31 May 20189 December 2018AudioBy Meng Vang

Corsair HS70 Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Corsair’s HS series headsets are a combination of outstanding comfort, audio, and durability. As previously seen on the HS50 we reviewed in 2017, the Corsair HS70 Wireless Gaming Headset includes all of the essential features from the HS50 with the addition of wireless freedom and virtual 7.1 surround sound. The HS70 is also supported by the Corsair Utility Engine software where the user can adjust different settings to get the most out of this product. This headset comes in two colors: carbon (black), and white. Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the HS70 in white to see how it compares to the competition.

AOC AGON AG352UCG6 120Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review

30 May 20186 June 2018MonitorsBy Olin Coles

AOC AGON AG352UCG6 Gaming Monitor Review

AOC impressed gamers with their AGON AG352UCG series, which delivered a 35″ WQHD panel with 1800R curvature that naturally conforms to how the eye sees the screen to reduce fatigue while creating a more immersive experience. Refreshing the AG352UCG series with AG352UCG6, AOC delivers their third-generation 35″ AGON curved gaming monitor. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I test the updated AOC AGON AG352UCG6 gaming monitor with 35â€ curved VA panel and 120 Hz NVIDIA G-SYNC support at WQHD 3440×1440 native resolution.

14 May 2018PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

IOGear HVER RGB Gaming Keyboard Review

Any enthusiast will know the name IOGEAR; this prolific peripherals company has been around for years and has a broad and popular catalog of products. Today Benchmark Reviews has the IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard for review. This interesting input device includes popular features like partial aluminum construction, programmability with multiple profiles, and RGB lighting, but keeps costs down by eschewing mechanical key switches for rubber domes. How much of a sacrifice is this? We’ll see in this review.

11 May 2018PeripheralsBy Olin Coles

CHERRY MX BOARD 5.0 Mechanical Keyboard Review

Choosing the right peripheral components is critical to demanding PC users. The mouse and keyboard work like natural extensions of the body, and so their selection becomes a personal choice. Keyboards are used for both everyday workload as well as entertainment, so picking the right one is very important. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Cherry MX Board 5.0 corded mechanical keyboard with German-made Gold Crosspoint contact technology precision Cherry MX Red linear switches, double-shot keys, and customizable white LED backlighting.

2 May 20189 May 2018ReviewsBy Jason Maxfield

E-Win Flash XL Gaming Chair Review

The EWin Flash XL office gaming chair has a weight capacity of 500 pounds, and it has steel frame construction with an aluminum base with 5 caster wheels. Not only will the Flash XL handle your weight, but handle your height as well. I am very tall, and I can actually make use of the head rest built into the Flash XL gaming chair. I do not even need to raise the chair at all for my legs to be comfortable and feet sit planted flat on the floor. EWin has made a great looking gaming chair, but how well does it function, and how comfortable is it for hours of gaming?

16 April 201816 April 2018PeripheralsBy Jason Maxfield

Roccat Horde AIMO RGB Gaming Keyboard Review

In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I will put the Roccat Horde AIMO keyboard through it’s paces, and see if the keyboard is up to snuff when it comes to gaming and general use. Roccat claims that the Horde AIMO has the perfect balance between membrane and mechanical keys, calling them ‘membranical’ keys.

16 April 201819 April 2018AudioBy Tom Jaskulka

Roccat Khan AIMO 7.1 Gaming Headset Review

Roccat has added a splash of intelligent RGB lighting to their new HiRes audio headset and given it a new name: the Khan Aimo. More than just a name change and some lighting, this update of the Khan Pro keeps the HiRes designation but swaps the 3.5mm cable for USB to add some new capabilities. This allows for a new 7.1 Surround Sound feature, powered by the built-in 24-bit @ 96 kHz DAC sound card – a first for HiRes audio headsets. Will enhanced surround sound in high resolution change your game? Benchmark Reviews has a chance to take a closer look at Roccat’s Khan Aimo headset, so listen in and let’s find out!

16 April 201816 April 2018CasesBy Meng Vang

Corsair Carbide 275R Mid-Tower Case Review

As the successor to the Corsair Carbide 270R, the Carbide 275R brings a few new improvements to the table. It comes in four variants: black or white enclosure with an acrylic side panel, and black or white enclosure with a tempered glass panel. The plastic front panel is very simple with its brushed aluminum look, and the side panel provides a great view of the interior components. Unlike its predecessor, the Carbide 275R has its power supply chamber extend all the way towards the front with a cutout to fit up to a 360 mm radiator at the front. Benchmark Reviews has in hand the Carbide 275R in white with the tempered glass side panel.

HP-EX920-M.2-SSD-1TB-Solid-State-Drive-Review-Top-Angle

1 April 201820 June 2018StorageBy Olin Coles

HP SSD EX920 M.2 Solid State Drive Review

In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we test the 1TB HP SSD EX920 M.2 (model 2YY47AA#ABC) against a host of other PCI-Express 3.1 NVME solid state drive competitors. HP suggests sustained sequential read speeds up to 3200 MB/s, and sustained sequential writes up to 1800 MB/s from their 1TB EX920 SSD, which utilizes 64-layer 3D NAND to deliver impressive storage density and reliability. Relative to solid state storage, one terabyte is an enormous amount of near-instant drive capacity. We’ll see if HP’s EX920 M.2 SSD is worth the money.

28 February 20181 March 2018CasesBy Meng Vang

NZXT H700i Mid-Tower ATX Case Review

NZXT has brought a few new features to the table with their H-series computer cases. At the time of this review, there are three variants: the H700i (standard mid-tower ATX), H400i (micro-ATX), and H200i (mini-ITX). Aside from having tempered glass panels, a solid steel frame, and a sleek minimalistic look, each case features a CAM Powered Smart Device. The Smart Device optimizes fan noise and temperature through Adaptive Noise Reduction, meaning it will measure the noise level in the case to find the best optimal temperature for the system. These H-series cases also come with a pre-installed RGB strip at the top and a number of case fans with customizable options via the CAM software. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the NZXT H700i in matte black.

16 February 201816 February 2018StorageBy David Ramsey

SilverStone TS12C Dual Drive Docking Station Review

A docking station provides a quick and easy way to connect bare drive mechanisms to a computer, and is an essential part of any enthusiasts’ tool kit. For backup or simply data transfer, the ability to easily connect to a bare drive mechanism is very useful. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests SSD performance with SilverStone’s new TS12C Dual Drive Docking Station, which brings dual drive support, offline drive cloning, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 SuperSpeed+ connectivity to the party.

14 February 20187 July 2018StorageBy Olin Coles

Samsung SSD 860 PRO Solid State Drive Review

Planar NAND allowed manufacturers to offer speedy solid state storage at fair price, while Samsung’s recently announced 860 EVO SSD improved upon this with their latest 3-bit MLC V-NAND flash technology. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 512GB Samsung SSD 860 PRO, which utilizes 64-cell layer 2-bit MLC V-NAND for high endurance and improved sequential performance to produce up to 560 MB/s reads at 100,000 IOPS and 530 MB/s writes at 90,000 IOPS, and compare SATA 6 GB/s performance against the all the leading competition.

7 February 201814 February 2018StorageBy Olin Coles

Samsung SSD 860 EVO Solid State Drive Review

Samsung recently announced their latest 3-bit MLC V-NAND flash technology, which they’ve baked into their new SSD 860 EVO solid state drive series. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 500GB Samsung SSD 860 EVO, which pairs their 64-cell layer V-NAND and 512MB LPDDR4 DRAM cache buffer with their new MJX controller to produce up to 550 MB/s reads at 98,000 IOPS and 520 MB/s writes at 90,000 IOPS, and compare SATA 6 GB/s performance against the all the leading competition.

5 February 2018PeripheralsBy Meng Vang

Tesoro GRAM Spectrum Low-Profile Keyboard Review

Over the last few months, we have seen more and more low-profile mechanical keyboards hitting the market. With the Tesoro GRAM Spectrum, it comes with all the goodies normally seen on a mechanical gaming keyboard. But the feature that sets this one apart from the rest are the low-profile mechanical switches. These switches are known as the innovative Tesoro Agile key switches, which have a 50 million click life cycle and a short actuation distance of 1.5 mm. All of the Agile switches rests on top of a solid metal back plate that doubles as a reflective light distributor and structural backbone. The GRAM Spectrum comes in four variants: A black body with red or blue switches, and white body with red or blue switches. Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Tesoro GRAM Spectrum in black with red switches.

30 January 201820 March 2018StorageBy David Ramsey

ADATA Gammix S10 m.2 SSD Review

Founded in 2001 with only 20 employees, ADATA has made a name for themselves in the memory market, providing RAM and flash-memory based storage for industrial and consumer applications. They’ve recently expanded their consumer m.2 product line and offer a broad range of products based on MLC and TLC NAND. Today Benchmark Reviews is testing the 256GB versions of their mid-range offering, the Gammix S10 m.2 SSD.

18 January 201818 January 2018StorageBy David Ramsey

Samsung Portable SSD T5 1TB Review

Solid state memory, while remaining significantly more expensive that traditional mechanical hard disks, continues to encroach on their territory. Inexpensive and high-capacity bus-powered USB external drives are even being challenged by external SSDs, for consumers who appreciate the advantages of much higher performance, smaller size, and greater reliability they afford. Samsung has been a pioneer in this field with their Samsung Portable SSD T3 external drives, and today Benchmark Reviews checks out their latest product, the 1 terabyte Portable SSD T5.

17 January 2018AccessoriesBy Meng Vang

Genius Mobile Theater MT-20 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Built to serve as a wireless bluetooth speaker with theater-like surround sound, the Genius Mobile Theater MT-20 makes a great wireless speaker that offers portability and surround sound on the go. The MT-20 comes with a sturdy built-in handle, a 3.5 mm AUX port, and a micro-SD card slot for playing music straight off a card. It also has a built-in seven watt subwoofer to enhance sound quality with music and videos. The MT-20 is available in two colors; silver and black. KYE Systems sent Benchmark Reviews their Mobile Theater MT-20 in black for this review.

8 January 201817 January 2018CasesBy Jason Maxfield

Corsair Carbide Spec-Omega Case Review

The Spec-Omega looks to be an amalgamation of the Spec-Alpha with the tempered glass side panel taken from the Spec-04. The Spec-Omega’s interior is different from either of the previous cases, designed to handle liquid coolers up to 360mm in size, while doing so in a case of roughly the same size as it’s brethren. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we’ll be putting the Spec-Omega to the test with a complete system build.

22 December 201717 January 2018CasesBy David Shields

Fractal Design Define R6 Mid-Tower Case Review

The Define series is best known for quality construction that features customization, sound-dampening, and enthusiast level cooling options. Three years ago we awarded the Define R5 a strong 9.5 out of 10. What has Fractal done to improve and remain relevant as we head into 2018? In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I take a closer at the Fractal Design Define R6 Tempered Glass mid-tower computer case, detailing the latest features.

7 December 201717 January 2018PeripheralsBy Meng Vang

Roccat Kone AIMO Gaming Mouse Review

With so many RGB components flooding the current market, it is difficult to find the right product that offers a wide variety of modern features without compromising performance and functionality. The Roccat Kone AIMO offers just that. Equipped with the Roccat 12000 DPI Owl-Eye (PixArt 3361) optical sensor, the Kone AIMO provides excellent tracking and precision for games and productivity. Through the Swarm software, users can customize a variety of settings and gain access to the AIMO Intelligent Lighting System. This mouse also comes in three colors; black, grey, and white. In this article, Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Roccat Kone AIMO in black. Let’s look at some of its features, specifications, and a quick overview of the product.

7 December 20173 March 2018AudioBy Meng Vang

Corsair HS50 Stereo Gaming Headset Review

Over the years, Corsair has been providing high quality computer peripherals to the consumer market. With the HS50 Stereo gaming headset, it focuses on bringing outstanding comfort, audio performance, and durability without sacrificing performance and quality. It also has an internal metal headband with metal yokes, and memory foam on the two 50 mm drivers and the top headband cushion for added comfort. Not only is it compatible on the PC, it is compatible with modern gaming consoles and mobile gaming devices. The HS50 comes in three different colors, green, blue, and black (carbon). Corsair was kind enough to send Benchmark Reviews their HS50 in green, so let’s take a look at what it has to offer.

HP-M700-SSD-240GB-Solid-State-Drive-Angle

30 November 201717 January 2018StorageBy Olin Coles

HP SSD M700 Solid State Drive Review

The HP SSD M700 is an entry-level solid state drive, with up to 560 MB/s read and 520 MB/s write speeds from the 240GB SSD M700 model, which utilizes 2D Planar NAND technology to deliver solid reliability. Adding to its appeal is the cost of solid state drive technology, which has doubled its storage capacity per dollar from just one year ago. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we test the HP SSD M700 (model 3DV74AA#ABC) against the competition.

18 November 201718 January 2018PeripheralsBy Meng Vang

Gamdias Hermes M3 RGB Mechanical Keyboard Review

Being the first 87-key RGB Low-Profile mechanical gaming keyboard, the Hermes M3 focuses on fast key response and accurate actuation in a small and compact form factor. An aluminum back plate creates the backbone to the keyboard to give it a premium look and feel, and the compact design does allow for more room for a mouse. This keyboard does come in four variants; blue, brown, red, and black switches. Our friends at Gamdias were kind enough to send Benchmark Reviews their Hermes M3 with blue low-profile mechanical switches for this review. Let’s take a look at its features, specifications, and a quick overview in the next section.

VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 UHD Display Front

17 November 201717 January 2018DisplaysBy Olin Coles

VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 4K UHD HDR Display Review

Not all that long ago, high definition 1080p image resolution was heralded as the biggest entertainment improvement since the DVD. Technology continued to tick ahead and, before Blu-ray ever truly became a household standard, ultra high-definition 4K (2160p) displays arrived on scene, and later High Dynamic Range. With Ultra HD Blu-ray and streaming video content now offered in Ultra HD, it makes sense to upgrade. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we test the 50″ VIZIO SmartCast M50-E1 UHD HDR home theater display with Google Chromecast built-in.

6 November 20173 May 2018CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X Case Review

The premium Enthoo-series mini-ITX case developed as “Project 217” has a new name: the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X. Initially announced during CES 2017, the pair of small form factor computer cases have finally made their retail appearance in October 2017. Part of the Enthoo Evolv series, the Shift X showcases many of the same design elements in a fresh new form factor. Benchmark Reviews has been given the opportunity to take a closer look at the larger Shift X (Model PH-ES217XE_AG) – with room for custom cooling loops, 280mm radiators, high-end graphics cards and the looks to match, will the Shift X find a spot in your next build? Let’s take a look.