Call of Duty:Black Ops 2

titleCall of Duty is one of the best selling franchises of all time. You can say what you will about it, but the sales numbers speak for themselves. With storylines that manage to keep you entertained and feel like a part of the action, and multiplayer that gives constant rewards and never seems to end, there is always something to do in a Call of Duty title. With the yearly installments however, the franchise has come under more scrutiny for not having enough innovation or added content year to year. It is time to take a look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 to see if it can still wow us and live up to the standards that gamers have come accustomed to over the years.

Read more ...

SteelSeries Black Ops 2 Peripherals

titleIt’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.

Read more ...

Ravaged

titleWhen 2 Dawn Games contacted us about doing a review on their first title, Ravaged, I was both excited and nervous.  Excited because I really enjoy indie games and playing stuff developed by small game companies. Indie companies are not restrained by being too large. They are able to listen to their fan base and give players what they want (to an extent) and it often leads to some really cool and enjoyable features in game. I was also nervous however because Ravaged because my experience with class based shooters has been very polarized, they are ether amazing or a total flop. Let’s hope that being an Indy game will help Ravaged be one of the great games. With that being said, I head into the post-apocalyptic storm ravaged world that is Ravaged.

Read more ...

Cooler Master HAF XB

titleOne of the best parts about CES is that we get the chance to catch up with companies like Cooler Master and take a peek at what they are toying around with behind the scenes. This year they had an interesting case that at the time they called a LAN case. This struck a tone for me because of a fundamental issue I had with the case being for LAN use, its size, and I let them know it. Over 10 months later the HAF XB is sitting here in the office, with an improved design and a more appropriate focus. The HAF XB is considered a case / test bench. Those of you who like to tweak and play with your builds may have just perked up. The HAF XB is a completely new form factor for Cooler Master; considering their past win’s this should be interesting. Maybe even game changing?

Read more ...

In Win Mana 136 White Case

title2Today we are taking a look at one of In Win's more recent offerings, the Mana 136. Not too long ago we had the opportunity to check out their Dragon Rider full tower case and came away pretty impressed. This time around the case is white. We have seen white being used from just about every manufacture, Is it a passing fad or is it hear to stay. Since most manufactures now offer at least one case in white, it is safe to say the demand must be sufficient. On the other hand, that means it is hard to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Today we are going to take a look at the Mana 136 White and see if In Win has produced a product to capture the attention of today's consumer. 

 

Read more ...

Noctua NH-L12

title When Noctua comes to mind, I think of  a company truly dedicated to innovative cooling solutions.When the opportunity came to review there Noctua NH-L12 my curiosity was peaked to say the least.  The NH-L12 is a low profile CPU cooler with a L-shaped heatsink to maximise its cooling capability.The NH-L12 comes with two premium fans, a 120mm and a 92mm. It can be setup in either dual or single fan configurations to fit your specific needs. At the coolers lowest setting it's a mere 66mm high. This is ideal for small form factor cases and HTPCs. The Noctua NH-L12 has some impressive features, but will that be enough to blow away the competition?

Read more ...

Rapture Game Studios

titleThose who have been to one of our LAN parties know that our location is central to many larger cities, Fort Wayne being one. We’ve attended a few LAN events in that area, including one hosted by member Reaper from Fort Wayne Gamers. It was exciting enough to hear that John had volunteered his coding expertise for an indie game studio just on the heels of releasing their first game, but we were even more so when we learned the studio was local, operating out of Fort Wayne. We quickly made contact, and were invited to sit in during one of their weekly meetings.

Read more ...

CM Storm Sonuz

titleWe have looked at products from the CM Storm line up before. Most recently we took a look at the CM Storm Scout 2 case. We also took a look at the CM Storm Sirius not too long ago. Of course we know that headsets are a key part of any gaming setup – what is the point of having a pretty kick-ass rig if you can’t hear the guy sneaking up behind you? Really it is more than just gaming; personally I listen to a lot of music via my headset, so that is also high on my list of qualifications. The Sonuz might just fit the bill – today we are going to find out.

Read more ...

SteelSeries Diablo 3 Peripherals

titleIt’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.

Read more ...

GELID Solutions GX-7

titleThe GX-7 is the first CPU cooler in GELID's 'Gamer' product line, the same line which the DarkForce mid-tower we recently covered belongs to. It is however only their second tower cooler, the Tranquillo occupying the 'Silent' product family along with a handful of compact and low profile coolers. Though we generally enjoyed GELID's maiden chassis voyage, the GX-7 is relates more to the company's cooling roots, and we're looking forward to seeing how their newest cooler performs.

Read more ...

Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Fan

titleNoctua’s products have always been considered quiet, high quality, and innovative cooling solutions. Noctua’s NF-F12 is no exception. The NF-F12 stands for Noctua focused flow 120mm premium fan. This fan is an improved version of the popular NF-P12 model. Noctua refined there new design over a two-year development cycle. This might seem excessive for a fan; however, the features Noctua has incorporated into this fan are impressive to say the least. The focused flow system is intended to force air through heatsinks or radiators more effectively, due to the fan’s static pressure. Noctua's contentious attention to noise reduction has led to a few new implementations on this front as well. The Noctua NF-F12 was built to perform, so without further a due, let’s see how this premium fan fairs.

Read more ...

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

nbcam copyThose that know me best are aware that my passion for electronic gaming goes behind just playing them. I’m an advocate for video games and the industry they are born in. Amidst a society that is constantly looking for scapegoats, the bright side of that industry is often masked by constant, unjustified blame. This is one of the many reasons I get excited when I see groups such as Child’s Play and Extra Life using video games as a means to raise money for very worthy causes. One that hits very close to home for my family is the fight against breast cancer.

Read more ...

Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced

titleMy first computer chassis was the Cooler Master Cosmos, a behemoth I lugged proudly from home to LAN party and back again. Large, full towers are what first come to my mind when I think of Cooler Master cases, despite transplanting my LAN rig into the Cooler Master Scout, which coincidently is used as an HTPC when I’m home. Cooler Master has offered the Elite 100 as a mini ITX HTPC solution, but its thin, vertical form factor prevents it from dual-serving as a LAN rig. Can the Elite 120 Advanced meet both needs?

Read more ...

Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T 7

titleMad 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.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Read more ...

Asus GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II TOP

titleIf you are an avid reader, you have most likely seen countless Asus motherboard reviews and even a few audio products as well recently. Something that is a little rarer is having an Asus video card come through our office. When Asus contacted me asking if we wanted to take a look at their upcoming GTX 650 Ti DirectCU II TOP, there wasn’t even a hesitation. We have already taken a look at the reference GTX 650 Ti; this card on the other hand is nothing like it. Sure you have the same architecture, as you would expect. But the DirectCU II TOP is almost twice as long, has twice the cooling, and has a considerably different PCB even. It’s no off the shelf reference design, today we are going to dig in and see what all of that means for you when looking to buy a GTX 650 Ti.

Read more ...

Nvidia GTX 650 Ti

titleToday, around six and a half months after the launch of the first Kepler-based GPU from Nvidia, we have the final piece to the 600 series product line. Just under a month ago we took a look at the GTX 660, and a month before that the GTX 660 Ti. Along with the GTX 660, Nvidia introduced the GTX 650. With the focus being on the GTX 660, there were only a few reviews of the GTX 650 to be found. Today we are going to take a look at the card that fits right in between the GTX 660 and the GTX 650, the GTX 650 Ti. With a price point just between the $109 of the GTX 650 and the $229 of the GTX 660, Nvidia is hoping to bring in people looking for decent performance that don’t have it in their budget to throw down over $200 for a single component.  Let’s take a closer look.

Read more ...

SteelSeries Guild Wars 2 Peripherals

titleThe 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 (LOL) will be very happy to hear that SteelSeries introduced a full set of Guild Wars 2 peripherals at the games launch. Well we may or may not have intercepted a whole box of Guild Wars 2 goodies. We are going to take a look at each as well as the group together. Are you going to have to pick up your Guild Wars 2 peripherals for your next game? Let’s take a look and see what they are all about. 

Read more ...

OCZ Vertex 4 256GB

titleEarlier this year I had the chance to visit the OCZ offices. While being shown the offices I could sense the excitement. At that time they finally had the Indilinx crew in the office and they were very excited about how having an in house NAND Controller and firmware production would change the future of OCZ’s SSD business. The first drive that Indilinx had a hand in was the OCZ Vertex 4. Today we are going to put the Vertex 4 to the test in our new benchmark suite along with a few other SATA 3 drives to see how they perform. I hope that the same excitement that I saw in the OCZ offices will equal top notch performance from their current flagship SSD. 

Read more ...

Asus Vulcan ANC

titleA few weeks ago we took a look at the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus audio card. Asus, with its Xonar brand, has made a big name for themselves in the audio card market. When it comes to things to attach to their sound cards, they are a little less known. They really introduced a new gaming headset with built in Active Noise Canceling. When I hear about this, I couldn’t help but think about all of the times I’ve been at a LAN and wished I could cutout the hum of 100+ gaming PCs. Because of that I jumped at the chance to take a closer look. How will the active noise canceling work out in a gaming headset?

Read more ...

Mid Ohio Comic Con 2012

titleA whole room packed full of people who share similar interests, dress up in amazing Cosplay, and different artist and stars available to meet. For some of you Comic Con isn’t anything new. Those from large cities like LA are used to having a local Comic Con. Those of us in the middle of nowhere typically don’t have events like this. Lucky for me, a few hours away we do have the Mid-Ohio Comic Con once a year. Alex and I took the day and went down to check out what it was all about this weekend. As you can expect, we came back with lots of photos of the Cosplay and just maybe a few story’s as well.

Read more ...

We have 1874 guests and no members online

supportus