Cooler Master Storm Power-RX
- Details
- Category: Input Devices
- Published: Tuesday, 23 April 2013 13:00
When it comes to mouse pads there are a few things to consider, but for the most part people don’t really put much thought into them. As hardware enthusiasts we rarely see people who change out their mouse pads often like we sometimes see with PC hardware, mice, and keyboards. Because of that its easy to just ignore them, but a proper mouse pad can still play a good roll in your pc/gaming experience. That is why we still see companies innovating and trying new things like with the Power-RX mouse pad from Cooler Master Storm. Today I’m going to take a look at the Power-RX pad and put it to the test with a few different mice to see how it performs.
Those of you who read our reviews often or know me personally know I have had a big interest in mechanical keyboards for years now. Most reviews spend time focusing on the keyboards features. When I heard that Cooler Master introduced their Storm Trigger with Cherry Green switches I had to get my hands on one. Not because of the keyboard, I already took a look at one in the past. But I was excited because everyone else sticks with the blue, brown, black, and red key switches and this time around we have a chance to check out something completely different.
When it comes to gaming keyboards there really are only a few names that the average person will name off. The first one will most likely be Logitech, because not only have they been around forever, but also if you haven’t owned a G15 at some point then chances are one of your close friends has. They really did set the golden standard for a long time in gaming focused keyboards. The thing is recently a lot more people have been interested in mechanical keyboards and Logitech took their time bringing their first one out. Now that the G710+ is out, I’m excited to see how it performs. Was it worth the wait? There is only one way to find out.
Games that utilize a large roster of activatable skills, such as MMORPGs and MOBAs, are extremely popular and require serious time investments. Beyond providing comfort throughout gaming sessions, peripherals that lend themselves to quicker, more efficient casting and management have hit the industry, and we’ve scored the leading players such as the Razer Naga and the SteelSeries World of Warcraft lineup. We recently received the latest competitor to the scene, Logitech’s G600, just in time for a Pandas, Asuras, and a new season of Yordles. Let’s get in game!
Our pal’s over at Thrustmaster have once again sent us a review sample, the Thrustmaster HOTAS WARTHOG flight stick. While at CES 2012 I asked about this flight stick and what made it so special. After giving it a quick look over I knew I was in for something crazy. After reviewing the T500RS a couple of months ago I came to realize that Thrustmaster doesn’t make the cheapest products but they do make some of the best quality products. Read on for my impressions of the 
When it comes to peripherals there are only a few companies that focus on people who are concerned with how their mice, keyboards, and even mouse pads perform over how they look or the lighting effects available. Zowie Gear is one of those companies. When we had the chance to see what all of the talk was about and check out one of their G-CM mouse pads, we jumped at the chance. For some people anything will work for a mousepad, but for those of you who need more you might want to see what we have to say about the Zowie Gear G-CM.
Genius has sent us a mouse from their new Gx-Gaming lineup, one that they call the Gila. The Gila is a new high end gaming mouse aimed at the MMO/RTS gamer. One curious thing I have wondered since getting the product is what the name meant. Upon a bit of research I was able to discover that most of GX-Gaming’s peripherals have names that make them seem like creatures or monsters, so I can only assume that it is named for the Gila monster, a lizard native to the southwestern United States. Seeing as how it’s poisoned, let’s hope it doesn’t bite.
Deciding on a mouse can be an overwhelming process with literally hundreds to choose from as far as gaming mice alone. Seeing as how the mouse and keyboard are the only two things you interact with while on the computer, having the right mouse is very important. Selecting the right mouse for you can be a daunting task, but knowing where to start is even harder. There are still quite a few entry level mice on the market, and Gigabyte has kindly send over their version, the Force M7 Thor. Let’s take a look at this affordable piece of hardware and see how it holds up.
Thrustmaster has sent us another one of their items for review. The GPX LightBack is aiming right at the Xbox/PC crowd. I have taken a look at some of their other controllers and wasn’t impressed. With this new controller its Xbox/Windows certified, Light Feedback that can interact with games and 2 Speed Gauges. Will it be enough to take down the de facto standard PC controller better known as the Xbox controller? We are going to find out.
When it comes to mice designed for MMO use, options have been coming from all of the manufactures recently. One of the first, if not the first to enter the MMO mouse market, would be SteelSeries, with their original WoW mouse. Much like the game it’s based on, the SteelSeries WoW mouse has seen a couple versions, the latest being the new, wireless version. The last time we took a look at the WoW Mouse Legendary Edition we came out happy, I was excited to see what SteelSeries would do for their first wireless mouse. Let’s dive in and see what’s changed and what has stayed the same.
A little over a year ago at GeforceLAN I got my hands on my first Cooler Master Storm Quickfire Rapid with cherry black key switches and loved it. I later got an official review sample with cherry blue key switches as well as the cherry black version wasn’t available in the US at the time. For the past year we have been using both of these Quickfire Rapids on our test benches because they are amazing keyboards that take up little space. The two issues I had with them was their lack of backlighting and the adjustment time needed to get used to not having a number pad. Cooler Master recently introduced a new keyboard in the Quickfire product line, their 
Every time that I think they have done everything to a mouse, someone surprises me with something completely different or off the wall. Last year when we took a tour of Thermaltake’s US offices, they hinted that we would see a new exciting mouse that was a collaboration with BMW DesignworksUSA, much like the Level 10 case. A little over a year later, here I am finally getting a chance to take a look at that mouse, the 
At this point, nearly every manufacture makes and sells a mechanical keyboard in some shape or form. Everyone has done something different trying to stand out in what is now a very packed market. On facebook recently I came across a new company offering up something completely new to me, full custom mechanical keyboards. This isn’t just your choice of what switch you would like to go with, you can mix and match switch types as well as LED backlighting. We put together a keyboard unique to us and then put it to the test.
One of the latest introductions to the Genius Traveler series is the Traveler 9010LS Wireless Laser Mouse. The 9010LS is a small, mobile sized, mouse that is that is ready to travel with you and your notebook.
It’s that time of year again, the latest Call of Duty offering was just released and I (and most of the LanOC staff) has been gaming it up. Knowing that we were planning on playing, when SteelSeries introduced their Black Ops 2 peripherals, I quickly hit them up to get a set to use while we played Black Ops 2 at launch. Our coverage on the game itself should be up next week after a weekend packed full of gaming, but for now you can see what SteelSeries has to offer while you wait.
It’s difficult to write about items themed around Diablo III and resist the urge to write about the success (or lack thereof) of the game itself. There are plenty of opinions about the game, but one thing we can agree on is that they stem from high expectations created from such successful franchise. Love it or hate it, you most likely remain a fan of the series. SteelSeries has a line of peripherals inspired by Sanctuary to help scratch your Diablo itch.
Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T series of gaming mice have made a splash on the pc peripheral market for two years now. Cyborg has released several versions of their R.A.T design, with a little redundancy. The R.A.T 3, 5, 7, 7 Albino, 7 Contagion, 7 Infection, 7 M.M.O, and the wireless R.A.T 9 all have subtle differences. The original flagship model for Mad Catz is the Cyborg R.A.T 7. The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T 7 was released in summer 2010, so you might be wondering why someone would review this product a full two years after its release date. The R.A.T 7 unusual design has begun to appear on other mice in its price range. The “precision aim” button, a key feature of the R.A.T 7, is now available on the Corsair M60. The extendable palm rest plus exchangeable thumb/pinky rest will be on the unreleased Razer Ourobroos. With this trend in mind, let’s take a look back at the Cyborg R.A.T 7, an innovative gaming mouse that still has much to offer the current hardware enthusiast. 
The licensing people over at SteelSeires must stay very busy. A quick glance over on the SteelSeries website shows a whopping 15 different games that they have peripherals on. This doesn’t even count special models with pro gaming team logos on as well. The LanOC Guild Wars 2 Guild (
Earlier this week I took a look at the K60 and K90 Vengeance keyboards from Corsair. I was impressed with their unique take on the mechanical keyboard. Prior to looking at their keyboards I also took a look at the Vengeance 2000 wireless headset. To round out our coverage we of course need to check out Corsairs Vengeance gaming mice. We know that Corsair always takes a different path with any product they introduce and I am excited to see what they did differently in the gaming mouse market, a market that has become fairly stagnant with higher DPI, more buttons, and more lighting be the focus from most manufactures.
Every once in a while you find a company that is able to take a normal product that everyone has and change it in a way that makes everyone wonder why it was never done before. As much as it pains me to say this, Apple was one of those companies. In the pc components business there are a few as well, but the company that stands out the most to me would be Corsair. Every time corsair enters a new market, I find myself impressed with what they have to offer. Even though it seems like they are always jumping into random markets, they take their time and research what everyone has to offer and what people would really want to see. This week we are going to take a look at their new Vengeance lineup of mice and keyboards to see if they have done the same in these new markets. Today we are going to start with their new keyboards, let’s dig in and see what they are all about.
