PC Hardware - Page 3 of 5

5Oct

By JasonNo Comments

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...

3Oct

By StuartNo Comments

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 ...

25Sep

By StuartNo Comments

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

8Aug

By VinnoNo Comments

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...

22Jun

By Dan1 Comment

Hardware & Tech

XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1TB M.2 SSD Review

You may have seen us talk about XPG and Adata multiple times on the site. From both performance and price aspects, they give you what some people class as the higher end of gaming brands, for up to half of the price on some occasions. Thanks to the team over at XPG, today we are checking out the XPG Gammix S70 Blade M.2. Performance and an amazing price tag By bringing more and more products with the above in mind to the gaming component market, they are making gaming more accessible. Don't get me wrong it still isn't cheap by any means. But with more and more brands competing, we have a future where PC gaming is pretty much accessible to most. So join me as I check out the XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1TB M.2. Out Of The Box Out of most of the components available for a build, one of the leas...

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO SPIDER-MAN™: Across the Spider-Verse Review

13Jun

By VinnoNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO SPIDER-MAN™: Across the Spider-Verse Review

The kind folks over at ZOTAC sent us over the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO SPIDER-MAN™: Across the Spider-Verse... which I from here on out will refer to as the ZOTAC RTX 4070 Ti. Now, I should preface this by saying that my system contains a Ryzen 5 5600, which while a great processor, will bottleneck the ZOTAC RTX 4070 Ti. As a result for some of the benchmarks, you may see diminishing returns or even lower frames at lower resolutions. For that reason, I will be seeing how the Graphics Card fares as a mid-range GPU. The RTX 4070 Ti At A Glance This variant of the ZOTAC RTX 4070 Ti is currently available on Amazon for a whopping £876 at the time of writing. Though to be fair, it isn't the most expensive 4070 Ti. It's roughly in the middle of the price bracket that you'll...

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX PC Case Review

28Mar

By Jason2 Comments

Hardware & Tech

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX PC Case Review

Having played with a NZXT H510 PC case for the last couple of years, I was fortunate to check out the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX case. At around £100, it was on par with what the former case cost me originally. Would the Pure Base 500DX offer a nice upgrade without negating any of the features I already had? be quiet! Pure Base 500DX If you love your tech as much as I do, make sure to also check out the amazing be quiet! Silent Base 802 PC case review as well! Design Standing at 463mm high on its feet, 232mm wide and 450mm long, the Pure Base 500DX is slightly wider and slightly longer than my NZXT H510 case. Equally with the slightly larger size it is also a kilo more, weighing in at 7.8kg. Available in black or white, the futuristic-looking mid-tower PC case sports a tempered g...

13Mar

By Dan1 Comment

Hardware & Tech

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield Review

Last year Samsung released a new range of portable hard drives with durability in mind. I welcome you to the Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield, a premium drive and a premium price but with a lot on offer. Always equip a shield! When it comes to Samsung, especially the more premium side of their ranges. You are pretty much guaranteed a great user experience. So let's jump in and see what the Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield has to offer. Design I have had my hands on so many portable hard drives. Yet most of them I wouldn't want to take out of the house. Some have felt delicate with no external protection. But then there have also been a selection that has had design flaws. To this day I can safely say that the Samsung T7 Shield, is the most durable portable SSD I have come across. Wi...

be quiet! Silent Base 802 PC Case Review

27Jan

By Jason2 Comments

Hardware & Tech

be quiet! Silent Base 802 PC Case Review

While be quiet! has a huge following when it comes to its fans, they have also quite a diverse selection of PC cases. Ranging from goliath-sized high-end towers to smaller non-budget-breaking units, they each serve to give the best cooling possible as well as have a focus on acoustics to lessen any audible sounds. I as lucky enough to get my hands on the Silent Base 802 which sits in the middle of the range and is classed as a "premium" PC case. be quiet! Silent Base 802 AKA The Beast! I guess it is time to have an explore and transplant my PC innards so that I can give you a good practical overview of what working with a Silent Base 802 unit is like! Design The first thing that is noticeable with the be quiet! tower is the sheer size of it. It is a monster in comparison to my N...

17Jan

By DanNo Comments

Hardware & Tech

Phanteks Eclipse G500A DRGB Review

Phanteks, known for their epic range of PC peripherals have recently released their Phanteks Eclipse G500 range. The range is looking ahead and the generations to come and innovating cases to provide optimal airflow. By doing this they are hoping for better airflow, which in turn will provide better cooling and improved performance. Moving Case For Space And Airflow I will be the first to admit, I am not a pro when it comes to building PCs. My first gaming PC was custom pre-built by the team at OverclockersUK and it is still standing strong. This is the first time I am moving cases, a little nervous but well prepared and hoping for the best. I know this might not seem like a big thing to some, but it's the little things like this where I learn more about the system I use to game. Design...