24 May 2017Manufacturer NewsBy News Reporter

MSI Infinite A Desktop Unveiled at COMPUTEX Taipei 2017

MSI announces a wide variety of new gaming products to take gamers to the Next Gaming Dimension MSI, a world leader in gaming hardware, continues to build on its critically-acclaimed gaming laptops with the announcement of several brand-new products at COMPUTEX 2017. Echoing the gaming and virtual reality themes at COMPUTEX, MSI has engineered gaming rigs that bring new experiences and performance to PC gaming. “For years, MSI has been engineering futuristic gaming rigs that bring new dimension to PC gaming,” said Sam Chern, MSI Global Marketing Director. “We look forward to wowing COMPUTEX visitors with our latest gaming tech, the new and upgraded MSI gaming lineup as well as stunning VR gaming experiences.” To lead visitors into new PC […]

24 February 2016Manufacturer NewsBy News Reporter

MAINGEAR F131 Desktop and Nomad VR Notebook Introduced

VR-tuned gaming systems deliver turbo-charged performance and guarantee the absolute best gaming PC experience MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming solutions, unveils the ultimate pair of VR systems, the completely revamped F131 desktop and refreshed NOMAD VR notebook. Part of its “Tuned for VR” lineup, MAINGEAR’s newest systems were developed in partnership with VR manufacturers and developers, and showcase the company’s commitment to future of gaming. “VR is now a reality and both the F131 and NOMAD VR are ready to fully immerse you into any virtual adventure you seek,” says Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of MAINGEAR. “We offer the best customized gaming solutions available and our newest systems are designed to maximize experiences for any […]

4 September 2015Manufacturer NewsBy News Reporter

Lenovo ideacentre Y900 and Y700 Desktops Announced

ideacentre and ideapad premium PCs built to serve both work and gaming demands Lenovo (HKSE: 0992)(PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) today announced the company’s trio of new premium PCs and accessories designed exclusively for gamers: the Lenovo™ ideacentre™ Y900 and Y700 desktops and ideapad™ Y700 laptop with Windows® 10. Crafted for the growing population of working gamers who now demand a powerful and stylish machine that can move with them through their life from day to play, the family of new Y series devices and accessories have been built from the ground up to serve mature gaming enthusiasts’ professional and social life. The new ideacentre™ Y900 and Y700 desktops look as distinct as their performance – an edgy design with internal and […]

29 August 201415 December 2014ProcessorsBy David Ramsey

Intel Core i7-5960X Extreme Processor Preview

Intel has upped the ante for LGA2011 systems with the new LGA2011-V3 specification, comprising the new X99 chipset and Haswell-E CPUs. The top-end Core i7-5960X is Intel’s first consumer 8-core CPU and boasts an amazing 20 megabytes of on-chip cache and a new quad-channel DDR4 memory controller. As with the original “Sandy Bridge Extreme” Core i7-3960X CPU, the new Haswell-E systems will be very expensive. Benchmark Reviews does the work so you can see if they make sense for you.

29 July 2014AccessoriesBy Julian Duque

XTracGear Ripper XXL Desk Mat Review

If you are in the look for a mouse pad or desk mat you have probably heard of XTracPads. Unlike other big companies like Razer and SteelSeries, XTracPads’ focus is directed only to making the best mouse pad gear and accessories. Lately, the twelve year old company has made some changes such as updating their name to XTracGear and updating many of their lines of products. Luckily, they have sent Benchmark Reviews some samples to test. This time we will be testing their biggest product, the Ripper XXL.

16 September 201316 April 2018MotherboardsBy David Ramsey

ASUS Z87I-Deluxe Mini-ITX Intel Motherboard Review

It seems full-sized ATX systems are becoming less relevant every day. Increasing GPU horsepower diminishes the need for expensive multi-GPU setups; onboard sound has become good enough for all but serious audiophiles, and inexpensive 8GB DIMMs mean that two DIMM slots is plenty. The ASUS Z87I-Deluxe LGA1150 mini-ITX motherboard is the latest in ASUS’ new line of enthusiast mini-ITX motherboards. If you haven’t considered a mini-ITX build, maybe it’s time you should.

15 July 201316 April 2018MotherboardsBy Steven Iglesias-Hearst

ASRock Z87E-ITX Intel Desktop Motherboard Review

Small form factor PC’s have been gaining a lot of momentum and favor with hardware enthusiasts and hardcore gamers these past couple of years. Since more features are integrated into the CPU in recent releases, it means more real estate has been made on ITX form factor motherboards for extras that may well have not fit previously. With the release of Intel Haswell CPU’s and Z87 chipset, motherboard vendors are now more than ever able to condense the features of a full size ATX motherboard into the ITX form factor without much (if any) sacrifice. See for yourself, take a look at an average Z68 or Z77 ATX motherboard and you will start to notice just how much space isn’t occupied. In this article Benchmark Reviews takes an in-depth look at the ASRock Z87E-ITX motherboard, reporting back on special features and performance as well as giving a visual commentary on the aesthetics of this tiny beast.

27 June 201316 April 2018MotherboardsBy David Ramsey

Intel DZ87KLT-75K LGA1150 Desktop Motherboard Review

Until a few years ago, Intel motherboards were, well, boring: reliable, sure, and well-made, but without any really interesting features that would appeal to enthusiasts. That started changing around the time of the Z68 chipset, and although Intel has announced they’ll stop manufacturing desktop motherboards in the near future, the Z87-based DZ78KLT-75K makes a good swan song.

13 June 20132 November 2025Technology EditorialsBy Olin Coles

Desktop Computer System PC Hardware Component Predictions

For the past six years it has been my duty to contact product manufacturers, and arrange test samples of cutting-edge products for our review team. Since techplayboy.com started back in 2007, I have repeatedly enjoyed hands-on experience with exotic desktop PC computer components that most techies can only dream of owning. Together with my computer business, I’ve been afforded a broad view of the market, one that has given me a unique opportunity to see new trends emerge while watching old fads quietly fade away (ie: Rambus RD-RAM, OCZ NIA, HD-DVD, and various Virtual Reality gadgets). My experiences within the hardware industry have enabled me to predict where the technology is driving us with some accuracy, based on historical lessons the younger generation have forgotten. In this editorial I will explain what could happen next in the desktop computer hardware segment, as it attempts to co-exist with a mobile mega-industry.

1 June 20139 September 2013MotherboardsBy 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!

1 June 201315 December 2014ProcessorsBy 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.