Tech News
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Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan Black review @ Guru3D
The GTX Titan, the first consumer card equipped with a superprocessor, and break the one-thousand dollar price tag barrier. While it wasn't initally designed for gaming, the sheer amount of processing power it brought did put it on top of the heap for a while. Now, years later, NVidia appears to be trying to get lighting to strike twice, releasing a Black-edition of the Titan. Its important to remember that this still isn't primarily designed to be a dediated graphics processing card, but a calculation-devouring beast, as it still retains the double precision capabilities of the original Titan.
But that doesn't mean that we can't still sit back and revel in all that power.
A while ago Nvidia launched the GeForce GTX Titan Black which we review. We never tested it as it was supposed to be a professional series and targeted card. Nvidia's Board partners however are slowly re-releasing this product as a gaming graphics card, as well as Nvidia who is plugging the product in their gaming benchmarks on their own website.
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SilentiumPC Aquarius X90 Mid-Tower Case Review @ Madshrimps
I'd like to call this a new modular case for liquid cooling enthusiasts on a budget, but that would entail that there are, well, modules inside - something to move around. This seems to be more a blank canvas kind of chassis with a lot of open room inside its mid-tower dimensions to build and install. Which depending on how large of a cooling project you plan on installing, could be a great thing.
Today we introduce you to the SilentiumPC Aquarius X90: a mid-tower case, designed specifically for the liquid cooling enthusiasts in mind. SilentiumPC labels it as the ultimate choice for high-end gaming systems with compact dimensions and at an amazing value.
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Borderlands 3? That is Super Scary
With the Pre-Sequel set to be released in October 2014 you have to wonder what Gearbox has planned for the actual Borderlands 3, eg the story after Handsome Jack. There are plenty of theories from the obvious where the Vault Hunters travel to different planets looking for more vaults to a MMO style game where co-op play is taken online complete with micro transactions and all the stuff that made Elder Scrolls Online such a crapfest.
It would seem that Randy Pitchford is expressing the same concerns and claims that even thinking about what Borderlands 3 "could/should/would" be is scary.
Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford is uneasy about the very idea of Borderlands 3, he told Game Informer in a new interview. That's because a third entry in the numbered series--which is absolutely not announced or even in development--would need to be "so crazy and so big" that the developer might not be able to launch a game worthy of its ambition.
Personally I think they should stick with what they know and what appears to be working. Maybe start with the idea that each game is another planet and another vault and another power struggle to control what is there. Of course, We still need a "voice in our head" so that will need to be sorted out but, who is to say it needs to be another siren. maybe this time it really is a computer.
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Swiftech Apogee XL CPU Block Review @HiTech Legion
We all knew this was coming, it was just a matter of when. With trends towards opening up visibility to the chassis, either through mods like plexiglass side windows, or just new architecturally crazy chassis designs made out of a single piece of folded aluminum, it was just a matter of time until someone put the CPU back as the shining centerpiece with a nice set of multi-LEDs.
With the Apogee XL CPU Block, Swiftech is looking to cover all of the angles consumers are looking for in a new liquid cooling component. While Swiftech has historically used rather subdued styling, the Apogee XL features a unique design implementing an LED logo and design with four included color changes and is available with black or clear polycarbonate body.
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The Best PC Games @ Gamespot
Coming up with a list of the best PC games can be really difficult and for every "best" one you call out there is maybe 10 more that really should be in that spot. Gamespot is attempting to tackle the list and has come up with quite a few.
PC gamers have always had a huge selection of titles--both old and new--to choose from, so trying to figure out which ones to dedicate your precious time to can prove to be a daunting experience. But never fear, GameSpot is here to give you some suggestions on the best PC game experiences you can play right now. Since the history of PC games is both long and varied, we've focused on some of the best games released in recent years,
I also noticed that instead of limiting the list to "the top X" they simply listed all of the popular titles with a short description. For me I think picking the "best" games should be based on legacy and what games changed the modern landscape or influenced a generation. If you don't do that then your list is simply the high school of games.
For instance the first Doom and Wolfenstein are good examples of games that spawned the modern FPS movement and laid the framework for every game that came after. Sure they changed the formula but that is what makes the genre so fun.
And, of course there are more and plenty outside of the FPS world..
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LEPA LV12 Review @ Vortez
LEPA's just took their first step into active processor cooling with the LV12, a slim-design single tower cooler. With many motherboards sporting the black pcb look lately, I see the matte black LV12 really matching the aesthetic. But looks are one thing, ultimately the question will come down to how well it can keep that chip cool.
LV12 is LEPA’s first CPU cooler and it certainly arrives in style. Available in matte black or matte white, this cooler is stunning in its visual appearance and comes with a three-mode adjustable 120mm cooling fan - allowing the user to choose specific speed zones and finding that balance of silence or performance.
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Tt eSPORTS METALCAPS – Harden your keyboard for battle!
Fresh press release from Tt eSports, introducing Metalcaps, replacement zinc-alloy mechanical keyboard keys. All humor aside about chromed keyboards being so late last century, I have to admit it's an interesting concept. Take the most trafficked, prone to rub and wear keys in a gamers arsenal, and replace them with a material that will last as long as the switches underneath. My only concern lookng at the photos, would be if your mech keyboard has any backlight effects. Looking at the underside of the caps, they do not appear to be built to let light pass through to illuminate the lettering.
Press Release:
Tt eSPORTS METALCAPS – Harden your keyboard for battle!
Taipei, Taiwan – July 7th, 2014 – Tt eSPORTS, the leading expert in professional e-Sports gaming peripherals is releasing the new METALCAPS keyboard accessory. Tt eSPORTS wants to come to the aid of the mechanical keyboard community, by putting the METALCAPS in store shelves and on premium e-tailer websites to offer users a convenient way to mod their mechanical keyboards. The METALCAPS are made with a Zinc alloy for overall durability and a solid feel while typing.
The Tt eSPORTS METALCAPS will come in four varieties, as follows:
- W A S D + Esc key
- Q W E R + Esc key
- ↑↓←→ + Esc key
- 38 keys combination (letters, punctiation, ↑↓←→, and Esc key)
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ASUS Maximus VII Gene Review @ Vortez
We continue to see more and more manufacturers release micro'd versions of their flagship lineups. The newest of these comes from ASUS, with the Maximus VII Gene. The Gene is a Z97 board, and is ready out of the box for Intel's 4th or 5th generation processors.
Maximus VII Gene is packed with style, innovation and premium components. Although this motherboard is generally aimed at the gamer, it should appeal to other groups including enthusiasts and system builders. Will the size of this motherboard hinder its performance and overall verdict?
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ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - BCCHardware
The faster, bolder, brighter brother to the Ryos MK Glow we reviewed, the MK Pro definitely adds to the list of already impressive features bundled with the Glow. Adding a second 32-bit ARM processor to add more special lighting effects, different available key switches to suit everyones tastes, and even the USB ports we were hoping for on the Glow, to name just a few.
This is a solid product that definitely deserves more than a cursory glance if you are in the market for an absolutely fantastic gaming keyboard. While it does have more options that you’ll probably use, I do believe that this is the best keyboard I’ve ever used. If anyone has a keyboard that can rival the Ryos MK Pro in terms of flash, substance, quality and performance, I’ve yet to see it.
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XFX R9 280 Black Edition OC Review @ Vortez
Aside from a very small boost in clockspeed (reference) and a redesigned cooler, the R9-280 is near identical to the HD7950 refreshed 'boost' edition. Not that this is a bad thing of course because when we tested the HD7950 we were thoroughly impressed. Time has since moved on but with a few driver tweaks and XFX's own speed boosts being that our review sample is the 'Black Edition OC' we hope to see some good figures.
Ignoring the obvious rebadge, the new card does boast some new modern updates to wring even everything it can from its chips. Making solid use of beefed up cooling componants, with monster heat spreaders and piping resting underneath dual fans, along with a factory overclock on the Tahiti GPU and memory that takes it close to the limits of the hardware to earn it's membership as a Black-edition card. This could be one seriously scrappy underdog contender for value buyers.
