Review Index Page 35

  • Xigmatek Nebula Case Review

    Enter the Nebula by Xigmatek, a striking solution that caught our attention with a neat cube design that offers a 2.2L capacity. It's safe to say the Nebula is unlike anything we've seen before, and that tends to come at a premium.
    By Steven Walton on
    70
  • Broken Age, Act 1 Review

    Nostalgia seeps out of every virtual pore of Double Fine's latest game. The game exists only because of the generosity of thousands of people who, by and large, wanted to recapture the charms of their video game playing youth. So, it's fitting that Broken Age looks like a gorgeously designed animated movie you can play through.
    By Evan Narcisse on
  • Motorola Moto G Review

    The Moto G is Motorola's biggest and best effort yet in conquering the entry-level market. It's not a handset meant to break records, but the 4.5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 400 SoC will please the right crowds. Plus, at $179 unlocked and off-contract, it certainly fits the definition of what an affordable smartphone should be.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    85
  • Asrock Vision HT 420D Review

    Now on its fourth generation, the Vision HT 420D has received an upgrade to Intel's Haswell architecture as well as other improvements that contribute to the system's respectable list of features, making it one of the most impressive HTPCs to date.
    By Steven Walton on
    75
  • Asus Transformer Book T100 Review

    The Asus Transformer Book T100 is an entry level Windows 8.1 tablet, sporting a 10-inch touchscreen, Intel Bay Trail internals and a keyboard dock all for under $500.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    80
  • AMD A8-7600 Kaveri APU Review

    AMD really is focused on gaming performance with Kaveri and believes this is where its latest APUs have a serious advantage over the competition. The company's latest processors are being pushed as budget solutions for modern 1080p gaming, though on paper the Radeon R7 doesn't look quite up to the task...
    By Steven Walton on
    80
  • QNAP HS-210 Silent NAS Review

    QNAP's latest two-bay NAS looks more like a set-top box than network-attached storage and that's no accident. It's becoming more common to see NAS devices replacing entire HTPCs, which makes it more practical for a design that can blend in with the kind of electronic gear you typically find around a TV.
    By Steven Walton on
    70
  • Nokia Lumia 1520 Review

    Throughout the past year we've seen companies try and pry the large-screen crown away from Samsung's Galaxy Note line. Nokia is hoping that their Lumia 1520 will give the Note 3 a run for its money, especially with its impressive spec sheet.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    80
  • Dell UltraSharp UP3214Q 32" 4K Monitor Review

    Although still in its early days, consumer 4K UHD is here. No stranger to the business of high-end displays, long-time monitor manufacturer Dell has lunged into the UHD market with some solid offerings. Today we'll be taking a look at Dell's monstrous 32-inch flagship, the UltraSharp UP3214Q.
    By Rick Burgess on
    85
  • Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X OC and R9 290 OC Review

    AMD's Radeon R9 290 and 290X made a strong case against Nvidia's GeForces last year, but that position soon weakened with unexpectedly high prices. High temps on reference cards didn't help either. This time we'll revisit the cards with actual production units from Gigabyte so we can weigh in on third-party performance at actual market prices.
    By Steven Walton on
    80
  • Asrock Z87 Extreme11/ac Review: The Making of a Unique Motherboard

    Asrock's new Z87 Extreme11/ac may very well be the most extreme motherboard we've handled. It touts four-way GPU support, over 20(!) SATA ports, premium onboard audio, dual gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and -- unsurprisingly -- the largest price tag in its class. So, how exactly does a company justify $540 for a motherboard?
    By Steven Walton on
    85
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review

    Many companies have tried to make a large, note-friendly smartphone, but none have succeeded quite as well as Samsung. While the first Galaxy Note was rather large and lacking in refinement, Samsung has steadily improved the line, this year releasing the brand new Galaxy Note 3, and it has some true competition for the first time.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    80
  • Aftermarket CPU Cooling: Closed Loop Water Cooling vs. Air Cooling

    Recently we compared 10 of the best CPU air coolers and we've since wondered how these would fare against a water cooling setup. Closed loop systems simplify the process of diving into water cooling, are safe and easy to work with as air cooling.
    By Steven Walton on
  • Nest Learning Thermostat Review

    Like many of you, I never really gave much thought to something as basic as my thermostat. So long as it kicked on the heater or air conditioner when I needed it to, I was happy. I'll admit I was a bit intrigued when I read about the Nest Learning Thermostat back in 2011 but even then, the thought of purchasing one never really crossed my mind.
    By Shawn Knight on
    90
  • Western Digital Black2 Dual Drive Review

    The Black2 crams both solid state and disk drive technologies into one drive, and does so in the simplest of ways. Similar to what desktop users have been doing for years, the Black2 makes the flash portion a primary boot drive with the disk serving as bulk storage. The difference is that the Black2 only uses a single slot.
    By Steven Walton on
    85
  • Lenovo Erazer X700 Gaming Desktop PC Review

    Features which qualify the X700 as a full-fledged gaming PC are its unique exterior, performance-centered parts, ample tool-free expandability, liquid cooling and OneKey overclocking. Sound good so far?
    By Rick Burgess on
    80
  • Apple iPad mini 2 Review

    With the Retina display in the 2nd-gen iPad mini, Apple has increased the price on the base 16 GB Wi-Fi model from $329 to $399, making it one of the most expensive tablets of its size. However, past iPads have been of exceptional quality, so will this be the same for the iPad mini? Does the Retina display and faster processor make a worthy upgrade for first-gen owners?
    By Tim Schiesser on
    90
  • Google Nexus 5: The TechSpot Review

    It's that time of the year again, where Google releases a new Nexus handset for those wanting a cheap yet powerful device running stock Android. 2013's Nexus is the Nexus 5, aptly named as it's both the fifth Nexus device and it packs a five-inch display.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    85
  • Xbox One Review

    Microsoft's new device is not meant to merely join your living room entertainment center, it is meant to rule it. Thanks to its ability to both input and output HDMI audio and video, it can function as a mother brain linking your digital cable box, your AV receiver and your HDTV. Better yet, with its upgraded Kinect camera, you can control everything.
    By Kirk Hamilton on
  • Apple iPad Air: The TechSpot Review

    The iPad is now on its fifth iteration and with it comes a new name, the iPad Air. True to the moniker, Apple's latest full-size tablet has been put on a significant diet. It retains the same 9.7-inch display but with a bezel that is 43 percent thinner along with a 20 percent reduction in overall thickness.
    By Shawn Knight on
    90
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Review

    Enter the Xperia Z1. New Snapdragon 800 SoC. New 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera. New aluminium body. In many respects, this is what Sony was aiming for with the original Xperia Z: a solid set of features to lure any smartphone buyer. It may be out a little later than your Galaxy S4 or HTC One, but there's no doubting that the Z1 is a high-end handset to take Sony into 2014.
    By Tim Schiesser on
    75
  • PlayStation 4 Review: (In Progress), But Do You Need to Have One Yet?

    The PS4 is a surprisingly small box. It is so sleek that it might as well be the 2015 PS4 Slim tossed back to us 2013ers via a time machine. Some game machines, such as the original PS3 or Nintendo DS, arrive with an imperfect design that predicts their own looming displacement. Not this one. The PS4 shapes up as a box in need of no space-saving or cosmetic improvement.
    By Stephen Totilo on
  • Gigabyte GTX 780 Ti OC & Gigabyte GTX 780 GHz Edition Review

    As if it wasn't already fast enough, Gigabyte has armed its GTX 780 Ti with a massive air cooler that allows its variant of Nvidia's newcomer with a 17% overclock. The company has also been working on other overclocked GTX 780s, including a "GHz Edition" allowing a core clock of 1.02GHz or 18% higher than the standard version of the card.
    By Steven Walton on
    90
  • Asrock M8 Mini-ITX Gaming PC Review

    Even if the Asrock M8's style is not your thing, there's less room to argue that the M8 is unique and that was enough to earn our attention. We've been impressed with the looks of previous Asrock products, but the M8 is a clear step up having been designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the driving force behind Thermaltake's Level 10 chassis, a case as overpriced as it is iconic.
    By Steven Walton on
    75
  • OCZ Vector 150 SSD Review

    The Vector 150 is an evolutionary step forward for OCZ's enthusiast series, improving the original Vector's endurance and security by supposedly being able to withstand 150% more writes along with providing AES-256 encryption. Performance-wise, little has changed about OCZ's Vector series over the last year.
    By Steven Walton on
    85
  • AMD Radeon R9 290 Review

    Before Nvidia can strike back, it'll have to eat another blow in the form of the new Radeon R9 290. At $400, the R9 290 offers fantastic value when you consider it will trail the 290X closely enough. In a sense, the R9 290 has kind of made R9 290X redundant, much like the GTX 780 did to the GTX Titan.
    By Steven Walton on
    95
  • Battlefield 4 Benchmarked: Graphics & CPU Performance

    With roots that stretch back more than a decade and enough fans to justify new content every year, Battlefield is among the handful of franchises that needs no introduction around here. Even if you hate EA's approach modern military madness, you can typically expect Battlefield's graphics to raise the bar.
    By Steven Walton on
  • Battlefield 4 Review

    Occasionally in Battlefield 4's solo campaign you'll meet some variance. Jump out of a plane to land on a ship, ready to attack immediately after landing. Ride a speedboat while shooting down those of the enemies'. Hike around that quintessential snow level. You know the sort of thing if you've ever played any shooter ever.
    By Tina Amini on
  • Batman: Arkham Origins Benchmarked: GPU & CPU Performance

    Despite being built with Epic's aging Unreal Engine 3, WB Montreal used a heavily modified version of the software. The PC version has received some special attention in the graphics department including many DirectX 11 and PhysX effects.
    By Steven Walton on
  • Batman: Arkham Origins Review

    On multiple levels, this game is about finding one's voice. Players inhabit a Bruce Wayne who's been Batman for two years, as he faces a crucible that will test his resolve as never before. The people making Origins are trying to establish their creative voice as well. The game has been made by a new studio who are following up two well-regarded games by originating studio Rocksteady.
    By Evan Narcisse on