[Review] Sentey Black Box Series: BX1-4284 V2.33 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 31, 2011
Sentey has sent us a new case from their Black Box Series lineup, the BX1-4284 V2.3. It is version 2.3 because it is one of three cases in this specific line. Version 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 are basically all the same, but the side panels and the LED colored fans are different on each case. Ours comes with a full side acrylic window with a 120mm fan and an optional 80mm fan cut into the window. The case is painted in a super high gloss black so it has a nice mirror finish to it.
The BX1 has five 3.5&#...
[Blog] FFF&FM Rev2.0 – water cooling built for benching!10 Comments By miahallencloseAuthor: miahallenName: Jeremiah Allen Email: miahallen.ironmods@gmail.com Site:http://www.ironmods.com About: Well, I was playing with computers ever since my Dad got a Commodore 64 when I was 6 years old (1986), when I was 10 (1990) he bought a custom build 486DX33, and I was in love. Mostly back then I was just a kid playing games, but my fascination with computers had a start. Because I had no money of my own, I was stuck playing with my Dad's computers, and really couldn't "play" too much. So in 1998, the year I graduated, I spent some of my college savings to by a "computer for school", haha. It had two Voodoo2 12MB 3D accelerators in it, so you can imagine how much school work was done on it ;-) It had an AMD K6-233 that I had a really mild OC on, but my custom computer builder friend Aaron had done all the work. So I can't really take the credit there. My fascination with graphics just kept growing and growing over the years, and I was constantly in a struggle to keep my games looking as sharp and smooth as possible. OCing played a big role.
My whole world was rocked in 2004 when I was deployed to Iraq as a US Army soldier. The whole year I was there I had a cheap IBM Thinkpad R40 with a 2GHz Celeron, 1GB DDR-333 RAM, a 60GB 4200RPM HDD, and ATI Radeon Mobility graphics (same technology as a 7000 series with only 16MB of memory). It started out rough as I was really into Command and Conquer Generals at the time, and the machine would only play the C&C slide show LOL. So, I downloaded PowerStrip, and OC'ed the GPU by 40%...amazingly, the game was playable!
Things changed dramatically in 2007 when I met a guy named Matt while I was stationed in Japan. He introduced me to www.ocforums.com, and the "Benchmarking Team" there. I had not had much interest in benchmarking previously, I always though of myself as more practical. But, I thought I'd play along and I joined the team. My first introduction to an actual competition was was is "The Raptor Pit", "Forum Warz 2008" in the spring of 2008. I was running a Q6600 and an 8800GTX. With air cooling I was able to bench my Q6600 at over 4GHz, and tore up the competition in my class. Overall OCF won the Forum War in 2007, Winter and Summer of 2008, and 2009...that means five in a row. I was not part of the first one in 2007, but the four since then, I have participated in. After winning the 2008 Winter and Summer Warz, Tom's Hardware Guide announced they were looking for nominations for individuals to compete in their first ever international overclocking competition, called "Overdrive". I was nominated, and chosen to compete in the North American semi-finals in Los Angeles in November 2008. I was placed on "Team IRONMODS" as they only had two guys, yet three man teams were allowed. We won the semi-finals in LA, and our prize was a trip to Paris the following month, to compete with the best in the world.
The following month, Ton, Jake, and myself flew to Paris as "Team USA" to face off against the best from Taiwan, France, Germany, and Italy. It was a very intense competition, but after two heated days of battle (16 hours of benching), we emerged the victors. Amidst our celebration, Ton and Jake officially invited me to join "Team IRONMODS" on a permanent basis, and I graciously accepted. Ton, aka "TiTON", is a world renown case moder, and is also very well known for some of the AMD overclocking he has done. Jake, aka "CPT.Planet", is a genius overclocker, and a really fun guy. The team has a great synergy when working together, we really have complementary styles.
After winning the world championship in December 2008 things were a bit quite for a couple months, then in the spring of 2009 I received an invitation to the 2nd annual Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship "GOOC". I would compete in the North American semi-final in LA, where the winner would win a ticket to the world championship in Taipei Taiwan during CES in June 2009. The competition was tough with 14 of the best from North America gathering for a 1 on 1 competition of OCing. But once again, I completed the competition well, and rose above the others. I won 1st place and the trip to the world finals in Taipei.
My luck ran dry in Taipei where I started off with a bad motherboard, and went through 5 more during the course of the competition due to various reasons. Despite the poor finish in Taipei, I have high hopes to redeem myself next year.See Authors Posts (24) on May 28, 2011
The original recipe
A couple years ago, I put together a simple water cooling system that I dubbed FFF&FM.
Form
Follows
Function
and
Fully
Modular
And the name really tells you everything you need to know. It was not a pretty system, nor did it need to be….but it did work very well for cooling my HW while pretesting for more serious benching session with liquid nitrogen. Here is a link to the original forum post where I detailed the build.
FFF&FM Rev1.0 parts
The original syste...
[Review] BitFenix Shinobi Window2 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 27, 2011
Today we have a brand new chassis line from BitFenix, called Shinobi. It was named after some of the most feared Ninja assassins of the modern age. There are two versions of the Shinobi. At the writing of this review, one comes with a side window and the other does not. From the uniquely crafted side panel window and fan vents, to the brushed aluminum accents, the Shinobi Window carries through the signature BitFenix design philosophy of clean lines, understated elegance, and modern styling. S...
[Blog + Contest] Intel Recon // Challenge: 2nd Generation Core i7 Unlocked Processors7 Comments By parelemcloseAuthor: parelemName: Julie Gierald Email: julie.gierald@gmail.com Site:http://techaggregate.com About: 20 something tech enthusiast from ChicagoSee Authors Posts (3) on May 23, 2011
There was a knock, and a large box left at my door. What could this be, we were not expecting any deliveries? Ah…it has been a while, but we were once again entrusted with a mission from Intel.
Large box at the door.
Unboxing
In the box was an Intel core i7-2600k processor, an Intel DP67BG Extreme Series motherboard and a 4GB (2×2GB) kit of Patriot Viper Xtreme Series, Division 2 Edition PC3-17066, and another box? Hmm…interesting box. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was ...
[Review] Enermax SpineRex ECA50103 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 22, 2011
Introduction:
The new SpineRex ECA5010 is a high-end gaming case from Enermax, boasting an innovative and high-performance cooling concept, which can be easily adjusted depending on the user’s requirements. The SpineRex utilizes a fully modular HDD cage within the entire drive bay area, leaving the drive bay setup left up to the user’s wants and needs. The top slide cover above the two 120mm exhaust areas can function as an air flow adjustment or a dust shield. The LED fans are all i...
[Review] Corsair Graphite Series 600T – Special Edition White6 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 19, 2011
The Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T is a streamlined case designed to bring full tower functionality with an emphasis on performance and style. The 600T comes with a user-selectable side panel (windowed or mesh), four 5.25″ bays, six hard drive bays with full SSD compatibility, an innovative cable routing system, and cooling from dual 200mm fans sporting white LEDs. The 600T also includes some up-market features, such as pre-cut holes in the motherboard tray with built-in rubbe...
[Review] ASUS P8P67 Pro3 Comments By NeuromancercloseAuthor: NeuromancerName: Rich Smith Email: rsmith@nettronic.net Site: About:See Authors Posts (27) on May 18, 2011
Introduction:
The P8P67 PRO is one of the latest Cougar Point motherboards from ASUS for the LGA 1155 “Sandy Bridge” architecture. Targeted between the basic P8P67 and the Deluxe, the motherboard aims to bring nearly all of the power of the Deluxe, at a more modest price point.
For a more detailed breakdown of the Sandy Bridge Architecture with features like ASUS DIP2 and Digi+ VRM (covered in brief in this review), please check out the P8P67 Deluxe review.
The P8P67 Pro brings choices to th...
[Review] Cooler Master NotePal LapAir3 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 17, 2011
The Cooler Master NotePal LapAir is intended for use with notebooks at work, during travel, and at home. It has an ergonomically advantageous angled design for comfortable typing, and features a top-intake / rear exhaust system to help keep your notebook cool by drawing the hot air out from beneath it, which will help prolong its lifespan. The comfortable foam pad on the bottom will help with extended use if you have to place it on your lap (in addition to keeping the hot underside of your lapto...
[Review] Noctua NH-C14 – Built To Perform2 Comments By GSG-9closeAuthor: GSG-9Name: Levi Tomes Email: gsg-9@mediocrocy.com Site:http://StypticDesign.com About:See Authors Posts (13) on May 14, 2011
Introduction:
Our friends at Noctua recently sent us their latest and greatest heatsink for review, the NH-C14. The NH-C14 is a top-flow heatsink of similar design to the NH-D14, which is a cross-blowing heatsink.
The Noctua NH-C14:
The NH-C14
The NH-C14 supports the following processor sockets:
Intel:
LGA1366
LGA1156
LGA1155
LGA775
AMD:
AM2
AM2+
AM3
Next: Specifications and Dimensions
[Review] Cooler Master Storm Enforcer2 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 12, 2011
Continuing with its tradition of revolutionary designs, Cooler Master Storm has released its new Enforcer chassis. The new chassis contains internal USB 3.0 connections, SSD drive support, and a removable/rotatable HDD cage to support easy installation of the largest video cards. Cooler Master Storm has tried to come up with a design that not only meets the expectations of its customer base and enthusiasts, but also tries to do so within a price range that all will appreciate. We will be thor...
[Review] Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced9 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 10, 2011
The HAF Series of cases brought about the aesthetics of battle-hardened military vehicles. Each offers the user access to customizing their airflow and rearranging their internal system layout. Together, these features were realized for the first time within the HAF 932, and they will be back again in the new HAF 932 Advanced. The HAF 932 Advanced also comes with an internal USB 3.0 connector as well as tool-free installation. We will be tossing the Cooler Master HAF Advanced on the review ta...
[Blog/Preview] Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1200w Power Supply1 Comment By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 9, 2011
Ranging from the ever-efficient 600W all the way up to the 1200W power supply, the Silent Pro Gold lineup will have something to satisfy the energy cravings of any system. With a power efficiency rating of 90%, the Silent Pro Gold line meets the 80Plus Gold Standard. To achieve this goal, Cooler Master incorporates three visionary patents into this innovative design.
The Hybrid Transformer incorporates the transformer with the heat sink, not only reducing the size by 25% over traditional trans...
[Review] Lancool PC-K63 – First Knight Series3 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 9, 2011
The Lian Li Lancool First Knight Series chassis is designed with the LAN parties in mind. The PC-K63 has an all-steel frame (except for the large plexiglass window) which provides a much tougher (albeit heavier) housing than aluminum, and allows for a more durable chassis while it is being moved around a lot. It is equipped with a powerful cooling system, sporting a pair of 140mm front intake fans, along with a single rear-mounted 120mm and two 140mm fans up top help exhaust unwanted heat.
The ...
[Review] Genius SW-G2.1 1250 4-Piece Gaming Speakers7 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 4, 2011
Genius tries to bring great bass enjoyment for music and gaming enthusiasts with this new speaker system, the SW-G2.1 1250. Its subwoofer uses an advanced 5.25” drive unit in an ultra-rigid MDF board cabinet to help with solid, deep and extended bass. The satellite speakers with magnetically-shielded 3” cones deliver full mid-range and well-balanced detailed sound. The individual control box makes it easier to adjust the volume and bass, as well as plug in headphones when you need to be qui...
[Review] Xigmatek LOKI SD9636 Comments By BoTcloseAuthor: BoTName: Edward Reese Email: bot@codisha.com Site:http://www.codisha.com About:See Authors Posts (15) on May 3, 2011
Introduction
Some review samples from Xigmatek have arrived today, and the first that we will be looking at is the LOKI SD963. Xigmatek has been around for a little over 5 years and in that time the company made a name for itself rather quickly and impressed many with good quality and performance oriented products. Xigmatek’s “ICE” philosophy seems to be well applied and directly translates into the companies products.
“ICE” = Impressive / Creative / Essential
The ...
[Review] Cooler Master Infinite EVO2 Comments By The DukecloseAuthor: The DukeName: Drew Briggs Email: drew@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About: Just keeping it real for the average joe overclocker and computer user.See Authors Posts (171) on May 3, 2011
The Cooler Master Infinite EVO is an innovative notebook cooling pad featuring a unique U-shape airflow design along with the two powerful speed-adjustable 80mm (60CFM each) wheel-blower fans which deliver 20% more airflow. The sand-sprayed curved aluminum surface makes the EVO look very stylish. The USB hub with invisible cable management is convenient, yet minimalistic in design to help please everyone. With support for 17″ laptops and below, the EVO can be utilized by almost every lapto...
Sentey has sent us a new case from their Black Box Series lineup, the BX1-4284 V2.3. It is version 2.3 because it is one of three cases in this specific line. Version 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 are basically all the same, but the side panels and the LED colored fans are different on each case. Ours comes with a full side acrylic window with a 120mm fan and an optional 80mm fan cut into the window. The case is painted in a super high gloss black so it has a nice mirror finish to it.
The BX1 has five 3.5&#... 
The original recipe
A couple years ago, I put together a simple water cooling system that I dubbed FFF&FM.
Form
Follows
Function
and
Fully
Modular
And the name really tells you everything you need to know. It was not a pretty system, nor did it need to be….but it did work very well for cooling my HW while pretesting for more serious benching session with liquid nitrogen. Here is a link to the original forum post where I detailed the build.
FFF&FM Rev1.0 parts
The original syste... 
Today we have a brand new chassis line from BitFenix, called Shinobi. It was named after some of the most feared Ninja assassins of the modern age. There are two versions of the Shinobi. At the writing of this review, one comes with a side window and the other does not. From the uniquely crafted side panel window and fan vents, to the brushed aluminum accents, the Shinobi Window carries through the signature BitFenix design philosophy of clean lines, understated elegance, and modern styling. S... 
There was a knock, and a large box left at my door. What could this be, we were not expecting any deliveries? Ah…it has been a while, but we were once again entrusted with a mission from Intel.
Large box at the door.
Unboxing
In the box was an Intel core i7-2600k processor, an Intel DP67BG Extreme Series motherboard and a 4GB (2×2GB) kit of Patriot Viper Xtreme Series, Division 2 Edition PC3-17066, and another box? Hmm…interesting box. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was ... 
Introduction:
The new SpineRex ECA5010 is a high-end gaming case from Enermax, boasting an innovative and high-performance cooling concept, which can be easily adjusted depending on the user’s requirements. The SpineRex utilizes a fully modular HDD cage within the entire drive bay area, leaving the drive bay setup left up to the user’s wants and needs. The top slide cover above the two 120mm exhaust areas can function as an air flow adjustment or a dust shield. The LED fans are all i... 
The Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T is a streamlined case designed to bring full tower functionality with an emphasis on performance and style. The 600T comes with a user-selectable side panel (windowed or mesh), four 5.25″ bays, six hard drive bays with full SSD compatibility, an innovative cable routing system, and cooling from dual 200mm fans sporting white LEDs. The 600T also includes some up-market features, such as pre-cut holes in the motherboard tray with built-in rubbe... 
Introduction:
The P8P67 PRO is one of the latest Cougar Point motherboards from ASUS for the LGA 1155 “Sandy Bridge” architecture. Targeted between the basic P8P67 and the Deluxe, the motherboard aims to bring nearly all of the power of the Deluxe, at a more modest price point.
For a more detailed breakdown of the Sandy Bridge Architecture with features like ASUS DIP2 and Digi+ VRM (covered in brief in this review), please check out the P8P67 Deluxe review.
The P8P67 Pro brings choices to th... 
The Cooler Master NotePal LapAir is intended for use with notebooks at work, during travel, and at home. It has an ergonomically advantageous angled design for comfortable typing, and features a top-intake / rear exhaust system to help keep your notebook cool by drawing the hot air out from beneath it, which will help prolong its lifespan. The comfortable foam pad on the bottom will help with extended use if you have to place it on your lap (in addition to keeping the hot underside of your lapto... 
Introduction:
Our friends at Noctua recently sent us their latest and greatest heatsink for review, the NH-C14. The NH-C14 is a top-flow heatsink of similar design to the NH-D14, which is a cross-blowing heatsink.
The Noctua NH-C14:
The NH-C14
The NH-C14 supports the following processor sockets:
Intel:
LGA1366
LGA1156
LGA1155
LGA775
AMD:
AM2
AM2+
AM3
Next: Specifications and Dimensions
Continuing with its tradition of revolutionary designs, Cooler Master Storm has released its new Enforcer chassis. The new chassis contains internal USB 3.0 connections, SSD drive support, and a removable/rotatable HDD cage to support easy installation of the largest video cards. Cooler Master Storm has tried to come up with a design that not only meets the expectations of its customer base and enthusiasts, but also tries to do so within a price range that all will appreciate. We will be thor... 
The HAF Series of cases brought about the aesthetics of battle-hardened military vehicles. Each offers the user access to customizing their airflow and rearranging their internal system layout. Together, these features were realized for the first time within the HAF 932, and they will be back again in the new HAF 932 Advanced. The HAF 932 Advanced also comes with an internal USB 3.0 connector as well as tool-free installation. We will be tossing the Cooler Master HAF Advanced on the review ta... 
Ranging from the ever-efficient 600W all the way up to the 1200W power supply, the Silent Pro Gold lineup will have something to satisfy the energy cravings of any system. With a power efficiency rating of 90%, the Silent Pro Gold line meets the 80Plus Gold Standard. To achieve this goal, Cooler Master incorporates three visionary patents into this innovative design.
The Hybrid Transformer incorporates the transformer with the heat sink, not only reducing the size by 25% over traditional trans... 
The Lian Li Lancool First Knight Series chassis is designed with the LAN parties in mind. The PC-K63 has an all-steel frame (except for the large plexiglass window) which provides a much tougher (albeit heavier) housing than aluminum, and allows for a more durable chassis while it is being moved around a lot. It is equipped with a powerful cooling system, sporting a pair of 140mm front intake fans, along with a single rear-mounted 120mm and two 140mm fans up top help exhaust unwanted heat.
The ... 
Genius tries to bring great bass enjoyment for music and gaming enthusiasts with this new speaker system, the SW-G2.1 1250. Its subwoofer uses an advanced 5.25” drive unit in an ultra-rigid MDF board cabinet to help with solid, deep and extended bass. The satellite speakers with magnetically-shielded 3” cones deliver full mid-range and well-balanced detailed sound. The individual control box makes it easier to adjust the volume and bass, as well as plug in headphones when you need to be qui... 
Introduction
Some review samples from Xigmatek have arrived today, and the first that we will be looking at is the LOKI SD963. Xigmatek has been around for a little over 5 years and in that time the company made a name for itself rather quickly and impressed many with good quality and performance oriented products. Xigmatek’s “ICE” philosophy seems to be well applied and directly translates into the companies products.
“ICE” = Impressive / Creative / Essential
The ... 
The Cooler Master Infinite EVO is an innovative notebook cooling pad featuring a unique U-shape airflow design along with the two powerful speed-adjustable 80mm (60CFM each) wheel-blower fans which deliver 20% more airflow. The sand-sprayed curved aluminum surface makes the EVO look very stylish. The USB hub with invisible cable management is convenient, yet minimalistic in design to help please everyone. With support for 17″ laptops and below, the EVO can be utilized by almost every lapto... 
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