Here today's reviews and articles, including ZOTAC ZBOX ID83 Plus Mini-PC Review, PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst Edition Video Review, GIGABYTE Aivia Osmium Review, AMD FX-8350 Processor, and Element Case Sector 5 for iPhone 5 Review



ZOTAC ZBOX ID83 Plus Mini-PC Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Sapphire recently released the AMD A8 based Edge VS8 mini-PC and now we get a chance to see what ZOTAC's latest generation of system can offer in comparison. The ZBOX ID83 Plus takes us into Ivy Bridge in a system which is comparable in size to a decent router, let's find out how it performs...

Read more: ZOTAC ZBOX ID83 Plus Mini-PC Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst Edition Video Review with Lauren from TastyPC.tv @ HardwareHeaven.com

Lauren takes a look at the PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst Edition, based on the Tahiti LE Chipset

Read more: PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst Edition Video Review with Lauren from TastyPC.tv @ HardwareHeaven.com

PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750 W @ techPowerUp

PC Power & Cooling decided to enrich their Silencer MK3 line with two new units of 750 W and 850 W capacity. Today, we will fully test the 750 W unit featuring a semi-modular cabling design, Gold efficiency, selectable hybrid fan operation and a nice white color.

Read more: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750 W @ techPowerUp

Element Case Sector 5 for iPhone 5 Review @ Anandech

Most of the AnandTech crew seems to be averse to putting cases on their phones for a variety of different reasons. Im still of the persuasion where I want a case for everything that Im going to carry regularly both to prevent putting scratches and also have a resulting device form factor something that looks a bit different than the norm. A few weeks after our iPhone 5 review posted, Element Case reached out to me and offered to sample a review unit of their upcoming iPhone 5 case, the aptly named Sector 5. Element Case has been known for a while for making exotic cases that use metal instead of plastic and look like nothing youll see others carrying around, so when I heard about the iPhone 5 version I jumped at the opportunity. In addition, since I spent a lot of time back in the iPhone 4 and 4S days doing attenuation testing, getting to the bottom of whether this unique case detunes the antenna was particularly intriguing.

Read more: Element Case Sector 5 for iPhone 5 Review @ Anandech

GIGABYTE Aivia Osmium Review @ Vortez

GIGABYTE have long been recognised as a major player in the PC component market, releasing a range of hardware for businesses, cost-conscious gamers and enthusiasts alike. The Taiwanese company was founded way back in 1986, and in the intervening years has become a fixture in consumer electronics in both Eastern and Western markets. We perhaps see them as most notable for their mid- and high-end motherboards and VGA cards, components with which they now have extensive experience and an impressive portfolio, but they have increasingly branched out beyond that somewhat fickle industry. Indeed it was at a UK event taking the wraps off their much-vaunted GTX 680 SuperOverclock that we first spied the peripheral we're reviewing today.

Before we get to that however lets provide a little background on GIGABYTE peripherals. Perhaps overshadowed by their strong component lineup the GIGABYTE peripheral range, contrary to what you might expect, debuted many years ago. Initially centred around business use, the middle of the previous decade saw them expand into the cost-conscious gamer segment, with often strong but sometimes mixed results. Always featuring striking aesthetics, the M/K and Force ranges service the cost-conscious consumer well, yet GIGABYTE seemed to have difficulty breaking into premium range successfully.

Read more: GIGABYTE Aivia Osmium Review @ Vortez

Logitech G710+ Review @ Techradar

Surely it's only a matter of time before everyone gets on the mechanical keyboard bandwagon, though I'd have bet my house that Logitech would've gotten out there a lot earlier. But no, this G710+ is the first keyboard out of Logitech's design-works with those lovely, chunky, noisy mechanical switch keys. Logitech was the maker of the first gaming keyboard I genuinely thought was a new direction in gaming tech. The G15, with its sky-high price tag and integrated LCD screen, came about at a time when most of us stuck resolutely with the beige keyboard that turned up with our first PC.

Read more: Logitech G710+ Review @ Techradar

ASUS ROG ARES II (Crossfire) review @ Guru3D

Today we review something special, the ASUS ARES II. We'll be testing the card in Crossfire (4 GPUs) as well as a test session with a three monitor setup alongside the regular tests of course. AMD's entire 28nm GPU line-up has been unleashed for quite a while now and slowly but steadily we are already moving onwards to the 8000 series products. But currently all the way on top is the Radeon HD 7900 series, armed with a GPU codenamed Tahiti, a release which was received very positively in the graphics card arena.

The ARES II (ARES2-6GD5) features not one, but two Tahiti XT2 GPUs, these ate the graphics processors used in the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics cards. Interesting fact is that the ARES II has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, clocked at a whopping 6.6 GHz. That really means mean each GPU has a 3GB memory partition.

Read more: ASUS ROG ARES II (Crossfire) review @ Guru3D

ASUS ROG ARES II 6144 MB @ techPowerUp

Today ASUS releases their ARES II dual-GPU HD 7990. Using two full Tahiti GPUs with clock speeds beyond HD 7970 GHz Edition, it provides plenty of performance for even the most demanding titles at highest settings. But does it provide enough to warrant a price of $1599?

Read more: ASUS ROG ARES II 6144 MB @ techPowerUp

Corsair H80i CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

We tested the Corsair H80i, a sealed liquid cooling system for CPUs, with a 120 mm radiator cooled by two 120 mm fans. Check it out!

Read more: Corsair H80i CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review @ Legit Reviews

We may never know why Logitech took so long to deliver a mechanical keyboard to the market, but the G710+ is most certainly welcome. Logitech doesn't include the more gimmicky things found on its other G-series keyboard such as the small LCD screen. The G710+ has only functional and useful features while maintaining a unique appearance...

Read more: Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review @ Legit Reviews

PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750W Review

Today we are looking at the brand new PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750W power supply. The latest model is an 80 Plus Gold Certified modular design with a single +12V rail. It also features a new Dual Thermal Control System which enables the unit to switch between normal and silent modes. Parent company OCZ are offering a class leading 7 year warranty with these units, for extended peace of mind. How does it rate?

Read more: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750W Review

ASUS Maximus V Gene Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

ASUSs Republic of Gamers (ROG) products cater to gamers and hardware enthusiasts. Many of these same people attend LAN parties. No want wants to lug a huge system to a LAN party, it just is not fun. That is one of the reasons why ASUS has a “Gene” line of motherboards. These are micro ATX boards that are perfect for building a great LAN or small for factor system. Many people think micro ATX boards lack many features that normal ATX boards have, but the board we are taking a look at today is a ROG board. The ASUS Maximus V Gene features an all digital power delivery design in their Extreme Engine Digi+ II, a mPCIe combo card so you can add an mSATA SSD or a mPCIe card of your choice, ASUSs own 8-channel Supreme FX III sound solution, CrossFireX and SLI support, and native PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0. That is just the tip of the iceberg there are so many features in this board you won't believe it is only a micro ATX board! Read on as we take a look...

Read more: ASUS Maximus V Gene Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

AMD FX-8350 Processor @ iXBT Labs

Today we'll take a closer look at AMD FX-8350, the top processor of the Vishera series, based on the Piledriver microarchitecture.

Read more: AMD FX-8350 Processor @ iXBT Labs

Corsair Hydro Series H55 Review @ Vortez

ALCs (All-contained Liquid Coolers) are now regarded as a mainstay in the cooling market, bridging the gap between air cooling and custom water-cooling. Corsair have taken on this lucrative segment and confidently asserted themselves are a reliable source for countless enthusiasts.

The Hydro Series has been well received over the last few years. With numerous model names under their belt to cater for different audiences and budgets, enthusiasts and avid system builders have plenty of options. Today we will be taking a look at a new release for the Hydro Series which resides at the lower end of the market. The H55 is designed for budget-minded builders who require low-noise liquid cooling with no-nonsense installation. Can Corsair’s new H55 meet these demands?

Read more: Corsair Hydro Series H55 Review @ Vortez

Asus Taichi 21 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Windows 8 opened up new possibilities for mobile computing and the Asus Taichi 21 takes advantage of this. It has dual 11.6-inch 1080p displays where the second on the back of the primary display acts as a tablet when closed. Both of the displays look really good but the battery life is short.

Read more: Asus Taichi 21 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Sound Judgment: Five Gaming Headphones Tested @ HotHardware.com

What separates a premium headset from a blue light special? It's a combination of things, from well designed drivers to comfy ear cups that kiss the sides of your head with a gentle yet firm caress (we're being melodramatic...a little). And then there's the overall feature-set and premium extras like a noise-cancelling microphone and 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound.

Read more: Sound Judgment: Five Gaming Headphones Tested @ HotHardware.com

G-Technology G-DRIVE 4TB Professional High Performance External HDD Review @ Nikktech

I think we can all agree to the fact that storage capacity needs increase every day especially as long as people get faster internet connections allowing them to download huge chunks of data from the Internet in surprisingly small periods of time. Luckily all the leading HDD manufacturers have released several 4TB hard disk drive models during the last year including mainstream models targeted towards casual users and gamers, high end models aimed at enthusiasts and of course enterprise class models for professionals. Unfortunately although we have that variety in standalone internal hard disk drives the same doesn't apply in external hard disk drives since for that purpose most manufacturers choose to use their mainstream models to keep the cost down. G-Technology by HGST (Former Hitachi GST) is amongst the very few companies that not only uses the high end and enterprise class models HGST has to offer but they also use some of the highest quality and performance external HDD enclosures we've seen to date and the latest USB 3.0 compatible version of the G-DRIVE is no exception.

Read more: G-Technology G-DRIVE 4TB Professional High Performance External HDD Review @ Nikktech

Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Low Profile Memory Kit Review @ Madshrimps

The new Ballistix Tactical memory kits from Crucial are also available in Low Profile format, which means that they have lower height for permitting a better clearance in systems which require it and also operate at a lower voltage (1.35V).

Read more: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Low Profile Memory Kit Review @ Madshrimps

Genius WideCam 320 Webcam Review @ Techgage

Remember back in the day when webcams used to cost an arm and a leg? There were some that I can recall where the picture was so pixelated, it looked as if you were stuck in Minecraft. Some of them even required you to buy a separate microphone! Compared to what we have today, using early webcams would be like living in prehistoric times.

Well, come with us as we hit 88MPH and fast-forward to the future where we have products such as the Genius WideCam 320. Some of you might be thinking that a webcam is a webcam and why should the WideCam be any different? Well, as the name suggests, the WideCam 320 is just that – an 8 megapixel, wide-angle camera capable of capturing a 100 degree range thanks to its wide-angle lens.

Read more: Genius WideCam 320 Webcam Review @ Techgage

Intel DC S3700 SSD Review; Home User Edition @ Hardware Canucks

Last week we had the opportunity to test Intel’s new DC S3700 (in 200GB and 800GB forms) within its native datacenter environment. When used to the utmost of their abilities, these drives have the potential to offer an extremely capable option for enterprise clients due to a near-perfect combination of reliability and consistent performance. But what about home users? Can they benefit from Intel’s latest SSDs?

The very thought of using a professional-market product within a gaming or content creation system may seem crazy at first but there’s a reasoning behind our madness. Unlike many other SSDs in this segment which are used as straight-up storage devices in multi drive environments, the DC S3700 can be used as a bootable drive. As such, anyone willing to make the substantial investment can install Windows or any other OS onto it.

Naturally, there will be some sacrifices since Intel has equipped their DC S3700 with a custom firmware which is tweaked for deeper queue depths than the typical single user system will ever encounter. These drives’ focus directed towards longevity, data protection and consistency rather than bleeding edge performance of most high end mass market SSDs. However, the Intel’s X25 Gen 3 controller proved it could offer high level I/O numbers so it might be able to cross the boundaries into home user environments.

Read more: Intel DC S3700 SSD Review; Home User Edition @ Hardware Canucks

ASUS Taichi 21 Review @ InsideHW.com

Rotating displays, touch-sensitive displays, tablet/notebook transformers… All of these were mere concepts a few years ago, yet they’re increasingly invading the store displays of today. Other than the Lenovo Yoga notebook, we’ve also been surprised by ASUS’ Taichi 21. Although the idea is the same, these two notebook models are actually quite different. While Yoga does its transformation from notebook to tablet by rotating the display by 360 degrees, ASUS has decided that Taichi should have two displays altogether.

Read more: ASUS Taichi 21 Review @ InsideHW.com

AZZA Silentium Case Review: Knowing the Limits @ Anandtech

The desktop enclosure market has broken down pretty simply into three categories with only the rarest of outliers. Cases under $100 will either have good acoustics or good thermals, but never really both. Cases between $100 and $150 will typically find a balance. And if you're paying more than $150 for a case, it needs to deliver on both, full stop. The problem that sub-$100 silent cases often run into is that the measures taken to keep noise down result in substantially reduced airflow, and when you start really pushing the hardware (and thus the limits of the case's cooling), those measures actually serve to increase system noise beyond a garden variety case. With all of that information in mind, AZZA's $99 Silentium is entering a perilous market. The Silentium is meant to compete with cases like the BitFenix Ghost and the NZXT H2, offering quiet computing at a competitive price point. The problem is that when you're at the top of the sub-$100 market, you risk having to compete with monsters like the Fractal Design Define R4 and the soon-to-be-released-on-American-shores Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Does the Silentium carve out its own niche, or is it fighting an uphill battle?

Read more: AZZA Silentium Case Review: Knowing the Limits @ Anandtech