Top 10 technology

My top 10 technology trends lists cover trends that I think will be important over the next three years or so. As 2014 is now well underway, it’s time to focus on what’s around the corner so we are ready for massive change and newfound complexity.

1. Data Intensive Applications Will Rule Wireless IP As I predicted a decade ago, IP will eat everything. And I was right. But now, for my next prediction: Wireless data applications will eat IP in less than three years. The size and magnitude of this change is impossible to imagine, but the implications for service providers will hit like a tsunami in 2015.
2. Mobile Data Congestion is Already a RealityService providers must start to off-load to other wireless technologies like WiFi immediately. They also need to create space for new applications like those used in advanced technologies like robotic surgical operation. Data off-loading, like WiFi itself, is an immediate need for all service providers worldwide.
3. Applications Must be the Center
   Networks must be redesigned so that applications are the center of the universe. Networks must adapt and adjust traffic needs of the application such as latency, jitter and packet loss absorption to provide spontaneous and ubiquitous coverage across the world.
4. Data Traffic is Rising By 2015, 91 percent of internet traffic will be video, including HD and 3D video. The current internet is not designed for these needs. We have to design networks, and applications such as CDN, to be able to handle the load effectively and efficiently. Additionally, management of traffic at data centers poses another major challenge for service providers. Data center traffic will exceed five zetabytes in 2015 and 76 percent of that data will stay inside the data center. This demands brand new architectures, much different than the models developed with Layer 4-7 switch in the last decade. In addition, 50 percent of video is for downstream mobile traffic and Over-The-Top (OTT) players like Netflix who make their revenue on the backs of companies like ATT, Verizon and others. These OTT players will command 35 percent of US peak downstream traffic.
5. Rising Data, Declining Revenue
   This trend, already visible, will continue — and accelerate — in 2014 and 2015. Today data revenue and traffic are disassociated in a data-dominant world. Revenues are beginning to plateau so CXOs must be ready to help CEOs create innovative ways to take revenue away from OTT players starting now.
6. Cloud Computing Will Plateau
   Cloud computing implementation will plateau by 2015. Technologies such as quantum computing will take their place at the center of our universe for decades to come, and the traditional Moore’s law computing model will be replaced.
   
   For example, in 1940, computers processed one CPS (cycle per second) every 150 seconds. As computing has improved, we moved up to common PCs like the IBM PS/2, which ran at 250 CPS. When the Cray computer was needed for massive processing, it had only 86 million CPS. By 2015, early quantum computers will handle 38 TCPS, and we will be able to see to the edge of the universe with massive computing at 14B light years away with computers that can handle 8.6 Quadrillion CPS. Computing will finally surpass Moore’s law.
   
   For you techies: Quadrillion means 10 to the power of 15 CPS performed every second. This number, which blows people’s minds, has profound implications for cloud and other technology. Services will develop that are so massive it is hard to even imagine them. If they are not careful, quantum computing will create real headaches for service providers by 2015.
7. Knowledge Mining Rules!
   Knowledge mining will replace all data mining and information mining; this will have a huge impact on data retention and compression across the entire enterprise.
8. The Advent of LTE-A
   LTE-A will finally become reality, with peak speeds of up to 1 Gbps+; LTE-A will compete with FTTH technologies.
9. New Radio Developments
   New Wireless RAN technologies will use cognitive radios; small sites and femto cells will be history like other technologies.
10. New Technologies to watch for in 2015:

- Thumb Print Scanners

- Large Mobile Storage like SATA in smart phones

- Fuel cells with battery life exceeding 3-10 days on a single charge

- 3-D printing

- IPv6

- 100 Mbps broadband speed for consumers

- Autonomic computing

- Quantum computing in all types of verticals such as security, surgery and mainly,

robotics

- 50 billion end points including RFIF- and GPS-based devices

- 10:1 ratio of wireless devices to wire line

- Speech-to-speech translation in real time will finally become a reality with

technologies such as quantum computing

- Implantation of “nano computers,” quantum computers which are one hundredth the

size of current PCs and one thousandth the weight of the smallest Laptop and PC in

the world

- Green technology will finally become real and affordable for consumers and

businesses to use, which will lower oil dependency and create jobs beyond what

we have ever seen in the past 100 years

- Wearable Networks: networks that, in case of failure, return to their original state

with no manual intervention

- Intelligent optical chip will finally become reality. Light can be stored on a chip which

will allow massive amounts of optical processing

One final note: The years between 2020-25 will be dominated by machines. Consumers and businesses will live in a robotic world — a scenario eerily reminiscent of the Terminator franchise.

Credit :  Dr. Eslambolchi

ASUS G750JZ-XS72 Best Gaming Laptop for You

ASUS G750JZ-XS72

The gaming arms race continues, and the latest to escalate this never-ending battle is the ASUS G750JZ-XS72, a system with Nvidia's newest and most powerful mobile graphics card. But in addition to the GeForce GTX 880M GPU, this 17-inch rig also features a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ processor, a whopping 32GB of RAM, and dual 256GB solid-state drives (SSDs) in a RAID 0 array. Will this notebook ensure destruction for the competition

Design

Display
ASUS G750JZ Review DisplayThe ASUS G750JZ's 17.3-inch, 1080p display delivered strong visuals, whether we were watching movies or playing games. A trailer for "Captain America: Winter Soldier" looked crisp and vibrant, and we could make out individual scratches on Captain America's shield.
Viewing angles are wide enough to accommodate several people huddled on either side of the notebook, but vertical viewing angles were much more limited. We liked that the matte display cut down on reflections, but colors didn't pop as much as they would on a glossy panel. Still, it's hard to argue with the high level of detail we saw when playing "World of Tanks" and "Metro: Last Light." Everything from dust clouds to dead aliens was rendered sharply.

Keyboard and Touchpad
ASUS G750JZ Review Keyboard TouchpadWhen playing on a notebook as opposed to a desktop, one concession gamers have had to make is the keyboard. Those found on mobile systems generally don't compare to customizable mechanical keyboards you can purchase from third-party vendors.
ASUS is trying to bridge that gap with the keyboard on the G750JZ. Its key travel of 2.5mm made for a very comfortable typing experience.

ASUS G750JZ Review KeyboardWhile we like that the keyboard has adjustable white backlighting, it lacks the fun, multicolored effects found on MSI and Alienware systems. Another feature that ASUS -- as well as all gaming-notebook makers -- should add is the ability to make every key programmable, as on the Razer Blade.
The G750JZ's 4.5 x 2.75-inch touchpad was plenty spacious for executing Windows 8 gestures. There were times, however, when we wished the notebook had a touch screen.

Audio
ASUS G750JZ Review Audio WizardDespite having a subwoofer in addition to stereo speakers, audio from the ASUS G750JZ was loud, but the quality was just mediocre. Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" was on the tinny side. The same went for other genres of music -- Jay Z 's "Encore" lacked a thumping bass line. However, audio on a trailer for "Captain America," as well as on the games we played, sounded full and immersive.
The ASUS Audio Wizard, which is powered by MaxxAudio, has five presets: War Room, Soundscape, Battlefield, Action and Multimedia. None of them did much to improve the quality of whatever we were listening to, but we did like the fact that we could tweak individual EQ settings .

Heat
ASUS G750JZ Review Heat VentsAs if its massive rear vents didn't give it away, the ASUS G750JZ is very efficient at expelling heat. Inside, the notebook features three heat pipes and dual copper sinks for the GPU and CPU.
After streaming a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 81 degrees, the space between the G and H keys was 87 degrees and the middle of the underside was 88.5 degrees. All are comfortably below our threshold of 95 degrees.
We then blasted enemy tanks for 15 minutes in "World of Tanks," and the G and H keys measured 92 degrees and the touchpad was 81 degrees. However, the bottom, near the right vent, jumped to a toasty 106 degrees.
Not only does the G750JZ do a reasonably good job of keeping its cool, but we never noticed any fan noise.

Ports
ASUS G750JZ Review PortsThe left side of ASUS' rig houses two USB 3.0 ports, a DVD/Blu-ray drive, and a 3-in-1 card reader. The right side has ports for VGA, Ethernet, HDMI 1.4, Thunderbolt, two more USB 3.0 ports, and headphone and mic jacks. About the only thing missing is the combo HDMI-in/out port that's featured on the Alienware 17 -- but that's nitpicking.

Graphics and Gaming
ASUS G750JZ Review GamingThe ASUS G750JZ features Nvidia's newest high-end GPU, the GeForce GTX 880M, with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. According to Nvidia, this chip will provide up to 15 percent more performance over the previous-generation GTX780M GPU.
When playing "World of Tanks" with the settings at maximum, we averaged between 60 and 70 frames per second, and marveled at the details of the buildings, as well as the waving grass and palm trees. When our tank was inevitably destroyed, it went up in an impressive plume of fire and smoke.
On 3DMark Fire Strike, a graphics benchmark that tests DirectX 11, the G750JZ scored 2,780, which is 500 points higher than the average (2,272), and 400 points higher than the Alienware 17 (2,367), which has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU with 4GB of memory.
When we fired up our entry-level "World of Warcraft" gaming test, the G750JZ averaged 140 fps with the effects on Ultra and the resolution at 1920 x 1080 pixels. That blew away the category average of 114 fps, as well as the Alienware 17 (103 fps) and the MSI GT70 (105 fps), which also has the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU.
ASUS G750JZ-XS72On the more demanding "BioShock Infinite," the ASUS averaged 65 fps with the settings on High and the resolution at 1080p. While the gap between that frame rate and the average (57 fps) was narrower, it still handily beat both the Alienware (35 fps) and the MSI (44 fps).
Finally, on "Metro: Last Light," the ASUS G750JZ averaged 81 fps with the effects on Low and the resolution at 1080p. On this test, the ASUS was on a par with the Alienware (84 fps) as well as the category average (80 fps). With effects set to High, the ASUS' frame rate dropped to an unplayable 24 fps, which was just higher than the Alienware (22 fps) and the average (18 fps).
But greater performance is just one aspect of Nvidia's new family of GPUs, which includes the 880M. Built into the GeForce Experience app are several features meant to enhance gameplay and endurance.
ASUS G750JZ-XS72Battery Boost lets you cap performance at a predetermined frame rate. The app will then throttle the notebook's components, so that gamers can eke out a bit more juice while not sacrificing too much performance.
Battery Boost Custom Game Settings, available in early April, lets you tweak individual titles even further.
ShadowPlay lets users record gameplay at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080p, and broadcast your gaming sessions to sites such as Twitch.
GameStream, previously only available on Nvidia's desktop GPUs, allows you to stream games from your notebook to connected devices, such as Nvidia's SHIELD.
Performance
ASUS G750JZ Review PerformanceThe size of the G750JZ allows ASUS to pack in an absurd amount of power. In addition to the 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ processor and 32GB of RAM, the notebook has three hard drives: a 1TB, 7,200-rpm HGST Travelstar 7K1000 hard drive, as well as dual SanDisk 256GB SSDs in a RAID 0 array.
On PCMark 7, a benchmark that tests overall performance, the G750JZ scored 5,969, which is better than the category average of 4,727 but slightly lower than the G750JX (6,115), which has the same CPU, and the MSI GT70 (6,025), which has a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor. The Alienware 17, which also has a 2.70-GHz Intel Core i7-4800MQ processor, scored 5,492.
Duplicating 4.97GB of multimedia files took the G750JZ just 18 seconds, for a rate of 283 MBps. That's more than twice as fast as the category average (131 MBps) and handily beats the Alienware 17 (182 MBps). However, this rate falls well short of the MSI GT70, whose dual 128GB SSDs blazed through at 463 MBps.
The G750JZ booted Windows 8 in a speedy 19 seconds. That's slower than the MSI GT70, which needed just 9 seconds.

Battery Life
ASUS G750JZ Review BatteryOn the Laptop Mag Battery Test (Web surfing with the brightness at 40 percent), the G750JZ's 8-cell, 88-wHr battery lasted 6 hours and 26 minutes. That's more than 2 hours longer than the average desktop replacement (4 hours), the Alienware 17 (4:09) and the MSI GT70 (4:18). In fact, the ASUS' endurance is pretty good for an ultraportable.
Of course, our battery test was conducted using the integrated Intel GPU, as Nvidia's Optimus technology will automatically switch from its discrete GPU to the integrated GPU if it detects the notebook doesn't require a lot of graphics muscle.
MORE: 10 Laptops with the Longest Battery Life
However, Battery Boost -- a new feature in Nvidia's GTX 800M series of GPUs -- will let you set a predetermined frame-rate average and then automatically throttle components, such as the GPU and CPU, to conserve some juice. We will update this review once we've had a chance to fully test this feature.

ASUS G750JZ Review OutroWith its new Nvidia GeForce GTX 880M GPU, the ASUS G750JZ is one of the mightiest gaming laptops on the market. At $2,999, it's not cheap, but this rig delivers some of the best gaming scores we've seen yet. Hardcore gamers may want to wait and see what sort of performance competing systems from Alienware and MSI deliver, but for those who want the best right away in a rad design, the G750JZ won't disappoint.

Part Lamborghini and part stealth fighter, the ASUS G750Jz is just as menacing as its predecessors. Its angled design is identical to that of the G750Jx, with a soft-touch black lid that tapers on either side. The lid feels comfortable to the touch, but has a tendency to show oily fingerprints.

Inside, the unassuming deck is made of black, brushed aluminum, with a triangular power button sitting in the upper-right corner. On the back are the two iconic, oversize air vents that have come to symbolize ASUS' high-end gaming rigs.

Best Games Mouse

Best Games Mouse

Not every mouse is right for every genre, and nowhere is this more evident than in massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. The Razer Naga provides everything that hardcore MMO players need  a plethora of thumb buttons, a streamlined design and a capable software interface. While the Naga isn't a perfect mouse, it may be the best dedicated MMO mouse on the market and is well worth a look from high-level players.

Design

At first glance, the Naga makes one thing eminently clear: Claw-grip players may be better served elsewhere. The Naga is a large, heavy mouse with an incredibly high profile to accommodate its four rows of thumb buttons. Palm-grip players can rest their palms on the mouse's steep curve and their thumbs on the thumb buttons. The ring finger has its own contoured rest, while the pinky has a textured pad.

Features

A high-end gaming mouse is often only as good as its software, and the Razer Synapse 2.0 delivers where it counts. Of the Naga's 19 buttons, 18 are programmable (the left button is not) with everything from individual keystrokes to macros, changing dots-per-inch (DPI) sensitivity and switching profiles.

Each profile can store eight separate keymaps, giving a player access to almost 100 programmable buttons per profile. However, cycling through keymaps is not that straightforward: As it has no default button, users must program this feature into each individual profile themselves.

The Naga also sports a generous DPI range: 100 to 8,200. As MMOs tend to rely more on rapid keystrokes than rapid camera movements, the upper DPI ranges may not be terribly useful, but having them there is still appreciated. Users can also customize DPI for the X- and Y-axes individually, calibrate the mouse for different surfaces or control the device's illumination.

On the off chance that you play a number of different MMOs, you can also link profiles with individual games. This feature is a nice touch, but perhaps less necessary in an MMO mouse than in an all-purpose peripheral.

What sets the Naga apart from its competitors are its rows of thumb buttons. While the Logitech G600 has a similar setup, the Naga features crisper buttons with more satisfying clicks. The 12 buttons don't feel incredibly different from one another, but thanks to the curve of the mouse, each one rests at a different elevation. This means that with a relatively short learning curve, users can tell the buttons apart and access them frequently with little trouble.

It's worth noting, however, that the thumb buttons are all active on the mouse's default profile. This means that unless you're very careful, expect to see a lot of random numbers pop up while you're surfing the Web or typing in a word processor, until you learn to rest your thumb very lightly.

Performance

As an MMO mouse, the Naga understandably did not excel at most of our standard test titles. We had thoroughly adequate experiences with "BioShock Infinite," "StarCraft II" and "Batman: Arkham City," but even when we reprogrammed the thumb buttons to useful commands, the mouse's overall design proved clunky and inefficient.

On the other hand, the mouse was a boon for "World of Warcraft" as well as "Star Wars: The Old Republic" (which we tested for the Naga as well, given the MMO's popularity). Both of these games rely on a toolbar of skills that players need to access at a moment's notice. Since moving and using skills simultaneously is tough with a traditional keyboard, having 12 keys within thumb's reach was extremely helpful.

Aside from the buttons, the mouse itself was responsive, accurate and precise. We also found the extra keymaps feature to be useful, as it let us access a second set of commands just by holding down one of the buttons beneath the scroll wheel (although we still believe that eight separate keymaps is overkill).

In general, keeping our skills assigned to the primary keymap and nonessential commands (such as a quest log or inventory) to the secondary keymap was a great way to access every game feature with our dominant hand.

The Naga has a programmable liftoff range, but its Z-axis tracking leaves something to be desired. Picking up the mouse and replacing it causes the cursor to drift a short distance across the screen, although this is generally not too disastrous in an MMO.

Gaming Monitor

Choosing a Good Gaming Monitor

When you’re looking for the right gaming monitor there are a couple of things that you should keep in mind. Here’s a couple points that just might help you to make a decision.

Response Time is Important, but can be Misleading :

Manufacturers who sell monitors listed for gaming always promote response time as the most important specification. Response time is the time it takes for a pixel to go from black to white and back again. While some monitors advertise response times under 1ms, the truth is that they list the GTG or gray to gray response time rather than the black to white to black response time. For the most part any monitor with under 8ms response time is more than fine to use for gaming. This includes many low response time / input lag IPS panel monitors as well.

Input Lag:

Input lag is often confused with response time but is something completely different. Input lag is a specification which, in my humble opinion, is even more important than response time because its the lag in time from when you enter in a command with your controller or keyboard and when its actually shown on the screen. Most of the monitors I’ve listed below have sub 1 frame input lag, or 16ms. which is what you want. Manufacturers do not list input lag, but you can find the input lag of many monitors by doing a simple Google search.

Refresh Rate:

Your monitor’s refresh rate is basically the amount of times per second that it draws the data. Many monitors made specifically for gaming in 2013 have a refresh rate of beyond 120Hz. This allows them to display up to 120 frames per second.

Is there a reason to get a 120Hz or greater monitor if you aren’t getting above 60FPS?

If you aren’t getting more than 60 FPS or frames per second with your graphics card, then there is no reason that you would have to have a higher refresh rate monitor. On the other hand, having above 60FPS does matter even if you don’t have a higher refresh rate monitor as it lowers the input lag of your mouse and keyboard.

Overall you want something fast, but that’s also functional for what you do the most. While some monitors made for tournaments may be fast, they aren’t for everyone and may not provide the picture, resolutions, or functionality that casual gamer may be looking for in a monitor they also use for work.

Whether you’re building a basic desktop or a power-house gaming PC, choosing the right PSU is an important decision.

Corsair's just released it's shiny new RM range of power supplies, so it's as good a time as any to look at how to choose the right PSU for you...
When it comes to PC building, there are some really exciting decisions that are going to have an immediate effect on your system. The stars of the show are usually the processor and the video card, with the motherboard a close second; people agonise over what part to choose in order to get the most of out of their new build.
Compared to these attractive pieces of kit, the humble power supply – just as essential, but a little on the boring side – can often get overlooked in terms of research and impact.
However, choosing the right PSU can have a massive impact on your next build – and many builds after, too, as this is one part that, like monitors, can often carry over from one PC to the next. So you should really make the right choice first time. You’ll end up with better performance, and a component that will last through multiple upgrades and builds. Here’s our advice on what to look for when you’re in the market for more power.
Form factor
The ATX form factor is very much the industry standard these days, and while that means its width and height, not to mention mounting-screw placement, are locked in – and compatible with all ATX case designs – the form factor can vary in depth. If you’ve got a full-size desktop tower, you’re probably not going to have to worry about room, but smaller cases will often require a shorter PSU design, so as to leave room for neat cabling. In some shorter case designs, longer PSUs will even get in the way of optical drive cables.
The ‘standard’ drive depth is around six inches deep, though supplies with a higher wattage will be an inch or two deeper. Always make sure you know the room you’ll be working with in any build, and choose an appropriately-sized PSU.
Fan placement and size is something you’ll want to pay attention to as well. Smaller fans will have to spin faster to push more hot air out of the PSU, and will therefore be noisier. Larger fans, up to 140mm in diameter, spin slower and are therefore quieter.
If you want a quiet system, this is definitely important, but larger fans usually vent into your PC’s case. You’ll need to make sure there’s room enough for sufficient exhausting, as well as make sure that the cooling within your case are up to the task of dealing with the extra hot air.
Power to the people 
Well, components, actually.
You’ll want to choose a PSU that’s up to the task of powering all your components, with enough headroom to take care of any future upgrades, though with PC parts becoming more and more efficient, this is less of a concern these days. One of the best places to start is with the excellent online calculator at Extreme Outervision. Here you  can  list the parts of your particular build, including whether or not you intend to overclock any components. You’ll then end up with an overall wattage you should be aiming for. Alternately, various PSU makers offer similar services, such as Corsair’s PSU Finder; they may be simpler, but are often quite adequate for
most needs.
If you’re running powerful parts, you’ll also need a basic understanding of the individual ‘rails’ within your PSU. Some designs offer a single rail, others multiple rails, with different amperages on each. Your video card specs, if it’s powerful enough, will often call for a recommended power supply wattage that can help you choose the right PSU. If you have a powerful CPU and video card, you’ll want a PSU with dedicated rails for these parts.
Cabling
It’s up to you whether you want a PSU with fixed or modular cabling, as modular PSUs – with the ability to use only the cables you need, like Corsair’s RM series, pictured – are generally more expensive. But if you’ve got the cash in your budget, we’d suggest going modular.
It’s not only neater and easier to install a PSU with less cabling, but ultimately this will assist in keeping your PC running cool in the long run, and provide less surfaces for dust and other cruft to accumulate on.
You’ll also want to make sure you’ve got PCI-E connectors for any juice-hungry video cards you’re using, especially if you’re running any kind of multi-GPU rig. In the latter case, choosing a PSU that is SLI Ready or CrossFire Certified is a safe bet. Even then, check that you’ll be getting the right number of 4-, 6- or 8-pin PCI-E connectors.
You do not want to get your PSU home to find out you can’t hook up your precious video cards.
Lastly, while even lower-specced PSUs tend to come with a mess of SATA and Molex connectors for components like drives, if you’re running anything more complex like front-bay fan monitors or water-cooling loops, just make sure your PSU has enough for your needs.
Efficiency
The more efficient your PSU, the less noise it will make, the less power it will draw, and the less it will cost when you open your energy bill. PSUs are rated at five levels – 80 Plus, 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold and 80 Plus Platinum, with Platinum being most efficient. There’s not a huge difference, but if you’re PC is on a lot, or you’re building multiple, powerful systems, you’ll want to go with at least a Gold rating.
We’d definitely suggest not taking any cheap option that isn’t properly rated – it’s just not worth the risk.

Best CPU Cooler /Processor Heatsink 2014

Best CPU Cooler /Processor Heatsink 2014

Overcloking Cooling Paradise – Top CPU Cooling Systems

Are you looking for the best CPU Cooler 2014? Did your processor just burst into flames playing your favorite game on a over-clocked computer?

Good thing you found the page that will help you take off some heat off of your CPU, with a list of updated CPU coolers during the year and the best places to buy on the Internet, this is the best page to find your top CPU Cooler for 2014.

We love this nice little cooling heat-sink with fan combo, it is perfect for the beginner over-clockers out there and for anyone that wants to keep their processor cool.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

cool down your processor with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes and software that controls the fan speed for when it is needed the most.

Comes with one fan mounted on the heat sink ,but the Hyper 212 Plus is designed with the possibility of having a fan in front and in back to give extra cooling power.

This is a great option when you have a high quality gaming CPU in your desktop computer.

Best CPU Water Cooling

Corsair Hydro Series Extreme CPU Cooler H100i

The main problem that you may encounter with you personal computer is overheating. Usually, the CPU gets overworked which causes it to overheat.

Overheating can greatly affect your PCs overall performance and might cause it to break down and worst, start a fire.

There are a lot of CPU coolers that you can buy in computer shops but not all of them can truly keep your CPU from heating up. If I were you, I’ll choose the best CPU cooler there is.

The Corsair Hydro Series Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler H100i’s advance design, the Hydro Series H80i, can cool your CPU and prevent overheating in no time. Together with the double-wide radiator, it packs a powerful cooling punch that maintains your CPU’s optimal temperature.

Gaming Case 2014

Gaming Case 2014

A good gaming case not only gives your PC an identity, it also houses your expensive components. As someone who has used quite a few cases in the past I thought I'd put together a list of a few of my favorites.

Below you'll find my guide to gaming cases, updated in 2014 with the best computer cases as voted on by PC builders. This includes all of the need to know information about the latest new release cases broken down into various categories.

Before you go, vote for the best overall gaming case of 2014 in our interactive reader poll below.

Best Mid-Tower PC Gaming Case

Cooler Master HAF 912 - RC-912-KKN1

There’s a lot of really great mid-tower gaming cases out there in 2014. In 2013 it felt like I kept waiting around for every manufacturer to update their cases to have USB 3.0 in the front I/O. For the most part this has already happened in 2014.

If you asked me early last year which case I’d recommend for this particular category, then I’d have probably said something like the HAF 912 or the the slightly less expensive Cooler Master Elite 430. Now Cooler Master has updated that model with the Elite 431 Plus and I decided to test one of the more intriguing and popular models on the market in 2014, the CM Storm Enforcer.

Design:

The design of this case is everything I was hoping for with plenty of space in the interior, a great look to the case in general, a side window, and a good amount of I/O ports in the front. What continued to impress me was the inside of the case which is clearly made for the 2014 PC builder. Purchasing a separate 2.5″ converter is unnecessary with this case as you can put a drive like your SSD in the 2.5″ slot or use the provided converter – either one. In the picture above my SSD is actually in the 2.5″ slot that’s in the middle bottom area.

Best Full Tower PC Gaming Cases

Cooler Master HAF X

If you’ve been looking for a full-size gaming tower, then most likely you’ve taken a look at the Cooler-Master Haf X. I’ve used it several times in the past and have had no regrets.

This case is designed specifically for performance enthusiasts in mind. For well under $200 you get all the slots you need to fit just about any extreme build or design you come up with. It’s also super easy to upgrade or add-on with the spacious interior and SATA dock. The HafX is also built with quality materials that don’t break down over time which is a plus if you plan to use it long-term.

Best Mini/Micro HTPC ATX Computer Cases

SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case (ML03B)

Below is a list of the best mini or Micro HTPC (Home Theatre PC) cases. At the top of the list is the sleek SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case (ML03B).  One of the greatest things about this case is its ability to hold 4 80mm fans despite its size.

If you transfer a lot of files, photos, or especially movies, then you’ll appreciate that SilverStone included 2 USB 3.0 ports on the front panel.  It also comes with 4 low profile +1 utility slot for expansion so it can hold up to 5 2.5 Inch or 3 3.5 Inch Hard disk drives or Solid State Drives.

Best New Gaming Cases for 2014

Corsair Aluminum 650 D Mid Tower Case

Looking for something a little bit different than you’ve seen before? Here are some new release gaming cases for this year (see below).  If you like aluminum cases, then we recommend you go with the all new Corsair Aluminum 650 D Mid Tower Enthusiast Case (CC650DW-1).

Although there are few consumer ratings and reviews for this product, thus far, every one that we’ve read has been positive.  This new case recently won both a performance and a gold award at HardwareHeaven.com.

The brushed aluminum faceplate of this case is eye catching as well as efficient but this case also comes with a lot of quality features as well.  Included are 2 large 200mm fan along with a 120mm fan.  Performance enthusiasts will enjoy the Eight expansion slots which give you plenty of room for SLI/Crossfire Options with your GPU.

Final Thoughts:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this review of the best gaming cases of 2014. If you’d like to make a contribution to this lens, then please use the reader feedback section below.

I try to update my lenses regularly. If I’ve missed a PC case that you have recently come across, please inform me by leaving a comment. Your feedback helps me to keep this lens fresh.