[Review] Xigmatek Elysium3 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 July 29, 2011
In Homer’s Odyssey, Elysium is described as a paradise, “… where life is easiest for men. No snow is there, nor heavy storm, nor ever rain, but ever does Ocean send up blasts of the shrill-blowing West Wind that they may give cooling to men.” Today, Xigmatek sent us their version of paradise with their first so-called “super tower,” the Elysium. The Elysium sports twelve 5.25” drive bays and two 4-in-3 HDD cages. These cages can be moved up and down the front p...
[Review] Silverstone CW02 HTPC7 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 July 27, 2011
The CW02 from Silverstone’s Crown Series is crafted to allow users to really appreciate the design of this high quality HTPC chassis. At first glance, the all-aluminum construction and reinforced aluminum dress plates in the front set off the already classy case. The interior design of the CW02 is able to accommodate extended length graphics cards, proficiently displaying the HTPC system at its best. Capable of supporting CPU coolers of 160mm in height for additional cooling options, its s...
[Review] Enermax Aurora Lite Model KB010U-B2 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 July 25, 2011
The Enermax Aurora Lite keyboard has an ultra-slim design that makes it very space efficient. The simplicity in the design of this keyboard embraces style, quality and functionality. Although the keyboard itself is small and thin, it has two USB 2.0 connections embedded and a fullsize NumPad. It has a great-looking black brushed-aluminum exterior which helps it stand out among other keyboards. Read on to learn how the Aurora Lite keyboard fairs in our testing.
Packaging:
Specifications an...
[Review] eVGA Frostbite vs Arctic Silver Céramique1 Comment 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 July 20, 2011
Introduction
With the market for extreme PC cooling growing at a rapid rate over the past few years, we are seeing a much greater number of PC components and accessories geared to this end of the spectrum. This goes back to the Foxconn “Quantum Force” line, which was kicked off with a killer mainboard, the BLACKOPS with features that had never been seen before. Fast forward a few years, and now all the top manufacturers are mimicking elements from that board, and pushing forward ...
[Review] ASUS HD 6870 DirectCU1 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 July 19, 2011
Today, we have the ASUS HD 6870 DirectCU, with a custom PCB design, that will be going onto our test bench to see how closely it performs to the marketing hype. The DirectCU line of cards from ASUS are catered to the overclockers out there in the market. The DirectCU has precision mounting, putting the copper heatpipes in direct contact with the GPU for better cooling performance. ASUS has also implemented their SAP, Super Alloy Performance technology, which uses high quality capacitors, MOSFETs...
[Review] Sapphire Radeon HD6770 Vapor-X3 Comments By ArchercloseAuthor: ArcherName: Kevin Marlin Email: kevinsmarlin@embarqmail.com Site:http://www.techreaction.net About:See Authors Posts (18) on July 15, 2011
Sapphire Technology has been around for ten years and has learned how to get things done the right way. Being one of the, if not the, largest supplier of AMD/ATi video cards Sapphire is a leader in design, innovation and application of new processes. Through what many consider a conservative approach to innovation; Sapphire has maintained a strong market share in an ever growing field of competitors. Is this HD6770 is one of the reasons why:
Though the packaged is a rather plain, no frills, box;...
[Review] Corsair Vengeance 12GB 2000MHz Memory5 Comments By TrembledustcloseAuthor: TrembledustName: Patrick Innocent Email: patrick@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About:See Authors Posts (11) on July 14, 2011
Corsair hit a home run in the latter half of 2010 with the release of their Vengeance 12GB 1600mhz kit. Buyers on Newegg raved about the stability of the kit, and the ability to run the Cas9-rated sticks at Cas 8. While this is something that would not impress most RAM overclockers, it did seem to put a smile on a lot of mid- to high-level PC users. Corsair seems to want to follow up their success with the recently released 12GB 2000Mhz version of the Vengeance ram with a slight difference. This...
[Review] Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid-Tower Case1 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 July 13, 2011
The Obsidian Series 650D mid-tower case is manufactured with strong, stamped steel parts for increased rigidity, and coated in a black textured paint. The front panel features a black brushed aluminum faceplate to bring a subtle elegance to your next build. A large 200mm front intake fan placed behind the front dust filter quietly pushes vast amounts of air over hard drives and video cards. The air is then exhausted by a second 200mm fan on top of the case, as well as a 120mm fan at the rear. ...
[Review] Intel 320 Series 160GB SSD SATA 3Gbps6 Comments By NeuromancercloseAuthor: NeuromancerName: Rich Smith Email: rsmith@nettronic.net Site: About:See Authors Posts (27) on July 8, 2011
On the test bench this week is Intel’s newest SATA 3Gbps SSD offering, the 320 series 160GB SSD. This is designed to replace the vaunted X25-M SSD. Featuring fast read and write speeds, and vastly improved 4K IOPs specifications, this drive on paper at least, lives up to being a high end SSD designed with SATA 3Gbps in mind. Built using 25nm NAND flash memory the new drive is inherently less expensive and comes in larger capacities than previous SSDs. Why would Intel make a SATA 3Gbps SSD now,...
Review: Xigmatek GAIA SD12836 Comments By BoTcloseAuthor: BoTName: Edward Reese Email: bot@codisha.com Site:http://www.codisha.com About:See Authors Posts (15) on July 7, 2011
Introduction
Last but not least in our Xigmatek review lineup is the Xigmatek GAIA SD1283. We have been talking about the company in previous reviews already and won’t go into much detail again. Xigmatek has impressed consumers with a good quality product line up and performance that can be shown off, remaining at an affordable price level. Xigmatek’s “ICE” philosophy is well-illustrated in the company and its products.
“ICE” = Impressive / Creative / Essentia...
[Review] Cooler Master Silencio 5503 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 July 6, 2011
With the Silencio trying to achieve near-silent operation, it is prepared to take on powerful hardware, and should be able to keep high-end setups running cool and quiet. Soundproofing on both side panels assists in reducing noise levels to help get the quietest system achievable. A sleek mirror finish front panel and clean lines present a minimalistic design aesthetic that speaks to its silent interior. The Silencio also sports the functionality of built in Super Speed USB 3.0, a multifunction ...
[Review] Evercool Transformer 31 Comment By GSG-9closeAuthor: GSG-9Name: Levi Tomes Email: gsg-9@mediocrocy.com Site:http://StypticDesign.com About:See Authors Posts (13) on July 5, 2011
Introduction:
Evercool recently sent us the newest model in their Transformer line, the Transformer 3. The Transformer series is known for their consistent silver aesthetics, which can complement the theme of a wide variety of custom rigs with ease. The Transformer 3 is equipped with a single 120mm fan for heat transfer. The heatsink itself is designed with 3 heatpipes that utilize heatpipe direct touch (HDT) technology.
The Transformer 3
The heatsink itself comes with mounting hardware for the ...
[Review] SteelSeries 7H – Professional Gaming Headset3 Comments By EnJoYcloseAuthor: EnJoYName: Alex Joy Email: alex@techreaction.net Site:http://www.techreaction.net About:See Authors Posts (53) on July 1, 2011
Introduction:
SteelSeries is not a new name in the world of high-end gaming gear. In fact, their heritage stretches back to the early days of Counter-Strike when they made actual mouse pads made of… you guessed it… steel! Ah, those were the days, hard wrist on a cold pad at 3am, refusing to care about how I’d feel the next day when I had to go to class. But alas, SteelSeries have moved on from the original products that made them so famous among gamers. Now they offer a plet...
In Homer’s Odyssey, Elysium is described as a paradise, “… where life is easiest for men. No snow is there, nor heavy storm, nor ever rain, but ever does Ocean send up blasts of the shrill-blowing West Wind that they may give cooling to men.” Today, Xigmatek sent us their version of paradise with their first so-called “super tower,” the Elysium. The Elysium sports twelve 5.25” drive bays and two 4-in-3 HDD cages. These cages can be moved up and down the front p... 
The CW02 from Silverstone’s Crown Series is crafted to allow users to really appreciate the design of this high quality HTPC chassis. At first glance, the all-aluminum construction and reinforced aluminum dress plates in the front set off the already classy case. The interior design of the CW02 is able to accommodate extended length graphics cards, proficiently displaying the HTPC system at its best. Capable of supporting CPU coolers of 160mm in height for additional cooling options, its s... 
The Enermax Aurora Lite keyboard has an ultra-slim design that makes it very space efficient. The simplicity in the design of this keyboard embraces style, quality and functionality. Although the keyboard itself is small and thin, it has two USB 2.0 connections embedded and a fullsize NumPad. It has a great-looking black brushed-aluminum exterior which helps it stand out among other keyboards. Read on to learn how the Aurora Lite keyboard fairs in our testing.
Packaging:
Specifications an... 
Introduction
With the market for extreme PC cooling growing at a rapid rate over the past few years, we are seeing a much greater number of PC components and accessories geared to this end of the spectrum. This goes back to the Foxconn “Quantum Force” line, which was kicked off with a killer mainboard, the BLACKOPS with features that had never been seen before. Fast forward a few years, and now all the top manufacturers are mimicking elements from that board, and pushing forward ... 
Today, we have the ASUS HD 6870 DirectCU, with a custom PCB design, that will be going onto our test bench to see how closely it performs to the marketing hype. The DirectCU line of cards from ASUS are catered to the overclockers out there in the market. The DirectCU has precision mounting, putting the copper heatpipes in direct contact with the GPU for better cooling performance. ASUS has also implemented their SAP, Super Alloy Performance technology, which uses high quality capacitors, MOSFETs... 
Sapphire Technology has been around for ten years and has learned how to get things done the right way. Being one of the, if not the, largest supplier of AMD/ATi video cards Sapphire is a leader in design, innovation and application of new processes. Through what many consider a conservative approach to innovation; Sapphire has maintained a strong market share in an ever growing field of competitors. Is this HD6770 is one of the reasons why:
Though the packaged is a rather plain, no frills, box;... 
Corsair hit a home run in the latter half of 2010 with the release of their Vengeance 12GB 1600mhz kit. Buyers on Newegg raved about the stability of the kit, and the ability to run the Cas9-rated sticks at Cas 8. While this is something that would not impress most RAM overclockers, it did seem to put a smile on a lot of mid- to high-level PC users. Corsair seems to want to follow up their success with the recently released 12GB 2000Mhz version of the Vengeance ram with a slight difference. This... 
The Obsidian Series 650D mid-tower case is manufactured with strong, stamped steel parts for increased rigidity, and coated in a black textured paint. The front panel features a black brushed aluminum faceplate to bring a subtle elegance to your next build. A large 200mm front intake fan placed behind the front dust filter quietly pushes vast amounts of air over hard drives and video cards. The air is then exhausted by a second 200mm fan on top of the case, as well as a 120mm fan at the rear. ... 
On the test bench this week is Intel’s newest SATA 3Gbps SSD offering, the 320 series 160GB SSD. This is designed to replace the vaunted X25-M SSD. Featuring fast read and write speeds, and vastly improved 4K IOPs specifications, this drive on paper at least, lives up to being a high end SSD designed with SATA 3Gbps in mind. Built using 25nm NAND flash memory the new drive is inherently less expensive and comes in larger capacities than previous SSDs. Why would Intel make a SATA 3Gbps SSD now,... 
Introduction
Last but not least in our Xigmatek review lineup is the Xigmatek GAIA SD1283. We have been talking about the company in previous reviews already and won’t go into much detail again. Xigmatek has impressed consumers with a good quality product line up and performance that can be shown off, remaining at an affordable price level. Xigmatek’s “ICE” philosophy is well-illustrated in the company and its products.
“ICE” = Impressive / Creative / Essentia... 
With the Silencio trying to achieve near-silent operation, it is prepared to take on powerful hardware, and should be able to keep high-end setups running cool and quiet. Soundproofing on both side panels assists in reducing noise levels to help get the quietest system achievable. A sleek mirror finish front panel and clean lines present a minimalistic design aesthetic that speaks to its silent interior. The Silencio also sports the functionality of built in Super Speed USB 3.0, a multifunction ... 
Introduction:
Evercool recently sent us the newest model in their Transformer line, the Transformer 3. The Transformer series is known for their consistent silver aesthetics, which can complement the theme of a wide variety of custom rigs with ease. The Transformer 3 is equipped with a single 120mm fan for heat transfer. The heatsink itself is designed with 3 heatpipes that utilize heatpipe direct touch (HDT) technology.
The Transformer 3
The heatsink itself comes with mounting hardware for the ... 
Introduction:
SteelSeries is not a new name in the world of high-end gaming gear. In fact, their heritage stretches back to the early days of Counter-Strike when they made actual mouse pads made of… you guessed it… steel! Ah, those were the days, hard wrist on a cold pad at 3am, refusing to care about how I’d feel the next day when I had to go to class. But alas, SteelSeries have moved on from the original products that made them so famous among gamers. Now they offer a plet... 
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