Banner

Our Most Recent Reviews

image image image image image image image image image image image image
Asus Z77 Roundup When doing all of our Ivy Bridge launch prep we spent a LOT of time benchmarking and testing a whole collection of boards. You guys have seen our reviews of the Intel and Gigabyte boards. When it came time to write about the four different Asus Z77 boards I realized that most of you are not going to want to read through a lot of information that we would cover over and over on each review. We decided to roundup all four of the boards and cover them together. This way we can get to the point a little quicker, saving you time, as well as giving us a chance to talk more about the differences between the variety of boards that we tested.
ASUS P8 Z68-V/GEN3 Perhaps one of the most daunting tasks after making the decision that you do not wish to purchase an off-the-shelf computer is attempting to figure out which components go in the machine.  There are fun aspects, like the graphics card and processor, and then there are the not-so-fun aspects, like the motherboard (at least in my opinion).  Why do I think it is a whole lot of not fun?  There are so many out there to choose from, with all sorts of features.  When shopping you will likely come across the ASUS board that I am going to review today.  Arguably, it is one of the better all-around boards out there, with features like good integrated graphics and killer sound.  But to a gamer that generally does not mean squat.  Does the ASUS P8 Z68-V/GEN3 board have what it takes to function as a serious gaming component?  Read on to find out!
XFX R7750 Black Edition DD Not everyone is looking to spend $500 on their video card, in some cases that is the total budget for a build. When you are up against a wall trying to pack the best performance you can get into a budget build you still want to get the most performance you can out of your video card. That’s where cards like the XFX R7750 Black Edition Double Dissipation come into play. XFX has taken the styling and cooling from their high end cards and combined it with the price of budget cards like the HD 7750. Today we are going to take a look at how those two things do combined in XFX’s  R7750 Black Edition Double Dissipation.
Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X   Earlier this year when AMD introduced the HD 7770 we took a look at cards from both Sapphire and XFX. Although we were impressed with the cards performance it was a little ill-timed due to AMD still clearing out discounted back stock. Three months later we are able to revisit the situation with today’s release of Sapphires new HD 7770 Vapor-X. With Sapphires Vapor chamber cooling technology along with a nice overclock over the reference design, the Sapphire HD 7770 Vapor-X could be a great option for a gamer on a limited budget. Let’s take a look.
Motherboard Sizing When we got in a few oddly sized dual CPU motherboards from EVGA and Asus I posted up a few pictures on our forums and on Facebook. The problem was that even though they looked large there wasn’t any prospective. So we tossed in a couple other boards to give everyone a little perspective. This lead us to digging out even more motherboards to put together all of the standard motherboard sizes all together for everyone to be able to see the differences. Along with the picture we also have a breakdown on the dimensions of each size standard; I hope this helps everyone as some point. Sometimes it can be hard to understand all of the different motherboard sizes and how they all relate.
Android to the Maxx, DROID Razr Maxx   The list of different Android based phones available at any time is both overwhelming and frustrating. It’s almost impossible to get good feedback from friends who have the same phone because of this. So it’s rare than you have any one phone that manages to stand out. Doing something different is the only way to do this normally, but most times this ends off coming off as gimmicky or just lame. When Motorola introduced the Droid Razr Maxx it caught my attention right away. This was just before our trip out to San Francisco for the GTX 680 Editors day, what a better way to put the Maxx’s proposed batter life to the test!
Lian Li PC 100 “The Hammer” We have had a few different Lian Li chassis come through the LanOC Offices and there hasn’t been a time that we haven’t been impressed with the new and interesting features Lian Li always seems to slip in. When they wanted to ship over their new case “The Hammer” PC 100, we signed up right away. We had seen the case previewed from a few shows prior and this time around Lian Li took a new perspective with its design, I was very interested to see how their changes worked out. Let’s jump in and see what it’s all about!
Nvidia GTX 670 When Nvidia launched Kepler with the GTX 680 I was impressed with the launch price of the card but even at such a great value it is still out of reach for some people. Just because you can’t afford the top card doesn’t mean you don’t want to experience Kepler’s performance. Of course it was only a matter of time before we saw Nvidia filling in the gaps in their product line, starting first with the GTX 690 then going to the next step down from the GTX 680, the GTX 670. Today we get to have a look to see how the performance compares to both the GTX 680 as well as AMD’s offerings. We are also very curious how it compares to the GTX 580, a card that has found its way into most of our office PC’s.  
ioSafe Rugged Portable So you do the smart thing, you backup your data from your laptop and your home PC to an external or network drive and go on with life feeling confident that you have gone well and above what most people do. For the most part, you did. What about when you’re traveling, have you seen how much abuse a device can take when on the go? For some people, and I know I’m one of them, some of the data you carry with you while traveling is more important than the laptop or device that you actually carry it on. In that situation you need a way to not have to worry about your data, no matter the situation, and to have a guarantee to back it up as well. The folks over at ioSafe focus specifically on this crowd. Not only do they offer products that are according to them build to handle almost anything, but they back it up with data recovery if something does happen.  Today we are going to take a look at that Rugged Portable hard drive to see what all of the fuss is about, without any more buildup, let’s dig in.  
Cooler Master Storm Trigger Just two years ago the only mechanical keyboards you would find were from companies like DAS keyboard trying to create a nitch market. Over the past two years things have really exploded with every manufacture you can think of introducing their own mechanical keyboards. Cooler Master has been especially aggressive with multiple unique designs like their Quickfire series. What they did lack was a full featured mechanical keyboard with full backlighting, until now. Today they officially introduce their Storm Trigger, although it you look around the board was available Globally before now. With full backlighting it falls into a small category of Mechanical Keyboards with very little competition. I am excited to see how it performs.
Cooler Master HAF XM The topic of cleaning your computer out came up last week on our forums and it got me thinking about how often I really need to clean out my computer. As it turns out it’s not very often anymore. All because of improvements in case design like fan filters. You don’t really see them on low end cases yet but they have been slowly trickling down. At CES this year we had a chance to get our hands on one of Cooler Master’s upcoming chassis, the HAF XM. A mid-range case packed with the features we have come to love from their high end HAF line. Today we are going to dig into the final product and see how it came out.
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Z77 boards come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and prices. Just about every manufacture has a whole lineup of boards covering the whole range to make sure you can find what you are looking for. Gigabyte is no different; they have a whole selection of boards that will fit your needs. Today we are taking a look at their Z77X-UD3H, one of their budget boards. It may not be a high end board but it is still packed with features. I am curious how it will perform now that the cat is out of the bag with Ivy Bridge. Let’s jump in and see what it’s all about.

Mad Catz® to Exhibit at Penny Arcade™ Expo ‘PAX™’, Taking Place in Seattle, Washington

Celebrations to Include A PAX Exclusive ‘Chun-Li™’

Tournament Edition Arcade FightStick, Hands-On Product Demonstrations of New Rock Band™3 Range and a Preview of New

Call of Duty®: Black Ops Accessories and ProGaming Headsets

San Diego, September 02. 2010


Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz” or “the Company”) (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider today announced a full schedule of promotions, activities and events to take place at the ‘PAX’ Penny Arcade™ Expo taking place at Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, Washington from September 3rd through to September 5th 2010.


Exhibiting at booth number 3217, Mad Catz look forward to welcoming gamers, inviting the community to try out their latest products, get a hands on play-test with upcoming accessories, meet the gaming pros and even have the opportunity to purchase exclusive Mad Catz products being launched specifically to celebrate the show!


Highlights of the Mad Catz 2010 PAX show include:


  • Mad Catz Street Fighter™IV Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition - Exclusive 3D Chun-Li™ Limited Edition 

A new and strictly limited edition Street Fighter IV Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition will be available for purchase directly at the PAX show!  Limited to a product run of just 4000 units world-wide, this stunning new FightStick features highly detailed and exclusive artwork provided by Capcom®.  Designed to celebrate the ‘first lady’ of Street Fighter™: Chun-Li, the new FightStick is the first to feature an all new 3D lenticular design and exclusive new chassis color scheme.  Complete with special edition packaging, the 3D Chun-Li Limited Edition is a must for Street Fighter fans everywhere!


  • Rock Band™3 

Mad Catz invites gamers to experience the next generation of the ultimate social and interactive music gaming platform launching world-wide in October 2010. Step onto our Rock Band stage and try out the new range of Mad Catz Rock Band 3 instruments including the Wireless Keyboard, Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller, and accessories. Be one of the first to play the new Rock Band 3 songs.  The game features an 80 plus song set list and new PRO modes to master


  • Preview New Call of Duty®: Black Ops Accessory Range

Coming holiday 2010, Mad Catz celebrates the launch of one of the year’s most anticipated action titles with the release of the officially licensed Call of Duty: Black Ops accessory range.  Check out the new Combat Controllers on Xbox 360® and PS3™, Black Ops gaming based on the R.A.T., and the unveiling the top secret range of TRITTON™ powered Call of Duty: Black Ops ProGaming Headsets!

  • Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 and Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.™2

Reach for the sky with a first play on the all new Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.2 from Ubisoft®. Mad Catz believe there’s no better way to experience the intense aerial combat than with the all new Cyborg F.L.Y.9 Wireless Flight Stick for Xbox 360 and PS3, and invite gamers to try for themselves!

  • TRITTON Professional Gaming Audio

Experience the difference of professional gaming audio. TRITTON is the latest brand in the Mad Catz family and the Company invites gamers to try the entire range, from precision stereo to immersive true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, of ProGaming Audio Headsets.


  • Cyborg R.A.T. Gaming Mice

Designed for the professional gamer, the new range of Cyborg R.A.T. professional gaming mice feature state-of-the-art technology and an advanced feature set, all dedicated to delivering remarkable levels of precision and quality.  Launched to critical and consumer acclaim, gamers can catch a R.A.T. for themselves at the Mad Catz retail area.


  • Beat-A-Pro Contest

Hosted by professional gaming group ‘Galaxy 4 Gamers’ on behalf of Mad Catz, the Company will be sponsoring the event which invites gamers to try their luck against some of the gaming worlds’ most elite talent.  Win TRITTON headsets, Arcade FightSticks or just take an opportunity to brush up on strategy with tips from the professionals!

  • Gamers Outreach: Support the Troops

Come show your support to the hardworking and fearless American troops fighting overseas.  Donate to an excellent cause and be in with the chance of winning a one-of-a-kind custom Xbox 360 console.  Built by Chris “Omega” Ruble from Gamer-Grafix.com, the Xbox 360 has been modified to resemble a modern day military Humvee.


In addition to the events and activities listed above, Mad Catz will be celebrating the PAX 2010 expo through a variety of limited edition retail promotions, being held at gamesharkstore.com through the duration of the show.


Mad Catz look forward to welcoming gamers everywhere at booth number 3217 at the PAX 2010 expo.  For further information, please visit: www.paxsite.com

 Be sure to add/follow us on your favorite social networks

facebook80Image_1_2Image_1Steam_Logopoj  playfire_logo

We have 447 guests and 5 members online
  • chadkirchner
  • Dreyvas
  • Hasbeen
  • Twodavez
  • garfi3ld
LanOC V11.0 Status
119 Participants
24 Have paid
0 Are pending
95 Places available