On hand for review is Roccat’s latest product, the Sova. Like Corsair’s Lapdog and Razer’s Turret, the Sova is a lapboard design specifically for couch gaming. Roccat looked to have ticked all the boxes with the Sova and this could very well be the best product in its class, so let’s find out if it is...

The big win for consumers is the price, the Sova costs just $150 for the membrane version and right now Roccat are offering those that pre-order a free Kova mouse. The mechanical version also comes with a free Kova mouse if you pre-order and at $200 it is a good bit cheaper than the Lapdog. For those wondering the Sova will begin shipping at the end of August.

For review we have the latest Synology DiskStation aimed at home users as well as small businesses, the DS916+. Powered by an Intel Pentium N3710 quad-core SoC, we are keen to see how well the DS916+ performs. Out of the box this NAS can house four 3.5” hard drives, giving it a maximum capacity of 32TB using the latest 8TB drives, while adding the DX513 expansion unit can boost capacity to a whopping 72TB...

The DiskStation DS916+ is as close to perfect as any desktop NAS available right now. Synology has followed their proven formula very closely, delivering the 4-bay flagship NAS we all expected. The result being a powerful class leading NAS backed by the very best software.

Today we have Asrock’s new compact Mini-STX barebone on hand. Known as the DeskMini this little PC packs a serious punch thanks to its support for 65-watt Intel Skylake desktop processors such as the Core i7-6700. Equipped with a 120-watt power supply out of the box and support for multiple storage options we are expecting good things...

Without a doubt the Asrock DeskMini is hands down the best small form factor computer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The DeskMini is possibly the easiest computer you will ever come across for upgrading hardware and with virtually the same options as a fully-fledged desktop PC the results can be spectacular.

Just two short weeks ago we got our first taste of what Nvidia’s upcoming GeForce 10 series has to offer, as we were finally able to reveal the GeForce GTX 1080 benchmarks. Touted as a replacement for the GTX 980, the 1080 proved to be a considerable upgrade, offering around 60% more performance without the trade-off of increased power consumption...

Going into this review we knew that the GeForce GTX 1070 featured 25% less CUDA cores than the GTX 1080, so it was expected that on average the 1070 would be between 20 – 25% slower. Well expectations where met, as the 1070 was 20% slower at 1440p and 18% slower at 1080p. Given the 1070 costs 37% less when comparing the MSRP’s, this is the reason why almost everyone has been more excited about this product.

Today we are checking out a very nice product from QNAP that changes the NAS game, something the company has been working towards over the past year it seems. It is becoming common place to find not one but two HDMI outputs on QNAP’s NAS products, allowing them to support dual monitors, and when combined with their HybridDesk Station they essentially become Linux based computers...

Still, it has to be said that at $450 without any internal storage the TBS-453A is a luxury product for home users. As much as we loved the TBS-453A as a home media device, its real target is small to medium business. For this market segment the price is less of a concern and the TBS-453A’s performance and flexibility come to the forefront. For a small team working on a separate project or even a small business, the TBS-453A presents itself as the ultimate storage server.

Today we are taking a look at the new Creative Sound Blaster iRoar, a compact portable Bluetooth speaker that’s a real powerhouse! Taking the Roar 2 design to the next level, the iRoar remains compact while delivering even more room-filling audio and a huge twenty hour run time…

Simply put the iRoar is hands down the best sounding, most powerful, portable Bluetooth speaker I have heard to date. The 33 watts RMS Roar 2 was impressive, but adding over 30% more power makes the iRoar truly explosive. Not only that but the fact that it can run for up to 20-hours at a reasonably high volume is impressive.

Today on hand is Samsung’s latest portable storage device that’s is big on storage and possibly even bigger on price. Still there are few high-speed options that will fit inside your pocket and offer up to a 2TB storage capacity. That alone makes the T3 worth checking out so let’s get to it...

The T3 shines when handling lots of small files such as in our 'program' file transfer test which moves 6104 small non-compressed files totalling 2.75GB. The T3's download performance was 40% greater than the fastest thumb drives we've seen and almost four times faster than a conventional 2.5" hard drive. Moreover, the upload tests showed the T3 to be five times faster than the quickest thumb drive we've tested and 42% faster than the Kingston HyperX Max 64GB portable SSD.

Today we are checking out Logitech’s latest and greatest gaming mouse, the G900 Chaos Spectrum. The G900 Chaos Spectrum is a wired and wireless mouse features a unique ambidextrous design that can be customized for either left-handed or right-handed gamers. Complete with RGB lighting and the best possible sensor the G900 is the full package...

Overall all that really needs to be said is that the Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum is without question the best gaming mouse I have ever seen, in fact I am willing to go as far as to say it is the best gaming mouse money can buy. It really is that good, so you might think even at $150 the greatness of the mouse justifies the price and for the most part it does...

On hand is the latest storage device from WD, called the MyCloud EX2 Ultra, it is designed to provide network-attached storage to the masses. By delivering a cost effective package that is available in a range of pre-configured capacities, WD hopes to make an impact on the ever expanding NAS market...

Of course the My Cloud EX2 Ultra isn't going to break any speed records, it was never designed to. Instead the EX2 Ultra was surprisingly fast because it is unbelievably affordable. The base model comes in at just $160 and while it might be diskless, you can expect to pay around twice that for a similar spec model from QNAP or Synology.

Today on hand is a new QNAP NAS that aims to do it all, the TS-453A. This 4-bay NAS is part of a broad series of new devices supporting QNAP’s HybridDesk Station along with QTS-Linux dual systems. On offer is a heap of connectivity options and powering the device is a Braswell quad-core SoC...

QNAP’s QTS operating system continues to evolve and has come a long way in a relatively short time. The feature rich operating system looks great, is easy to use and is very responsive. The addition of the HybridDesk Station is awesome, and while I have spent the last week playing around with this feature, I feel there are still more applications I need to try.

Today we have the DiskStation DS216+ on hand, Synology’s latest dual-core 2-bay NAS built around the Intel Celeron N3050 SoC. Key features of the DS216+ include AES-NI hardware encryption, BTRFS support, 4K UHD transcoding and of course the latest DSM 6.0 operating system...

The Intel Celeron N3050 is a low powered beast, and not just that but it is extremely well supported by an extensive feature set. The dual-core Braswell SoC really is the key here, as it allowed Synology to introduce the DS216+ at a much lower price when compared to the DS716+ while sacrificing almost no performance.

Today we have the Trion 150 on hand, the latest consumer SSD to come out of the Toshiba acquired OCZ brand. Armed with Toshiba’s latest 15nm TLC NAND flash memory the Trion 150 is designed to deliver exceptional performance at an unbeatable price, so does it deliver?...

The OCZ Trion 150 is without question a massive improvement over the previous Trion 100 model in every respect. The Trion 150 is cheaper, albeit marginally, and it's faster in most tests by a reasonable margin. This is all great news for potential buyers, but these facts alone don’t necessarily mean you should rush out and buy the Trion 150.

Today we are checking out Gainward’s premier GeForce GTX 960 graphics card, the Phantom 4GB. Equipped with twice the memory buffer of standard cards, it is designed for extreme 1080p gaming. Therefore it will be interesting to see how the Phantom 4GB compares to a 2GB GTX 960...

Obviously the game needs to use more than 4GB of VRAM at 1080p and for most games this much memory simply isn’t required. Still it is possible future games will require more of the GTX 960 and we could start to see the 4GB model offering real benefits. That said those who invested in the cheaper 2GB model will likely only have to reduce a few quality settings, and this is something 4GB owners would also have to do in order to hit a 60fps average. So at the end of the day we really question the need for a 4GB GTX 960.

Today we are checking out the latest 4-bay NAS model from QNAP designed to replace not just your file server but also you home theatre PC. Out of the box the TS-451+ features an IR remote, support for 1080p playback over HDMI, the ability to run additional operating systems such as Windows and much more...

Really the only issue we have with the TS-451+ is that the base 2GB model just doesn’t have enough memory to really take advantage of all the great features and applications. Ideally the base model should feature 4GB of memory and the 8GB model should cost a whopping 35% more, this works out to be a $170 hike in price for what is essentially $30 of DDR3 memory.

On hand for review is Corsair’s latest computer case, a compact mid-tower known as the Carbide 400Q. Following the design cues of the Carbide 600 series, this new case features clean lines and a curved solid-steel exterior for a minimalist look. There is also a windowed version known as the 400C boasting an edge-to-edge window but for this review we are focusing on the quiet model...

The Carbide 400Q looks great and we appreciate the minimalist design. Installation is a breeze in this case and there is plenty of room for cable management to create a near build. There is loads of room for high-end hardware and the only area where the case is lacking would be the storage department, though we can’t deduct points here as the 400Q is as well-equipped as the competition.

Today for testing we have the new Synology 2-bay flagship NAS on hand, the DiskStation DS716+. Armed with Intel’s latest low powered quad-core system-on-chip the DS716+ boasts support for AES-NI encryption and on the fly H.264 4K to 1080p video transcoding. The real party trick of the DS716+ is its support for EXT4 and more importantly BTRFS...

As it stands the DS716+ is the most affordable Synology NAS to support this modern file system. Although we expect support to filter down to even cheaper models in the future, for now this is a huge selling point for this particular model. The DS716+ has many of the other great features seen from previous models, such as its predecessor the DS713+. Features such as the expansion unit which can expand drive support to seven, or the dual LAN ports for failover and link aggregation.

Today we have Corsair’s latest computer case on hand for review, the rather unconventional Carbide Series 600C. The massive acrylic window paired with an inverted-ATX layout makes the Carbide 600C perfect for showing off high-end hardware...

The steel cladded facade and top panel look and feel great, while the acrylic door panel with its steel inserts, hinges and handle give the 600C a very premium look. The double hinged front door held in place by magnets also looks great and more importantly works very well. The I/O panel is sleek and provides plenty of connectivity, while underneath the feet raise the 600C nice and high allowing for plenty of air-flow should you choose to install some bottom mounted fans.

Today we have the new affordable multimedia focused NAS from Asustor, the AS3104T. Designed for home users the AS3104T is a potential HTPC replacement and file server all in one little compact box. Powered by an Intel Braswell SoC, it isn’t light on power either and should give other budget offerings a real run for their money...

For home users the Celeron N3050 proved more than powerful enough as the dual-core processor was able to match NAS devices featuring more powerful quad-core models. The only performance consideration would be that non-upgradable 2GB memory capacity, but again for general usage this is enough. Still given how cheap DDR3L memory is having the ability to expand the memory capacity would have been the icing on the cake for us.

Today AMD are releasing a new graphics card targeting the $250’ish price range, the Radeon R9 380X. This new graphics card, based on the GCN 1.2 architecture featuring a fully-fledged Tonga core with 2048 SPUs, is intended for not just 1080p gaming but also 1440p, making this a mid-range product...

Overall the Radeon R9 380X fills the price gap between the R9 380 and R9 390 as promised, though it is much closer to the more affordable R9 380 than it is the far more desirable R9 390. Still performance wise the R9 380X makes for the perfect 1080p solution, we just hope AMD decided to price it a little more aggressively in the not too distant future.

Today we have the new Asustor AS6202T on hand for some testing, the first Intel Braswell powered NAS to market. Packed with some serious power and loads of features Asustor knows the AS6202T is something special and they aren’t giving them away cheaply, in fact this is the most expensive 2-bay NAS money can buy…

The Asustor AS6202T performed exceptionally well in most of our tests and quickly proved that it can hang with Synology’s latest flagship 2-bay NAS, the DS715. The AS6202T has the added benefit of HDMI support @ 4K making it a viable alternative to a HTPC. At its heart the Braswell N3150 quad-core SoC not only affords the AS6202T features such as hardware transcoding and hardware encryption, but it also has more than enough power to serve up files to multiple clients.

On hand are Logitech’s latest and greatest additions to their Driving Force racing wheel line up, the G920 and the G29. Both wheels are very similar with the key difference being the button layout, as the G920 is designed for Xbox while the G29 is intended for use with Playstation, though both work happily on the PC...

Overall the G29 and G920 are fantastic racing packages that certainly deliver a thrilling driving experience. Priced at no more than $300 we would be all over these new Logitech wheels, but at $400 they don’t make much sense.

Today we have the compact Raven RVZ02 gaming case form Silverstone on hand for review. As the successor to the popular RVZ01 this latest model sports several refinements that make even better use of the limited space within the mini-ITX chassis…

What we did like was the compact design and slim tower format, the front I/O panel, the overall look of the case, the performance, the ease of installation and the support for virtually any graphics card. The SX500-LG is also a very nifty little power supply and perfect for use with the RVZ02, so thanks to Silverstone for providing it. Also a big thanks to Asrock for providing their neat little Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard, we really appreciated having that rear M.2 slot handy.

Today we are taking a look at the new Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2, a compact portable Bluetooth speaker that’s a real powerhouse! Based on a similar, yet improved design to the original, the Roar 2 promises to be lighter and more compact while still delivering the same room-filling audio and eight hour run time...

The Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2 sounds as good as any $200 portable speaker we have tested before and with a feature list that just seems to go on and on, it is incredible value. The best part being while we feel the Roar 2 is great value at the $230 MSRP, it can actually be had for just $170 online. I know... what are you doing still reading? Go buy one!

Today we are checking out the DS715 and DS215+, both are 2-bay NAS devices from Synology’s latest DSx15 series. The DS715 is designed for home to business workgroup usage while the DS215+ is aimed at small and medium businesses. Both come armed with new Annapurna Labs Alpine SoC’s and support features such as Hardware Encryption and Link Aggregation...

Unfortunately the Annapurna Labs Alpine SoC hasn’t impressed us as much as it did in the DS2015xs and even the DS1515. However the biggest issue is the price, we simply cannot justify spending almost 80% more on the DS215+ over the DS215j and it is even worse when looking at the DS715. The DS215+ and DS715 are both well built, reliable NAS servers that are backed by the very best software in the business. When it comes to quality Synology always seem to deliver, sadly this time they missed the mark when it came to pricing.

Today we have two 4-bay compact NAS solutions on hand from Synology and QNAP. Both are designed for home users with limited space by utilizing 2.5" drives. Although both of these products set out to achieve the same goal, they go about achieving them in different ways which makes comparing them interesting...

The magnetically attached top panel of the TS-453mini is great and likely the most innovative design we have seen yet for a home NAS. The only downside is of course the price, $530 for the 2GB model is likely going to be too costly for most home users. Particularly once you consider the hard drive bill will add another $280 when using 1TB WD Red drives.