The Briskie mouse is designed for prolonged, ambidextrous use. The ergonomic shape offers an excellent grip and control. The mouse is also equipped with a DPI adjustment button, giving you four adjustable resolutions (800/1000/1200/1600 dpi). For easy portability, a wireless receiver can be snapped into the bottom of the mouse.  We will be putting the combo through the paces and see how well it does when we are finished playing with it.

Packaging:

Specifications and Features:

Next: The Enermax Briskie, Usage, and Conclusion.

Arctic has been a well recognized and respected name in the custom PC building world for many, many years due largely in part to their PC cooling solutions. These solutions range from case fans, heat sinks, and of course their renowned thermal compound (MX family, please take a bow).

Unknown to some in the PC world, Arctic, under the guise of Arctic Sound, has been in the business of putting out audio devices to the public for a few years now. These products include headphones, headsets, speakers, and earphones. Some geared toward the hardcore audiophiles, and some targeted at the casual market. Today we take a look at one of their casual market target products, the E461-BM Earphones.

Do these earphones live up to the reputation of Arctic’s other products in terms of quality and reliability? Lets take a look.

Packaging & What’s Inside

The E461-BM comes in a small grey box with the earphones’ specifications shown on the back.

The E461-BM is silver with replaceable black silicon caps. There are six pairs of replaceable caps in total with sizes small, medium, and large. A pair of medium caps come pre-attached to the earphones out the box.

The cables of the earphones are black, and measure about 51 inches (129.54 centimeters) in total per our own measurements. The length of the cables from the buds to the in line controller (more on that later) is approximately 13 inches(33.02 centimeters).

The earphones come with a 3.5mm TSSR plug which allows you to use the earphones as both a microphone and a listening device. A TSSR supported port is needed if you wish to utilize the microphone capabilities, otherwise the E461-BM will only work as headphones. The earphones also come with a Y splitter for use with PCs.

The earphones also are bundled with a number of cable management options. These include a cable clip to attach to your person when you are using the earphones, a silicone cable winder which keeps the earphone wires nice and neat when you aren’t using them, and a travel case.

One of the more interesting features of the E461-BM is the in-line remote control. The remote is located on the earphone cable, and can be used to pause/play video, or music selections as well as select next, or select previous track. In regards to phone calls, the remote can initiate voice dialing, answer, end, or refuse calls. This function is said to only work, with Apple’s line of iDevices.

Next Page: Testing & Performance

In the not so distant past, it was widely assumed that if you wanted quality PC gaming peripherals you would have to go to companies like Razer, Logitech, or SteelSeries to satisfy your high quality peripheral needs. Recently companies who have previously never offered gaming peripherals in their product line are now throwing their hats in the arena, attempting to dispel the belief that only established companies can offer really good gaming mice, headsets, keyboards, and other input devices.

Some people, us included, upon hearing that companies like Corsair and CoolerMaster were entering the PC gaming peripheral realm were incredulous. “Who is making PC gaming peripherals now? They are soooo gonna fail!” However, after reviewing a few of the gaming products from non-traditional sources, they have proved us wrong.

Today we bring to you our review of the Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard released almost two years ago by Tt eSports, a division of Thermaltake. Let’s see if the Challenger, which has already received very good reviews elsewhere can convince us to shut our yaps even more about companies like Thermaltake not being able to deliver quality gaming peripherals.

Packaging

The Challenger Keyboard comes in a large box showing a graphic of the actual keyboard and lists the many features the keyboard includes. The keyboard itself is matte black, with the Tt eSports logo found on the lower part of the board in red. No question, the board is a looker.

A number of accessories and extras are found when opening the box. This includes a fan you can mount onto the keyboard to keep your fingers cool while using the keyboard, a carrying bag for those who like to travel with their keyboards to such events as LAN parties, and a smaller travel carrying bag to store the keyboard’s cable, and any other small stuff you want to take with you.

The Challenger Pro also comes with a driver disk (containing the software for the keyboard) and also a very hefty instruction manual. The manual itself includes instructions in multiple languages, but doesn’t go into much detail about the many functions the keyboard has to offer. We found it to be kind of strange a manual this thick would only give the basics.

You also get some additional red keys that you can use to replace some of the existing keys on the board such as the W, A, S, D, and arrow keys. To us this is more an aesthetic option then an actual functional upgrade, as any experienced PC gamer will tell you they can find the keys they use most with their eyes closed. Regardless, it is a nice option to have, and does lend some visual flair to things.

The keyboard itself utilizes a rubber dome mechanical system, per Tt eSports. The board has red LEDs that illuminate the bottom of the keys as well as the Tt logo found on the lower part of the board. The Challenger Pro is pretty durable, and feels like would survive a few accidental drops onto the floor, and a bit of whacking against your desk when you lose a yet another match due to being on a suck team, or that raid boss just continues to whoop your — [Editor's Note: That's it, Trembledust, we're switching you to decaf. And making you play Hello Kitty Online.].

Next Page: Packaging Continued

A few weeks ago, we brought to you a review of CM Storm’s latest gaming peripheral, the Sirus Gaming Headset, which earned high marks. Today, we bring to you our review of another of CM Storm’s gaming peripherals, the Sentinel Z3RO-G Gaming Mouse, on a few sites called the Zero-G Gaming Mouse, which was released on July 4th of this year. 

Lets see if this mouse is a Yankee Doodle Dandy, or if it should be tied to a bunch of bottle rockets.

Packaging and What’s Inside

The mouse comes in a black and red box, repleted with a picture of the mouse looking evil (in a good way). Also on the box, almost to the point of overkill, is the notification that the mouse comes with a code to play Shattered Horizon for free.

Opening the front of the box you can see the Sentinel Z3RO-G resting in a hard plastic encasement. The back part of the front of the box shows you the different options available on the mouse.

Freeing the Sentinel from its prison, you find the mouse itself, and a disc that contains the software to get the most out of it.

The mouse itself has seven buttons in total. There are the standard left and right buttons, two thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse, two small buttons right below the mouse wheel (that is, towards the user’s palm) which increase and decrease the mouse’s DPI, and one on the far side of the mouse wheel which is used to change the mode of the mouse om the fly (more on that later).

You will also notice that the top of the mouse has an OLED screen, which is advertised to be use for putting Clan Tags on. Pretty cool. The mouse also has LEDs which appear on the top, and bottom front of the mouse. You have six different LED colors to chose from including purple, yellow, and blue. Please note that the last picture was taken from CM Storm’s website (the rest are our own photographs).

The Sentinel Z3R0-G utilizes a USB connection (and won’t play nicely if you try to jack it in through a PS/2 adapter). The cord of the mouse is braided, and is approximately 66 inches (1.67m) in length.

As with many high-end, gaming-specific mice, the Z3RO-G comes with five removable weights so that users can customize the hand feel to best suit their preferences. Each of these weighs 4.5 grams (about 1/6th of an ounce).

Next Page: Software

Packaging:

Specifications and Features:

Next: The Z305, Installation, Usage, and Conclusion

Today we will be reviewing Tt eSports’ latest offering, the Shock Spin Gaming Headset. The Shock Spin is not touted as being a high end headset, but rather a midrange offering which can be used to play games, or listen to movies or music while connected to your favorite portable device.

Packaging & What You Get

The Tt eSports Shock Spin Gaming Headset comes in a black and red box detailing. At the bottom, the features of the headset are listed. This headset does not support 5.1 surround sound. /sadface

Opening the box you will see the Tt eSports Headset, Microphone Box, In Line Volume Controller, and owner’s manual. The headset itself is plug and play. No software for the device is included, or required.

The Shock Spin  comes in three different colors. Shining White, Diamond Black, and Royal Red. Our test sample is the Royal Red version. The headset has large ear cups which aid in blocking out environmental noise as you enjoy whatever it is you are listening to.

Below you can see the Auco Adjustment Headband, which offers decent adjustability when needed. The Tt eSports logo can be found on the top of the headband as well as the sides of the ear cups themselves.

The headset connects to your preferred device via a 3.5mm audio cable which is braided. This is also the case with all of the cables included with the headset which gives them a sturdy feel. The cables not attached to the headset themselves have velcro straps attached to them which also sport the TT eSports name. Besides the fact these straps aid in cable management, they are aesthetically more pleasing then simple twist ties some companies use to keep the slack of their cables’ lengths neat.

The Volume Box, as the name indicates, controls the volume of the headset. The box comes detached from the headset, and attaches itself to the headset via the 3.5mm audio connection. The cable itself is a little over 3 ft. (91cm). Add the volume box, and the full length of cable you can use is approximately 11 ft. (3.3m)

The Shock Spin’s microphone is also detachable, giving you the freedom to use it independently from the headset. The microphone can be attached to your person via an adjustable clamp (we recommend affixing it your shirt; more adventuresome or hirsute readers can go for skin or hair – OUCH). The on / off switch can be found on the side of the microphone box, and the cable of the microphone is quite long, measuring approximately 9ft (2.7m).

Next Page: Testing

Today, we look one of their peripheral offerings – a PCI Express expansion card that provides a internal 19 pin USB 3.0 header. The SST-EC03, or simply EC03, is a small PCI Express 1x lane device that adds USB 3.0 connectivity to an older PC, or expands the number of USB 3.0 ports for newer systems that have it already. It also includes a mounting panel that will fit in a 3.5” external front bay.

The Product

The EC03 uses the new Renesas D720200AF1 controller. Similar in most ways to the D720200F controller found on many motherboards with NEC USB 3.0, the new version of the chip provides improved idle mode power saving features, and consumes only 20% of the power required by the older chip.

Unlike many other PCI-E devices, the EC03 uses a 4 pin peripheral connector for power. This allows the elimination of power rectifiers, thus decreasing cost and increasing efficiency. However, it also means running one more wire across the interior of one’s case, something many enthusiasts may not be keen on doing.

Next: A Closer Look at the EC03

One of CM Storm’s latest product recruits is the Sirus True 5.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset (which is a hell of a mouthful; we’ll just call it the Sirius to save wear and tear on our keyboards). Does this headset have what it takes to lead you into battle, or should it be pulling latrine duty?

Headset & Accessories

The package we received included the Sirus headset itself, an on the fly volume control unit which CM Storm calls the Tactical Mixing Console, optional 3.5mm audio cable, and optional microfiber ear cushions.

The headset itself is pretty to look at, and is well designed to take some punishment.  One concern we had when we first laid our eyes on the headset was that it might be on the heavy side, and would be like strapping a 30 pound weight to your head [Editor's Note: We have suggested that the author get his butt to the gym. We type with fifty pounds on our heads, uphill, both ways.]. Happily, this was not the case. The headset is very comfortable, and is actually fairly light compared to other heavy-duty headsets we have tried in the past. The comfort is aided by the cushioning in the arch of the headset, and the adjustability of either side of the headset. Unless you have an extremely small, or extremely large head, you should be comfortable wearing it.

The top of the headset has the CM Storm name shown in big lettering, while the CM Storm logo is shown on the outside of both ear cups.

The ear cups are pretty large, which helps greatly with cancelling out environmental noise. During our tests, we couldn’t hear anything except whatever we were listening to, but more on that later. If the stock surrounds are not to your liking, you have the option of replacing them with the included microfiber cushions.

Here, you can see the multiple speakers found within the headset to provide the 5.1 surround sound.

Next Page: Headset & Accessories Continued

Packaging:

Specifications:

Next: The Lamptron FC9

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 and Features:

The Enermax Aurora Lite Model KB010U-B:

Next: Usage and Conclusion