ASRock is back in the overclocking game with a purpose-built Z170M OC Formula mATX motherboard ready to take your Skylake CPU and DDR4 memory to the absolute limit. Rated to support DDR4-4500+ and built with ASRock's Hyper OC Engine, this OC-centric Z170M OC Formula board has the highest rating for memory speeds on the market today.
The ASUS STRIX GTX 1080 Gaming OC is the highest clocked GTX 1080 variant so far, running almost 2000 MHz actual clock on average, which has it boost up to 2050 MHz out of the box without a manual overclock. The new cooler is not only quiet but also looks good, and the backplate has RGB illumination.
The Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming comes in at $649, which is $50 cheaper than NVIDIA's Founders Edition card. The card is overclocked out of the box, and its heatsink works much better than the one on the FE. It features idle-fan off, runs cooler without throttling, and is still quieter while gaming.
MSI's GTX 1080 Gaming X is an overclocked, custom-design variant of the GTX 1080 that doesn't throttle. Its fans are also nearly inaudible in heavy gaming, switching off completely while the card is cool for zero noise output in idle and light gaming.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 is nearly twice as fast as the GTX 970, easily beating the $1000 Titan X and GTX 970 SLI at only $379/$449. It is built on the same platform as the GeForce 1080, using the same GPU and cooler, but with GDDR5 memory instead of GDDR5X. As expected, power efficiency is amazing, and overclocking works well too.
Angelbird's Wings PX1 adapter lets you install M.2 SSDs in the motherboard's PCI-Express slots. This approach unlocks full bandwidth for older chipsets. The adapter also comes with a nice metal heatsink that prevents thermal throttling on high-performance M.2 SSDs like the Samsung 950 Pro.
During our last stay at CES, QNAP surprised us with the TBS-453A NAS, an incredibly small NAS since it only takes M.2 SSDs. While not a NAS for the average user, it does have some really cool features we are going to explore in this review.
Noctua is resurrecting the down-draft coolers of old with the new NH-C14S. Featuring an offset design for better PCIe clearance, this cooler also brings extra versatility to the table, including great memory clearance and a low-profile option, which appears to make it an interesting jack of all trades.
With memory capacities soaring, G.Skill sent us a huge 32 GB kit out of their Ripjaws V line-up, ready to be mated with Intel's Skylake processors. This two-stick kit from G.Skill is not only huge in capacity at it is also very fast at 3200 MHz.
The Zalman Z9 NEO aims to offer a diverse and useful feature set and good looks and liquid-cooling compatibility, all at an affordable price. Add the fact that it comes equipped with a whooping 5 (!!) fans and it just got even more interesting, while the choice between a black or white version does not help curb the expectations we have diving into this review.
The XM300 is Gigabyte's take on an RGB gaming mouse. It keeps the low price point Gigabyte's other mice have, but offers very impressive specifications with Omron switches, an optical sensor, and, of course, RGB lighting, a steal for just 40 bucks.
Ultimate Ears' line of BOOM speakers recently got updated with the arrival of the BOOM 2 speaker. The BOOM 2 shares the same footprint as the original BOOM, but has been updated with a few nifty features. Among these is wake-by-bluetooth and stop/start/pause slapping capability.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 was announced recently. Today, we have the first review! Performance is incredible, doubling GTX 970 performance levels. Efficiency is also sky high, nearly doubling everything we've seen from NVIDIA's Maxwell architecture. Our GTX 1080 review compares 10 cards in 16 games at up to 4K resolution.
The Hydro X line consists of three members with capacities ranging from 450 W to 650 W. All feature Gold-certified efficiency and Japanese electrolytic caps, but aren't equipped with modular cables in an effort to reduce cost. The 550 W Hydro X model will be put to the test today.
Corsair is back with a new version of the K70 RGB keyboard. This time, Corsiar has partnered with Cherry to create a brand-new switch type called the Cherry MX Speed RGB. This switch has been created to meet the demands of hardcore gamers who value every millisecond.
Kennerton Audio's Jimo is a new high-end dual dynamic driver in-ear. The Jimo features aluminum housings and comes with several different ear tips to suit your every need.
SilentiumPC is on top of their game with the release of the Fortis 3 HE1425. Available in both a standard and Malik Customs edition, it offers exceptional bang-for-the-buck performance with the option of extra customization.
The RM650i is a high-end PSU from Corsair with a digital interface, amazing performance, and silent operation. The cherry on top is the ten year warranty, which is now provided with all Corsair AXi, HXi, RMi, and RMx models.
CM Storm's Quick Fire line of products includes a wealth of different options. Today, we will take a look at their fully sized multi-color backlit gaming keyboard dubbed the XTi. Like other recent Quick Fire keyboards, it uses Cherry MX key mechanisms and has a standard US-layout.
AMD's APUs have been refreshed, some now featuring lower power consumption and a new thermal solution, so they draw less power and are quieter. AMD's A10-7860K supports HSA, DirectX 12, Vulkan, and Mantle. With a maximum turbo clock of 4.0 GHz, the AMD A10-7860K isn't just a CPU, it does graphics, too.
ASUS recently released a GTX 950 that runs without any power connectors, making it the fastest graphics card in this performance class. In our review, we will test how the board deals with the 75 W power limit and how that affects performance.
MSI has a solid entry to mid-range gaming laptops in the GL62 6QF-628. Packed with an Intel quad-core Core i5 6300HQ, GeForce GTX 960M 2GB dedicated graphics processor, and a host of other features, it delivers solid value for gamers on the go.
The Biostar Racing Z170GT7 is a fully-featured high-performance platform that includes an LN2 switch. Unlike previous motherboards from Biostar that were affordable with more basic features, this one has everything a gamer would want and does very well in our testing.
Close to the market launch of AMD's Radeon Pro Duo, the $1499 Fiji-based dual-GPU graphics card, we walk you through the card's design, AMD's performance claims, and what to realistically expect from the card.
With a flurry (pun intended) of white products on store shelves now, one thing that has been sorely missing are white memory sticks. However, Crucial is here to save the esthetics of your white build with their Ballistix Sport 32 GB kit clad in white heatspreaders and a white PCB! Not only do they look good, their huge capacity means you'll nearly never run out of memory!
