Today we are going to take a look at the Biostar Hi-Fi A85W motherboard which features the same A85X chipset as the Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H that we reviewed recently. Consequently, it features AMD's FM2 socket which supports the latest ‘Trinity' APUs. Biostar may not be top of most enthusiasts lists but …
Read More »Nvidia cards struggling with AMD hair tech in Tomb Raider
We talked about AMD's new TressFX hair technology last week, showing of what it's capable of doing and debuting the fact that it would see its first outing in the new Tomb Raider game. Well now that game has hit the shelves and been installed on many a PC: and …
Read More »Antec ISK 110 VESA Case Review
Today we are going to look at the Antec ISK 110 VESA which is a small form factor PC case that can be attached to the back of your monitor to save space. It's designed to be as compact as possible, only supporting the smallest components. This makes it ideal …
Read More »Seagate debuts new SSHDs
Seagate has announced a new line of hybrid drives, melding solid state technology with traditional hard drive platters, in a variety of sizes and shapes – making them applicable for both laptops as well as desktop PCs for those that don't want to take the jump to a single SSD …
Read More »Synology launches free upgrade for DiskStation Manager
Synology has today released the latest update to its popular DiskStation Manager software. While the ‘4.2' version name itself might not sound like much – the company's CEO claims that this is one of the biggest advances in storage software for some time. KitGuru considers a free demonstration over on …
Read More »Sparkle GeForce GTX 650 Ti Dragon Series review
If you have just built a new system and want to pick up a capable, yet inexpensive graphics card then there are no shortage of options available under £150. Today we are looking at the Sparkle GTX650 Ti Dragon Series priced around the £120 inc vat mark. Is this card …
Read More »nVidia prepares to announce positive numbers
While the world of stocks and shares is supposed to be 100% water tight when it comes to the leaking of early info, for some reason every time a company is about to announce good or bad numbers – there is a corresponding increase or decrease in share values leading …
Read More »Asus P8Z77-V LK Motherboard Review
With the company's solid set of options in the Z77 motherboard market, Asus is aiming to conquer the intermediate segment that lies between the entry-level and mid-range price categories. Enter the P8Z77-V LK motherboard. Sitting between the entry-level P8Z77-V LX and mid-range P8Z77-V motherboards in Asus' Z77 arsenal, the P8Z77-V …
Read More »AMD takes component marketing to the Max
The days of building a slightly better mouse trap and waiting for the customers to bang down your door are gone. These days, marketing is everything. Ahead of CeBIT 2013 and the showcasing of its latest APU products, KitGuru catches up with the chap who's taken over generating demand for …
Read More »nVidia set to seal its lock on the workstation market
Learning to ‘follow the money' is one of life's most important lessons. It helps answer so many questions – in every walk of life. Sure sex and drugs and rock-n-roll plus the need for weapons and violence figure into the equation, but the money trail is crucial. For graphics, that …
Read More »Aerocool Strike-X Air Review
Today we are going to look at the Aerocool Strike-X Air which is a very innovative chassis, designed to appeal to those enthusiasts who spend a lot of time inside their PC and change hardware frequently. It uses an open design, similar to a test bench, which features a large mesh cover …
Read More »AMD’s new Communications VP, Taylor made?
Seems like we can't open our inboxes without more news about AMD re-vamping its internal structure. The latest appointment put John Taylor (no relation to Roy, or so we're told) into the communications hot seat. KitGuru considers the challenges he will face and whether he is perfectly suited to the …
Read More »NZXT Kraken X40 Review
Today we are going to take a look at the Kraken X40, which is one of NZXT's first attempts at a performance liquid cooler. It is a similar design to the X60, however it features a smaller 140 mm radiator for those who don't have room for a 280 mm …
Read More »Move over Raspberry Pi, Kinetis KL02 is the smallest
While it might not quite have all the features of the popular miniature computer on a PCB Raspberry Pi, the newly created Freescale Kinetis KL02 is offering up the building blocks of something much smaller. It's a full microcontroller featuring a processor, RAM, ROM, clock and I/O control unit – …
Read More »be quiet! DC1 thermal paste released
be quiet!, market leader for power supplies in Germany for seven years in a row (Source: GfK Panelmarket Germany, sales units internal computer power supplies, December 2012), announced today the availability of the new high performance thermal compound DC1. The new paste is the logical extension of the award-winning cooler …
Read More »Microsoft launching Surface in Japan
Microsoft are launching the Surface Windows 8 tablet in Japan next month according to reports from the Nikkei news service. A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed with CNET that the Surface will reach Japan in the near future but didn't specify a precise date. The spokeswoman said “As part of our phased …
Read More »Asus launches new micro ATX boards – faster and more integrated
Looking forward, ASUS has launched new Micro ATX motherboards with native HDMI and DVI outputs for use with Intel and AMD processors that feature integrated graphics. The motherboards also incorporate exclusive ASUS USB 3.0 ‘Boost Technology' for faster data transfers with compatible storage and solid capacitors – which Asus claim …
Read More »Fractal Design Node 605 Case Review
Today we are going to look at the Node 605 from Fractal Design which is designed to be used primarily for home theatre PC builds. It is part of the same range as the Node 304 that we looked at recently which we found to be a very competent product. …
Read More »Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H Motherboard (with AMD A8-5600K) Review
Today we are going to look at the Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H motherboard which supports AMD's latest Trinity APUs and occupies a Micro-ATX form factor. We will also be looking briefly at the performance of the AMD A8-5600K APU as we haven't had a chance to test it previously. This processor and …
Read More »Thermaltake launched A41 Chaser chassis
The design team at Thermaltake have at least 2 definite methodologies. One focuses on creating iconic masterpieces like the Level 10 chassis and the ‘M' mouse. The other line of thinking is based around making plastic look aggressive and not cost too much. The A41 Chaser is in the second …
Read More »Seasonic X-Series 650W KM3 Power Supply Review
Seasonic really need no introduction, they have been releasing multiple series of class leading power supplies in 2012. They recently launched the latest X-Series KM3 range, superseding the award winning KM2 units which we reviewed last year. Today we are looking at the X-Series KM3 650W power supply, a very …
Read More »ADATA prepares to launch DashDrive Air AE800
Following hot on the heals of the AE400, ADATA has taken the opportunity to present the brand new DashDrive Air AE800 to new retail customers at the Distree event in Monte Carlo. It offers some cool new features, but will the channel fall in love with this new portable drive? …
Read More »Patriot SuperSonic Magnum 256GB USB 3.0 Drive Review
As the demand for storage space increases we have seen a handful of manufacturers releasing larger and faster USB 3.0 pen drives. In January we reviewed the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX Predator 512GB drive which broke new ground for performance. The only downside was the asking price, a staggering £650 inc …
Read More »NZXT Phantom 820 Case Review
Featuring the same unique style that gamers and enthusiasts across the globe have grown to love, NZXT's Phantom 820 aims to prove that bigger IS better. Has NZXT created yet another worthwhile addition to its critically-acclaimed Phantom series? With the ability to house gargantuan XL-ATX motherboards and multi-VGA configurations, the …
Read More »Nvidia launch GTX Titan – powerhouse GPU
This week Nvidia are releasing their latest high end graphics card targeting the wealthy enthusiast gaming audience. We can have a quick look at the hardware today, although benchmarks cannot be shared until the 21st February. The Geforce Titan has 2,688 CUDA cores and is built around 7.1 billion transistors. …
Read More »Evo Labs E-250 Case Review
Today we are going to look at a budget-friendly case for those users who are looking to build a reasonably compact system with limited funds. Evo Labs is a budget-focused brand from UK based distributor Target Components, which aims to deliver customers more bang-for-buck than better known brands such as Thermaltake and …
Read More »ASRock 990FX Extreme9 Motherboard Review
ASRock's latest addition to their 990FX series of AMD motherboards, the 990FX Extreme9, aims to occupy the company's AM3+ top spot alongside the Fatal1ty Professional board. With premium power delivery components, compatibility with AMD's 8 core PileDriver processors and support for 3-way SLI and CrossFire graphics configurations, the ASRock 990FX Extreme9 sports …
Read More »Plextor 128GB M5M mSATA SSD Review
Today we are looking at a new mSATA drive from Plextor – the 128GB M5M. Diminutive mSATA drives are without doubt a growing market, adopted in many laptop computers today. As we have seen in recent desktop motherboard reviews on Kitguru many manufacturers are now including a mSATA slot, an …
Read More »Akasa prepares to ramp up assault on HTPC market
Lamborghini started life as a tractor company, yet – in some ways – managed to eclipse the Ferrari designs that it initially coveted. In a similar way, we're now seeing some interesting industrial designs making their way across from the commercial sector and into our living rooms. Akasa has designs …
Read More »Cooler Master HAF XB Mid-Tower Chassis Review
The Cooler Master HAF XB Mid-Tower chassis is part of the ‘High Air Flow' range of cases, but it is crafted into a new and special form factor. Is this a case you need to be shortlisting for a new system build? The Cooler Master HAF XB is eyecatching. At …
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