CamerasBy Olin Coles

Rosewill RSCM-12003 Outdoor Security Camera Review

Security cameras come in all shapes and sizes, with wired and wireless connections, and occasionally come with features such as pan, tilt, zoom, or infrared night vision. Consequently, security cameras also span the gamut in terms of pricing, with models costing anywhere from twenty dollars to several thousands. Featuring an IP66 hardened outdoor waterproof enclosure, the Rosewill RSCM-12003 IR Outdoor Bullet Camera kit is ideal for general-purpose outdoor or indoor wired security systems, and perfectly compliments Rosewill’s own RSVA-11001 or RSVA-12001 all-in-one DVR kits. Comprised of Sony’s 1/3″ CCD sensor inside, the RCMR-13CCDIR camera unit produces 540 lines of resolution. In this article Benchmark Reviews inspects the Rosewill RSCM-12003 outdoor security camera kit, and weighs in on its features.

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ProcessorsBy Hank Tolman

AMD A10-6700 APU Richland Processor Review

AMD has a pattern when it comes to processor releases. They release a new processor, run it through its paces for a while, then they release more of the same die with higher clock speeds. Generally, though, the new processors release at something closer to the release price of the first series of processors. That is the one part of the equation missing from this summer’s AMD APU releases. The AMD A10-6700 is the second processor coming out in June 2013 with an MSRP of $142. In this article, Benchmark Reviews is taking a detailed look at the A10-6700, especially its differences from the unlocked A10-6800K.

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ProcessorsBy Hank Tolman

AMD A10-6800K APU Richland Desktop Processor Review

So far, it seems that the early summer of 2013 is destined to be full of Intel Haswell coverage. Rather than consigning themselves to the shadows, AMD is quietly releasing two new members of their APU family. The next generation of APUs is being represented at the top by the A10-6800K and the A10-6700 Accelerated Processing Units, codenamed Richland. It has been about eight months since AMD released the last generation, Trinity APUs. When that happened, AMD took back the performance lead from Ivy Bridge in the sub-$150 CPU price range. This has been AMD’s bread and butter for a while now, especially with their ability to pair discrete level graphics with their CPUs that totally decimate the onboard capabilities of their opponent. Haswell may change things, but for now, we’ll see where AMD is setting the bar for entry-level performance. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes a hard look at the third generation of AMD APUs with the top end AMD A10-6800K Richland Processor.

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NetworkBy Bruce Normann

QNAP TS-870U-RP NAS Network Storage Server Review

There’s a new Ethernet in town called 10GbE, and its blazing fast. Benchmark Reviews recently gave you the inside scoop on the newest 10GbE networking hardware, and I mentioned that the first thing I did was to hook up a 10GbE NAS. Plain old Gigabit Ethernet has been holding back mid-range NAS servers for a while now. With 10GbE starting to enter the mainstream, QNAP is now making their 10GbE-capable storage products more affordable. The QNAP TS-870U-RP Turbo NAS is part of a new model line that trades off some CPU power and a couple of build features in order to lower the cost of entry. With eight 3.5″ drive bays available there is a potential for 32TB of drive space, and the Intel Celeron CPU, with 32nm Sandy Bridge architecture, has enough horsepower to make file transfers fly by. It also has two x8 PCIe slots for 10GbE NICs and these make a huge difference in real-world performance. Take a closer look with us, at the current value leader in NAS speed demons.

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MotherboardsBy David Ramsey

MSI Z87 MPower MAX Motherboard Review

Intel’s new Haswell CPUs bring with them a new socket, LGA1150, and a new supporting chipset, the Z87. MSI’s new Z87 MPower MAX motherboard is the first of third-party Intel Z87-Express desktop motherboard we’ve had the opportunity to test. As a member of MSI’s “MPOWER” motherboards, the full-sized ATX motherboard is a high-end product stuffed with features aimed at enthusiasts and gamers. Let’s take a look at it!

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ProcessorsBy David Ramsey

Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Desktop Processor Review

After months of rumors and speculation, Intel’s 4th generation Core CPUs, code-named Haswell, are here. Haswell CPUs are a “tock”– that is, a new microarchitecture– in Intel’s “tick-tock” annual release cycle. Based on the same 22nm fabrication process and 3-D transistors introduced with last year’s Ivy Bridge CPUs, Haswell brings with it a new socket 1150, which means that you can’t just drop it in to replace an Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge CPU, since you’ll need a new motherboard. But what new features and performance does Intel’s Haswell processor bring with it? Let’s find out.

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GraphicsBy Olin Coles

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 Video Card Review

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 770 video card is built from the 28nm Kepler GK104 graphics processor, identical to the GTX 680 released back in March 2012. Featuring 1536 CUDA cores that are clocked to reach 1085 MHz using NVIDIA Boost 2.0 technology, GTX 770 also comes with 2GB of GDDR5 video memory that creates the world’s fastest 1753 MHz graphics frame buffer. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests and compares the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 graphics card using several highly-demanding DX11 video games, such as Metro: Last Light, Batman: Arkham City, and Battlefield 3.

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PeripheralsBy Dan McNamara

Genius Ring Air Mouse 2 Review

It is not often you find a product that has the potential to change the way you work. The Genius Ring Mouse 2, made by KYE Corporation, is just such a product. I immediately could envision myself controlling my own presentation without having to return to the podium, or call on someone to flip through my slides. This alone is enough to justify the purchase for me. But, for the sake of our readers, Benchmark Reviews will test the Ring Mouse II to see what it can and cannot do for “business, travel, education and i-users”.

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GraphicsBy Olin Coles

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Card Review

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX TITAN allowed gamers to challenge any video game they choose with the highest quality settings possible, but in limited supply and high price tag. For many players, their games really only needed half as much power and memory from a video card. Enter NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780: built from GTX TITAN to deliver 3GB of GDDR5 video frame buffer memory, and 2304 CUDA cores from the GK110 GPU that reach 900 MHz using NVIDIA Boost 2.0 technology. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests and compares the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 graphics card using several highly-demanding DX11 video games, such as Metro: Last Light, Batman: Arkham City, and Battlefield 3.

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PeripheralsBy Akim Green

Razer DeathAdder 2013 Gaming Mouse Review

Razer has made a good product better with the new DeathAdder 2013 gaming mouse, model RZ01-00840100-R3U1. Maintaining it’s famous ergonomic design, Razer has upgraded the optical laser to a more sensitive one as well as added rubber side grips. Many versions of the DeathAdder are available and the budget-conscious consumer will surely contemplate whether or not the refinements are worth the price difference. The featured product is marketed as an essential ergonomic gaming mouse; there are no bells are whistles, no weight adjustment, no changeable lights, just a mouse designed to dominate. Since the 2013 version of the DeathAdder is quite similar to it’s predecessors, this review may also serve as an evaluation of the general DeathAdder series. Read on as Benchmark reviews takes a close look at the raved-about Razer DeathAdder 2013 gaming mouse to see what all the hype is about.

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CasesBy Austin Downing

Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro ATX Computer Case Review

When Corsair introduced its Obsidian line in 2009 with the 800D it brought out a case that was beautiful, functional, and massive. In 2011 Corsair introduced the mid-tower Obsidian 650D it was still beautiful, functional, and just a bit too big for many enthusiasts. In 2013, Corsair introduced its first Micro-ATX case the 350D. The 350D keeps the beauty and functionality of its larger brethren but fits it into 17.7″ x 17.3″ case designed to contain a powerful multi-GPU system in a much smaller enclosure than many enthusiast have been accustomed to in the past. So let Benchmark Reviews walk you through the Corsair 350D and look at the new smaller case design.

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CamerasBy Olin Coles

Genius DVR-FHD590 Dash Camera Vehicle Recorder Review

The streets are a dangerous place for motorists, and heavy traffic congestion adds as much risk to long trips as it does to short commutes. Defensive driving will help prevent some accidents, but the daily drive to and from work is wrought with random chance and uncertainty. It’s not a question of if you’ll be involved in an accident, it’s a question of when. You can never know when someone might run a red light as you enter the intersection, or suffer a tire failure that sends them out of control. Insurance companies tend to penalize their drivers with blame, simply because they lack solid evidence to prove otherwise. Now you can capture that proof on video, for only $131 online. The Genius DVR-FHD590 high-definition 1080p vehicle recorder automatically powers on whenever someone is behind the wheel, and acts as a witness if the worst should happen.

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PeripheralsBy Tom Jaskulka

MAD CATZ R.A.T. M Wireless Mobile Mouse Review

Mad Catz arguably changed the gaming mouse market when they released their R.A.T. into the wild. With an unusual appearance and a previously unapproachable level of customization, the subsequent R.A.T. series of mice went on to win multiple awards and generate a lot of interest. Today, Benchmark Reviews has a chance to take a closer look at one of the newcomers to the R.A.T. line, the R.A.T. M wireless mobile gaming mouse. Does this rodent have what it takes to back up its heritage?

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MotherboardsBy Steven Iglesias-Hearst

MSI Z77A-G45 GAMING Motherboard Review

Intel’s Haswell CPU’s and Z87 motherboards may well be just around the corner, but that hasn’t stopped MSI from releasing another line of Z77 motherboards. With this new line of motherboards MSI are aiming at the gaming scene, and have a bold new color scheme and heatsink design to match. We are used to seeing either yellow or blue theme motherboards from MSI but this new ‘gaming’ line-up breaks that mould. Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the mid range MSI Z77A-G45 GAMING LGA1155 Motherboard (P/N 911-7752-19S) in this article. The MSI Z77A-G45 GAMING motherboard supports 3rd Gen & 2nd Gen Intel CPU’s designed for the LGA115x socket, and DDR3 speeds up to 3000MHz (OC). Not much separates motherboards with the same chipset these days, so extras like a KILLER E2200 NIC, Creative Sound Blaster Cinema sound and PCI Express Gen 3 expansion slots aim to make sure you have a high quality experience with this latest offering from MSI.

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PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Mad Catz M.O.U.S.9 Gaming Mouse Review

Enthusiasts know Mad Catz and their gaming-oriented peripherals. In fact, the company motto is All About the Game. Under their Tritton, Saitek, and Cyborg sub-brands, they’ve offered keyboards, headsets, game controllers, mice, flight sticks and other peripherals aimed at gamers. Now, they tell us, they’ve decided to offer a more “mainstream” mouse, the M.O.U.S.9. Although it’s visually very similar to their R.A.T. series of gaming mice, the M.O.U.S.9 is more consumer-oriented. How much more so? Well, we here at Benchmark Reviews aim to find out.

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NetworkBy Bruce Normann

ASUSTOR AS-604T NAS Network Storage Server Review

Everybody needs a NAS, I’m convinced. Maybe if I described what the modern NAS has become – a Private Cloud, then everyone would agree. Years ago, when Benchmark Reviews started reviewing NAS servers, they were made to sit on your network as a sort of file server and you used proprietary, vendor supplied backup software. Today, as we all know, everything is wide open. Access anything, anywhere, with any application is not just a dream anymore. Hardware is still important, but the depth and breadth of the software is becoming more of a differentiator. The ASUSTOR AS-604T NAS Network Storage Server uses a familiar hardware platform – Intel Atom and a Linux distro, but the design team didn’t stop there. There are some fundamental improvements that were ready to be solved from a slightly different perspective. Join in, as we see how this new 4-bay device compares to its competitors.

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StorageBy Olin Coles

Seagate Desktop HDD ST4000DM000 Review

Seagate has recently re-branded their consumer storage products, formerly named Barracuda, in time for the launch of their 15th-generation. The 4TB Seagate Desktop HDD (OEM model ST4000DM000, retail kit STBD4000400) features a SATA 6Gb/s interface with Native Command Queueing (NCQ). Eight data heads read and write to four 1GB disc platters which enable 625Gb/in2 areal density. Cached by 64MB DRAM, this 5900 RPM hard disk drive is specified to move files at 180 MB/s sustained data rate. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests performance and explores new features on the 4TB Seagate Desktop HDD.

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Technology EditorialsBy Olin Coles

Sony PlayStation and Microsoft XBOX Game Consoles Could Save AMD From Collapse

The future of Advanced Micro Devices crucially depends on development partnerships for next-generation Sony PlayStation4 and Microsoft XBOX ONE console systems By Olin Coles One year ago Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) company stock was publicly trading for $8.20 per share (16 March 2012), the highest point since trading at the same level a year prior (March 2010). Since then, AMD stock has sunk to as low as $1.86 per share, performing far worse than other stocks within the same industry. Analyzing the graph charted below, you can see that the Dow Jones Industrial averaged a 12% gain over that same one-year period from late March 2012-2013. Microprocessors company ARM ($18.6B current market capitalization) enjoyed a 51% growth over Dow […]

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GraphicsBy Olin Coles

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST Video Card Review

With the economy on the rebound, gamers are coming out of hibernation with a hunger for modern DirectX11 graphics and realism. Since AMD has all but disappeared from the scene, NVIDIA has timed their affordable mainstream video card launch perfectly. Based on the NVIDIA Kepler GK106 architecture, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST delivers 2GB of 1502 MHz GDDR5 memory and 768 CUDA Cores operating at 980 MHz up to 1033+ with NVIDIA GPU Boost technology. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST graphics card using several highly-demanding DX11 video games.

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PeripheralsBy Tom Jaskulka

Razer Ouroboros Elite Gaming Mouse Review

In 2009, Razer started working on a mouse with some ambitious goals. It would be a gaming-grade, wireless hybrid mouse. It would be ambidextrous, even adjustable – allowing the user to create that perfect fit. It would pack in the latest sensors and gaming technology, complete with a cloud-based driver solution. Three years later in late 2012, Razer finally released the Ouroboros. As soon as it was released, it quickly sold out of stock online and in stores and has since disappeared from regular channels. At Benchmark Reviews, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse and take it for a spin.

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PeripheralsBy Greg Schepers

Genius Gila GX Gaming Mouse Review

For several years, Genius has been manufacturing quality computer peripherals and decided, in 2011, to leverage its years of experience by creating the GX Gaming series, which currently consists of mice, keyboards, headsets, speaker systems, and mouse pads. The Genius Gila, which Benchmark Reviews will evaluate in this article, is the company’s latest foray into the gaming mouse market. This mouse boasts a 12-button design and offers desirable gaming mouse features such as adjustable weighting, on-the-fly DPI adjustability, and user-defined macros. The Genius Gila GX Gaming Mouse looks good and its features sound good, so read on and find out if it really IS good.

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Technology EditorialsBy Olin Coles

Desktop PC: Intel Says the End is Near

By Olin Coles Back on August 2010, I made a prediction: desktop PCs have an expiration date, and that time may not be far off. I followed-up that article with several more editorials, arguing on both sides of the position that enthusiast desktop PCs would be killed by unnecessary overclocking products, but might later possibly be saved by enthusiast-level overclocking products. Both had their points, and both contained plenty of truth, but when I published the statistical obituary a few weeks later our readers commented in revolt. Even some of my industry peers said I was pessimistic, and that the enthusiast desktop PC industry would continue to thrive and grow. We disagreed, even as mounting evidence supported my claims. Intel’s […]

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PhonesBy Bruce Normann

Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD 4G Smartphone Review

Pervasive computing has taken over as the dominant technology market for consumers. Users who want to stay productive, or merely connected while away from their desk, have found the Smartphone to be a mobile workhorse. Today, Benchmark Reviews brings you a hands-on review of Motorola’s top-line device, the DROID RAZR MAXX HD. Both the RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD have a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a 4.7″ 720p HD Super AMOLED display. The RAZR HD has a 2530 mAh battery, and the RAZR MAXX HD has 3300mAh of go juice inside. This is not an all-day battery; this is a 2-3 day battery, depending on your usage pattern. Let’s take a closer look at Motorola’s latest flagship phone.

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NetworkBy Bruce Normann

NETGEAR GS110T Gigabit Smart Switch Review

Until recently, there were only two types of network switches, un-managed and managed. Today, there is a new class, called Smart Switches. A blend of the two previous extremes, they’re targeted to both corporate users and what the industry politely calls “ProSumers”. Switches aren’t reviewed by the press that often, but they are a necessary part of many home and SMB networks, so we need to look at what’s available now and then. NETGEAR is a major player in the networking market, and today Benchmark Reviews looks at the GS110T, one of the less expensive offerings in their ProSafe SmartSwitch line. It’s got enough GbE ports to future-proof most home installations, plus two fiber optic interfaces.

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StorageBy Aidan Moore

ADATA DashDrive Elite HE720 USB 3.0 External Drive Review

The Adata DashDrive Elite HE720 promises a sleek and light weight method of moving hundreds of gigabytes of data from point A to point B. Imagine showing up at your friends’ door with four seasons of their favorite TV show in your pocket. Although USB memory devices currently offer the lightest and smallest way to move data, the cost per gigabyte becomes quite high as capacity increases. In this article, Benchmark Reviews looks at the features and performance for the lightweight, portable and overall good-looking ADATA DashDrive Elite HE720 USB 3.0 External Hard Drive.

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