corsair Carbide AIR 540 Review @ Hardware Canucks

ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme @ Phoronix

For those in the market for an Intel Z87 Haswell motherboard, the ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme is a great candidate and sells for less than $250 while packing a plethora of features and is mostly compatible with Linux.

ECS has traditionally been a budget PC component manufacturer over its long tenure, but in recent years they have been delivering higher-end products as covered in ECS Phoronix reviews in recent years. The ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme is a higher-end Haswell motherboard relying upon Intel's Z87 chipset and offers a number of extra features like WiFi, Bluetooth, and MIB X overclocking.

Read more: ECS Z87H3-A2X Extreme @ Phoronix

Cooler Master N600 PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

While Cooler Master has been manufacturing various computer peripherals for many years, they are constantly looking at the market and designing new cases to fit various needs. Recently, they have introduced a new line of cases, the N series. So far there are three cases in this series, the N200, N400 and N600. Legit Review recently took a look at the N400, now we will be taking a look at the N600.

Read more: Cooler Master N600 PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2457) Review @ TechReviewSource.com

The ultra-low pricing and Web-centric Chrome operating system have undeniable appeal for shoppers that want a laptop purely for getting online, and the prices are hard to beat. The new Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2457) is the third Chromebook variation from Acer which boosts performance and battery life with a larger battery and double the installed RAM.

Read more: Acer C7 Chromebook (C710-2457) Review @ TechReviewSource.com

EVGA SuperNOVA G2 1300 W @ techPowerUp

EVGA is hitting the PSU market and the competition hard with their latest PSU offerings. The new SuperNOVA G2 1300 W delivers exceptionally good performance at a very nice price, which actually has the unit compete with its 1000 W capacity sibling since the price difference is minimal.

Read more: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 1300 W @ techPowerUp

NZXT H630 Silent Ultra Tower Computer Case Review @ Benchmark Reviews

NZXT has dabbled in quiet cases before (Hush, H2). While I don't personally have experience with those particular chassis, I've gathered the attempts in the past have left consumers wanting. It appears a revived Phantom line has also provided another opportunity for NZXT Technologies to tackle the silent segment once again can NZXT bring the H series of chassis to new levels with the H630 Silent Ultra Tower Computer Case? Benchmark Reviews has a chance to answer this question.

Read more: NZXT H630 Silent Ultra Tower Computer Case Review @ Benchmark Reviews

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard review @ Bjorn3D

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming MSI stormed the market as of recent with the introduction of their gaming series and also offered a new level of segmentation to their lineup that previously simply was not there.

Read more: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard review @ Bjorn3D