10 December 201510 December 2015CoolingBy Tom Jaskulka

SilverStone TD03 Slim AIO Liquid Cooler Review

The Tundra line of coolers by SilverStone is about to get larger…by getting slimmer? Well, at least two of them are: the TD03 Slim and TD02 Slim. Containing aesthetics from the Tundra Lite coolers and coupling them with a slim radiator and fan (with a total rad/fan package height of 37mm), this AIO cooler seems custom-built for slim cases or anywhere where space is at a premium. Benchmark Reviews has the opportunity to investigate the cooling potential of the 120mm TD03 Slim – will it survive the cooling testbed? We’ll also see how this cooler performs in one of its “intended use” cases: the slim Fortress FTZ01.

10 December 2015CasesBy David Shields

Corsair Carbide Clear 600C Case Review

Corsair’s latest design is the Carbide Clear 600C and Quiet 600Q full-tower cases. The 600C features a large side panel window (much like the Graphite 760T) while the 600Q is designed for silence and water-cooling capability. Both designs feature an inverted motherboard mount intended to display the interior and improve airflow along with a PSU shroud, hidden HDD/SSD trays, and much more. Today we’ll be looking at the windowed version, the Carbide 600C.

10 December 20155 May 2016PC Hardware Reviews, Peripherals, ReviewsBy David Ramsey

Corsair Strafe RGB MX Silent Gaming Keyboard Review

The glut of mechanical keyboards with per-key RGB lighting continues with the release of Corsair’s Strafe RGB Cherry MX Silent series. In addition to features such as extremely versatile programmable lighting, a pass-through USB port, optional textured key caps, and a detachable wrist rest, Corsair adds a unique to them (for now) “silent” version of the Cherry MX Red key switch.

3 December 201516 October 2017CasesBy Meng Vang

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Galaxy Silver Case Review

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX is a beautiful aluminum case with lots of water cooling flexibility. It includes great features like the innovated radiator bracket, support for Phanteks modular 3.5″ HDD brackets, and swivel side panels to complement the elegant 3mm thick aluminum exterior. The interior frame looks almost identical to the Enthoo Pro M due to the 2.5″ drop-N-lock mounts behind the motherboard tray and on the power supply chamber and the lack of interior HDD cages. Built specifically to target water cooling enthusiasts, the top and front of the case can support up to a 360mm or a 280mm radiator with plenty of space for a large reservoir. At Benchmark Reviews, we will be taking a look at the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX case in Galaxy Silver. Let’s go ahead and go through a quick overview of the case.

30 November 2015Motherboards, ReviewsBy David Ramsey

MSI Z170A GAMING M7 Motherboard Review

The advent of Intel’s Skylake 6th-generation Core processors and their supporting Z170 chipset marks the biggest change in Intel’s consumer line since the original X68. While the Skylake CPU holds few surprises other than its support for DDR4 memory, the Z170 chipset finally brings to the mainstream market what it’s so desperately needed: more PCI-E lanes, and of the 3.0 variety at that! Of course MSI adds their own unique touches to this system and today Benchmark Reviews checks out the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 LGA1151 motherboard.

22 November 2015CasesBy Jason Vaught

SilverStone RAVEN RVZ02 Mini-ITX Case Review

The RAVEN line, SilverStone’s iconic and innovative line of gaming PC chassis, has become a staple in the gaming community for many years. Featuring unique designs, clean lines, and tough aluminum construction. RAVEN designers are expanding their approach to gaming in the SFF (Small Form Factor) market with the new RVZ02B-W. The -W stands for Window, as the regular RVZ02B only has black filters in place of clear vented windows. The RVZ02B-W is a Mini-ITX case that features a super slim design, and the ability to utilize full sized graphics cards.

22 November 2015AccessoriesBy Jason Vaught

SilverStone Hi-Fi Audio Headphone Stand Review

SilverStone, a leading provider of high quality computer cases, fans, PSUs, and other accessories, is now offering a blacked out version of their Hi-Fi Audio Headphone Stand in their Ensemble Series Audio lineup. The EBA01B is made of solid aluminum, with a 2cm thick base and weighing in at 3.26 pounds, and features the ability to hold up to two large headsets/headphones.

19 November 2015CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

SilverStone ML08 Mini-ITX Slim Case Review

Hot on the heels of Benchmark Review’s look at the Fortress FTZ01, SilverStone sent over their latest iteration of the mini-ITX “Z” chassis. Based off of the Raven RVZ02, today we have a chance to look at the Milo version: the ML08B-H. Following the same internal layout the Milo ML08 squeezes the same component clearances into an even slimmer chassis with some new tricks. New tool-less drive trays, a more accessible interior and two completely thermally isolated compartments identify this HTPC-oriented “Z2” case. Follow along as we take a closer look at the SilverStone ML08.

16 November 2015AccessoriesBy David Ramsey

SilverStone ECM20 m.2 Adapter Review

The m.2 form factor is becoming popular for SSDs due to its small size, and, in PCI-E guise, superior performance. As our recent test of the Samsung 950 Pro m.2 SSD has shown, PCI-E m.2 SSDs offer performance many times that of the very best SATA SSDs, so if you’re looking for a storage upgrade, m.2 is definitely the way to go. While m.2 slots are only available on the latest motherboards, SilverStone Technology’s ECM20 m.2 adapter card offers an inexpensive way for older systems to enjoy the performance and space savings of modern m.2 SSDs. Benchmark Reviews tests the ECM20 and compares the performance of a modern m.2 PCI-E SSD on this adapter card with its performance on a native m.2 port.

6 November 201521 August 2016CasesBy Meng Vang

Cooler Master MasterCase 5 Review

The Cooler Master MasterCase 5 offers an evolutionary way of customizing a computer system for any type of purpose. Whether it is for productivity or gaming, the MasterCase 5 is able to be upgraded to any configuration without much problem. With Cooler Master’s new FreeForm Modular System, computer users will now be able to take control in fully customizing the exterior and interior parts of the case.

4 November 2015PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Thermaltake Poseidon Z RGB Keyboard Review

Just a few months ago, full RGB mechanical keyboards were rare beasts, and the inclusion of full per-key RGB lighting commanded a very high price, with some keyboards selling for almost $200.00. Now, prices are coming down rapidly and vendors are starting to compete on features, but how many more features are there left to add? Today Benchmark Reviews looks at the latest entry in the “full color per-key RGB keyboard” market, Thermaltake’s Poseidon Z RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

4 November 20154 November 2015Accessories, PC Hardware ReviewsBy Tom Jaskulka

NZXT GRID+ V2 Digital Fan Controller Review

The NZXT Grid+ V2 is a voltage regulated, 30W digital fan controller fits in practically any case (it’s about the size of two SSDs stacked on top of each other) and adds digital fan control capability for up to eight fans across six separate channels. Join Benchmark Reviews as we take a quick look at the capabilities NZXT’s GRID+ V2 digital fan controller will bring to your build.

2 November 2015PeripheralsBy Jason Vaught

RANTOPAD MT Aegis Mechanical Keyboard Review

What is the main reason to spend money on a “gaming” keyboard vs a regular keyboard? With membrane based gaming keyboards, your purchase depends mainly on features that you can only utilize during gameplay. But with a gaming mechanical keyboard, your priorities in performance to value are more broad. You’re looking for a long life keyswitch that offers tactile feel and a comfortable typing experience as well. This is what we should all look for in a gaming mechanical keyboard, does the RANTOPAD MT Aegis live up to their own expectations? Let’s find out.

2 November 201530 November 2015CoolingBy Jason Maxfield

SilverStone Tundra TD02 Slim Liquid Cooler Review

In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be putting the SilverStone Tundra TD02 Slim liquid cooler to the test. As you might of guessed, the TD02 Slim is a thinner version of their bigger TD02 brethren. The TD02 Slim is designed to be compatible with more cases on the market, with a slim profile of just 37mm, including the radiator and fans. Can the TD02 Slim handle the heat? Let’s find out.

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28 October 20151 May 2018PeripheralsBy Olin Coles

CMStorm QuickFire XTi Mechanical Keyboard Review

Without question, keyboard and mouse peripherals have become natural extensions of the body for the eSports gamer. Of the two, keyboards are used for both everyday workload as well as entertainment. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Cooler Master Quick Fire XTi Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, which features genuine Cherry MX Blue clicky switches, customizable multi-color LED backlighting, and programmable macro capability.

23 October 2015PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid-i Keyboard Review

Benchmark Reviews has looked at a number of gaming keyboards of late, and most are stuffed with features: extra keys, elaborate macro definition software, dual-core CPUs and megabytes of RAM to hold all the key definitions and macros. And there’s also the elaborate RGB lighting that has become de rigueur in this market segment. So it’s almost a relief to see that the Cooler Master Quickfire Rapid-i is a compact, minimalist TKL (ten-keyless) version of their Quickfire Rapid series of gaming keyboards. Benchmark Reviews will check out this new minimalist entry to see if less really is more.

23 October 201523 October 2015CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

NZXT S340 By Razer ATX Case Review

The Designed By Razer program was started last year to provide a way for manufacturers to collaborate with Razer’s design studio, allowing for products with the Razer branding that may not have existed otherwise. Razer ventured into the gaming laptop market with their Blade series of laptops; so far their desktop components have been limited to peripherals (keyboards/mice/audio). That changed with the introduction of the NZXT H440 | Designed By Razer ATX case. This special edition added some signature Razer elements to the mix – that treatment has now been extended to the H440’s sibling, the NZXT S340. Today, Benchmark Reviews has an opportunity to take a closer look at the S340 “Designed By Razer” edition from NZXT (model CA-S340W-RA). Can a budget-oriented chassis co-exist with a higher price tag?

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22 October 20155 February 2018StorageBy Olin Coles

Samsung SSD 950 PRO Solid State Drive Review

In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Samsung SSD 950 PRO, an M.2 solid state drive among the first to utilize the ultra-fast NVMe protocol, on both Intel X99 and Z170 platforms. Featuring Samsung’s second generation 32-layer MLC V-NAND, SSD 950 PRO M.2 is available in 256 GB and 512 GB storage capacities. The SSD 950 PRO utilizes Samsung’s UDX controller to deliver sequential read speeds up to 2500 MB/s and writes up to 1500 MB/s, while random read performance reaches up to 300,000 IOPS and write speeds up to 110,000 IOPS. Performance is further optimized with Samsung Magician software, and durability enhanced by the drive’s Dynamic Thermal Guard and AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption. 950 PRO includes a 5-year limited warranty, and promises up to 400 terabytes written (TBW) for 512GB model.

12 October 2015CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

SilverStone Fortress FTZ01 Mini-ITX Case Review

Generally, a few months after the Raven version is released, a premium Fortress version – sporting clean lines and a few tweaks here and there – will follow. This was the case with the RV01/FT01, RV02/FT02…well, you get the idea. When SilverStone released their first ITX Raven case – the RVZ01 – it was only a matter of time before the Fortress variant emerged. The RVZ01 was a unique chassis even by Raven standards; how would the FTZ01 manage to maintain that premium Fortress look and feel? Well, wrap it in a unibody aluminum exterior for starters. Follow along with Benchmark Reviews as we see what else has changed in the SilverStone Fortress FTZ01.

1 October 2015CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

Silverstone ML06-E Mini-ITX HTPC Case Review

Still one of the only players in the very small form factor market, SilverStone has consistently iterated on its various designs to bring us new improvements and features, case after case. Not content to rest with their niche ML05 HTPC enclosure, they dressed up the exterior with a full aluminum panel and released the ML06. That isn’t the case Benchmark Reviews is reviewing here – SilverStone decided they weren’t done, and evolved the internals of the ML06 into the product we see here today: the ML06-E. Featuring re-worked internals but the same exterior dimensions, the ML06-E is poised to be the best of the series so far. Let’s take a closer look.

1 October 20151 October 2015StorageBy David Ramsey

Centon C-380 480GB SSD Review

Centon isn’t a name many enthusiasts will know. I’d never heard of the company myself until this review sample; apparently, they’ve been in business for over 35 years manufacturing DRAM and flash memory products, and have only recently entered the consumer marketplace. The Centon C-380 480GB SSD SATA-III Solid State Drive, part of the “Enthusiast Solutions” series, is the focus of what Benchmark Reviews will be putting through our test suite.

26 September 2015NetworkBy Julian Duque

Tenda AC15 AC1900 Dual-Band WiFi Router Review

It used to be a pretty well understood fact that merging to the 802.11ac wireless standard was an expensive task, with just the thought about having to replace both your router and wireless card made anyone’s wallet shudder, but that was back in 2013. Come back, three years in the future, and we encounter devices like the one Benchmark Reviews has in it’s hands today. The Tenda AC15 AC1900 Router is not only AC capable, but it features a Broadcom’s BCM4708 Wi-Fi chipset capable of delivering speeds of up to 1300 Mbps over the 5 Ghz band. Astonishingly, it comes at only $87.99, which is the lowest price tag we have ever encountered on any AC1900 router.

26 September 201526 September 2015CasesBy Jason Maxfield

Antec GX505 Window SC Mid-Tower Case Review

Antec was kind enough to ship me their GX505 Window SC mid-tower case to review. The Antec GX505 is part of the GX series of cases designed for gamers on a budget. The GX505 is a slight revision of the GX500 case. The main difference is the all new front and top panels, and a built-in fan controller switch.

19 September 20154 June 2016CasesBy Meng Vang

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX SE Case Review

The Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX, released earlier this year, became a very popular case for small water cooling builds thanks to its great features and water cooling flexibility. To make things better, Phanteks announced their new Enthoo Evolv ITX Special Edition case which comes in two colors; black with red interior or white with black interior. Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX SE in white and black, so let’s go ahead and see what this special edition case has to offer.

14 September 201525 September 2015CasesBy David Shields

SilverStone CS01B-HS Mini-ITX Case Review

Two versions of the anodized black CS01B computer case exist, one with a mesh top and the option to install two 2.5″ and two 3.5″ drives. The second is the CS01B-HS, which removes the pair of 3.5″ drives in favor of six hot-swappable 2.5″ bays. Also included in both models is a single 120mm air penetrator fan, one expansion slot, and a sturdy aluminum construction throughout. SilverStone is not intending this to be used for gaming, but rather for an office environment. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we will specifically look at the CS01B-HS version, deciding whether or not SilverStone has succeeded in creating such a product, and then deliver an overall rating.