Reviews

Gaming memory, like almost every other ‘gaming’ component and peripheral, has gotten bigger and flashier the last few years. From crazy, complicated heat spreaders to lighting reminiscent of a carnival ride, many ram kits are built to make a statement. If you are building a Small Form Factor (SFF) build and don’t have room for big heat spreaders, or just want something a little more low-key, you have typically been limited to slow, budget-minded memory. GeIL is here to solve that problem with their new EVO Spear DDR4 ram kits. Sleek and low profile, but still with high-performance memory at heart.

 

Computer cases have gone from generic blond flat cases that a monitor sits on to high tech well designed pieces of art that display our components in an attractive way. Far too many times you look at a computer case that has the wiring features and amenities that you want and the price tag approaches what your CPU cost. We've seen mega towers that run $299 and up and they are grand chassis that will awe and inspire but way out of the price range most end users can afford. Enter the Corsair SPEC-4 TG with an MSRP of $59.99, Tempered smoked glass window that covers the entire side, more wiring amenities than most high dollar chassis even dream of and capable of 120mm and 240mm radiator mounting. That's a lot of chassis for a little money if you ask us. Now we aren't talking mammoth hulk of SECC rolled steel weighing in at 20 pounds without components, the Corsair SPEC-4 TG is made of lightweight aluminum and is a mid-tower class chassis but if you are looking for a wallet friendly chassis with extras then the Corsair SPEC-4 TG fits the bill to a T and lets face it it's Corsair so quality is a given.

Computer mice and mouse pads have not only given us a point of interaction with our computers, they also allow us to define our unique computing needs. Computer mice and mice pads are no longer a one size fits all. Let’s face it, everyone is different, how we use our mice may not necessarily be how others use or grip their mouse. Case in point, we like our mice to be lightweight and have a high DPI capability, also smaller mice fits our hands a little better, some people are the complete opposite of us, they like to use a slightly heavier mouse, lower DPI, and larger sized mice. When it comes to mice surfaces, we tend to like board styles. 

Your computers power supply is the heart of your system and should be given as much thought as any other component in your build. Overclocking with a substandard power supply can be frustrating and systems can even be damaged by overtaxing low quality power supplies. When choosing power supplies we always look for at least a 25% excess capacity and with the new mega core CPU's and overclocking reaching 5GHz on a routine basis nows the time to think about your PSU choices. We like watt monster power supplies in the 1000W or higher range and planning for the future so we tend to go high on wattage. SilverStone was kind enough to send us one of their 1500W monster power supplies to look at and we have the SilverStone Silver Strider ST-1500GS 80+ Gold power supply on the bench today.

Taken from the ancient Roman and Greek word for owl, Strix means the keenest hearing and sharpest eyesight. The ROG STRIX Z370-E Gaming brings the very best Audio and Gaming features, along with overclocking and cooling innovations to Intel’s 8^Th generation platform to dominate your game. With silver accented heatsinks and aesthetics inspired by the sharpest blades, you can look great while decimating your digital foes. 

The ASUS Republic of Gamers (aka ‘ROG) is a family of premium gaming products ranging from video cards to motherboards to peripherals, but every enthusiast knows the foundation of any build is the motherboard. If you look up the definition of ‘Hero’ and ignore the bit about a sandwich, you are left with “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. ASUS has plenty out outstanding achievements, and the ROG line is about as noble as you can get in the PC world, so can the Maximus X be the Hero of your next gaming build?

With new CPU chips commonly capable of 5GHz and chips with anywhere up to 18 cores capable of 4.5GHz or more CPU cooling is a whole new ballgame!  With the Z170, Z270, Z370 and  X399 chipsets on the market and sporting super fast and mega multi-core designs AIO (All In One) water cooling is all the rage and becoming more the norm for enthusiasts and high-end platforms. EVGA is in the water cooling arena and hit it with a 120mm (Single Radiator one 120mm fan), 240mm (Dual Radiator two 120mm Fans), and a 280mm (Dual Radiator two 140mm Fans) and we have all three on the test bench.