Tech News
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Biostar Hi-Fi Z97Z7 Motherboard Review @ Modders-Inc
Biostar is making a gaming motherboard? (actually we knew this already)
The Biostar Hi-Fi Z97Z7 has been touted as Biostar’s way of flirting with the idea of a high-end gaming motherboard and that is a weird description considering it is technically a budget Z97 motherboard price-wise.
Again with the prices.
Historically speaking Biostar has always been a budget company and actually made some pretty solid stuff back in the day. Of course "solid" is relative since everyone basically built the same thing. These days quality of components plays a huge factor in price and quality.
By the looks of it they have actually made a real attempt at building a quality motherboard. The VRM looks weird and the PCB is bare but, you have high-end audio component in the corner and two 16x PCI Express slots, what more can you ask for?
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ASUS Rampage V Extreme LGA 2011-v3 Motherboard Review @ [H]
I sometimes have to wonder about reviews at HardOCP. Not so much about the content but rather about how they choose to do their article layout. This review starts out talking about ASUS with a bunch of photos related to the packaging and four showing the CPU socket and "both" sets of memory banks.
Kinda think you could do that with one photo but, maybe that is what people want/need in a review.
The Rampage V Extreme needs no introduction. It is the flagship of the ASUS Republic of Gamers aka ROG product line. If the pattern of previous Rampage motherboards holds it should be one of the best motherboards money can buy. Is the new ROG crown jewel still worthy of the crown at its $475 price point
Speaking of price point. $475 isn't a bad price for an overclocking motherboard and when dealing with high-end hardware it is never about cost but rather features and ease of use. Pretty sure they included that in the review, might have to read it to find out.
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MSI Z97 Gaming 9 AC Motherboard Review @ Techgage
Need a gaming motherboard and have a few extra dollars to spend? You might give the MSI Z97 Gaming 9 AC a look and Techgage has a pretty good review posted that shouldn't answer all your questions.
The last time we took a look at an MSI gaming motherboard, it was the company’s smallest current offering: Z97I Gaming AC. For this review, we’re looking to the top of the Z97 ladder, with the Z97 Gaming 9 AC. Priced at about $290, it’s easy to predict what this board might bring to the table, but all told, it still managed to impress us.
Keep in mind that buying a motherboard is not always required for a processor upgrade but is an investment for any system you plan to build.
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MSI X99S MPower review: affordable X99 board for overclockers @ Hardware Info
Back in the day I could easily look at 20 motherboards and tell you everything about them. These days 20 is tough and usually means more than one from a single vendor.
The guys at Hardware Info have gone through a list and named the MSI MPower X99 affordable for overclockers?
The MPower is very similar to the entry level board offered by MSI, the X99S SLI Plus. The a bit more expensive Mpower does have a better audio implementation, more CPU power phases, flat Hi-Caps and the extra buttons on the motherboard, justifying the higher price of the Mpower. We feel the Mpower is actually a good alternative to the ASUS X99-A. For the users that were thinking to be able to get a overclocking board for £ 190 / € 255 / $ 270 that offers similar features to the more expensive boards already introduced: unfortunately we have to disappoint you.
Seems good, though I'd want to see the numbers first. oh wait. that is what the review is for.
check it out. -
Connect Electronics DGZHE A06 Bluetooth Speaker Review @ ModSynergy
There was a time when having speakers connected to anything was super awesome. I also had a "boom box" back then which had both batteries and a wall plug so I could play CD's and Tapes where ever I wanted.
These days music is digital and stored on your 'pod or fone and designed for "personal listening" aka, kept to yourself. So, what if there was a way you could share your music like I did back in the days of the "boom box"?
One of those popular gift ideas is undoubtedly going to be the portable Bluetooth speaker. This year we'd been focusing a bit more on Bluetooth speaker systems, and for good reason; they are becoming ever increasingly popular with people who are interested in having a no wires solution.
Seems like there is, and its even pink!?!
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Phj34r my L4k of n3wz
Hey everyone, It would seem that I have let the news page slide quite a bit over the past several months and I have to apologize.
As you can imagine the "job" of posting "news" aka posting content on this page is not an easy one. Normally I just glean the news@ inbox for review stories and for many years that has worked out great. Mostly because I spend some time writing about the review, both good and bad. The problem is the Google gods don't count news postings as content anymore and have refused to index those pages or posts. Likewise many site owners have taken the Google decision and stopped posting links to reviews making the whole "Review Site Ring" model no longer work.
Of course, there are still some hard asses out there that say "post my stuff and I'll post yours". Seems like a Good Guy Greg approach to sharing traffic but, you know, that never worked with the girls in high school and it has never worked with review sites either.
I have learned a few things over the past 15 years of running a content based website.
- Never trust other site owners, instead appreciate that they are willing to help, value their opinions and never demand anything from them.
- Even though the Google Gods love to bully websites they do so because there is always someone out there looking to exploit the system. We have them to thank for making news postings invalid.
- I'm pretty sure that even if I paid someone to post news on this website (and I have) it would still never get done on a regular basis. Either the post frequency falls off or the quality goes to shit.
- Content is King, unless it comes to posting news on a website that is generated by a third party with a link at the end saying "read more". (oh wait isn't that what everyone does?)
- Phj34r my lack of n3wz. Gonna start working on that again. For those of you loyal readers who have bothered to read this. I thank you for sticking around.
- This is post 6565 in my news database, that might not be enough given the history of my site.
Sorry for the rant and apparent lack of news stories for you to read. When I designed Hardware Asylum I decided to put more emphasis on Articles and Reviews and less on News. Reason being, nobody reads this stuff and try as I might there was only one time in the history of Ninjalane/Hardware Asylum where news actually became a factor in site traffic.
I would like to get back to that time. Strangely enough it was a time when I didn't post anything and let someone else run the page.
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GTA 5 PC gets 4k support and first person mode @ PC Gamer
Now this has me excited for playing GTA5 on the PC.
The PC iteration will be the most visually impressive version of GTA 5, according to CVG's latest hands-on account. GTA 5 will run at 4K resolution on PC, and all 'next gen' versions of the game will include a fully-supported first person mode, complete with modeled car interiors and proper first-person shooting.
As Dan mentions in his preview, "It's not just a case of plonking a new camera within a character's head, just because they could, but an extensive rework of the game's movement, driving and targeting engines. There are thousands of new animations for gun reloading alone, no to mention the first-person views of parachuting, carjacking etc."
First-person extends to GTA's sandbox online mode, which creates space for proper FPS modes within GTA. Multiplayer heists—a long awaited feature for console players—are also nearing completion.4K has really become big news lately, panels are getting cheaper (rather fast I might add) and high-end graphics cards are adding proper support for the new resolution. Seems I might be buying one sooner rather than later.
If anything, to play GTA5 at 4K
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MSI's GT80 Titan Notebook Becomes World's First To Include Mechanical Keyboard @ HotHardware
With newer mobile gaming notebooks coming out, it was only a matter of time until one took the leap and looked into building in mechanical switches. Gaming aside, I see this as a positive improvement for even notebook users who utilize their keyboard routinely for work or play. Hopefully this catches on and we start to see some of the linear switches like MX Red's or Blacks released as well.
For what it's worth, this isn't just some ordinary mechanical keyboard; instead, it comes from SteelSeries, a company that knows how to design great peripherals. Because of the GT80 Titan's 18-inch size (you read that right!), a full numpad is included, although it's touch, rather than mechanical.
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Twitch: No Shirt? Stop streaming you sexy nerd
When I was reading this little news post over at Joystiq it brought back a few twitch memories like the couple who streamed their living room nakedness via the built in PS4 streaming app. There was some question as to if the girl knew she was on the internet or being undressed so it brought up some red flags and basically illustrated how stupid some people can be.
Next I remember a few instances where a couple twitch partner streamers (male) would game topless if they got enough donations. Sadly this moves them into the level of a cam girl but was still entertaining and safe to watch.
In the wake of the mega purchase by Amazon we are waiting to see how the company will change things and while Twitch says this announcement isn't related to the sale I get the impression that these formalities are really just for the public image and gamergate.
"This is a long-standing policy meant to create an open, supportive, safe environment for all gamers," Chase says. "We are not the fashion police and this is not a new policy, just clarity on a long-standing one rooted in common sense. In other words, don't broadcast naked or in lingerie, swimsuits, pasties and undergarments. We don't actually get many cases of dress code violations, but felt it should be clarified since our community has occasionally asked about specifics."
The updated policy notes that the dress code applies to both men and women. Basically, the rules boil down to, "Keep your shirts on, you sexy nerds."Of course twitch broadcasters know the policy and partner streamers pay special attention to the rules to ensure they will continue to get special treatment and phat paychecks.
Keep it clean people!
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NZXT Kraken X41 Liquid CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers
NZXT has released another top-shelf AIO, liquid CPU cooler. The X41 uses a single 140mm radiator and fan for the heavy lifting so it works well for smaller builds as well where space would be tight or impossible to mount larger radiators.
For several years now NZXT has been reaping the benefits of listening to the computerbuilding/modding community and delivering products that they actually want. This in turn has led to one of the most loyal customer bases and served to increase the popularity of their brand.
