Author: SKYMTL @ Hardware Canucks

Though they are normally associated with being one of the few board partners entrusted with NVIDIA’s Quadro lineup, PNY also has a relatively large and expanding stable of GeForce products as well. The GTX 780 Ti XLR8 OC is their flagship single GPU card and while it doesn’t have a well-marketed name like Classified, Matrix, Lightning or Super Overclock but unlike those indirect competitors, its price is quite a bit lower. PNY intends the XLR8 OC series to compete against the likes of ASUS’ DirectCU II OC, Gigabyte’s Windforce OC and MSI’s Gaming-branded cards. In the face of such entrenched competition, the GTX 780 Ti XLR8 OC will need to emphasize its relative value.

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By Ian Cutress @ AnandTech

One of AMD’s main selling points it likes to promote is towards the gamer, especially those on a tighter budget. This subsequently suggests to the motherboard manufacturers to build models oriented for gaming. MSI’s Gaming Range has become a solid part of MSI’s plethora of motherboards, and now this extends to the FM2+ platform. Today we review the MSI A88X-G45 Gaming.

Read The Review Here

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• BIOSTAR Preparing To Launch New “Hi-Fi Mainboard”
• ASUS Maximus VII Impact Takes it Vertical with Five Daughterboards
• Gigabyte X99 Gaming G1 Makes an Appearance
• AMD Radeon R9 285 with Tonga GPU Pictured
• SanDisk Debuts the Ultra Fit USB 3.0 Flash Drive
• Apacer Introduces the 2 TB AC233 USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive

The Japanese Battleship Fleet in WWII

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

The Japanese Navy began WWII in the Pacific with 12 battleships in its inventory or still in the final stages of completion. All but two of these capital ships had joined the fleet before, during, or immediately following WWI. Japan’s final two battleships IJN’s Yamato and Musashi were laid down in the late 1930′s. The twin sister ships were the largest, heaviest armed capital ships ever designed and built by any power until the emergence of the modern, post-war era US aircraft carriers in the 1950′s. Five of these enormous Japanese battleships were called for, of which two would be built to original specifications with the third ship being converted into a giant armored aircraft carrier. All of Japan’s older battleships were modernized or improved throughout the interwar years and later, during the war, to increase both their speed and to improve their survivability in battle. At the end of World War II, only one of the 12 Japanese battleships, the IJN. Nagato, survived the years of fierce fighting. Its fate was to be destroyed as a target in post-war atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.

Read on…

For the last two months the On Target Simulations team has been hard at work to polish the PC Game of the Year 2013 (awarded by The Wargamer) – Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm. The developers have been focused on the community feedback, and the 2.04 patch introduces a lot of improvements that the players have been requesting since the original release of the game.

New features, tons of fixes, UI improvements and enhanced game functions come together to make the game play even better. As of now you will get more feedback on events, more flexibility with custom maps and markers, and even get open access to the game’s awesome scenarios so you can adapt them to your own taste!

The list of improvements is so long that On Target Simulations wrote a comprehensive “What’s new” document that you can read here. They do not forget the newcomers either, so the new armchair generals can get access to the revised version of the “Quick Start & Tutorial Guide” by clicking here.

Here you can see some of the major changes brought by 2.04:

• Movement Orders End State Setting: Once you finish issuing a movement order you can select the end state order of the move among four choices: Hold, Screen, On Call and Resupply
• Dismount Dialog: If the unit is carrying infantry or scouts you will have the option to have them dismount and move to the final objective on foot with the transports supporting the move. The unit will adopt the order state given in the new Orders on Arrival dialog
• Waypoints/Waypoint Editor: there is an option to inspect group waypoints and also set delays to coordinate arrivals better.

Click here to download the 2.04 patch.

Get more information on Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm from its official product page.

Matrix Games announce that Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon, one of the most anticipated turn-based strategy games of the year, is getting ready for release! This detailed multiplatform wargame is now ready to enter the PC beta phase and we invite players to help us test it! By signing up for the beta, players will have a chance to be selected to be one of the lucky few, who will be able experience Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon before release and help us with the final touches, ensuring a smooth release later this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is set during the Second War for Armageddon. In this hex-based, turn-based game developed by Flashback Games and The Lordz Games Studio, players will lead the Imperial forces of the Armageddon Steel Legion and Space Marines from a variety of Chapters against the Ork invasion through over 30 scenarios, on the hostile terrain of the planet and its gigantic Hive Cities.

The game features a complex plot, involving known characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and while advancing through the campaign, the player will have the ability to carryover his core force from scenario to scenario.

Players can sign up for the beta by clicking here.

Get more information on Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon from its official product page.

Go behind the scenes with Obsidian Project Director Richard Taylor in this 6-minute video, as he answers questions from fans and shows all new footage of the Armored Warfare world. Hear what the team has to say about map size, projectile properties, water effects and more, and learn how to sign up for beta at aw.my.com.

WATCH VIDEO IN HD (Hosted by YouTube)

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

Over the years case designs have significantly evolved to the stage where a large portion of a system budget can be spend on that area of a build. In the enthusiast arena for example bigger tends to be better and the ability to install liquid cooling is a must, especially as GPUs are now available which have their own radiator block for a 12cm fan location. At the opposite end of the spectrum budget cases have changed too. Even in the last 4 or 5 years that has been the case and thanks to some great design we have a bunch of low cost, high quality and flexible options.

Fractal Design recently released their Core 3300 case, a model designed to appeal to those looking for a low cost chassis with plenty of flexibility. Today we take a look at it.

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By Kristian Vättö @ AnandTech

A couple of months ago we reviewed JMicron’s JMF667H reference design SSDs, which did relatively well in our tests especially when taking JMicron’s previous SSD controllers into account. As always, reference designs are only meant for evaluation and do not make their way into retail, so today we are taking a look at Transcend’s SSD340.

Read The Review Here

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces the Crossblade Ranger FM2+ Motherboard
• MSI Teases X99S Gaming 9 AC Motherboard
• ADATA Launches XPG Z1 DDR4 Overclocking Memory
• Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M Wireless Keyboard Ships
• Galaxy Designs Special GeForce GTX 750 Ti HOF Graphics Card
• Plextor M6 PRO with PlexTurbo Now Available Worldwide
• Club 3D Introduces the Worldwide First Y-Cabled Docking Station
• Thermaltake Urban S71 World of Tanks Edition Announced
• Intel to Discontinue Five More Ivy Bridge Processors
• ASRock Intros Two J2900 Bay Trail Motherboards
• MSI and CyberPowerPC Introduce the Venom-X Custom Configuration Service
• 23.8-Inch BenQ Monitor Has an IPS Full HD Screen and 4 ms Response Time
• ROCCAT Integrates Keyboard and Smartphone: The Skeltr
• X2 to Release the Genza Gaming Mouse
• Acer Releases the B286HK 28-Inch UHD Monitor
• OCZ ARC 100 Series SSDs Show up on Amazon and Scan
• AMD Readies Radeon R7 Branded Client SSDs
• Gigabyte Essence Desktop Case Pictured
• LEPA Introduces the BOL.Quiet Series Case Fans
• BenQ XL2420G ‘Hybrid Engine’ G-SYNC Monitor Coming This Fall
• HGST Announces the FlashMAX III PCIe SSDs
• Dell Developing Gaming Headset that Senses when you are Bored
• Philips 28-inch 4K Ultra HD Monitor Now Available