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Category: Editorials
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Published: Thursday, 12 September 2013 13:00
It’s been a few days now and not only have I set all of the PCs around the house back up, I also took the time to do detail cleaning around my desk. Even after a few days I feel little tired, an impromptu nap that went until 3pm yesterday helped some but it’s going to be a little while before I’m back to normal. All of it means we had another successful LAN. Of course the work doesn’t stop on Sunday for me, but before I get too far into it I wanted to post up a little bit of a roundup. Read on to hear more about it.
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Category: Mobile
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Published: Wednesday, 04 September 2013 17:33
It’s amazing how far technology has gone when you look at the mobile phone market. It really wasn’t that long ago when the RAZR flip phone was the hip thing to have. Now most people have large screens, fast internet, and more processing power than you would ever have imagined. With that in mind, it does seem a little crazy that we still have to plug our phones in all of the time to charge them. When I picked up my Nexus 4, the wireless charging feature was one of the most interesting to me. Today I will finally be able to show off what it’s all about with the new TYLT VÜ wireless charging pad.
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Category: CPU's
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Published: Tuesday, 03 September 2013 07:01
Remember when everyone wanted Intel’s enthusiast CPUs? Pepperidge Farm remembers. With Ivy Bridge and then Haswell pushing the mainstream CPU lineup ahead quickly it seems like it has been ages sense the launch of X79 and with it Sandy Bridge-E. That’s not to say they still aren’t powerful, but with multiple competing launches from Intel alone the platform hasn’t exactly gotten a lot of attention. Well today we get to play a little catch up with the introduction of the Ivy Bridge-E CPUs. Specifically I’m going to take a look at the i7-4960X, their new flagship CPU. Let’s take a peek at what is new.
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Category: CPU's
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Published: Friday, 30 August 2013 13:00
When it comes to building PCs, the enthusiast builds that we here at LanOC focus a lot on are only a small part of the market. A lot of builds don’t require 6+ cores and multiple GPUs. In fact a lot of people don’t need or want dedicated GPUs at all. AMD and Intel both recognize this with their focus on upgrading the integrated graphics of their mainstream CPUs and APUs. When AMD sent over their new Richland-based APUs, the A10-6800K and A10-6700, I was excited to see how they compare to previous APUs we have taken a look at and to see if the APU would be capable of any gaming without adding a dedicated GPU.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Wednesday, 28 August 2013 15:00
If you are on the market for a new keyboard there is a good chance given the market trends that you might be considering a mechanical keyboard. Back with membrane keyboards all you really needed to consider was the keyboards features, software, and to some branding. Now, even once you have decided to go with a mechanical keyboard you have to consider what kind of switch type you want and of course most people don’t really know what the colors mean. This is one of the questions I’m asked all of the time, because of that I figured I would talk a little about it here. I hope it helps you on your decision.
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Category: Mobile
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Published: Tuesday, 27 August 2013 18:03
With the sheer amount of media we consume on a daily basis, the mobile market is constantly evolving with newer and newer ways for us to store and transfer all this data. A while back I reviewed Carry Technology’s Wi-Reader Pro and was impressed by the functionality and usefulness of a portable, wireless cloud device and today I am back again with another similar device. Join me as I take a look at Kingston’s MobileLite Wireless Reader and put it to the test to see if it can bring anything new to this budding market.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 23 August 2013 16:38
When Razer first introduced the Naga a lot of people made jokes and references to its phone like number pad on the side. Then soon after, not only did I see a lot of people sporting them, but a lot of the manufactures introduced their versions of the MMO mouse. Suddenly it was only partially crazy to have a full phone number pad under your thumb. Recently Razer introduced their new Naga 2014, the second major redesign of the Naga although I would consider the 2012 edition to be less of a “major” redesign. I’m really excited to see what they have learned from the last model and changed for this model. I have been using it for a little while now and I can finally tell everyone about my experience.
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Category: Networking
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Published: Thursday, 22 August 2013 06:11
When it comes to enthusiasts we put a lot of thought into the parts we put in our PC, but don’t often think about what connects us to the internet. Most people will grab any old router from a brick and mortar store that suits their needs. I feel that more information should be acquired, especially for something that is only purchased once in a blue moon. Will the router suit my needs? Will it suit my needs long term? Will it continue to hold up as the technology improves? All of these questions and more will be considered while looking at the Western Digital My Net AC 1300.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 16 August 2013 20:33
It wasn’t all that long ago that we took a look at the Razer Orbweaver, their mechanical gaming keypad. I was a little surprised when the latest product from Razer was actually another gaming keypad, the Razer Tartarus. The Tartarus is a non-mechanical gaming keypad that is sold along with the Orbweaver. That means it actually is replacing the Nostromo for Razer’s membrane gaming keypad. I’m excited to see what has changed, the Orbweaver made a few big improvements, I’m curious if any of those made it into the Tartarus.
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Category: Mobile
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Published: Wednesday, 14 August 2013 21:02
We just can’t seem to charge our gadget batteries enough these days. Whether on the go or simply during our day to day routines we are always on the lookout for ways to keep our phones and tablets from dying on us. Recently, I reviewed a portable, high capacity battery that offered the ability to charge our devices on the go and today I am back again with another. This time I take a look at the Neptor NP056K portable battery pack from Eagle Tech to see if this emerging market for pocket USB chargers is a competitive one or merely the latest fad.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 09 August 2013 14:42
Between sensor, grip style, and overall design the CM Storm gaming mouse line is made up of a nice variety of options. Until now, Cooler Master has only offered one product with the Avago 9800 sensor, boasting 8200 DPI support, the Sentinel II. The Havoc, which we’ll be taking a look at today, is “designed for precision gaming”, so it seems natural to be equipped with a sensor that provides such a diverse range.
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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Wednesday, 07 August 2013 09:04
As impressive as reference cards can be when they are introduced, it’s always impressive to see what all of the manufactures do with them when they have a little time to toy with the overclocks and fit their aftermarket cooling designs. A good example would be the card I’m going to take a look at today. The MSI GTX 760 Hawk looks similar to the GTX 780 Gaming that I recently took a look at, but with a yellow theme that would go perfectly with their new Z87 M Power motherboard. I wonder how it will perform compared to the reference GTX 760 as well as the aftermarket cards. They set the mark high, so MSI is going to have their work cut out for them.
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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Monday, 05 August 2013 17:17
Earlier this year we covered a whole collection of HD 7790’s from various manufactures but there was one missing. I was a little late getting my hands on a Sapphire card and due to other launches I’m even later getting to telling everyone about it. That does mean we have a chance to compare how the HD 7790 is performing now and along with that we get to see how Sapphires Dual-X dual fan cooling design performs. If its anything like the past few aftermarket cooler designs that we have seen from Sapphire I should be very happy.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Thursday, 01 August 2013 13:00
Cooler Master has done a good job with their mechanical keyboard lineup to make sure they provide options for both gamers and mechanical keyboard enthusiasts. That means they have keyboards that focus on backlighting and macro keys as well as more simple designs that the enthusiasts tend to enjoy. At CES this January I caught a glimpse at a full sized keyboard that reminded me of the simplicity of the Quickfire Rapid. This was the Quickfire XT and today I will finally be taking a look at it. Let’s see what its all about.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Tuesday, 30 July 2013 13:00
Over the past few years I could count on one hand all of the wireless gaming mice that have been introduced, it’s just something that you rarely see. That is because a lot of gamers will push back citing wireless lag and battery life issues. Those issues can be an issue, but there are still a lot of people who end up gaming with their everyday wireless mice because of the lack of gaming options. That is where the Logitech G700s comes in; this is Logitech’s only wireless gaming mouse. With that in mind I was excited to see how the G700s compared to both the G500s and the other wireless mice that we have tested in the past.
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Category: PC Cases
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Published: Friday, 26 July 2013 18:00
Thermaltake has always been known for their superb case design and quality throughout the years. This time they are back with a Mid Tower offering in the same price range as many leading competitors with the enthusiast additions we have come to expect. Present are the optimized ventilation, cable management and tool-free bays we all love to see delivered in an aesthetically minimalist package. Will the Urban S21 prove to be a hit or end up as just another option? Joins me as we give it the once over and see if the Urban Mid Tower stacks up.
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Category: PC Cases
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Published: Wednesday, 24 July 2013 15:40
While most enthusiasts prefer Full Tower cases because of the ample amount of space for things like water-cooling solutions and multiple video card setups, sometimes the sheer size of the cases can be prohibitive as far as portability. Luckily there has always been a healthy market for enthusiast minded Mid Towers. Today we look at the G7 Mid Tower from InWin that promises to offer a great blend of features, performance and quality aimed at DIY enthusiasts. Will it stand tall among quality competition? Let’s find out.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Friday, 19 July 2013 13:00
When it comes to gaming keypads there are really only a few options on the market. Of those options most, like the G13, have been around forever. Of those gaming keypads, none of them are mechanical. That is until Razer introduced the Orbweaver this year at CES. As a big fan of mechanical keyboards, mice, and peripherals overall I couldn’t wait to get my hands (well hand) on it. After living with it for a while I am finally ready to talk about it and see how the mechanical Orbweaver compares to the G13 and the Razer Nostromo.
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Category: Mobile
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Published: Wednesday, 17 July 2013 13:00
The biggest problem with mobile devices today is their limited battery life and the inevitability that they will eventually run out on us. We charge them at home in the wall, on the computer, and even in the car while in transit but it still never feels like enough power for all the functionality we enjoy. The Luxa2 branded line of products from Thermaltake has set out solve some our power problems with a mobile power solution. The P1 7000mAh High Capacity Battery & Charger is meant to provide power to just about anything with a USB charging port at anytime and anywhere it may be needed.
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Category: Storage
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Published: Monday, 15 July 2013 13:00
In the past we have taken a look at a variety of different SSD’s of all different sizes and shapes. Today we are going to check out something completely different. Today we are taking a look at a tiny 1.8 inch SSD that uses a PATA ZIF connection. For those of you who don’t know what a ZIF connection is, that is a zero insertion force connection. You typically see them inside of laptops and in this case this drive is normally used on small laptops and in some handheld devices. Being a PATA based (think IDE) these aren’t all about speed, but I wanted to check the drive out due to its size. So let’s take a look.
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