Hardware Hounds

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019

Azultec Announces Powerful Cloud Rendering Station at CES 2019

Completely Liquid Cooled

Heat is an important factor for rendering or mining stations. When you stick 8 graphics cards in a single system, you’re going to generate a lot of heat. Azultec is developing a product that should be huge for rendering, mining, or lovers of high end liquid cooled systems. The Cube 300 has 8x GTX 1070s and a custom water cooling loop made from Alphacool Components. Needless to say, Azultec has found a great way to handle heat on 8 higher end graphics cards in a way custom PC builders like myself can really appreciate. Continue reading “Azultec Announces Powerful Cloud Rendering Station at CES 2019”

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019

MSI Lightning Takes RTX 2080 Ti to Awesome RGB Level, CES 2019

For Lovers of RGB Lightning

Let’s face it. There are several variants of the RTX 2080 Ti. We can compare power systems, clock speeds and features, yet the end result is that we have a lot of great graphics cards out there. How does a company stand out? There are numerous ways, several I could try to find right here. However, I’m going to dote on the fact that the MSI Lightning has awesome RGB lighting. Continue reading “MSI Lightning Takes RTX 2080 Ti to Awesome RGB Level, CES 2019”

January 23, 2019

Phanteks Eclipse P600s Case for Silence and Airflow, CES 2019

Can Airflow Happen Quietly?

To some degree, we already know answers to this question. For instance, certain fans do a great job with this. Custom water loops are also great in this area. On the other hand, cases tend to be on one side or the other. The reason for this is simple. On one side, cases use noise dampening materials and tiny spaces for air intake to control noise. For near silence, quiet fans are usually preferred as well. On the other, a case has lots of wide open mesh spaces for tons of airflow. After that, the fans are usually RPM limited so they aren’t too loud, but silent fans aren’t a priority either. The Phanteks Eclipse P600s might be the best of both worlds. Continue reading “Phanteks Eclipse P600s Case for Silence and Airflow, CES 2019”

January 23, 2019

Gigabyte Aorus AD27QD Gaming Monitor is Best I’ve Seen for $600! CES 2019

Gigabyte Aorus AD27QD Gaming Monitor News

We Need to Talk

I love Aorus motherboards. So when I went to see Gigabyte at CES, I was expecting to be blown away by a new board. I did, and we’ll get back to that, but that wasn’t the highlight of their showroom. The Aorus AD27QD Gaming monitor was completely phenomenal, as well as unexpected. In order to stand out, they felt like they needed blow the doors off with their first design. Not only do I believe they did, but I still can’t believe how much monitor is involved for only $600! Let’s dive into some specs and features. Continue reading “Gigabyte Aorus AD27QD Gaming Monitor is Best I’ve Seen for $600! CES 2019”

January 23, 2019

Viper RGB M.2 NVMe Makes Debut! CES 2019

It’s About Time!

NVMe drives have been around for quite some time. The speeds are phenomenal, but they originally needed a PCIe slot to work. Eventually the M.2 form factor came to NVMe, making installation a breeze by using a small space on the motherboard. The only thing that’s been missing is an RGB M.2 drive. Sure, RGB made it’s way to normal SSDs, but how does anyone know we have a blistering fast storage device if there aren’t any lights to show it off in the build? Continue reading “Viper RGB M.2 NVMe Makes Debut! CES 2019”

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019

ViewSonic M1+ Projector, Portable as Nintendo Switch! CES 2019

Co-op Anytime, Any Place!

Who knew I would be playing Mario Kart while at Dinner with ViewSonic? The M1+ is the latest in go-anywhere projectors from the company. Due to it’s ultra-portable design, it makes a perfect partner with the Nintendo Switch. All you have to do is plug the screen into the projector, and you’re ready to play a game with a friend on the spot. That may be impressive enough, but there are several reasons why this little guy is worth the price of admission. Continue reading “ViewSonic M1+ Projector, Portable as Nintendo Switch! CES 2019”

January 22, 2019January 22, 2019

Enermax Saberay ADV my Favorite Case from CES 2019

Saberay ADV and White

Enermax came to CES 2019 with the objective to impress. When it came to new releases, I don’t think anyone really topped what I saw in their showroom. I’d give AMD a tie due to the surprise factor of Radeon VII, but Enermax has the edge in volume. As it turns out, the Saberay is still my favorite case, and the ADV improvements make me want it even more. Continue reading “Enermax Saberay ADV my Favorite Case from CES 2019”

January 22, 2019

SilverStone Raven Perfects Airflow and Display, CES 2019

Raven Revolutionizes Airflow

If you build a custom water cooled PC, airflow isn’t a huge concern. As long as you have enough radiators, chances are your components will stay nice and cool. If you have air cooling however, optimized airflow is an absolute must from a PC case. The typical design from most cases is pretty mundane. SilverStone is turning case design on its head, almost literally, with a new Raven prototype at CES. Continue reading “SilverStone Raven Perfects Airflow and Display, CES 2019”

January 21, 2019

Corsair Announces Most Powerful SFX PSU, CES 2019

750W Platinum SFX PSU

Yes, you read that correctly. Somehow, Corsair managed to cram 750 watts into an SFX PSU. Not only that, but the unit is also platinum rated. I got the chance to stumble across numerous SFX units, but the highest I had seen up to that point was 700W with a gold rating. The fact that Corsair pulled off that wattage and efficiency blew my mind. It even manages to have a silent fan mode below 50c. Continue reading “Corsair Announces Most Powerful SFX PSU, CES 2019”

January 21, 2019

Thermaltake WaterRam Brings Water Cooling to DDR4, CES 2019

Performance or Looks?

WaterRam screams overclocking. If you heard the news of water cooling coming to DDR4 memory, then you no doubt thought crazy performance was incoming. On a cooling level, the design seems to do a great job. Thermaltake claims that the kit can lower temps by 37% when compared to conventional heat spreader designs. Needless to say, this would give enthusiasts overhead to push frequencies and voltage. The surprise is that the kit is only 3200MHz. However, the real question is whether it’s worth it or not. Continue reading “Thermaltake WaterRam Brings Water Cooling to DDR4, CES 2019”