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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Wednesday, 06 September 2023 09:22
With our RX 7800 XT testing out of the way with both the reference card and the XFX overclocked card I can finally jump into the Radeon RX 7700 XT to check out its performance. For this card AMD doesn’t have a reference design so to check out stock clocked performance I’ve got the Sapphire RX 7700 XT Pulse. It has the stock clocks and is Sapphire’s budget friendly card which in the past has combined great performance while avoiding adding in all of the unneeded flashy features you see on higher-end cards including RGB. So I’m going to dive in and check out what Sapphire has done with their card design, and then after that, we can put it through our test suite. When we are done we can then step back and see how it all comes together and where the 7700 XT as well as the 7700 XT Pulse fit into the market.
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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Wednesday, 06 September 2023 09:14
I already took a look at the Radeon RX 7800 XT reference card this morning so we have an idea of how the new 7800 XT GPU performs. But most people aren’t picking up the stock-clocked reference cards, they run the partner cards with larger coolers and are overclocked. To get an idea of how the 7800 XT performs in that situation, XFX sent over their Merc 319 7800 XT Black. I’ve been a fan of XFX’s clean styling for the last few generations, they haven’t done the standard “gaming” styling that packs a bunch of angles into the design with multiple shades of grey. They have simple smooth fan shrouds and stick mostly with black. I’m hoping that the Merc 319 7800 XT Black is going to continue that. So let’s dive in and see what the Merc 319 7800 XT Black is all about and how it performs.
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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Wednesday, 06 September 2023 09:07
AMD launched their first 7000 Series cards back in December with the RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX. They have also launched the lower end of their 7000 Series with the RX 7600 but the middle of the lineup has been completely missing until now. At Gamescom, AMD announced both the Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT to fill in some of the middle of the lineup with a focus on 1440p performance. Today I’m going to check out a few options from both GPUs but to start things off I am going to check out the Radeon RX 7800 XT reference card to get a look at the base performance the 7800 XT is capable of then we can go from there.
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Category: Storage
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Published: Wednesday, 30 August 2023 16:31
Spinning hard drives are surprisingly easy to damage when they are running and they get moved or banged around. The move to SSDs was not only huge for performance, but when they hit external storage they finally helped with durability significantly and also helped with the sizing of portable drives as well. Crucial has been in the market for a while now with the Crucial X8 being the first Crucial-branded portable SSD, but Micron their parent company did have them under the Lexar brand before the brand was sold in 2017. The X8 however was still a little large. Crucial just announced two new portable drives, their X9 Pro and the X10 Pro which are similar but with the X9 Pro being a USB 3.2 Gen-2 drive and the X10 Pro doubling the transfer speed with USB 3.2 Gen-2x2. Today I’m going to check out both and see what they are all about as well as put them to the test.
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Category: Networking
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Published: Thursday, 24 August 2023 08:59
When it comes to EnGenius’s enterprise-focused lineup, especially when it comes to access points, they have a wide variety that covers most needs. I’ve taken a look at some of their indoor and outdoor options but one area where they have been missing something on their outdoor lineup that they have had on their indoor access points is having a 4x4 Wifi 6 Access Point. I previously took a look at the ECW260 which is a 2 x 2 Wifi 6 AP. Well, they now have the ECW270 to fill in that gap. Like with the ECW260, it connects with a 2.5 Gigabit PoE connection but the ECW270 doubles up on its antennas and radios to better utilize that bandwidth. They have also given it a 1 Gig PoE capable port to make it easy to run a PoE camera nearby. We have been using the ECW260 to get better coverage outside and I’m curious how the upgrade to the ECW270 might perform. So today I’m going to take a closer look at the ECW270 and also see how it performs.
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Category: Power Supplies
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Published: Tuesday, 22 August 2023 11:20
It wasn’t that long ago when anything above a 450-watt model in the true SFX form factor wasn’t possible at all and even in the larger SFX-L form factor you could only find 600 watts. That has changed quickly over the years and Cooler Master has been one of the companies leading the charge with higher wattages and improvements in the small form factor focused SFX and SFX-L sizes. They even have a new model that reached 1300 watts which is just insane. That power supplies brother is the Cooler Master V SFX Platinum 1100W which I have in the office today. As a big SFF fan I’m curious to see what all Cooler Master has to offer with their new power supplies, so let's check it out and see what is going on.
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Category: Storage
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Published: Thursday, 17 August 2023 12:45
It used to be that M.2 SSDs didn’t need much if any cooling but as speeds have improved that has changed and we have seen some situations where without cooling performance drops off or they fail completely. That along with the PS5 requiring a heatsink for M.2 drives has helped us see a lot of different SSD models that have heatsink and heatsinkless models. The Crucial P5 Plus which I took a look at back in 2021 is now included in those with the introduction of its own heatsink models. With drive prices dropping the P5 Plus was $179.99 when I originally took a look at it. The drive is now $54.99 or $67.99 for the heatsink model. I thought this would be a great time to see if the P5 Plus is still keeping up and to test out how the heatsink performs, so today I’m going to check it out.
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Category: PC Cases
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Published: Tuesday, 15 August 2023 16:15
The ThermalTake Core P series of cases has been around for 7 years now and with that, they have had a variety of sized models as well as color and special editions. In fact, my wife's previous build was built in the Core P1, the Mini-ITX-sized model. While I loved the design there was room for improvement, especially with the feet and I noted that in our original coverage. So I was excited when I saw that Thermaltake introduced the Core P3 TG Pro which changed the base to better allow you to pick which orientation you want to use the case. It has the same open design that I loved previously and has been updated with modern I/O ports, a front fan bracket, and other changes. Today I’m going to see what is new and see if Thermaltake’s unique open-air design is still a good option in 2023.
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Category: Other
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Published: Wednesday, 09 August 2023 19:04
Last year I took a look at the soda can-sized Capsule portable projector which had Android built in, functioned as a portable Bluetooth speaker, and being battery-powered could project just about anywhere. Sadly because of its age, it had an extremely old OS, was slow to navigate, was just 480p, and was based around an out of date app store. The idea was great and it may have been great when it came out but it was showing its age. Well even at that time there was a newer model the Capsule II and earlier this year the Capsule 3 which has a 1080p Laster DLP projector built-in came out. Given that the overall idea was great, I’m excited to take a look at the new Capsule 3 Laser to see how it performs with those issues addressed. Just in time too, we still have some time to enjoy it outside here up north before it starts to cool down!
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Category: Smart Home
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Published: Monday, 07 August 2023 17:49
You can find just about any product these days with an app that can be called a “smart” product or a smart home product but with a lot of those the functionality that it adds isn’t worth it at all and it is all just added to be able to throw a few more features on to the box and online listing. I came across the Dreo PolyFan and when I saw it had an app, I assumed it would fall into the same category. Checking it out though it did pique my interest. It had both horizontal and vertical oscillation and both can be controlled with the remote or the app. I can’t be the only person who has gotten completely comfortable in bed and realized that my fan wasn’t blowing in the right direction or speed. I use a smart outlet to be able to turn it off with google voice if I’m cold, but being able to change the aim or speed that could be useful if it works well. It is of course peak laziness, but a lot of smart home products would fall into that. Today I’m going to check out the Dreo PolyFan 513S Air Circulator Fan and find out if being able to change those things remotely with the app or remote is worth the extra cost.
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Category: Power Supplies
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Published: Wednesday, 02 August 2023 10:36
While the big names have been around for what seems like forever, that isn’t really the case. They all get their start at some point and brands that everyone are used to now weren’t always a big name 5-10-15 years ago or more. In this case, the Yeyian Gaming brand is new to me but after some digging, it does come from Vadeto Group which has a few other brands like Qian and Getttech and others. They have been popular in Mexico and growing starting in the States in 2017 but really starting to grow from 2020 and beyond. The Yeyian Gaming brand started off building custom PCs and has expanded to have a whole lineup of products. I have been curious to see what they were all about, so today we are going to check out the Pegasus 1000W ATX 3.0 PSU from them and see what it has to offer.
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Category: Input Devices
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Published: Monday, 31 July 2023 10:05
While I am a keyboard and mouse guy to the core, there are plenty of games that play better when using a controller. So even the most hardcore keyboard and mouse PC gamers should keep a good controller around as well. I’ve been using a PS4 controller for a while but have issues with it from time to time and with that, I have been checking out a few different options from the Cooler Master Storm Controller as a budget option up to the Scuf Reflex controller and with the ROG Ally launch Asus also launched a new controller, the ROG Raikiri Pro and today I’m going to check it out as well to see what it is all about.
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Category: Storage
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Published: Monday, 24 July 2023 12:06
Lexar has been doing a great job of getting a nice variety in their SSD product stack while they haven’t brought out a PCIe 5.0 drive just yet and with that, they have also been competitive in pricing as well. Having already established their name in the storage market with their SD cards for years now they are also on the short list of brands that you can pick from when looking at SSDs and at least know what you are getting. They did just recently announce a new PCIe 4.0 drive that they are positioning to run against the WD SN770 and the Crucial P3 Plus. The NM710 is their latest entry-level drive that goes with their NM620 which is their PCIe 3.0 drive. Today I’m going to check out the NM710 and see what makes it tick as well as put it to the test so we can see how it fits in the market as well as check out its pricing to make sure it fits there as well. So let’s dive in and see what the Lexar NM710 is all about.
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Category: Other
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Published: Friday, 21 July 2023 06:30
The AOC CQ27G3Z just recently hit the market and it is a 27-inch QHD (1440p) gaming monitor which has a 1000R curvature VA panel. It has a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.5 ms MPRT, and supports FreeSync Premium hitting most of the important gaming features. But with this being from the AOC brand, not their higher-end Agon brand we can see that this is a display that they are targeting to be more budget-friendly. The 27-inch 1440p 140Hz display market has mostly had displays in the $699 and up range so a little relief is more than welcomed. Today I’m going to check out the rest of what the AOC CQ27G3Z has to offer and determine if it is as good of a value as AOC is hoping it will be.
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Category: Cooling Hardware
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Published: Thursday, 20 July 2023 09:06
Lian Li has been doing a great job in the fan market with their Infinity lineup both aesthetically with their multiple lighting options as well as with their recent addition of their P28 fans as well as a performance option. Their AIO cooler lineup had some hiccups. They are back at it again though with their new Galahad II AIO cooler lineup which is launching today and they don’t just have one cooler they have a whole variety with ten different variations with three different Cooler designs, 340 and 360 sizes on two of the three as well as both black and white color options. The new Galahad II Trinity design has a few different ways the pump can be configured as well. Lots of ways to customize. Today I am going to check out the Galahad II Trinity SL-INF 360 as well as the Galahad II Trinity Performance 360 which should give us a good look at the new design as well as check out their performance as well. So let’s dive in!
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Category: Video Cards
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Published: Tuesday, 18 July 2023 20:25
With the original Radeon RX 7900 XTX launch, I had the chance to check out the reference 7900 XTX and was impressed with its performance but our card did run hot. With the 7900 XT I have had the chance to check out aftermarket cards, but for the 7900 XTX, I haven’t. So when I had the chance to check out the PowerColor Hellhound RX 7900 XTX I jumped at the chance. I’m really curious how improved cooling and an overclock will change performance, on top of that 7900 XTXs are now more available and selling for less than the original $999 MSRP the Hellhound can be found for $949 so today I’m going to check out what makes the Hellhound special, put it to the test to see how it compares, and then reevaluate how it fits in the market now that prices have dropped. Let’s dig in!
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Category: Cooling Hardware
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Published: Friday, 14 July 2023 17:23
Lian Li has taken the fan market by storm with their Uni-Fan lineup. A lot of that is just offering a simple design that cuts out a lot of the wiring needed with RGB fans. But they have also been creative with their different designs offering multiple different RGB designs. The one thing that is missing from their lineup are performance-focused fans, something that can compete with companies like Noctua and Be Quiet. Lian Li has filled that gap in their lineup with their new Uni Fan P28 fans which are noise and performance-oriented and also have fluid dynamic bearings. They still have the other uni-fan specific features like daisy changing and how they handle their wiring. So today I’m going to check out the P28 fans to see what they are all about.
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Category: Smart Home
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Published: Tuesday, 11 July 2023 09:45
Keeping your floors clean is a lot more than just sweeping or vacuuming up the dust and dirt that you see, it is really easy to just get the dust and dirt and ignore things until something is spilled. Then of course it isn’t just a simple once-over with the mop. I’m bad with this, even though I want to keep our floors clean I would also prefer to spend my time doing something else. Because of that, I’ve been considering getting something to simplify things like a steam mop to sanitize and clean but a lot of the options out there just use microfiber pads and I don’t have any interest in having to replace them constantly. Eufy recently announced their Mach V1 and the Mach V1 Ultra which both combine a vacuum design that has a brush to pick up dirt and also scrubs. The Mach V1 Ultra then also adds in steam as well, covering everything I was looking for, but how well does it work? Well, today I’m going to check out what the Mach V1 Ultra has to offer and then see how it performs.
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Category: Power Supplies
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Published: Monday, 10 July 2023 07:05
This past March I took a look at the new Dark Power 13 from Be Quiet!, their first ATX 3.0 power supply. I have been planning on upgrading the power supply on our test bench to a new high-power PSU that is ATX 3.0 with the new 12VHPWR connection. The Dark Power 13 850W fit that bill but was a little low in power for the test bench. But Be Quiet! now has their Dark Power Pro 13 models which sit above the standard Dark Power 13 models with their 1300-watt and 1600-watt capacities. At those wattages, I don’t see us ever lacking power, and being from Be Quiet noise and quality shouldn’t be an issue. But before it gets put into use, let’s check it out and see what the Dark Power Pro 1600 Watt is all about.
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Category: Cooling Hardware
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Published: Friday, 07 July 2023 14:20
When I think of Be Quiet! fans, like with their coolers, I think of extremely high-quality noise-focused black fans with no lighting. But they don’t stick with that, they have had a few white models in the mix for years now and two years ago they also came out with their Light Wings series of fans which have aRGB lighting. When they launched I didn’t check them out even though I should have but back then when on a call with Be Quiet! I did talk to them about seeing them in white. Well now is the time, their new Light Wings White fans are out and they have both 120mm and 140mm fan sizes as well as regular and high-speed models. Today I’m going to check out both sizes of the high-speed models and see what they are all about.
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