Tech News
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Scythe Ninja 4 SCNH-4000 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
I have always liked the "Ninja" brand of coolers from Scythe and honestly it was 99% all the name,
While Scythe doesn't overtly market its heatsinks as "silent", the company has typically produced CPU coolers which do meet the quiet esthetic. In this review Frostytech will be testing out the new Scythe Ninja 4 heatsink - a 156mm tall boxy looking thermal solution which is designed for lower noise cooling. The Scythe Ninja 4 CPU cooler weighs ~900grams and has a footprint of around 145x130mm.
Interestingly enough this cooler really looks like a shuriken with some interesting placements for the vertical heatpipes.
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Phanteks Eclipse P400 Computer Case Review @ APH Networks
As far as cases go the Eclipse P400 is rather plain. Square shell, square window and rather unassuming front bezel. What it does have going for it is everything else. Shaded side window. black interior and a rather good layout inside.
Phanteks' Eclipse P400 is a budget case with an MSRP of $69.99 USD. But will it be budget in features and build quality?
Given the cost I can see why they went this direction.
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The New DOOM Launches in May
Fire up your spreadsheets you'll need a new PC to play this hellish title.
Maybe,
After years in development, the reboot of the Doom franchise finally has a release date: May 13th. Publisher Bethesda announced the news this morning with a slick new trailer showing off elements of the shooter's grisly campaign. As you'd imagine, the trailer features lots of demons, lots of shotguns, and lots of demons blown apart by shotguns.
I remember reading the DOOM game developers were going to build into the game so it could be modified like the original. Of course when Id Software created the game the whole intent was to sell the game engine and the easier it was to create content the better it would sell.
Win Win for everyone.
Let's hope the new Doom isn't Skyrim 3.0, that would just make me sad.
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Netgear Nighthawk X8 R8500 AC5300 WiFi Router Review @ Legit Reviews
Yay, wireless router review. Not sure about "just in time for holiday gift buying season" unless you think a faster WiFi it would increase your chances of "snuggle time".
Today, we take our first look at Netgear’s flagship router, the Nighthawk X8 R8500 AC5300 WiFi Router. This router has hit shelves just in time for the holiday gift buying season and is priced at around $343 shipped from most major retailers. This price certainly reflects the standing of the Nighthawk X8 as the leader in the Netgear series of routers but our expectations of what this router brings to the table are high as this is one of the most expensive home networking devices we have looked at
There is a good chance at more reliable pr0n downloads so... ya maybe this will work.
You know for the holiday(s)
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Modding Fallout 4 for Image Quality & Immersive Gameplay @ [H]
Modding is a huge part of the Elder Scrolls series with Skyrim sporting a TON of different additions. Its not suprising that many of the mods available for Skyrim have also been ported over to Fallout 4, with some minor modifications.
Fallout 4 has been out for several months and it is possible that you might find the image quality lacking overall. We take some of the most popular and highly downloaded image quality mods and find out how we can improve the environment in Fallout 4. We modify for visual improvements to give you more immersive gameplay.
I'm not sure how immersive Fallout 4 can be but, I'd give it a shot.
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GIGABYTE Launches the Z170 Winter OC Challenge
City of Industry, California, January 19th, 2016 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced its next competition for the overclocking community with the GIGABYTE Z170 Winter OC Challenge, to be hosted this February on HWBOT.org. All overclockers are invited to overclock their 6th Gen. Intel® processors on GIGABYTE 100 series motherboards. A total of 5 GIGABYTE motherboards are up for grabs, so warm up your test benches, Winter OC is coming!
Starting January 31st 2016, overclockers can join 4 different rounds for a chance to win the big prize. The participant with the most points amongst all stages of a category wins -- it’s as simple as that! But don’t fret if you don’t think you can win it all, you also have a chance to win the lucky draw which is a Z170X-Gaming G1 motherboard! Simply submit a score in all stages of a round to be eligible.
Here are the rounds and stages details.
Round 1: Enthusiast, Rookie and Novice Overclockers – 2 Cores
Stage 1: 3DMark11 Physics - CPU frequency limited to 4503.00 MHz
Stage 2: HWBOT Prime - CPU frequency limited to 4503.00 MHz
Stage 3: Geekbench Multi Core - CPU frequency limited to 4503.00 MHZ
Round 2: Enthusiast, Rookie and Novice Overclockers– 4 Cores
Stage 1: XTU - CPU frequency limited to 4500.00 MHz
Stage 2: HWBOT Prime - CPU frequency limited to 4503.00 MHz
Stage 3: Geekbench Multi Core - CPU frequency limited to 4503.00 MHz
Round 3: Elite and Extreme Overclockers – 2 Cores
Stage 1: 3DMark11 Physics - CPU frequency limited to 5003.00 MHz
Stage 2: HWBOT Prime - CPU frequency limited to 5003.00 MHz
Stage 3: Geekbench Multi-Core - CPU frequency limited to 5003.00 MHz
Round 4: Elite and Extreme Overclockers– 4 Cores
Stage 1: XTU - CPU frequency limited to 5000 MHz
Stage 2: HWBOT Prime - CPU frequency limited to 5003.00 MHz
Stage 3: Geekbench Multi Core - CPU frequency limited to 5003.00MHz
Contest Rules
This competition is limited to GIGABYTE Z170 motherboards only.
Every submission must include the screenshot with the competition background and a picture of the rig.
To be eligible for the lucky draw, participants must submit in all stages of the round they select.
A participant is eligible to win in only one round. If he is found to be the winner in multiple rounds, the prize will go to the runner up. If a participant is a round winner, he will not be eligible for the lucky draw.
In case of a tie, the tie-breaker is the best score in Stage 3. If there’s still a tie, the best score in Stage 2, etc.
Contest Prizes
Each 1st place winner in a round will be awarded a Z170X-SOC Force Motherboard.
Users that submit scores to all stages of a round will be eligible to enter the lucky draw for one GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 motherboard.
The GIGABYTE Z170-Winter OC Challenge will run from January 31st until February 28th 2016, 23:59 (UTC +8).Good luck to all!
For complete contest rules, scoring and more details, please visit the contest pages at HWBOT or OC-ESPORTS: http://oc-esports.io/#!/round/gbt_z170_winterocchallenge
For more information about GIGABYTE motherboards, go to: http://www.gigabyte.us/products/main.aspx?s=42 -
Thermaltake Announces TT Premium.com
The Most Professional Liquid Cooling and Modding Online Shop
Taipei, Taiwan-January 28 2016-Thermaltake, an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solutions, and power supply units, is pleased to announce TT Premium.com, the most comprehensive liquid-cooling and modding online shopping experience. The platform is designed to provide exceptional high-end products and services to customers worldwide, and takes Thermaltake to the next step with access to a broader market. To deliver a better user experience, the TT Premium platform includes all detailed product information, pricing, payment and shipping methods, as well as customer support information. Global shipping is also available. All products follow Thermaltake’s core values of Excellent Quality, Unique Design, Diverse Combinations, and Boundless Creativity.
Core Values of TT Premium
To continue achieving the corporate mission of delivering the perfect user experience, Thermaltake developed “TT Premium” with the essence of combining supreme quality products with a new logo design. TT Premium is far more than just a guarantee of quality. Behind the name, it represents the passion in DIY, Modding and Thermaltake’s desire to be the most innovative brand in the PC hardware market. To satisfy the demand of the high-end PC users, TT Premium follows its core values of Excellent Quality, Unique Design, Diverse Combinations and Boundless Creativity to provide a high performance PC product for every enthusiast.Comprehensive Product Lines for Liquid-Cooling Solution and Modding
Four main categories are displayed in the TT Premium online shop: Products, Liquid Cooling Kits, Chassis, and Digital Power Supplies. Users can find CPU/VGA/MB water blocks, VGA bridges, reservoir and pump combos, tubing, coolants, case/radiator fans, fan controllers, fittings, and other accessories under the Products section. In addition to choosing from RL240, RL140 D5, RL120, R360, and RL360 Water Cooling Kits,the Build Your Own DIY Kit provides customers with an option to freely construct the LCS kit content on their own. The Core W Series (Core WP100, Core W100, and Core P100) is now open for pre-orders under the Chassis section and will be released at the end of February. Lastly, the full range of digital power supplies, including the Toughpower DPS G RGB Titanium, Toughpower DPS G Platinum/Gold Series, and Smart DPS G Gold/Bronze Series with Smart Power Management, are available as well.Thermaltake is dedicated to providing premium products and services to its customers. The company strives to provide a safe and easy shopping experience for computer enthusiasts. Staff is at hand to provide support and answer any questions.
TT Premium Online Shop
http://ttpremium.com/. -
The Lexus of wireless routers the Asus RT-AC88U @ CNET
Funny thing, the subject of wireless routers came up during lunch today. Full disclosure here, the wireless I use at home is just a basic Linksys G something, the tablets hook into it, my phone uses it and the Wii will connect when it is on but EVERYTHING else is hardwired at the gigabit level.
Needless to say I'm not up on the latest wireless router technology because I don't need to be. However when the new Linksys WRT1900 was announced with unlocked firmware I got excited. That is until found out it comes with a cooling fan, instant point of failure.
Anyhow I digress, the Asus RT-AC88U seems like a total win, its fast, has lots of network ports and is badass black. The reviewer calls out that the USB 3.0 port is in a strange place. (I'm like uhhh seriously?) and you gotta love the "bottom line" in this review.
You'll pay a lot for the Asus RT-AC88U, but it has everything you'd want in a router. If you have the money, this is the router to get.
I dunno, not having good access to the USB 3.0 port for a device "intended" to be stored away and not year your PC seems like a total "don't buy this" to me
But, hey, what do I know.
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PAI Sandman Clock Review @ Techgage
You may not think a simple clock could have such an impact. In fact clocks are so much a part of our lives that we almost forget they are there.
The PAI Sandman clock is an interesting product designed for hotels. It comes with large red digits and will wake you up at a specific time. What makes this clock different is that it can also charge your USB devices while you sleep.
Something EVERY traveler needd to do.
We all need to tell the time – and worse still, wake up at a specific time. Power supplies for digital clocks are fighting over USB chargers for that last remaining wall socket. The Sandman Clock scores points for practicality by being an easy-to-see alarm clock, while providing four USB ports for charging. Let’s check it out.
Techgage has a short review posted of this new CES launched device. Give it a look.
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Gigabyte Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini-ITX Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers
I have started to believe that the future of the PC isn't with high-end overclocking and gaming rigs but in how much power you can pack into the smallest space possible. This means Mini ITX and the new Intel 5x5 form factor.
The mini-ITX form factor is becoming extremely popular with gamers who will be using a single graphics card because it allows them to build a system with premium components that is small and easy enough to take with them to LAN parties or other events. The problem with mini-ITX motherboards has been that they lack many features that their larger ATX counterparts offer. Well Gigabyte is changing that with their Z170N-Gaming 5 motherboard that has all of the features you would want in a full-size ATX motherboard, but in the tiny mini-ITX form factor. Gigabyte was able to pack in Killer E2200 gaming networking, Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3 support, a PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slot, two USB 3.1 ports (1x Type-C, 1x Type-A), and even 802.11ac dual band wireless. Gigabyte wants this to be the perfect board for gamers building in the mini-ITX form factor. Is it? Let’s take a look and find out!
Over the next year or so I believe there will be a lot of effort put into the small form factor(s) to turn them into proper desktop replacements for the hardware enthusiast.
