Tag: PC Hardware

Check out the latest news and reviews of PC Hardware. From Graphics Cards to PC Cases. And GPUs to SSDs. Find it on Thumb Culture.

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD Review
Hardware & Tech

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD Review

Samsung's 990 EVO Plus is the latest addition to Samsung's highly popular NVMe SSD lineup. Offering a combination of speed, reliability, and efficiency targeted at a wide range of users, from gamers to creative professionals. This SSD features upgraded NAND technology, an optimized controller, and firmware improvements, enabling it to deliver stellar read and write speeds. However, with the market’s shift toward PCIe 5.0, the question arises: how well does the 990 EVO Plus hold up on a PCIe 4.0 interface, and what should users consider as they prepare for the next-gen PCIe 5.0 platform? I was kindly sent a 1TB version to explore, however, it is also available in 2TB and 4TB variants. Design Samsung has kept the design of the 990 EVO Plus clean and practical. They have followed the...
HAVN Launches with Two Premium PC Cases
News & Updates

HAVN Launches with Two Premium PC Cases

The Pro Gamers Group have announced the launch of its most premium PC hardware brand: HAVN. The HAVN team's first finished work is the result of over two years of development, thermal simulations, prototyping, and stress tests. That work? The all new HAVN HS 420 and HS 420 VGPU PC cases. HAVN Is On The Case So what makes the HS 420 range so special? It all comes down to its tailor-made Hybrid Structure. This delivers a high volume of central GPU airflow within a full panorama view dual chamber design. All while maintaining a traditional mid-tower ratio and footprint. It is built for the most powerful fans and radiators on the market, and comes with a number of features that enthusiasts will want to explore. “We approach our products with the idea that there is no wasted design,” said Da...
be quiet! Dark Power 13 PSU Review
Hardware & Tech

be quiet! Dark Power 13 PSU Review

Power supplies for PCs continue to evolve, as does their efficiency. Did you know be quiet! who are renowned for their fans and water coolers, also make PSUs? They kindly sent across one of their units from the Dark Power range for me to try out. be quiet! Got the Power! The Dark Power fully modular ATX 3.0 range, backed by a 10-year warranty and housing many onboard protective circuits, starts at 750W and climbs to 850W and 1000W before going Pro at 1300W and 1600W respectively. Whatever your power demand, either now, or in the future, one of these 5 PSUs will suit you. Unboxing be quiet! sent me the 1000W version, however, it is worth noting that all of the range has 80+ Titanium certification when it comes up to 95.8% power efficiency. In a nutshell, this means that the PSU is more ...
Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU Review
Hardware & Tech

Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 Super GPU Review

When it comes to PC gaming, every component and peripheral brings something different to the party. Each ultimately affects your gaming experience. From the speed of the SSD. Clock of the RAM. To the processing power of the CPU. The ability to quickly load into a game and play smoothly on the best graphics settings aids your gameplay and immersion. I decided to take the plunge with building my own PC 4 years ago. It was great fun and very rewarding. I started with a Ryzen 5 3600, 16Gb of RAM and a Palit 1660 Super GPU. It was all I needed to start playing alongside my friends as well as sometimes using it for work. I upgraded to an Nvidia 3070 GPU after a couple of years. Then upgraded the RAM to 32GB as I was running a lot of applications at the same time. For me, winding down for the ...
APNX Creator C1 ChromaFlair Mid Tower Case Review
Hardware & Tech

APNX Creator C1 ChromaFlair Mid Tower Case Review

Have you ever fancied a PC case that oozes style as well as bountiful space to play in? Then it is time to check out the APNX Creator C1! The mid-tower size enclosure is available in a choice of either black, white or an interesting bluey-purple pearlescent finish marketed as ChromaFlair. APNX stands for Aerocool Performance Nexus by the way! Pc Builders....Assemble! I have been lucky to review PC cases over the last few years and the thing that I really love to see is innovations in design. Every case always brings to the table something clever that either makes the process of building a PC easier or adds a layer of engineering that allows you to build in more imaginable ways. The APNX Creator C1 is seemingly no stranger to this world, having been awarded the prestigious iF Design Aw...
Kolink Regulator 1000W 80+ Gold PSU Review
Hardware & Tech

Kolink Regulator 1000W 80+ Gold PSU Review

Just before Christmas, I managed to luckily get my hands on one of the latest Kolink Regulator Gen5 ATX 3.0 Modular power supplies. Now while psu's are usually hidden away in the lower depths of your PC case, these unsung heroes are the whole reason you can not only work and game but also turn the PC on in the first place! I Have The Power! Read on as I not only installed the Psu once but twice, thanks to a certain Mrs Claus surprising me with a new Fractal Design case over the festive period. The Hardware The ATX 3.0 Kolink Regulator range includes for a 750W, 850W, 1000W and 1200W PSU, offering a great selection of variety depending on your PC build or plans for the future. Inside the box, I received the 140mm wide x 86mm high x 150mm deep Kolink Regulator 1000W 80+ Gold Gen5 ...
be quiet! Pure Loop 2 FX Review
Hardware & Tech

be quiet! Pure Loop 2 FX Review

Back at the start of 2022, I reviewed the be quiet! Dark Rock TF 2 CPU Cooler, review link here! Comprising of 2 amazingly stealthy 135mm Silent Wings, this beast of a heatsink lowered my CPU temps amazingly. My only issue was the size of the unit, as it made releasing the GPU tricky due to it covering the release lever. While I'm not the sort of person who changes their GPU that often, I was keen to see how a liquid-cooled system would be in comparison. From fitment and aesthetics to performance. When be quiet! kindly sent me their Pure Loop 2 FX All-in-One to have a play with, I was like a child at Christmas! Liquid Cooling Baby! Would the Pure Loop 2 FX cool my CPU down further and allow me to reclaim some of the space from the motherboard? Read on! Design be quiet!'s Pure...
Samsung T9 Portable SSD Review
Hardware & Tech

Samsung T9 Portable SSD Review

Hard Drives, Storage, SSD, whatever you call them it's something that often gets overlooked. Well the Samsung T9 Portable SSD has his the shelves, and we were sent a unit to check out prior to general release. So what did we find when putting the SSD to the test? Read on to find out Storage Made Simple Are you looking for the next upgrade to your setup? Are you in the market for a new SSD? Well hopefully this review might help you decide where your money should be spent. Design With it's small form factor of a mere 88 x 60 x 14mm, the Samsung T9 Portable SSD packs a hell of a punch. With a rubberised exterior, along with a nice textured finish, the SSD is easy to grip hold of. Which is fortunate for those saving large amounts of files. This means that whilst it is drop resistant to up ...
ZOTAC RTX 4080 Amp Extreme AIRO Review
Hardware & Tech

ZOTAC RTX 4080 Amp Extreme AIRO Review

Are you looking for that epic upgrade to your PC? Well, ZOTAC has you covered, with the recently released ZOTAC RTX 4080 Amp Extreme AIRO. Yes, I know that it's a long name, but with the long name, comes a long list of great features. Ice Cold Performance Having been a ZOTAC GPU owner before, I thought it prudent to take hold of this review sample. I jammed it into my case, and set aside some time to see how this performed. Design Whenever I look at a ZOTAC GPU I'm always impressed with how sleek they are. The ZOTAC RTX 4080 Amp Extreme AIRO is no different. With its triple fan layout, the card looks ready to dissipate heat as quickly as possible. The card itself is a chunky boy, with it needing 3.5 empty slots on your motherboard. Meaning it won't fit into everyone's case. Add ...
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO Review
Hardware & Tech

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO Review

Today we'll be looking at the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO. Much like with the previous 4070 Ti review here, my system contains a Ryzen 5 5600, which will bottleneck the ZOTAC RTX 4070. As a result for some of the benchmarks, you may see diminishing returns or even lower frames at lower resolutions. So again, I will be seeing how the Graphics Card fares as a mid-range GPU. Overview of The RTX 4070 The ZOTAC RTX 4070 can be purchased at around the £650 mark, at the time of writing. That is about bang in the middle for a 4070. So while it's still considerably more than XX70 Graphics Cards of the past, it isn't the most expensive for the current gen. Especially considering this is ZOTAC's top-end 4070, offering their highest factory clock boost. Visually, it looks identi...