"ASUS have taken the same care and quality components utilised in their motherboard designs and implemented it in their GTX 550 Ti DirectCU TOP. At no point during the use and inspection of the card did we notice any corners being cut in favour of profits, even something as simple as the type of plastic utilised in the fan shroud felt of the quality that users have come to expect from a giant of the industry like ASUS. From the improved power circuitry, to beefy dual heat pipe cooler and overclocking abilities, the ASUS GTX 550 Ti DirectCU TOP ticks all the boxes a non-reference GeForce GTX 550 Ti should."
Every wonder just what it takes to kill a Steelseries
7G keyboard?
The guys at Maximum PC asked the same question.
And after tiring themselves out punching, kicking and stomping on it... they tried driving over it in a truck.
“I used it most extensively for PvP, and it definitely helped transform my game. I'm doing things like hover-over, one-button macro casting, picking people out of a crowd under duress to deliver what I need while still having "spare" fingers to activate secondary spells to escape from gankage. Woot! The fact that I know that if I went back to my regular mouse, it would be a detriment to my current game, is pretty much testament to this product's effectiveness.”
Power is the key to unlocking "True" performance, and nowhere is this more evident than with the unique power delivery system specially designed and engineered for the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9. Featuring the proprietary GIGABYTE Unlocked Power technology with all new 24 phase design, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 provides maximum power delivery for Intel's latest 1366 socket CPUs including the new Intel® Core™ i7-980X Extreme Edition (6 core) CPUs as well as upcoming extreme performance CPUs from Intel, ensuring utmost system stability and overclockability.
SteelSeries' Spectrum 5XB is a stereo headset designed for use with the Xbox 360, though also has complete PC compatibility too.
"Compared to the AX PRO, the 5XB is exceptionally more comfortable and built much better. Comparing it to other two-driver/speaker headsets that I've used (TB X1, X11, X4 – Tritton AX 720 – Astro A40 – Sharkoon SX), it takes the cake for me in terms of build and performance."
SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB Headset Un-boxing
Gold Award for the SteelSeries World of Warcraft Cataclysm MMO Gaming Mouse
SteelSeries World of Warcraft Cataclysm MMO Mouse Review
"SteelSeries are well known for their great quality, high performance gaming peripherals and a large number of consumers wouldn't use anything else. Whether it is keyboards such as the Shift, mice like the Xai or audio gear which includes the 7H they have products which stand out in a very crowded market. In fact those three products have won Gold or Performance reviews on this very site...
Never a company to rest on their laurels SteelSeries have been developing the follow-up to their original WoW mouse for some time now and today, timed to coincide with the release of the latest World of Warcraft expansion, we have the launch of that new product. The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm MMO Gaming Mouse takes the concept behind the original and brings the specifications up to date then packs it into a new, even more attractive casing. Can it be as good as the original for WoW players? Let's find out."
The stylish Aspire Z5710 all-in-one PCs add ultra-modern style to your home or office. The slim design takes up less room than a traditional monitor and tower PC. What's more, these all-in-one PCs feature next-generation touchscreen technology and superb performance in a space-saving design. Access your social network and play your favorite entertainment, all at a touch.
In this Techcast I will cover the key features and benefits of the Acer K11 projector, such as LED Lamp technology, rich multimedia support and its unique power supply feature.
Please visit www.acer.com.au for more information.
The Aspire easyStore is your complete solution for data consolidation, media sharing and remote access.
In this Techcast, we will highlight how the easyStore can be used to store your photos, personal files and music in one central location and show how you can use the easyStore to broadcast these files to other devices in the home or office.
The Acer Aspire Predator Techcast is a 4 minute product overview featuring the Acer Aspire Predator G7750 Extreme Gaming PC.
In this Techcast, we will cover the radical design features of the Acer Predator such as extreme performance, 3D experience and finish off with a detailed product overview.
In this Techcast, we will focus on the Microsoft Windows Home Server operating system and the remote Access features of the Aspire easyStore.
For more information, please visit www.acer.com.au
Award announcement: GA-X58A-UD3R received the EssentialTech Award from PC Power Play, Australia
We are pleased to announce that GA-X58A-UD3R has received the 【EssentialTech Award】 from PC Power Play,
Australia, 2010-09-01
Steelseries 7H USB Headset - wins Gold award and Performance award from Hardware Heaven!
“The SteelSeries 7H and 7H USB completely blow away other headsets in the same price range. For gaming they are flawless and when listening to music they come close to matching headsets which are more than twice their price.”
In terms of performance the 7H were fantastic. we were hugely impressed with the clarity and power offered by the 7H. Gaming isn’t this products only strong point though as the experience when listening to music was also very good. They excel in clarity as well as bass and it is very rare that we find a scenario where they fail to match the market leading PC 360 in music related scenarios... of course we need to keep in mind that the Sennheiser headset costs over twice as much as the 7H. Often we found ourselves listening to "just one more track" because the last one sounded so good.
SteelSeries 7H receives Editor's Choice Award on FunkyKit.com
FunkyKit just published a comparison review article between our SteelSeries 7H Headset and the Sharkoon RHS200, outlining the differences in high- and low-end gaming headsets.
7H receives loads of praise as well as the FunkyKit Editors' Choice Award. Here's one of the closing quotes:
"Well for starters, the build quality is excellent. The headset can be dismantled in 4 separate pieces, which allows for compact and easy transportation. Each of the components is made from god quality materials, and feels solid and well-made."
"Overall, the Steelseries 7H Pro gaming headset is an excellent peice of hardware, which is essential for any professional gamer. In my opinion, it's the KING of headsets ..."
Work done has never been this easy with Windows 7 Professional. Everything from connecting to a network printer to secure backups is handled. If it were any easier they'd be calling it play.
Maximize system performance through memory configuration. Learn how to install balanced memory for Intel® Xeon® Processor 5500/5600 series-based server boards.
Kingston HyperX PC3-12800 (1600MHz) 24GB Kit wins Best Features Award by tweak Town.
What we ended up with was a very surprising 1733MHz DDR while keeping the same 9-9-9-27-1T timings. This is extremely impressive and not only a real testament to the Kingston kit we're dealing with, but also the ASRock motherboard.
The SteelSeries Xai
... at first is very unassuming. However that is the beauty of it, like many other SteelSeries products. Instead of glowing lights and fancy gimmicks they set out the build the best damn gaming mouse ever. Infinitely customizable where is counts, incredible smooth and comfortable to use the Xai is one of the best mice on the market today, whether you are a gamer or not. - For the full article click here
SteelSeries' control panel puts Razer's to shame.
"Instead of relying on glitz and glam, it emphasises engineering and precision, with an almost scary level of tweaking.
For the full article click here.
For detailed and personal look on how the Xai will effect your gaming click here for the CyberGamer blog by Talnoy
For almost 30 reviews & rewards, including CyberGamer Australia, a 10/10 with LANOC Reviews and PC Gamer's Editor’s Choice with a 95% Score! click here
The SteelSeries Xai
Steelseries gaming surfaces
Lanoc reviews have put 3 of Steelseries' mouspads to the test. For full details of their findings as well as details for the LIMITED EDITION STARCRAFT II pad click here.
SteelSeries 9HD mouse mat
In all but the gaming world, the concept of a mouse mat disappeared when optical mice took over from their ball-laden brethren. Those who want ultimate precise control, however, have the likes of SteelSeries' 9HD mat.
...the 9HD features tens of thousands of light-reflecting microscopic points to help "enhance" gaming mice.
...Accuracy was excellent, with the mouse gliding across the mat smoothly. Switching over to its development partner the Xai, the 9HD still performed well, with smooth and accurate motion being the order of the day.
For the full article click here.
Acer Aspire easyStore Techcast
The Aspire easyStore is your complete solution for data consolidation, media sharing and remote access.
In this Techcast, Acer demonstrates how the easyStore can be used to store your photos, personal files and music in one central location and show how you can use the easyStore to broadcast these files to other devices in the home or office.
InsideHW recently reviewed Kingston’s HyperX LoVo dual channel DDR3 memory and conclude it to be “low voltages, high clocks” which makes it suitable to be used in various systems and platforms. The reviewer also notes that the HyperX LoVO carries with it not only a great power / performance ratio but also an excellent price / performance ratio!
Gigabyte’s custom designed Radeon 5870 Super Over Clock came out brilliantly from Guru 3D review, winning a recommended award with the overall conclusion dubbing the card as a “wonderful product”.
“...at the default 950 MHz clock you already have one of the fastest products on the globe. [...] Whatever game you play, you'll play it with very nice framerates and the very best image quality, that's what a product like this is all about.” [...] “The build quality of the card is absolutely dazzling, when you look at the PCB you will be impressed. When you look at component usage, you will be impressed as well. Better component usage will grant you less heat, increased stability, better tweakability and also lifespan.”
Full review here
Gigabyte's Radeon 5870 also won the recent factory overclocked 5870 roundup at HotHardware, beating other competitors with its build quality, performance, and better overclocking headroom. Highly recommended!
Benchmark Reviews cited the SteelSeries NP+ as a “truly wonderful gaming surface and offers exceptional control” and awarding it a golden final score 9 out of 10!
The rough glide and higher friction is unlike any other surface from SteelSeries and is specifically targeted for gamers with preferences for medium to rough glide. The SteelSeries NP+ features a specially designed non-slip rubber base which provides a firm grip and prevents the pad from sliding no matter what surface it's placed on.
Crowd favourite X58A-UD3R Motherboard won Toms’s Hardware 2011 Recommended Buy Award thanks to the sheer value it offers, beating anything from lower priced to better equipped competitors as one of the best X58 Motherboard around!
“Priced around $150 less than its "big brother" UD7 model, Gigabyte’s X58A-UD3R has nearly as many onboard features. The X58A-UD3R even offers more features than Asus’ mid-priced P6X58D-E, for a price roughly equal to ASRock’s lower-cost model. With consideration for the price premium that normally accompanies X58-based products; we simply haven’t seen a motherboard value this good since November of last year. That level of value earns the X58A-UD3R an award.”
Another double winner for SteelSeries; this time from the recent HEXUS articles on their XAI Laser Mouse and Siberia V2 Headset!
On Siberia V2 Headset: “Overall, I really like this headset, and found it to be extremely comfortable and very easy to use, it’s not too shabby looking either with its white design. Sound quality was good, both from the 50mm drivers and the microphone and the cable was a decent length. So here’s another Steelseries product for them to be proud of. The price may seem quite high to some users, but this headset is worth the money.”
On XAI Laser Mouse: “The Xai is an excellent mouse, and definitely one worth your money. It performs well in all areas, looks very modest, and is extremely comfortable. SteelSeries, well done, this is a brilliant mouse.”
X-bit Labs tested Gigabyte’s H55 mATX duo and bestowed a recommend buy award, citing the two boards to be a very well balanced solution with good overclocking potential, very well organised BIOS, and butter smooth operation.
“Our tests showed that Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 and GA-H57M-USB3 mainboards are very good products in many respects. We really liked them even before we ran the first tests, namely, upon close examination of their PCB layout and features. They didn’t disappoint us during CPU and memory overclocking.”
“As for Gigabyte mainboards discussed today, they represent a very successful and balanced combination of features and interfaces a contemporary mainboard may need, including USB 3.0 standard that is getting increasingly popular. Among their definite advantages we should also list rich BIOS functionality, good Overclockability and problem-free operation.”
Watch the Lenovo LCD stress test and see how Lenovo stacks up against its rivals.
Synnex PM Review
A nice gaming headset that can easily qualify as your primary all-round set of headphones. Whether it’s for casual music listening, movies, skype chat – or going all out for most intense gaming session.
The Siberia V2 wins recommended award from OC3D with its great design, comfort and sound quality. “Sonically the Siberia V2 are exceptionally impressive and unlikely to be beaten without going on to a dedicated HiFi pair”
“SteelSeries have refined an already award winning design and come up with something that improves in all the areas you'd hope for, without compromising anything or adding unwanted features just to "add" things.”
For the full review click here
HP MediaSmart Server ex475
The bottom line: Microsoft's Windows Home Server is the best, easiest-to-use answer to backing up and corralling all of the disparate media files in a networked home. And delivered in this petite, relatively affordable MediaSmart Server ex745 from HP, you get plenty of storage in a well-designed hardware package. We recommend this system all the way to anyone looking to take full control of their data.
Despite its entry level price tag, the Gigabyte P55M-UD2 is able to deliver huge value and performance. With test results beating other boards at similar or higher price level the P55M-UD2 comes out highly recommended by bit-tech!
“Where the UD2 comes into its own is delivering huge overclocks for its reasonable price - if you want bang for buck, look no further. The Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 is a little monster overclocker that's equally a puppy to tame. It's cheap to buy and delivers a whole world more performance from a Lynnfield CPU. It continually makes our Buyer's Guides, and for good reason; if you're going for a Core i5-750 on a budget, then grab one of these!”
The Gigabyte P55A-UD7 motherboard proved to be a very solid board and a potent overclocker, earning itself a “DAM GOOD” award from HarwareCanucks.
“Although the P55A-UD7 isn’t cheap at over $300, we can say with confidence that you get what you pay for. You get an incredibly capable and feature packed board for your hard earned money, and we would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a top-end LGA1156 board.”
SteelSeries scored a double at recent LANOC Reviews with the Xai Mouse and 4HD Mouse pad scoring 10/10 and 9/10 respectively!
“Not once during all of that time did I have an issue with tracking that was related to the pad itself. The rough surface not only helped each of the mice track correctly but it also helped all of the mice to always move smoothly. Now if you picked up the Xai after our recommendation this week you may want to also consider the 4HD. They were developed together after all and will result in excellent performance together.”
The latest V Series SSD from Kingston earned value award from Legit Reviews. It comes to the conclusion that Kingston has done a very nice job of tweaking their V Series drives for the better and retailers will have a hard time keeping these drives on the shelves.
“Though this is labeled as a value series drive, its performance targets of 200MB/s read & 160MB/s writes are more or less what would be considered on par with the mid-range or mainstream SSD's. The benchmarks have shown that the drive will exceed those targets in some situations - especially with reads.
Reads are also where you'll likely "feel" the performance difference coming off of a traditional hard drive on Windows, application, and large file loading.”
Gigabyte’s new revision of the Entry level X58 motherboard, the GA-X58A-UD3R has won a gold OCC award by hardware review site Overclocker’s Club.
Four full-length PCI Express slots allow users to install up to three video cards for Tri-SLI or CrossFireX so gamers and benchmarking/overclocking enthusiasts alike should enjoy this board! The double-sized copper PCB, Japanese capacitors/Ferrite core chokes, and decent cooling make this board very stable. When combined with the good looking color scheme of blue and white, the whole package is a winner!
The SteelSeries 7G Gaming Keyboard has been handed down a performance award by Overclock3D.net with a full 10 out of 10 points on performance and presentation making it “the absolute Rolls Royce of Keyboards”.
“Incredible packaging, brilliant feedback, the highest quality braid we'd seen in recent times if not ever, and internals that will last five times longer than the average keyboard. If you started now and you pressed the same key once a second, every second of every hour of every day, it wouldn't begin to show signs of fatigue for 20 months. So under normal circumstances it's pretty much a "this is the only keyboard you'll ever need" purchase, uncompromising in its quest for engineering perfection.
There is an old maxim that you get what you pay for. With the SteelSeries 7G it's nearly a bargain.”
