Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including The Evolution of Gaming Consoles, SMART Storage Systems CloudSpeed 1000 and 1000E Server Grade SSD Review, Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD Review, Thermaltake BigTyp Revo CPU Cooler Review, and GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC WindForce 3X Graphics Card Review



The Evolution of Gaming Consoles @ ThinkComputers.org

Game consoles have come a long way in a very short period of time. The gamers of today would get a hearty laugh if they were to experience the gaming consoles that first sparked the passion for digital gaming that many of us hold so dearly. It all started back in 1967. Many of you may be thinking of pong already. However, the Atari classic did not hit the shelves until 1976. It was The Brown Box that was the real pioneer. This machine was the very first piece of equipment that allowed people to interact with their televisions. One of the first games was Fox and Hounds. In this game, one player controlled a number of white dots whose job was to chase and corner the opposing players red dot. It was rudimentary but groundbreaking. The Brown Box is now housed in the Smithsonian Institute.

Read more: The Evolution of Gaming Consoles @ ThinkComputers.org

Angelbird SSD2Go & Angelbird SSD2go TWIN 480GB External SSD Review @ TechnologyX

With the rapid progress of technology from one day to the next, concepts, ideas, inventions, and reinventions suddenly turn from wishful thinking into reality. In the case of solid-state drives the burning question was whether we would see a viable external solution. Conventional hard-drives already go their external variant primarily thanks to USB 2.0; with the raw speed and performance of SSDs however, the lagging catalyst was the upgraded USB 3.0 interface standard. Of course a slue of other components were needed as well cooling, enclosure size, controllers, design, chipsets just to name a few.
Only recently after advancements in each area did this mix come together to form a practical external SSD concoction in the Angelbird mobile SSD line. Today we take a look at two different models the $780 Angelbird SSD2go 480GB and the $900 dual Angelbird SSSD2go TWIN 480GB (240GB x 2). We will see if the Angelbird drives are worth their premium prices, and if they can indeed perform at SATA 3.0 speeds using USB 3.0.

Read more: Angelbird SSD2Go & Angelbird SSD2go TWIN 480GB External SSD Review @ TechnologyX

Cougar Archon Mid-Tower Gaming Case Review @ TechnologyX

The mid-tower PC case market is a very crowded segment, so differentiating yourself from the competition is what is going to be required in order to become a successful product. Even the sub-category of "gaming" mid-tower PC case is becoming populated with dozens of choices. When we drill even further down to the sub-sub-category of "budget" "gaming" mid-tower PC case, the choices begin to thin considerably. The Cougar Archon mid-tower PC case is being marketed as "the cutting edge gaming case" -- a very strong statement for a budget case with an MSRP of $49.99 (priced on Newegg.com 8/19, $3.99 for shipping). We would like to thank Cougar for providing the review sample. Let's give the Cougar Archon a closer look, and see how it is to build a system into.

Read more: Cougar Archon Mid-Tower Gaming Case Review @ TechnologyX

SMART Storage Systems CloudSpeed 1000 and 1000E Server Grade SSD Review @ The SSD Review

At Storage Vision 2013 in January, SMART Storage Systems made a splash with the announcement (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=6e26445850&e=1230c2ab07) of the CloudSpeed 1000 and 1000E enterprise SSDs. We have been patiently waiting for our chance to put these drives through their paces. In SSD time, it felt like an eternity but with our previous experience with their Optimus SSDs, we knew the wait would be worth it. Plus, SMART had a busy summer, as their acquisition by Sandisk (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=fb3927f82e&e=1230c2ab07) was finalized just last week, so we will cut them some slack.

As you may have guessed, the CloudSpeed series focuses on enterprise server and cloud computing environments. Specifically, they are optimized for the mixed workload conditions that typical enterprise SSDs encounter. The CloudSpeed series is outfitted with the features you would expect from an enterprise SSD, such as error correction and detection, power loss protection, data path protection, data fail recovery and AES 256-bit encryption. SMART also throws in thermal management for good measure.

Read more: SMART Storage Systems CloudSpeed 1000 and 1000E Server Grade SSD Review @ The SSD Review

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

The ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 is an ATX version of the GRYPHON Z87, with two more SATA-600 ports and a better audio codec. It is part of ASUS' TUF (The Ultimate Force) series and, as such, comes with ASUS' exclusive thermal armor to improve the system's thermal management. Let's check it out.

Read more: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews

Samsung has boldly inserted themselves into the forefront of the consumer SSD market with apparent ease thanks to some innovation and a few outstanding drives. Just a few years ago, no one would have even mentioned their name in the same sentence with 'SSD' but now they are very much on the minds of consumers. Just taking a stroll through several computer hardware oriented online communities reveals a lot of positive chatter about the drives which come largely driven from online reviews and word of mouth recommendations as Samsung hasn't done a ton of marketing for their drives. Or maybe it just doesn't feel that way. Competitors, on the other hand, may have a different perception and have to be feeling the pressure. Especially those that are reliant on others for components for their builds whereas Samsung is completely self sufficient and can offer lower costs to consumers while still retaining a decent margin. We've recently had looks at the 840 and 840 Pro series of drives and now we've gotten our mitts on the 840 EVO version.

Read more: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews

Brando Workshop Sony Xperia Z Accessories Presentation Part II @ Madshrimps

In this article we will take a look at a second round of Xperia Z accessories provided by Brando Workshop; besides the usual cases in different shapes and built from various materials, we will also take a look at a compatible dock, which makes use of the easy recharging system of the phone.

Read more: Brando Workshop Sony Xperia Z Accessories Presentation Part II @ Madshrimps

Thermaltake BigTyp Revo CPU Cooler Review @ OCC

So how do I sum up this fairly low-profile cooler? In short, if you're in the market for an easy to install and inexpensive cooler that's capable of handling a modest overclock without undue noise: buy it now. Not a single cooler has come across my desk that can measure up to the performance of the BigTyp Revo at the same price point. Sure, you can spend more and get a better cooler, but if you don't need a better cooler why spend more than you need to? The BigTyp Revo provides quiet cooling at a price point nearly anyone can afford. Thermaltake has a winner!

Read more: Thermaltake BigTyp Revo CPU Cooler Review @ OCC

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC WindForce 3X Graphics Card Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

As good as the GTX 780 is, it was getting a little boring. Gaming gets a bit stale in the summer but now we are starting to see new games on the horizon and three hit this week with the launch of Splinter Cell Blacklist, Saints Row IV and Final Fantasys new MMO, A Realm Reborn. So today we will take a look at Gigabytes GTX 780 Overclock and while we are at it compare to a standard 780 as well as the fastest single GPU card AMD have to offer; finding out how each performs in those new titles as well as the likes of Crysis 3 and Battlefield 3.

Read more: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 780 OC WindForce 3X Graphics Card Review @ HardwareHeaven.com