The FPS Review Weekender – June 20, 2026

NewsTech
By David Schroth

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The GPU story this week is our own: Brent Justice’s head-to-head comparison of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 landed today, putting a focused 1440p performance lens on a card that already received thorough launch-day treatment from the broader enthusiast press when the embargo lifted on June 2. Readers who want to catch up on what TechPowerUp, Tom’s Hardware, and Guru3D had to say about the GRE at launch can find all of that in the June 6 Weekender. On the cooling side, Noctua shipped its first-ever AIO liquid coolers on June 16, and the synchronized wave of launch-day reviews from every major outlet delivered one of the more emphatic verdicts the cooling category has seen in years.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE vs. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: When the RX 9070 GRE embargo lifted on June 2, the enthusiast press converged on a consistent read: a competitive 1440p raster card at $549, strong in raster workloads, trailing Nvidia in ray tracing and bandwidth-sensitive scenarios due to the cut-down Navi 48 XL configuration and 12GB GDDR6. What Brent added yesterday is the specific head-to-head against the RTX 5070, with the question framed exactly as buyers at this price point need it: whether the roughly $50 gap between the two cards shows up meaningfully at 1440p native, in upscaling, and in RT workloads.

FPS Review take: The comparison angle is the right follow-up to launch-day coverage, and the GRE vs. 5070 matchup is the question readers shopping in the $549-$600 range actually need answered. Brent’s full comparison is the place to start; the June 6 Weekender is there if you want the broader launch overview first.

Noctua NL-LC1 AIO Series (NL-LC1-24 / NL-LC1-36 / NL-LC1-42)

Written reviews:

Video reviews:

Consensus summary: Built on Asetek’s G8 V2 pump platform and differentiated by Noctua’s three-layer acoustic dampening system and NF-A12x25 G2 or NF-A14x25 G2 fans depending on the size, the NL-LC1 series earns an unusually unified verdict across all outlets: exceptional noise-normalized performance, particularly in the 360mm configuration, with build quality and mounting system execution consistent with Noctua’s air-cooler reputation. Tom’s Hardware’s test methodology directly compares the NL-LC1-36 against the NH-D15 G2 and finds the liquid cooler outperforms Noctua’s own flagship air cooler at dramatically lower noise levels, which is not a small thing to say. Pricing runs from $199.90 for the 240mm, $249.90 for the 360mm, and $279.90 for the 420mm, with a six-year warranty and no proprietary software ecosystem.

FPS Review take: Noctua entering the AIO market is the cooling story of the year, and the verdict from every outlet is essentially unanimous. Readers who have been avoiding liquid cooling specifically because most AIOs compromise on acoustics now have a compelling reason to reconsider, and the NF-A12x25 G2 fans alone are worth the conversation.

Gigabyte X870E AERO X3D DARK Wood Motherboard

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The DARK Wood is the inverse colorway sibling to the X870E AERO X3D Wood reviewed earlier in the year, swapping the light wood and white aesthetic for dark wood textures and leather pull-strap details on the same fully featured X870E platform at $499. Both outlets find the feature set complete: dual 5GbE LAN, USB4 Type-C, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7, and a robust 16+2+2 power delivery configuration. WCCFTech leads with “supreme aesthetics,” and Rick notes the dark execution improves on the light variant’s wood accents, which felt slightly undercooked by comparison.

FPS Review take: Rick reviewed the DARK Wood alongside Lian Li’s LANCOOL 217 Black Genuine Walnut case for a full wood-themed build showcase worth pointing readers toward that pairing if the aesthetic direction interests them.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless OMNI

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The OMNI’s defining feature is OMNIplay connectivity: three USB-C ports on the included base station handle PC, PS5, and Xbox 2.4GHz wireless simultaneously, with Bluetooth layered on top, eliminating the need to choose a platform-specific variant as with previous Nova Pro models. Reviewers across all three outlets agree it is the most versatile premium gaming headset currently available, with WCCFTech noting that the core sound character and comfort are largely unchanged from the Nova Pro Wireless and represent a refinement rather than a reinvention. The base station requirement is the tradeoff: this headset belongs on a desk, not in a bag.

FPS Review take: The “one headset for everything” concept finally feels fully realized here, and the $399 ask looks more reasonable against the alternative of owning separate headsets for each platform. Strong recommendation for our multi-platform readers.

ASUS TUF Gaming B850-Pro Wi-Fi7 W Neo

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The B850-Pro Wi-Fi7 W Neo sits at the upper tier of ASUS’s TUF AM5 lineup and brings the Neo hidden-connector BTF-style design to the B850 chipset, pairing it with Wi-Fi 7, PCIe 5.0 x16, three M.2 slots, and a clean all-white aesthetic.

FPS Review take: B850 has largely been overshadowed by X870E coverage, but it is the chipset where the bulk of real-world Ryzen 9000 builds actually land in terms of price. A well-executed board in this class is more useful to most of our readers than another $500 flagship motherboard.

Minisforum AtomMan G7 Pro

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The AtomMan G7 Pro pairs an Intel Core i9-14900HX mobile processor with a laptop-class RTX 5070 inside a compact mini PC chassis, and Igor’s characteristic focus on thermal and power delivery data gets at the central question: whether the form factor’s thermal constraints prevent the hardware from performing at or near its rated ceiling.

FPS Review take: RTX 5070-class performance in a mini PC is a legitimate hook for desk-constrained builders and living room gaming setups, and the 14th-gen Intel mobile pairing is an unusual choice in mid-2026. One to watch.

Noctua NT-CP1 Carbon Nanotube Thermal Pad

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The NT-CP1 is Carbice’s carbon nanotube thermal pad, the same product developed by the Atlanta-based TIM specialist, reaching consumers through Noctua’s distribution channel. igorslab.de is the first to publish a review based on the handful of samples handed out at Computex this year and their focus is on the pad’s durability characteristics and long-term performance consistency relative to traditional paste. We covered the Carbice and Noctua partnership announcement back in May, which also noted Carbice’s simultaneous bundling deal with AMD.

FPS Review take: We were early on this story when the Carbice partnerships were announced, and the NT-CP1 pairs naturally with the NL-LC1 launch this week. For builders who prefer a pad over paste for maintenance-free installs, this is the product to watch.

Akko Dash Ultra

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: Akko is the peripherals brand that has built significant goodwill in the enthusiast community through competitive keyboard pricing, and the Dash Ultra extends their presence into wireless gaming mice.

FPS Review take: Akko has earned the benefit of the doubt from our audience on keyboards. Whether that carries over to mice is the question, and one review is not yet enough to call it. Worth flagging for readers who are Akko fans.

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David Schroth
David is a computer hardware enthusiast that has been tinkering with computer hardware for the past 25 years and writing reviews for more than ten years. He's the Founder and Editor in Chief of The FPS Review.

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