Review Index Page 17

  • Intel B360 vs. Z370 Chipset: Finally an 8th-Gen Budget Platform

    When Intel raced out 8th-gen Coffee Lake CPUs last year, they did so with a single chipset, the high-end Z370. Now 6 months later Intel is finally unleashing their more budget friendly chipsets which includes the B360, which we're taking a look at today. So what's there to know?

    By Steven Walton on

  • Far Cry 5 Review

    The bulk of Far Cry 5 feels like gonzo camping trip that permeates the rest of the game. Yes, people are being kidnapped, tortured, and brainwashed, but in-between fighting to liberate the residents of Hope County from this b-horror movie plot, I also spent plenty of time skydiving, swimming, hiking, hunting, fishing, and rampaging through cedar forests on 4-wheelers at night like an idiot.

    By Ethan Gach on

  • Windows on ARM Benchmarked

    Microsoft has come up with strange ideas over the years. Their latest one is running Windows on ARM (again), with the help of Qualcomm and some daring manufacturing partners to bring a new OS variant that can emulate x86 software. We get hands on with the first Windows on ARM device, the HP Envy x2, for some serious benchmarking.

    By Tim Schiesser on

  • Audioengine A5+ Wireless Speakers Review

    Today we're taking a look Audioengine's latest studio speakers, the A5+ Wireless. The original A5+ speakers were one of our picks in last year's Best Of feature and now they're in for a repeat with the added support for Bluetooth playback.

    By William Gayde on

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  • How to Get Into World of Warcraft in 2018

    It's been nearly 14 years since Blizzard launched the world's most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game. You've had plenty of time to get your affairs in order before finally taking the plunge into Azeroth. Don't worry, the World of Warcraft hasn't passed you by. You just might need a little help getting started. We got you.

    By Mike Fahey on

  • Acer Switch 7 Review

    Acer's brand new and very interesting Switch 7 is a high-end tablet with a kickstand and detachable keyboard. Making this 13.5" tablet unique are its fanless internals that include a quad core i7-8550U and discrete GeForce MX150 graphics.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • Asrock DeskMini Z370 GTX 1060 Review

    Today we're checking out Asrock's latest DeskMini PC, a name that may ring a bell if you read our review of the original a couple of years ago. The latest version features support for MXM mobile GPUs (GTX 1060 or GTX 1080) and Intel's 8th-gen Core series on a small 2.7L chassis.

    By Steven Walton on

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  • Corsair Obsidian Series 500D Review

    Today we'll be taking a break from our typical PC hardware benchmarking sessions to check out a slick new computer case from Corsair. It's been quite a few years since Corsair has refreshed the Obsidian lineup but that changes today with the introduction of its new $150 Obsidian Series 500D.

    By Steven Walton on

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  • Razer Blade Stealth & Razer Core V2 Review

    Razer's Blade Stealth has caught our eye as one of the most attractive ultraportable Windows laptops on the market that also comes packed with top-end hardware. Razer has also launched a new external graphics enclosure, the Core V2. Let's check them out.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    90
  • External GPU Testing: GTX 1080 in a Box + Core i7-8550U Ultraportable

    Last year, we briefly looked at external GPUs when we reviewed the Aorus GTX 1070 Gaming Box attached to a Kaby Lake-powered ultraportable. Now that Intel's 8th gen CPUs are widely available in a range of ultrabooks, with significant performance gains in hand, it's the perfect time to revisit eGPUs and determine whether the hard CPU bottleneck still exists in most games.

    By Tim Schiesser on

  • Ryzen CPU + Vega Graphics on a Chip: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G & Ryzen 3 2200G Review

    Updating its entry-level and mid-range product lines, AMD's new Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G APUs are set to replace nearly all of the company's offerings under $200. Making these chips special is the integration of Radeon Vega graphics for budget desktop PCs.

    By Steven Walton on

    90
  • HP Spectre x360 13 Review

    The new HP Spectre 13 x360 is an interesting ultraportable. It sits at the top of HP's product line-up alongside its non-convertible Spectre brother and like many laptops released in the last few months, it is powered by Intel's latest quad-core 8th gen mobile CPUs.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • The $400 Ultrabook: Chuwi LapBook Air Review

    The Chuwi Lapbook Air is billed as an ultraportable 14-inch machine with a price tag of just $430. This puts it in the realm of some of the cheapest Windows laptops on the market of this display size. Chromebooks are also available for $400 or less, but let's just put those over in the dunce corner for now, because we're mostly interested in true Windows systems.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • Civilization VI: Rise and Fall Review

    It took Civilization V two full expansions to become the classic it's regarded as today. Civilization VI is halfway there. There's lots of new stuff on offer in this expansion, from UI tweaks to new factions, but I'm not here to rattle off bullet points. I'm instead going to be talking about R&F's three main additions, and how they all work together to change the way each game of Civ VI feels.

    By Luke Plunkett on

  • Asus ROG Strix XG35VQ 35" Curved Monitor Review

    The Asus ROG Strix XG35VQ monitor comes packed with features bringing a ton of value if you're after a killer ultrawide gaming experience: 35" 3440 x 1440 VA with a 1800R curve, 100Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync support.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    80
  • Lenovo Yoga 920 2-in-1 Laptop Review

    With a 14" foldable display, an 8th-gen Core i7 CPU, and a premium-looking design, the new Lenovo Yoga 920 is aimed at business professionals who want a sleek laptop that is a solid companion on the go and for use in the board room, too.

    By William Gayde on

    90
  • Acer Predator X34P 34" Gaming Monitor Review

    For the past two years the Acer Predator X34 has remained one of the best gaming monitors on the market. I've been so satisfied with it since launch that that I've kept it as my personal monitor for both gaming and video production. But this new monitor from Acer, an upgraded version of the X34, is even better in almost every way.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • 6-core/12-thread Core i7 for $200, i7-5820K Revisited

    Released in August 2014 for a reasonable $390 -- the most affordable Haswell-E processor available at the time -- Intel's hexa-core Core i7-5820K has proven popular among enthusiast builders over the years and it's about time we see how it compares against more modern CPUs.

    By Steven Walton on

  • HP Envy x360 Review

    Today we're taking a look at the very first Ryzen Mobile laptop to hit the market: the HP Envy x360. AMD enthusiasts or anyone looking for decent laptop graphics might be interested in buying one of these systems.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • Huawei Mate 10 Review

    Huawei isn't as well known as the Samsungs and Apples of the world, but they just keep producing decent and often underrated handsets in all segments of the market. At the top of their current product stack is the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, a duo of large-screened flagships packing the latest hardware and features.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    75
  • 2nd-Gen Core i7 vs. 8th-Gen Core i7

    Today we're dusting off our old Core i7-2600K to see how well the seven-year-old CPU holds up in the latest games against Intel's new Core i7-8700K. We know that the 2600K still has some fight left in it, but just how much?

    By Steven Walton on

  • Ryzen Mobile Finally Arrives: AMD Ryzen 5 2500U Review

    Today we're covering a hotly anticipated product in the laptop space: Ryzen Mobile. We've managed to get our hands on one of the only Ryzen Mobile laptops in the wild - the HP Envy x360 - to look at how AMD's latest mobile silicon performs.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    85
  • ViewSonic VP3268-4K 32" Monitor Review

    When you're a creative professional in need of color accuracy, there are many high quality options available on the market. We're looking at one of these monitors today, the ViewSonic VP3268, which is one of the highest-end monitors ViewSonic sells. It's a large 32-inch 3840 x 2160 IPS LCD, complete with unique features geared specifically towards professionals.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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  • Dell XPS 13 Review

    Today we're taking a look at the brand new Dell XPS 13 9560. You won't be able to tell from the outside as it looks almost the same, but the latest XPS 13 has been upgraded to a quad core 8th-gen Kaby Lake-R which brings with it considerably performance improvements.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    80
  • AOC Agon AG322QCX 31.5" Monitor Review

    AOC, we need to talk about your product names. The monitor I have to review today is called the Agon AG322QCX, which no one sane will remember after reading it. And that's a shame, because there's quite a memorable spec sheet to discuss.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    85
  • LG V30 Review

    Occupying the flagship large-screen phone position in LG's line-up, the V30 is packed with interesting features, top-end hardware and enough good stuff to match this year's competitors. But it's once again up against some massive new devices, particularly the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2 XL, leaving LG with an uphill battle to ensure the V30 remains in the conversation.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    75
  • Eve V Review

    For a first-generation product, the Eve V is remarkably solid. It's especially impressive when you consider its direct competition - the Surface Pro - is well entrenched in the Windows tablet market and known to be an excellent option. From my experience with the Eve V so far, it's not just a great competitor to the Surface Pro: it is a better option in several ways.

    By Tim Schiesser on

    85
  • Star Wars: Battlefront II Review

    Star Wars: Battlefront II frustrates me in ways I never knew I could be frustrated. It is both a lovingly crafted companion to the films and a tangled mess of corporate meddling. There is a strong heart at the center but finding it means peeling back layers of unnecessary and infuriating nonsense.

    By Heather Alexandra on

  • 4th-Gen Core i7 vs. 8th-Gen Core i7

    After our recent feature comparing Intel's 8th-gen Core series against AMD's Ryzen processors, many of you have been asking us to get some older chips into the mix, with particular interest in seeing how Haswell-era processors hold up against Intel's latest offerings. We're also curious to see how well the Core i7-4770K has aged -- we first tested this CPU in June 2013.

    By Steven Walton on

  • Ignore the Pixel 2 XL. Buy the Pixel 2 Instead

    Issues with the Pixel 2 XL have overshadowed an awesome alternative on the market right now: the Pixel 2. Yes, it's smaller, and yes, it doesn't have an expansive display. But the Pixel 2 takes all the good parts of the Pixel 2 XL and packages them into an ergonomic frame, while leaving the terrible screen behind.

    By Tim Schiesser on

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