Takstar is well-known for their bang-for-the-buck headphones, and today, we take a look at their HD5500s. Priced at $74.50, these headphones are for mobile users who want a solid and well-sounding pair of headphones. We take the HD5500s for a spin to see if they can live up to such expectations.
Be quiet! is well known for their low-noise products. Today we will test a member of their fresh Straight Power 10 series. It is nearly inaudible thanks to its SilentWings fan, can deliver up to 800 W of power, and features a semi-modular cabling design in which only the main ATX cable is fixed.
The ASUS GTX 980 STRIX OC is the company's latest flagship, featuring a completely passive operation in idle and light load and an extremely quiet cooler during full-on gaming. The GTX 980 STRIX also impresses with its power consumption - lower than the NVIDIA reference design, it still has the card deliver more performance.
The Antec ISK 600 aims to deliver a well-rounded feature set in a compact mini-ITX chassis to those looking for an understated, but functional chassis. Clocking in at a price point where the usual competition is present, it will be interesting to see what arguments the ISK 600 makes for you to pick it over others.
FSP recently launched the Aurum PT series, which currently only consists of a 1200 W member with the Platinum efficiency certification. The PT-1200FM uses only Japanese caps and exploits a fully modular cabling design. FSP also says the unit to be for hardcore overclockers and gamers with multiple VGAs.
The Cooltek UMX2 is a compact full ATX case with a designer body. Constructed of solid aluminum and utilizing an interesting approach to the interior layout, it does not only look good, but sounds intriguing as well. But is it all superficial beauty or does it also have what counts on the inside?
MSI's latest flagship is the GTX 980 Gaming. It delivers a super quiet gaming experience thanks to a powerful thermal solution and a well-crafted fan profile. In idle and light gaming, the fans will even stop completely. MSI has also overclocked their card out of the box, which yields around 10% extra performance.
The ETS-N30 from Enermax might not blow you away with top-tier performance, but its affordable price will certainly be easy on your wallet. It even offers up lower noise levels and better performance compared to the stock heatsink bundled with today's processors. If you want lower noise levels with a bit more cooling power, the ETS-N30 might be just what you need.
The NZXT Phantom 240 is the Phantom series' entry level gaming chassis. With the looks of the chassis mimicking that of its larger brothers, will this compact case be the menacing Phantom or just a little blimp on our radar?
HiFiMAN's highly anticipated release version of the HE-560 gets put on the spot. It features a lot of changes that improve the sound quality; however, the beautiful teak cups are now gone in favor of more durable plastic cups.
Built with some of the highest possible speeds without being the most expensive kit, the G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 3000 MHz C15 kit is a treat for both overclockers and gamers alike. Featuring a brand-new look that includes a new heatspreader design, the G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 3000 MHz kit is ready to take your system to the limit and beyond.
The Xigmatek Aquila aims to become the compact cube chassis for a mATX board while delivering good quality and timeless looks. Will it manage to float the price / performance boat, or does it end up capsizing by leaning out to far into one direction?
Enermax seeks to make a name for itself in the AIO liquid-cooling market with the Liqtech 240. Taking the top spot in the Liqtech series of coolers, this 240 mm AIO offers adjustable peak-fan-speed options and a unique design. The Liqtech 240 is not all show either as it performs admirably as well.
We take our first look at ASUS's LGA 2011-3 products, starting with the ASUS X99 DELUXE. Wrapped in new clothing, the ASUS X99 DELUXE not only has DELUXE looks and DELUXE features, it also has a DELUXE socket for you to place your new Haswell-E CPU into, with an additional 48 pins.
It was nigh time to test a small PSU with less than 500 W since such units are among the most popular. The smallest member of Enermax's Revolution X't line will be our test subject today. This small fellow comes with Gold-certified efficiency, a semi-modular cabling design, and, like every modern PSU, support for the sleep states Intel’s Haswell CPUs introduced.
BitFenix is looking to step things up in terms of the material mix with the Pandora. While plastic and steel have dominated their cases until now, the Pandora utilizes aluminium side panels and a bolder design. Will the Pandora bridge the gap between function and design or will it remain as elusive as a planet on which tall, blue creatures live?
NVIDIA's $550 GeForce GTX 980 shook up the high-end graphics card market, and today, we are testing two of these cards in SLI. This killer combination will let you build an Ultra HD capable gaming system, or enjoy smooth fragging with G-SYNC Surround.
A chassis with the ability to hold some serious liquid cooling within its belly, six USB ports, and with enough to still satisfy air cooling fans - at less than 100 USD? It seems as though such is possible with the Aquarius X90 Pure Black - but will this case be a beacon of light and hit its crowded market with guns blazing, or does it shoot with nothing but blanks?
Palit's GTX 970 JetStream is one of the highest-clocked, custom design GTX 970s out there. It features a triple-slot, dual-fan cooler that will completely stop the fans in idle and light gaming. Palit's card is also the most affordable custom design, with just a $15 price premium.
Attitude One's newest laser-sensor-equipped gaming mouse, the Rapira Elite, gets put to the test. It features the Avago ANDS-9800 sensor, which guarantees good tracking performance on pretty much any surface imaginable. Priced at €59 MSRP, it isn't nearly as expensive as other high-performance gaming mice we recently tested.
The Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 is the company's third generation of low-noise cases. Available with an all-black or graphite-colored front, the chassis may not look very different on the outside, but it does offer some surprises within.
Rosewill's portfolio includes the Fortress line, a Platinum PSU series for users who look for high efficiency and reliability, but are on a tight budget. We are testing the 750W model today, which features a non-modular cabling design to save on cost and comes with a hefty seven-year warranty. The cherry on top is its silent operation.
Today, NVIDIA releases their new GeForce GTX 980, which brings the Maxwell architecture to the high-end. It features massive power efficiency improvements and reduced noise, but also beats the GTX 780 Ti in raw performance. Pricing is quite acceptable, too, with an MSRP of $549.
ASUS just released their GeForce Strix GTX 970 OC, an overclocked version of the GTX 970 with its own custom-PCB. What is special about the STRIX technology is that it will shut off the fans completely during idle, media playback, and light gaming, resulting in a completely noiseless experience.
At half the price of a GeForce GTX 780 Ti, the GeForce GTX 970 can tempt you into buy a pair of them. With Ultra HD monitors dropping below the $500 mark, a playable Ultra HD gaming PC under $2000 suddenly sounds realistic. Here's why spending 3 grand on a GTX TITAN-Z was a bad idea.
