The FPS Review Weekender – June 27, 2026

NewsTech
By David Schroth

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The biggest hardware story of the week is one that barely involves a graphics card: Valve’s Steam Machine finally shipped to reviewers and the verdict from every major outlet landed within 24 hours. The cooling segment also stays active, with a new post-launch look at Noctua’s debut AIO and a budget-tier 360mm alternative worth knowing about. Rick also turned in our own full review of the MSI Z890 GAMING PLUS WiFi6E this week, rounding out what has been a surprisingly busy seven days for motherboards on both platforms.

Valve Steam Machine

Written reviews:

Video reviews:

Consensus summary: The Steam Machine packs a semi-custom Zen 4 six-core chip running at up to 4.8 GHz alongside a 28-CU RDNA 3 GPU with 8GB GDDR6, and in benchmarks Gamers Nexus placed GPU performance in the neighborhood of an RX 6600 or RTX 3060. Every outlet praised the industrial design, near-silent acoustics, and the SteamOS living room experience; Tom’s Hardware found most games achievable at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, while 4K required FSR in all but lighter titles. The price is the sticking point: starting at $1,049 for the 512GB model and scaling to $1,430 with the 2TB configuration and Steam Controller, Valve confirmed it will not sell the hardware at a loss, and with component costs driven up by the AI-fueled memory crisis, LTT and PC Gamer delivered notably harsher assessments of the value proposition than the more measured tones at Tom’s Hardware and Rock Paper Shotgun.

FPS Review take: Whether or not the price makes sense for any individual reader will come down to how much they value the living room experience and SteamOS ecosystem, and the gaming performance picture is clear enough now that buyers can make an informed call. The Steam Machine ships June 29 via a randomized reservation queue, so if it’s on your radar, the sign-up window is already open.

Noctua NL-LC1-36 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The NL-LC1-36 is built on Asetek’s Emma V2 platform, differentiated by Noctua’s three-layer acoustic dampening system, NF-A12x25 G2 fans, and the SecuFirm2+ mounting hardware that Noctua fans already know from its air coolers. Tom’s Hardware’s noise-normalized testing found the cooler quieter at the same thermal load than Noctua’s own NH-D15 G2 air cooler running flat out, which is a significant result for a company whose reputation was built entirely on silence-focused air cooling. IgorSLab’s post-launch piece this week adds an independent data point to the launch wave and lands in the same place: the Asetek platform compromise does not diminish the real-world result, and $249.90 for a 360mm AIO with a six-year warranty and the NF-A12x25 G2 fan set baked in is hard to argue with for builders who have been sitting out liquid cooling for acoustic reasons.

FPS Review take: Readers who missed the full launch coverage can find all five written reviews and both video links in the June 20 Weekender; IgorSLab’s follow-up piece linked above is worth reading specifically for its focus on the pump noise profile and long-term acoustics framing that the launch-day reviews covered more briefly.

MSI Z890 GAMING PLUS WiFi6E Motherboard

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The Z890 GAMING PLUS WiFi6E sits at the entry tier of MSI’s Intel 800-series lineup, priced at $199 (currently $179.99 at retail), and brings the Z890 chipset’s PCIe 5.0 GPU slot, PCIe 5.0 M.2, DDR5 CUDIMM support, and WiFi 6E to builders who do not need RGB lighting, an elaborate VRM showcase, or extra DIY connectors. Rick found the board fully capable across the board with no issues noted in testing, and the BIOS reflects the same Click X interface MSI uses across its Z890 range.

FPS Review take (1-2 sentences): Rick scored it 8.5/10 and called it a short-list pick for budget or general-purpose Z890 builds, which at under $180 street price makes it one of the most accessible on-ramps to Intel’s current platform.

MSI MPG CORELIQUID P22 360 W AIO Liquid CPU Cooler

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: Arriving the same week as the Noctua NL-LC1-36, the CORELIQUID P22 360 W offers a reference point for readers deciding how much of Noctua’s acoustic engineering they actually need at their price point. TechPowerUp found it competitive on thermals for its class, and Tom’s Hardware’s headline framing of “low noise, strong performance, budget price” captures the positioning accurately: this is a 360mm AIO for folks who want solid results without paying a premium for acoustic refinement. It is not in the same tier as the Noctua on noise at equivalent load, but it costs significantly less.

FPS Review take: Readers building on a budget who find the Noctua’s $249.90 ask hard to justify should read both of these reviews back to back; the gap in acoustic performance will tell them whether the premium is worth it for their specific use case and noise tolerance.

ViewSonic VX2730D-4K 27-Inch Gaming Monitor

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The VX2730D-4K is a 27-inch IPS panel with 4K resolution at 144Hz as its native mode and a secondary mode that drops to FHD resolution at 288Hz, letting the same display serve both pixel-density and refresh-rate priorities depending on the game. Tom’s Hardware found it accurate out of the box and well-rounded for its price, with the dual-refresh functionality working as advertised; wide gamut and Adaptive-Sync support round out the feature set.

FPS Review take (1-2 sentences): A 4K IPS panel that doubles as a 288Hz competitive display from one input is a practical feature for readers who play both detail-heavy single-player titles and fast-paced esports shooters, and ViewSonic has historically delivered good value per dollar in this segment.

GIGABYTE X870E AORUS Master X3D Ice Motherboard

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The X870E Aorus Master X3D Ice is Gigabyte’s current flagship AM5 offering in the white ICE aesthetic lineup, priced at $649.99 and built around an 18+2+2 power phase configuration, 10GbE Ethernet, dual PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, Wi-Fi 7, DDR5 support up to 9,000 MT/s, and the X3D Turbo 2.0 feature targeting Ryzen X3D CPUs. TechPowerUp found benchmark results average to solid, with X3D Turbo 2.0 producing measurable but inconsistent game-specific gains, and flagged the RGB display on the VRM heatsink as a likely contributor to the 65°C thermal result under stress compared to the cheaper X870E Aorus Pro X3D Ice. At under $650 it competes favorably on feature count against the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Dark Hero and MSI MEG X870E Ace Max, both of which cost more.

FPS Review take: This is the board to look at if you are pairing a Ryzen 9000 X3D CPU with the white ICE build aesthetic and want a proper X870E feature set without pushing past $650; TechPowerUp’s conclusion that it competes well against pricier options on features is the key takeaway here.

Lexar PLAY X NVMe SSD M.2 2230 (with 2280 Bracket)

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The PLAY X is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive in the M.2 2230 form factor, a dimension that fits compact systems and remains relevant for anyone looking to upgrade a Steam Deck, an ultrabook, or an SFF build where a standard 2280 drive will not physically clear surrounding components. The included 2280 bracket extends its reach to conventional desktop slots, making it dual-purpose. Guru3D found performance in line with its budget positioning: competitive reads and writes for the price, with nothing to fault at what it is asking.

FPS Review take: M.2 2230 remains an underserved format for coverage and this is a timely review given how many handheld PCs and compact builds have shipped in the past 18 months; readers sitting on a Steam Deck or SFF rig with a slow stock drive will find this useful.

AMD EXPO 1.2 and Ultra-Low-Latency: Benchmark Preview

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: This is a benchmark analysis piece rather than a traditional product review: EXPO 1.2 and the Ultra-Low-Latency profile are BIOS-level additions rolling out via firmware updates to 600-series AM5 motherboards, including CUDIMM support that was absent from the original EXPO specification. Igor’s conclusion is blunt: the latency gains are real and the feature is worth enabling, but AMD’s communication around the rollout was poorly handled, with compatibility details arriving late and inconsistently. Support for specific kits and boards requires a BIOS update, so check your motherboard vendor’s update page if you are on AM5.

FPS Review take: Any reader running an AM5 system with DDR5 should be aware this exists and verify whether their board has the supporting BIOS live; the performance delta is not massive, but it is free if your hardware supports it.

Lian Li B4-mATX Case

Written reviews:

Consensus summary: The B4-mATX is Lian Li’s latest entry in its compact Micro-ATX case lineup, aimed at builders who want the brand’s build quality at a lower price tier than the LANCOOL series. TechPowerUp’s assessment covers cooling, noise, and build quality across a product designed with clean cable routing and layout as priorities.

FPS Review take: Micro-ATX cases that take the format seriously rather than treating it as a shrunken ATX afterthought are less common than they should be, and Lian Li has a credible track record here.

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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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