5 November 201411 December 2014CasesBy Tom Jaskulka

Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Case Review

What a difference a year makes. In Q3 of 2013, Phanteks branched out from their well-known CPU cooling and fan items and released the Enthoo Primo computer case. Their first chassis won multiple awards and was quickly followed by the Enthoo Pro; a more accessible case that still exuded a premium feel from this brand-new case company. The Enthoo Luxe arrived quite a few months later, adding a splash of color to the lineup. With the premium tower, full-tower and mid-tower segments covered, Phanteks has delved into the smaller form factors. Today, Benchmark Reviews will review Phanteks’ latest offering, the micro-ATX Enthoo EVOLV. With rear-hinged aluminum panels, snap-on front and top covers concealing 200mm/140mm fans and multiple radiator mounts along with a few other surprises, will this aluminum-clad water-cooling oriented chassis pack as much of a punch as its bigger brothers?

3 November 2014CasesBy Julian Duque

NZXT S340 Mid-Tower Case Review

With the release of the H440 earlier this year, NZXT made it clear what their new approach into the already crammed case market will be in it’s upcoming models. Following this trend, Benchmark Reviews will be testing the NZXT S340, a more “stripped” down version of the already great H440, which still features a similar simple design with a minimalistic design, putting functionality and efficiency above all things.

24 October 201422 April 2015CasesBy Meng Vang

Fractal Design Core 1100 Case Review

Fractal Design has now released their Core 1100 MicroATX computer case. It still has a preinstalled 120mm front intake fan and the vertical hard drive bracket. The biggest change is only the exterior design with its brushed aluminum finish, making it look identical to most Fractal Design cases. Front panel I/O ports are now located on the front instead of on the side like how the Core 1000 had them. It also supports graphics cards of up to 350mm, CPU coolers up to 148mm tall, and an optional 80mm or 92mm rear exhaust fan for improved airflow.

AORUS Thunder K7 Keyboard Keypad on the Left

24 October 20143 November 2014PeripheralsBy Jason Vaught

AORUS Thunder K7 Gaming Keyboard Review

Ever heard of the brand AORUS? I hadn’t until this review, but I bet you’ve heard of the parent company, Gigabyte. That’s right, AORUS is Gigabyte’s gaming brand. The company currently makes a gaming keyboard, gaming mouse, some gaming laptops, and accessories such as the B7 gaming backpack. But don’t let the relatively new company name “AORUS” fool you, these products carry the Gigabyte quality we’ve all come to know and appreciate. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Gigabyte AORUS Thunder K7 cherry mechanical keyboard with detachable macro pad.

20 October 201427 October 2014CoolingBy Aidan Moore

Cooler Master Nepton 240M Review

In this article, Benchmark Reviews looks at the new Cooler Master Nepton 240M all-in-one water cooling system to determine if it’s performance matches the claims. We compare performance for the Nepton 240M against two other popular dual-fan liquid coolers.

ROCCAT Kave XTD Premium Stereo Gaming Headset

20 October 201427 November 2015AudioBy Greg Schepers

ROCCAT Kave XTD Stereo Headset Review

ROCCAT is not a newcomer in terms of producing quality gaming headsets. A variety of ROCCAT gaming headset models, which includes the in-ear variety, are currently available. The current addition to the stable, the ROCCAT Kave XTD Stereo Gaming Headset, is regarded by ROCCAT as possessing the, “highest quality sound experience gamers can engage in.” Considering that these Kave XTD Stereo Gaming Headsets are equipped with 50mm neodymium speaker units in each ear cup, that statement is within the realm of possibility.

20 October 201420 October 2014ReviewsBy David Ramsey

Lenovo Horizon 2 AIO Desktop Computer Review

The desktop computer is changing, acquiring hardware and software features first seen on mobile devices. As Microsoft works to unify the Windows experience across everything from phones to desktops, vendors work to make their desktops work more like phones, with integrated all-in-one designs, touch screens, and new user interfaces. Today Benchmark Reviews looks at Lenovo’s latest entry in this evolving category, the Horizon 2 All-In-One PC.

17 October 2014MotherboardsBy Hank Tolman

ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer AM3+ Motherboard Review

The AMD 990FX Chipset has been around for a while now, but it has recently come back into the spotlight with the release of a few new CPUs from AMD’s FX series. With that release we were pleased to receive a 990FX motherboard that we hadn’t previously looked at. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer motherboard; a 990FX motherboard focused on gaming performance. Motherboards manufacturers are all about differentiating themselves by including features that make them stand out. The ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer motherboard is definitely a motherboard that stands apart.

13 October 2014PeripheralsBy Julian Duque

Cooler Master Mizar Gaming Mouse Review

For some odd reason Cooler Master seems to be releasing products everyday, whether it’s a new case or a new peripheral, their product line has been increasing exponentially in the past few years. What is not odd is the fact that many of Cooler Master products Benchmark Reviews has come across end up highly appraised. Today we are looking at one of two pointing devices Cooler Master has released this month. The Cooler Master Mizar serves as a reminder to earlier gaming peripherals, with an ergonomic design and no sharp angles, rather looking like something to rival MIcrosoft’s own line of peripherals, it still brings the more cataloged features to suit modern gamers.

10 October 2014CamerasBy Olin Coles

Genius DVR-FHD568 Vehicle Recorder Review

Not all that long ago Benchmark Reviews tested the Genius DVR-FHD590, which received high marks for it’s clear picture and wide viewing angle. The minds at Genius went right back to work implementing our suggested improvements into their latest dash camera; replacing the distracting LED lamp with six-layer glass lens and high dynamic range (HDR) image sensor technology. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Genius DVR-FHD568 Vehicle Recorder. Featuring wide-angle 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second, the Genius DVR-FHD568 Slim Style Wide Angle Vehicle Recorder uses a large f/2.4 lens aperture paired to an 8-Megapixel 1/2.7″ CMOS image sensor to capture the sharpest details.

6 October 201416 March 2015CasesBy Meng Vang

Fractal Design Core 2300 Case Review

When it comes to building a computer, not everyone needs a ton of LED fans along with a fancy exterior design. A fully-fledged PC with fancy mods may look appealing to the eyes, but it would not be ideal for a professional business environment. As the little brother to the Fractal Design Core 3300, the Core 2300 with its brushed aluminum finish and black exterior maintains the same clean aesthetics commonly found on most Fractal Design computer cases. With the capability to add a total of seven fans, the Core 2300 provides the cooling performance of an actual gaming computer case along with the professional and elegant aesthetics suitable for a business environment. Inside is the innovated vertical hard drive bracket. This allows for three 3.5 inch drives and three 2.5 inch drives to be mounted simultaneously. At Benchmark Reviews, we will take a close look at what the Fractal Design Core 2300 has to offer.

QNAP_TS-451_Turbo_NAS_Server_Front_Full_01

2 October 201415 December 2014NetworkBy Bruce Normann

QNAP TS-451 Turbo NAS Server Review

The QNAP TS-451 Turbo NAS is part of a new hardware platform for QNAP that brings a high level of performance to the small tower-based format, at a lower cost than was possible before. The four new TS-x51 towers are being promoted as home-based NAS servers, based on their high performance, low cost, and a bunch of new software functionality that is ideal for the modern home. While recent QNAP launches have leveraged the tremendous potential of 10GbE networking for the business user, the home and the SOHO market aren’t there yet. The home market is very sensitive to pricing, so the best thing to do is to re-engineer the daylights out of the surrounding infrastructure and pump a little more juice into the system controller. More power, new features â€“ lower price?

29 September 2014PeripheralsBy Joe Gulczinski

Cougar 700M Gaming Mouse Review

Cougar, in expanding their line-up of peripherals, has recently added mice and keyboards to the mix.Today Benchmark Reviews examines Cougar’s second mouse released to the market: The 700M. Designed from the ground-up, the Cougar 700M boasts having a solid metal chassis, added functionality while embracing ergonomics, and a top-tier laser sensor. At first it appears that the 700M shares an amalgamation of characteristics from other popular high-end mice such as the Cyborg Rat7 and the Thermaltake Level 10M; however, it is in the execution and design that makes this product different.

23 September 2014PeripheralsBy David Ramsey

Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL Keyboard Review

Premium mechanical keyboards have surged in popularity in the last few years as gamers and even casual users rediscover the joys of using a keyboard with the precision and feel afforded by mechanical key switches. The Cooler Master NovaTouch TKL uses a new type of mechanical switch based on capacitance detection rather than metal contacts. Benchmark Reviews checks out this minimalist typing machine to see how it compares to other mechanical keyboards.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Graphics Card Angle

18 September 201415 December 2014GraphicsBy Olin Coles

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Video Card Review

Codenamed NVIDIA Maxwell, GM204 GPUs debut the company’s 10th-generation graphics processing architecture. Maxwell improves upon all previously released processor designs, and delivers greater performance while reducing energy consumption. Anticipated as the replacement for GTX 680, the new GeForce GTX 980 yields up to 200% performance increase (per watt) while requiring less power. Voxel Global Illumination and VR Direct technologies have been added to improve upon picture quality and virtual reality immersion. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the GeForce GTX 980 graphics card against today’s best gaming solutions.

15 September 201415 November 2014CasesBy David Shields

Corsair Graphite 780T Tower PC Case Review

On September 10th Corsair released what they consider the true successor of the 600T, the 780T. This new full tower uses the same curved design as the 600T and includes a large side panel window. However, being a full tower chassis the 780T can mount dual 360mm radiators on the front and top panels, up to nine 120mm case fans or a mixture of 120 and 140 with up to five 140mm fans. Fully filtered intakes keep the interior clean and the top panel features a three speed fan controller along with a fully lit I/O panel. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the new Corsair Graphite 780T full-tower computer case.

8 September 20148 September 2014MotherboardsBy Tom Jaskulka

Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini-ITX Motherboard Review

The mini-ITX form factor has taken off in a big way. Packing a lot of power in a small space, these 17 x 17 centimeter squares have enabled new concentrations of computing power. Generally, you have to pay quite a bit for the privilege of shrinking everything down, but Gigabyte has a model in their Ultra Durable line of motherboards that brings a “Z” chipset to the ~$130 price point. With high-efficiency MOSFETs and on-board WIFI/Bluetooth, USB 3.0 and two gigabit LAN controllers (Intel and Atheros), the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI is a reasonably priced entry into the overclocking-capable Z87 chipset. Is it worth it? Follow along as Benchmark Reviews takes a closer look.

3 September 201412 September 2014CasesBy Julian Duque

Corsair Graphite 380T Mini ITX Case Review

Computer form factors keep getting smaller and smaller, but the market for smaller systems keeps growing everyday mainly due to the availability of components that allow users to build extremely powerful systems in very constrained spaces. Corsair clearly understands this, with the release of the Corsair Obsidian 250D earlier in 2014 it became clear that there was a need for Mini-ITX designs to be implemented in the rest of their lines of products, leading to the release of the Graphite 380T, the case Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at today.

2 September 20142 September 2014ProcessorsBy Hank Tolman

AMD FX-8370E AM3+ Processor Performance Review

The newest installment of AMD FX CPUs is finally upon us. September 2014 marks the release of the a few new FX CPUs, including the FX-8370, the FX-8370E, and the FX-8320E. Although I, for one, have been anxious to see a new FX CPU lineup using Steamroller cores, the three CPUs released today follow the same pattern as the last two years worth of FX CPU in using Piledriver cores. With the AMD Kaveri APUs showing up at the beginning of 2014 with Steamroller cores, I thought perhaps the FX series wouldn’t be far behind. Looks like we will be waiting until next year at least. Today, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the FX-8370 and FX-8370E processors.

12 August 201412 August 2014AudioBy Jason Vaught

ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Digital Headset Review

The Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Digital Surround Sound gaming headset is the latest headset offering from the innovative people at Roccat. The Kave XTD 5.1 promises to make huge advancements over its predecessor, the Roccat Kave 5.1 analog. The Kave XTD 5.1 Digital brings a USB interface, a speaker pass-through function, cellular Bluetooth connectivity, and a revamped in-line remote. In this article, Benchmark Reviews investigates.

12 August 201413 August 2014CasesBy Julian Duque

Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Full-Tower Case Review

A few months ago Phanteks released the Enthoo Pro, a case that Benchmark Reviews concluded as being a game changer in the case market. Prior to the Enthoo Pro, Phanteks had already released a case that was praised by many enthusiasts as the most water cooler friendly case released in 2013, the Enthoo Primo.. With the release of the Enthoo Pro, Phanteks had a price gap to fill in it’s Enthoo line-up, leading to the release of the Enthoo Luxe, the case which I will be reviewing today.

12 August 201413 September 2014PeripheralsBy Greg Schepers

ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review

ROCCAT is certainly not a newcomer to providing peripherals to gamers; they’ve produced many models of gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and even gaming laptops. It is the innovators, like the people at ROCCAT, that continue to keep PC gaming more than merely relevant, and Benchmark reviews is proud to bring you this review of ROCCAT’s first mechanical keyboard; the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Considering the quality of the entire line of peripherals that ROCCAT has to offer, there is no reason to think that the Ryos MK Pro will be anything but impressive.

7 August 2014ProcessorsBy Tom Jaskulka

AMD A10-7800 APU Processor Review

Sporting a configurable TDP and all of the Kaveri features (GCN graphics cores, Steamroller CPU cores, HSA, etc.), the A10-7800 which Benchmark Reviews will be looking at today sits right in between the A10-7850K and A10-7700K. What type of performance was AMD able to extract from this 65W APU? Read on to find out.

7 August 2014PeripheralsBy David Shields

Roccat ISKU FX Gaming Keyboard Review

ROCCAT is a German company that produces gaming peripherals including gaming mice and keyboards, mouse pads, and sound systems. The ISKU FX is ROCCAT’s mid-range gaming keyboard, clocking in at $79.99. The ISKU FX features multicolor illumination, 8 configurable media and hotkeys, ROCCAT TALK, macro recording, dedicated profile switches, 36 macro keys, and an extra large wrist rest for comfort during long gaming sessions. The features and illumination options make the ISKU FX an attractive option, but can it compete with the many other gaming keyboards in the market? In this Benchmark Reviews article I will discuss the many features of the ROCCAT ISKU FX, the accompanying driver software, and how this keyboard compares to others options on the market.

7 August 20147 August 2014CasesBy Julian Duque

BitFenix Neos Computer Case Review

If you have ever been to a LAN party there is a pretty high chance you have seen one of the most popular cases from BitFenix, the Prodigy, a huge success among the gaming community due to its innovative design and style. Since then, BitFenix has started to shift it’s attention into different markets as we have seen with the Fury line of power supplies, but this time they have released a new set of cases, including the BitFenix Neos. Since it’s debut back in May, it was announced that the case would offer tremendous value and style, which was definitely showcased in early models of the case, immediately bringing attention from Benchmark Reviews. But in such a crowded market will the Neos manage not to drown in the sea of budget cases?