Today we are checking out the latest wireless mobile storage solution from Patriot known as the Aero. Available in two different capacities, 500GB and 1TB, we have the larger model on hand for testing. Designed to be accessed any where at any time, we plan to find out if the Patriot Aero is as practical and useful as the specifications suggest...

Given the compact design, which manages to accommodate not just a 2.5” 1TB hard drive but also a battery supporting up to 6 hours run time, we feel the Patriot Aero is a sound investment. Particularly given a standard external 1TB USB 3.0 drive is priced around $80 - $110. The wireless support and mobile apps make the Aero an ideal solution for avid media buffs, whether it be for work, travel or just relaxing with friends on a weekend.

Today we are checking out the brand new DiskStation DS1513+ from Synology. The DS1513+ is powered by an Intel Atom D2700 dual-core processor and features a 2GB memory buffer with a potential storage capacity of 60TB. These hardware specifications should make the DS1513+ quite snappy, and the ability to support Link Aggregation should help maximize performance of the dual bay NAS device...

Synology categorize the DS1513+ as a small to medium business solution and this is obviously where it makes the most sense, opposed to home use or even SOHO usage. With four Gigabit LAN ports offering Link Aggregation the DS1513+ is an ideal solution for feeding lots of client PCs data at the same time.

Today we are checking out Intel’s latest CPU architecture codenamed Haswell, marking the introduction of the 4th generation Intel Core processors. On the test bed we have the flagship model, the Core i7-4770K which will be tested on the Asrock Z87 Professional featuring the latest and greatest 8 Series chipset...

Although Ivy Bridge only provided a slight performance increase over Sandy Bridge it was still a welcomed arrival for newcomers to the platform. The reason for this was due to Ivy Bridges improved efficiency as well as a few new features, while maintaining the same price point of Sandy Bridge. Haswell on the other hand seems less impressive for desktop users for the simple reason that it is not backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. The new LGA1150 socket means those wanting to upgrade to Haswell will need a new motherboard, such as those featured in our review.

Today Nvidia is releasing a second GeForce 700 series GPU, the GTX 770, and we have Gainward’s version which is part of their elite Phantom series. The Gainward GeForce GTX 770 Phantom comes factory overclocked on a custom built PCB with a upgraded power delivery system and improved cooling...

The Gainward GTX 770 Phantom certainly is an impressive graphics card that not only looks cool, but also runs cool. It is also very quiet, making less noise than most case fans - it certainly wasn’t heard over anything else in our test system. While the Gainward GTX 770 Phantom does provide more performance when compared to a standard GTX 770, as is often the case with factory overclocking the gains are not huge. Still with an average of 5% more performance in the ten games that we tested with, the gains are worth it.

Back in 2006 AMD announced that they were working on a project called ‘Fusion’ which aimed to develop a system on a chip that combined a CPU and GPU on a single die. Making the dream a reality for AMD was their acquisition of graphics chipset manufacturer ATI that same year.

Benchmarks aside, from our perspective the AMD A4-5000 was fast enough for general usage. With an SSD in tow it would open up Word 2013 or any of the other Office applications in seconds for example. For those wanting to surf the Internet, e-mail, conduct some word processing or even a little graphic design, the A4-5000 will provide enough power and the run time to avoid you looking for another power socket the moment you disconnect it from one.

Today we are checking out the 6-bay AS-606T NAS (Network Attached Storage) device from new comer Asustor. The name Asustor is very similar to Asus and that is no accident, as it is a subsidiary of Asus which focus solely on NAS and video surveillance products. With so many new competitors joining the NAS market, we were keen to see what Asustor had to offer...

The design and build quality of the AS-606T is excellent, though we have to wonder if Asustor has worked with QNAP is any way, as the design shares an uncanny resemblance to the TS-669L. Like much of the competition, which includes QNAP and Synology, Asustor are only offering a limited 2-year warranty with the AS-606T. Still, given that the AS-606T will likely be run 24/7, there is a good chance any real issues will be revealed within that time period.

Today AMD is finally making their Southern Islands dual-GPU graphics card official as they strap a pair of Tahiti XT GPU’s to the same PCB. The end result is the Radeon HD 7990 and with one of the biggest coolers in graphics card history the 7990 has the potential to run cooler and quieter than the 7970...

Overall the AMD Radeon HD 7990 is an impressive creation that is extremely well designed and put together. The frames per second performance puts it right where it needs to be and if AMD can indeed improve frame time performance as they claim to be in the process of doing, then the 7990 could certainly become a real problem for the GTX 690 and GTX Titan.

Today we are checking out the new Golden Sample Dual Fan graphics cards from Gainward which are based on the Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti and GTX 660 GPUs. The GTX 650 Ti is the newer of the two so we are interested to see how it compares to the competition as we test it in over half a dozen of the very latest video games...

Interestingly, however, the GTX 650 Ti Boost and HD 7850 share a very similar price-to-performance ratio. The GTX 650 Ti Boost is 6% cheaper and just 2% slower on average, which does make it a better value product. Having said that your decision will have to hinge on the games you want to play or brand-exclusive features.

Professional data storage solutions provider, Infortrend, announced five new advanced EonNAS models at CES 2013 in January. This included new additions to the EonNAS Pro and EonNAS 1000 series. Designed from SMBs and SOHOs these new NAS devices feature an advanced new hardware design combined with ZFS and enterprise-level data service functionalities...

Given that the EonNAS Pro 510 is the first Infortrend product we have reviewed there were a lot of totally new things that needed to be tested. First and foremost was the ZFS file system, as this is the first time we have tested a NAS device using this file system as virtually every other product that we have ever tested uses the EXT file system.

Today we have a pair of the new HIS Radeon HD 7790 iCooler Turbo 1GB graphics cards on hand for some Crossfire testing. With ten of the latest video games we plan to find out if gamers are best off with a pair of 7790 Crossfire cards or a single GeForce GTX 660 Ti or Radeon HD 7950 graphics card, using both frames per second and frame time performance...

Thankfully HIS were willing to send a pair of their latest 7790 iCooler Turbo 1GB graphics cards for a little Crossfire testing. The results were surprising to say the least. When measuring the frames per second performance this Crossfire setup was potent, delivering 21% more performance than a GeForce GTX 660 Ti at both 1680x1050 and 1920x1200.

Today we are checking out a powerful 4-bay NAS from QNAP called the TS-469L, which is designed for home and small office use. Powered by an Intel Atom processor, it comes with 1GB of memory and supports the latest QNAP Turbo Station 3.8 software which brings about several new features...

When it came to on-disk copy performance the TS-469L provided mixed results, beating the DS413 in some tests while losing in others. In short we would say there is very little difference between the TS-469L and DS413 in terms of performance, depending on what you are doing one may be faster than the other, but overall they provide a similar experience.

Today we have Nvidia’s new $1000 graphics card on the test bed thanks to Gigabyte, who have provided us with a sample of their card. Known as the GeForce GTX Titan, this monster graphics card is set to become the world’s fastest single GPU period. Check it out as we throw the usual mix of games at it, along with some SLI and Crossfire comparisons...

The GeForce GTX Titan was also able to lay waste to the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition with an average of 30% more frames per second performance and 25% better frame time performance. The best case scenario for the 7970 GHz Edition was seen in Sleeping Dogs where the GTX Titan was just 13% faster, though here the frame time performance still favoured the GTX Titan.

Today we are checking out a pair of graphics cards based on a GPU we really didn’t think we would look at again, the Pitcairn Pro, commonly known as the Radeon HD 7850. Launched almost 12 months ago the Radeon HD 7850 is starting to get a little long in the tooth. However this hasn’t stopped HIS from making the most extreme version yet...

The only real advantage that the HIS 7850 iPower IceQ Turbo 4GB has is its re-worked PCB and power design, which allows overclockers to push the card a little harder. With our best overclock in place the 7850 iPower IceQ Turbo 4GB Crossfire configuration was on average 45% faster than the standard 7850 Crossfire cards...

Today we are checking out an affordable 5-bay NAS from Thecus that can handle up to 20TB’s of storage and is powered by an Intel Atom processor with a large 2GB memory capacity. Called the N5550 it is priced at a little over $500. At this price there are few 4-bay NAS products that can match the value and features of the N5550...

The most important factor to consider with the Thecus N5550 is the price and that really goes for any product. However in the case of the N5550 it’s rather cheap for a 5-bay NAS with a retail price of just $510. As we mentioned earlier in comparison the Drobo 5N costs $600, the QNAP TS-569L $750 and the Synology DS1512+ a whopping $840.

Today we are checking out the Synology DiskStation DS713+ as well as the optional DX513 expansion unit. The DS713+ is powered by an Intel Atom D2700 dual-core processor and features a 1GB memory buffer while the DX513 expands storage from 2-bays to a more impressive 7-bays. These hardware specifications should make the DS713+ quite snappy and the ability to support Link Aggregation should help maximize performance of the dual bay NAS device...

Overall we are impressed with the build quality, design, performance and features of the Synology DS713+. Meanwhile the DX513 expansion unit makes it possible to increase storage without sacrificing performance, though it’s probably not the most cost effective way to get 7-bay support. Still, this is a flexible solution for growing businesses or professionals that cannot afford to cough up $800+ right off the bat for the larger devices.

Today we are checking out OCZ’s Vector 512GB SSD which was released late last year. 2012 was a big year for OCZ as it marked the introduction of their first in-house SSD, the Vector. Though even before the introduction of the Vector, OCZ were on a high with the release of their still very fast Vertex 4 SSD...

What we can say with absolute certainty is that in terms of performance the Vector is a worthy successor to the Vertex 4 series. The Vector was on average 27% faster in our file copy tests and is set to cost a little over 10% more, making it not only faster but also better value. Overall the OCZ Vector 512GB appears to be a solid contender in the performance SSD market.

Today we are checking out two of the very best Intel Z77 based motherboards money can buy. From Gigabyte we have the newly released Z77X-UP7 while from Asrock it’s the Z77 Extreme11 that attempts to include every feature possible. With both motherboards sharing the same retail price of $400, we plan to find out which is the best option...

Therefore if you plan to do some serious overclocking and place build quality above all else then the Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 seems like the best choice. However if it is features you are after then the Asrock Z77 Extreme 11 is the obvious choice here, and really when it is all said and done the Z77 Extreme 11 performed on par with the Z77X-UP7 while offering considerably more features for the same price.

Today we are checking out the latest addition to the elite Western Digital Black hard drive series which supports a massive 4TB storage capacity. Designed to deliver a balance between speed, capacity and price, we are keen to see what this latest WD creation has in store for us...

Even at $400 the Western Digital WD Black 4TB comes at a cost of just 10c per gigabyte, whereas the Samsung SSD 840 Pro 512GB costs $1.17 per gigabyte, making it almost 12x more expensive. Therefore when it comes to capacity hard drives still have a significant advantage over SSDs and the recent arrival of 4TB models such as the WD Black only solidifies this.

Today we have the new Synology DS213+ and DS213air on the test bed, which were the first 2-bay models to be released in the x13 series. The DS213+ features similar hardware to the recently reviewed DS413, while the DS213air follows in the DS413j’s footsteps...

Based on similar hardware to the recently reviewed DS413, the DS213+ delivered similar performance in most of our tests. In fact we were surprised to find that in many of the tests the 2-bay DS213+ was actually faster despite only being tested with two WD Red hard drives in RAID1 opposed to the four used in the DS413 (RAID5).

Today we have the 4GB version of the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 on hand for some triple-monitor benchmarking. Designed to handle extreme resolutions, we will be comparing the GTX 680 4GB against a 2GB model and the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition in an effort to discover who makes the best GPU for multiple-monitor gaming...

The games that responded the best to the extra frame buffer included Battlefield 3 and Medal of Honor Warfighter, while increases were also seen in DiRT 3 and Alan Wake. From our results it is clear anyone looking to game at the extreme triple-monitor resolution of 7680x1600 will require not one but rather two GeForce GTX 680 4GB graphics cards. Still when spending over $3000 on monitors it’s not hard to imagine dishing out over $1100 on GPUs.

Today we are checking out the HIS 7970 IceQ X² GHz Edition and 7950 IceQ X² Boost Clock graphics cards, which have been designed to get the most out of AMD’s 7900 series. Both cards boast a seriously upgraded cooling solution that is designed to reduce operating temperatures and improve overclocking potential...

With the recent release of the AMD Catalyst 12.11 beta drivers which have dramatically boosted performance in a number of popular games, and the never before seen games bundle, it has never been a better time to buy an AMD graphics card. HIS has timed the release of the HIS 7970 IceQ X² GHz Edition and 7950 IceQ X² Boost Clock graphics cards very well, making them exceptional buys for this Christmas.

Today we have the new Synology DS413 and DS413j on the test bed, which are the first 4-bay models to be released in the x13 series. These new models do away with the Intel Atom processors used by the previous generation 4-bay models and instead use Freescale and Marvell solutions...

Although the Synology DS413j is not intended to compete with high-end Atom driven products like the QNAP TS-269L, we feel it makes a very compelling argument in this particular comparison. Overall there isn’t a great deal separating the two in terms of performance and it is not unless you look at upload performance exclusively that the TS-269L looks like the obvious option.

Today AMD is launching its second generation FX processors based on the Piledriver microarchitecture. This next step in the evolution of the FX-series aims to refine the original recipe by improving performance and efficiency. Once again the range will include processors with up to eight cores, while six and four core models will also be available...

With the exception of WinRAR and Fritz Chess, the AMD FX-8350 was no more than 6% faster than the FX-8150 in any one of our tests, despite being clocked 11% faster (though we should keep in mind both processors feature a max turbo frequency of 4.2GHz). It was a similar situation when comparing the FX-6300 to the FX-6100, though the margins here were even slimmer as the Piledriver part is clocked just 6% higher.

Last month QNAP announced its latest high performance TS-x69L Turbo NAS series for Small Office/Home Office and Small Business use. This new series is powered by a dual-core Intel Atom processor that is supported with 1GB of memory, while models range from 2-bay up to 8-bay solutions...

QNAP seems to have the market well covered with its new high-end 2,4,5,6 and 8-bay TS-x69L series. These new NAS devices look great, perform well and are packed with features such as dual Gigabit LAN, eSATA and of course USB 3.0. Those looking for a high performance NAS device that supports anywhere from 2 drives up to 8 should certainly have the new QNAP TS-x69L series in mind.

Today we are checking out Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 650 Ti graphics card based on the GK106 architecture. Just last month we saw the arrival of the first GK106 based graphics card, known as the GTX 660, and now it is time to take a look at the sub-$200 version...

With that being the case we were happy to learn that on average the GeForce GTX 650 Ti was 25% faster than the Radeon HD 7770 in the 18 games that we tested at 1680x1050. That said we were slightly disappointed to find that the GeForce GTX 650 Ti was on average 7% slower than the old GTX 560 Ti, a graphics card that was released almost 2 years ago now.