Our Most Recent Reviews
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.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And now, your weekly gaming news.
World Of Warcraft Cataclysm
I know some of our community plays, what we like to call WoW. Now I know some of you don't like WoW or don't want to play a subscription fee monthly but you can't deny what WoW has done. This is why Activision holds on to them. This game is a money maker. Last that I heard it had over 12 million subscribers, paying fifteen dollars a month, you do the math.With yesterdays 4.3 patch hitting, Azeroth has changed forever. All of the home cities are different and you'll have to take some time to get newly acquainted with your new home. Also remember, Dalaran's ports to all of your favorite cities have disappeared. I guess that Blizzard wants us in the old world checking out all the new content. I for one can't wait till I can fly in Azeroth. That was one of the biggest complaints of the game. Glad to see that Blizzard listens to their community and reacts. I will be going to the midnight release of Cataclysm at my local retailer. I will be sure and post some pictures that next week in the Gaming News. I would like to see our community start a guild but I know its hard to leave a server that you've been on for a long time. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys the new expansion when the game drops. I will make a WoW screenshot thread for our community see what we are doing in game.
Steam's "The Give & Get Sale"
It's that time of year again, Thanksgiving. Now I know most of you are going to be sitting down with family like I am, but this is the time to open your wallets for the crazy Steam sales's. As of this writing this is what's on sale. Remember, these are one day only events. If you see a game that you want, make sure to buy it right away. Don't wait and miss the sale.
I will be updating the forum post about the Gaming News with the updated sales. My recommendation for today is Borderlands. I have put about 30 hours into this game and it's one of the best RPG/FPS/Open World games that I have ever played. A big problem that I find with open world games is theres so much to do you get lost just trying to get around and enjoying the story. I have never finished any of the Grand Theft Auto games. There is so much to do in the game that I get lost and have a hard time finding my way back to sanity. I'll just steal a car and cruise the city for hours on end when I could of been working toward the story and furthering my character. For some reason this never happened in Borderlands. Quests are clearly marked as "Side Quests" or "Main Quests". This sort of game design really helps out a player like myself that easily detours from the main story line. Again, for ten bucks you can't go wrong with Borderlands. That is my pick for today. If you do pick it up watch for a sale on the DLC pack. Hopefully Steam will throw these on sale this week.
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo 5 launched today for the Playstation 3. I had this preordered but I cancelled at the last minute. I love writing for LanOC but sometimes I have to be "picky" about what games that I review or preview. I am not made of cash and I have to buy all of the games that I want to review. Don't feel sorry for me either. I don't like handouts, just saying that I can't buy every game that comes out. Sometime down the road here i'll pick it up. Maybe even this weekend with all the Black Friday sales going on. It just seemed stupid to pay full price for a game this close to Black Friday sale's that all the retailers are having. I am looking forward to reviewing the game for you. I love driving games. Other than First Person Shooters, Simulation Driving games are my next favorite. I have over one hundred hours in Forza 2. I have been waiting for GT5 since the PS3 was released. Hopefully someone has it on sale this weekend, if not i'll wait till I see a sale on it and grab it then.
Call Of Duty:Black Ops
It seems like the game is running better day by day. Since the last Gaming News Treyarch has released a couple more patches for singleplayer and multiplayer. I have put quite a bit of time into the multiplayer and its almost where it needs to be. It still needs some work but our community is playing almost every night. I am excited to see Treyarch doing the right thing for us PC gamers. Watch your Steam Downloads page for updated information on Black Ops.
Another Wednesday down and another LanOC Gaming News is in the bag. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your family, take some time for yourself and just relax. We all need to step back sometimes from life to figure out what matters most. Remember to watch the LanOC Gaming News forum post for the most up to date Steam Sales. Thanks again everyone. Wingless92 is out.
World Of Warcraft Cataclysm
I know some of our community plays, what we like to call WoW. Now I know some of you don't like WoW or don't want to play a subscription fee monthly but you can't deny what WoW has done. This is why Activision holds on to them. This game is a money maker. Last that I heard it had over 12 million subscribers, paying fifteen dollars a month, you do the math.With yesterdays 4.3 patch hitting, Azeroth has changed forever. All of the home cities are different and you'll have to take some time to get newly acquainted with your new home. Also remember, Dalaran's ports to all of your favorite cities have disappeared. I guess that Blizzard wants us in the old world checking out all the new content. I for one can't wait till I can fly in Azeroth. That was one of the biggest complaints of the game. Glad to see that Blizzard listens to their community and reacts. I will be going to the midnight release of Cataclysm at my local retailer. I will be sure and post some pictures that next week in the Gaming News. I would like to see our community start a guild but I know its hard to leave a server that you've been on for a long time. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys the new expansion when the game drops. I will make a WoW screenshot thread for our community see what we are doing in game.
Steam's "The Give & Get Sale"
It's that time of year again, Thanksgiving. Now I know most of you are going to be sitting down with family like I am, but this is the time to open your wallets for the crazy Steam sales's. As of this writing this is what's on sale. Remember, these are one day only events. If you see a game that you want, make sure to buy it right away. Don't wait and miss the sale.
I will be updating the forum post about the Gaming News with the updated sales. My recommendation for today is Borderlands. I have put about 30 hours into this game and it's one of the best RPG/FPS/Open World games that I have ever played. A big problem that I find with open world games is theres so much to do you get lost just trying to get around and enjoying the story. I have never finished any of the Grand Theft Auto games. There is so much to do in the game that I get lost and have a hard time finding my way back to sanity. I'll just steal a car and cruise the city for hours on end when I could of been working toward the story and furthering my character. For some reason this never happened in Borderlands. Quests are clearly marked as "Side Quests" or "Main Quests". This sort of game design really helps out a player like myself that easily detours from the main story line. Again, for ten bucks you can't go wrong with Borderlands. That is my pick for today. If you do pick it up watch for a sale on the DLC pack. Hopefully Steam will throw these on sale this week.
Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo 5 launched today for the Playstation 3. I had this preordered but I cancelled at the last minute. I love writing for LanOC but sometimes I have to be "picky" about what games that I review or preview. I am not made of cash and I have to buy all of the games that I want to review. Don't feel sorry for me either. I don't like handouts, just saying that I can't buy every game that comes out. Sometime down the road here i'll pick it up. Maybe even this weekend with all the Black Friday sales going on. It just seemed stupid to pay full price for a game this close to Black Friday sale's that all the retailers are having. I am looking forward to reviewing the game for you. I love driving games. Other than First Person Shooters, Simulation Driving games are my next favorite. I have over one hundred hours in Forza 2. I have been waiting for GT5 since the PS3 was released. Hopefully someone has it on sale this weekend, if not i'll wait till I see a sale on it and grab it then.
Call Of Duty:Black Ops
It seems like the game is running better day by day. Since the last Gaming News Treyarch has released a couple more patches for singleplayer and multiplayer. I have put quite a bit of time into the multiplayer and its almost where it needs to be. It still needs some work but our community is playing almost every night. I am excited to see Treyarch doing the right thing for us PC gamers. Watch your Steam Downloads page for updated information on Black Ops.
Another Wednesday down and another LanOC Gaming News is in the bag. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your family, take some time for yourself and just relax. We all need to step back sometimes from life to figure out what matters most. Remember to watch the LanOC Gaming News forum post for the most up to date Steam Sales. Thanks again everyone. Wingless92 is out.
I'd just like to point out that Borderlands is pretty much not an open-world game. But don't let that stop you from playing it. A lot. But otherwise great article... thingy 
Purchased Wow Cataclysm today $39, Cant wait, also they have a huge WOW sale $20 gets you the prior set. so $59 you have the complete wow set.
I think i have room to join one more server if lan oc group decides on one
I think i have room to join one more server if lan oc group decides on one
jj_Sky5000 wrote:
This is perfect, I've been held up in upgrading to Lich King because of the price. $10 is much better.
Purchased it Wow Cataclysm today $39, Cant wait, also they have a huge WOW sale $20 gets you the prior set. so $59 you have the complete wow set.
I think i have room to join one more server if lan oc group decides on one
I think i have room to join one more server if lan oc group decides on one
This is perfect, I've been held up in upgrading to Lich King because of the price. $10 is much better.
I also have 3 copies of Defense Grid for sale. I bought the 10 pack. $1.50 if you want it. PayPal me the coin and its yours.
They also have Lead And Gold for $20 for a 10 pack. I would be willing to front the money then have people pay me back via paypal but you have to get 10 people together. Let me know.
Wingless92 wrote:
Doesn't Paypal have a minimum transaction limit? Anyway, I'd be interested in this.
They also have Lead And Gold for $20 for a 10 pack. I would be willing to front the money then have people pay me back via paypal but you have to get 10 people together. Let me know.
Doesn't Paypal have a minimum transaction limit? Anyway, I'd be interested in this.
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