20 May 201524 June 2016PeripheralsBy Meng Vang

Tt eSPORTS POSEIDON Z Forged Mechanical Keyboard Review

The Thermaltake Poseidon Z Forged is the newest edition to the Poseidon Z family. It comes in with a lot of new features that can be appealing to most gamers. This is the first mechanical keyboard in the Poseidon series to offer programmable macro buttons. In addition to that, Thermaltake is confident that the Poseidon Z Forged will become a long lasting keyboard, so they are offering the same five year warranty as they did with their previous Poseidon mechanical keyboards.

11 May 2015PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Zalman ZM-GM4 Knossos Gaming Mouse Review

Zalman made their reputation with high-end aluminum cases– who could forget the marvelously insane $1,000+ TNN-500? – and CPU air coolers like their “flower”-designed CNPS7000 series. They don’t make insanely expensive cases any more, and air coolers are arguably irrelevant in the enthusiast market these days, but Zalman’s been branching out into gaming peripherals, and today Benchmark Reviews has their top-end Knossos ZM-GM4 Professional Laser Gaming Mouse to review.

11 May 201511 May 2015CoolingBy Julian Duque

Cryorig R1 Ultimate CPU Cooler Review

It is always great to hear about small companies making the headlines in the computer market, but we have seemed to miss a note here. Although Benchmark Reviews has been around long enough to review cooling solutions from most manufacturers in the market, this is the first time we look at a product from Cryorig; a company that has gotten a lot of momentum since it’s first release back in 2013. Today, we take a look at the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Cryorig’s first attempt of impressing us with a product they claim is an accumulation of years of design and research.

11 May 201511 May 2015CasesBy Joe Gulczinski

RAIDMAX Viper GX II Case Review

Raidmax was founded back in 1988 and is know for their budget oriented gaming cases. Their history indicates that they were one of the first to mass produce gaming cases incorporating innovative designs coupled with excellent performance. The Raidmax Viper GX II is one of the current iterations, building on past styles to achieve a truly unique look.The prominent features that really stand out is a hot-swappable SSD bay on top accompanied by two USB 3.0 ports and ominous yet slick looking vents on the top shroud.

6 May 20156 May 2015CasesBy Jason Maxfield

NZXT Noctis 450 Mid-Tower Case Review

The NZXT Noctis 450 styling on the outside has undergone a major face lift. The Noctis 450 has taken a bit of the popular Phantom series styling queues and wrapped them around the Noctis 450 chassis, creating an attractive looking case. According to NZXT the Noctis 450 allows the case to have 10 times the ventilation surface with the use of floating plastic panels compared to the H440. The Noctis 450 isn’t just about style, but form with function.

1 May 20158 May 2015CoolingBy Julian Duque

SilverStone Tundra TD02-E CPU Cooler Review

Spring signals the fore-coming of summer, but to Benchmark Reviews, it also means time for some cooler reviews. The first manufacturer in our 2015 list is SilverStone. Last week, we reviewed the SilverStone TD03-E, a 120mm all-in-one CPU cooler which served as an update to the already aging TD03. Today we take a look at it’s bigger brother, the SilverStone Tundra TD02-E, an astonishingly stylish 240 mm all-in-one CPU cooler.

27 April 201531 August 2015StorageBy Olin Coles

Kingston HyperX Savage SSD Review

HyperX, a division of Kingston, had been making headlines. It began with their Predator PCIe M.2 SSD, which fetched data at more than 1400 MB/s. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the HyperX Savage SSD, designed for performance enthusiasts and replaces the HyperX 3K solid state drive. HyperX Savage utilizes a quad-core eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 storage controller capable of 560 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write speeds. The 240GB HyperX Savage SSD Upgrade Bundle Kit received for testing (SHSS3B7A/240G) will be tested against the fastest solid state drives available for the SATA interface.

26 April 201527 April 2015CasesBy David Shields

Zalman Z11 Neo Mid-Tower Case Review

This new take on the Z11 design features a new exterior design, mounts for water cooling and filtered intakes, along with the sleek, jet-inspired exterior design from the original Z11. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I will cover the Zalman Z11 Neo and discuss the changes Zalman has made from the Z11 Plus before delivering my final rating.

26 April 20158 May 2015CoolingBy Julian Duque

SilverStone Tundra TD03-E CPU Liquid Cooler Review

Summer is approaching us, and with temperatures expecting to get hot it means that Benchmark Reviews is evaluating what CPU cooler manufacturers are bringing forward in 2015. In this article, the spotlight will be on the newest SilverStone Cooler, the Tundra TD03-E, the successor of the TD03, and the smaller brother of the TD02-E. As expected from any SilverStone product, expectations are quite high, even if this is merely the first update to SilverStone’s Tundra series, which made it’s debut back in 2013.

18 April 201518 April 2015StorageBy Olin Coles

Kingston HyperX Predator PCIe M.2 SSD Review

Are you in a hurry? Solid state Drive Technology has been serving up data at the fastest rates available to consumers, quickly earning the distinction of ‘instant’ storage. SSDs built for the SATA interface already make most computers open applications in a snap, but the latest generation of PCI-Express 2.0 based SSDs bring that title closer to the truth. The new Kingston HyperX Predator PCIe M.2 SSD is one such example, and boasts 1400 MB/s read speeds with 1000 MB/s compressible data writes. Available in 240/480GB storage capacities, and available as a single M.2 drive or installed to a half-height half-length PCI-Express 2.0 adapter, in this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Kingston Predator against the fastest SSDs on the market.

18 April 201518 April 2015CoolingBy Aidan Moore

Corsair H80i GT Liquid CPU Cooler Review

The new Corsair Hydro series H80i GT challenges this assumption with an extra thick single-width radiator and two fans for out of the box push-pull operation. In this article, Benchmark Reviews will look at the performance of the new Corsair H80i GT all-in-one cooling system and compare it to some of the competition.

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18 April 201518 April 2015CasesBy Jason Maxfield

Fractal Design Core 2500 Case Review

The Fractal Design Core 2500 is in the sub-100 dollar category, which has some really heated competition at the moment. Computer cases are becoming less expensive, while adding more features. I’m going to put the Fractal Design Core 2500 through it’s paces in this article for Benchmark Reviews, and see how it stacks up to the competition.

10 April 201510 April 2015CoolingBy Aidan Moore

Corsair Hydro H100i GTX Review

Corsair’s new H100i GTX all-in-one water cooling system is the latest evolution of the H100 series of dual 120 mm cooling systems. This version adds Corsair link capability, improved cold plate and pump performance for better thermal efficiency and throws in a cosmetic update as well. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes the new Corsair H100i GTX out for a test drive and compares its performance against a few other popular all-in-one cooling solutions.

6 April 2015CoolingBy Meng Vang

Raijintek Triton CPU Water Cooler Review

What makes this liquid cooling unit unique is the room for expansion. Users can either use this cooling unit as it is, or expand on it with additional radiators and GPU blocks. The 240mm radiator uses a high fin density design, which results in better cooling potential overall. To top it off, three color coolant dyes are included in the packaging for further customization (only available for Triton / Triton Core editions). Benchmark Reviews is excited to receive a sample of the Raijintek Triton for this review. Let’s take a look at what this AIO liquid cooling unit has to offer against the competition.

3 April 201515 April 2015StorageBy Olin Coles

Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA Review

Powered by their own 32-layer 3D V-NAND technology, the Samsung SSD 850 EVO replaces the 840 EVO solid state drive and delivers up to twice the density and write speed of traditional 20nm planar NAND flash components. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 250GB Samsung SSD 850 EVO mSATA drive against the fastest solid state drives available.

30 March 201515 April 2015StorageBy Olin Coles

Crucial BX100 SSD Review

Crucial has returned with the BX100 series solid state drive, featuring Micron’s most affordable 16nm NAND flash components. The Crucial BX100 SSD offers excellent performance to value-driven mainstream users, and delivers enthusiast speeds at a reasonable price. Benchmark Reviews tests the BX100 solid state drive against the fastest SSDs available.

29 March 2015CasesBy Julian Duque

SilverStone Kublai KL05B-Q Case Review

SilverStone is at it again, but this time they are looking to mix things up by venturing into unprecedented areas. Lately, it seems that the competition has shaken the sub-$100 case market, and SilverStone is not willing to stand down. Mostly known for their premium cases and their innovative ideas, SilverStone has taken a different approach this time from their top notch designs and instead released the SilverStone Kublai KL05B-Q Mid-Tower case, which Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at today.

27 March 201527 March 2015CasesBy David Ramsey

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX Case Review

As more enthusiasts realize that they don’t need the expansion capabilities of standard ATX motherboards, mATX and mini-ITX systems are exploding in popularity, and we’re seeing some real innovation in small systems case design. Today we have Phanteks’ latest, the Enthoo Evolv ITX case. This case has excellent air flow, a very versatile design, and is perfect for those who want to water-cool their systems: it can accommodate a 240mm radiator and even comes with a bracket for a separate water pump if you want to roll your own. Long graphics cards are no problem, either, and integrated cable management features make a clean build easy. Of course the real proof is building a system in this case, and that’s exactly what Benchmark Reviews will do.

22 March 20154 April 2015CasesBy Julian Duque

SilverStone Kublai KL05B Mid-Tower Case Review

If you have ever bought a SilverStone case, you would probably agree that the price can be easily justified by the over-the-top build quality and the unique designs that can only be obtained by buying one of the many cases that SilverStone has available. It has been over a year since SilverStone last released a member of the Kublai series, and when they mentioned to Benchmark Reviews that they were updating this line with the Kublai KL05B-W, we immediately asked for a sample.

14 March 20154 April 2015CasesBy Jason Maxfield

SilverStone PS11B-Q Mid-Tower Case Review

SilverStone brings us the Precision Series PS11B-Q ATX case for the budget minded or entry level enthusiast. The Precision Series includes two variants, the PS11B-Q and the PS11B-W. This review will focus on the SilverStone PS11B-Q, which is the silent version of the Precision series.

14 March 20154 April 2015PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Ozone Neon Laser Mouse Review

The Ozone Neon Precision Laser Mouse is their mid-level gaming mouse offering, and boasts 128KB on-board memory, on-the-fly switchable resolutions, multiple profiles, 8 programmable buttons, and a 6400-dpi laser sensor. Its ambidextrous design separates it from most other gaming mice, and today Benchmark Reviews will take a detailed look at this new entry in the gaming mouse field.

8 March 20154 April 2015CasesBy Julian Duque

Raidmax Atomic ITX-107WB Review

Back in 2005, it was almost unthinkable to build a small form factor system due to the existence of a major trade-off between performance and efficiency. Nowadays, the market for small form factor systems has catapulted itself, and has gotten as far as to make companies like Raidmax to adapt and introduce itself to this market. A month ago, Benchmark Reviews took a peak the Raidmax Hyperion, the first Micro-ATX case from a company mostly known for their aggressive looking Mid-Towers. Today, we take a look at the Raidmax Atomic Mini-ITX Case, an even smaller case, with a lot of potential.

5 March 20154 April 2015CasesBy Jason Maxfield

SilverStone PS11B-W ATX Case Review

The SilverStone PS11B-W is a versatile entry level enthusiast case, featuring bottom-mount PSU, USB 3.0, variable size fan mounts and locations, a variety of hard drive mount options, and space enough for the most gigantic of graphics cards on the market. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be putting the SilverStone PS11B-W to the test. Can the SST-PS11B-W deliver on all it’s promises? Let’s find out.

25 February 20158 March 2015PeripheralsBy Jason Vaught

ASUS Strix Tactic Pro Gaming Keyboard Review

The Strix brand, ASUS’ new performance-to-premium gaming brand, was launched in May of 2014. Modeled around the mythological Roman owl. In it’s line up is the Strix Claw (a 5000 DPI optical mouse), the Strix DSP (7.1 ch. USB headset), the Strix glide control/speed mouse pads, and the Strix Tactic Pro gaming mechanical keyboard. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Strix Tactic Pro keyboard to see if meets expectations and lives up to the ASUS name.

25 February 201525 February 2015CasesBy Meng Vang

Raijintek Metis Classic Computer Case Review

Mini PC’s are a crucial part for a media center PC and even small compact gaming PC’s. With the Raijintek Metis Classic computer case, system builders can now build even smaller and more compact media center or gaming PC’s. This lightweight aluminum case supports mini-ITX motherboards and even a full size ATX power supply. The Metis comes in a variety of colors to choose from. These colors include red, black, silver, blue, green and gold. Benchmark Reviews has been given this gold sample for this review. With the right hardware components, the Metis can be turned into the perfect computer for the living room and even a high-performance gaming machine in a small form factor.