Here today's reviews and articles, including Idolian Mini Studio 8 Android Tablet Review, TRENDnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch Review, and AMD's A10-5750M Review, Part 2: The MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook



Fractal Design Define XL R2 Review @ KitGuru

Today we are going to take a look at the Fractal Design Define XL R2 case which is the successor to the highly regarded Define XL. This is a full tower case which is designed to house some of the largest and most powerful components on the market. It's part of Fractal Design's Define series which is created with acoustic performance as the main focus.

Read more: Fractal Design Define XL R2 Review @ KitGuru

Idolian Mini Studio 8 Android Tablet Review @ Review the Tech

Tablets are everywhere these days as they are expected to surpass PCs in sales by 2015 according to C|Net. With some many numerous choices in terms of brands and sizes choosing between Apple, Android and Microsoft based versions can be daunting. Each brand has its strengths and weaknesses. Some brands such as the HP TouchPad have already fallen to the wayside. The current batch of Android tablets are matching and even surpassing Apple’s iOS in terms of features.

For today’s review we will look at the Idolian Mini Studio 8. Idolian, a company that makes tablets and tablet accessories have two versions of their Studio Series this 8” model and a 10.1” screen version. This high performance tablet features a dual core processor and runs the most recent version of Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean.

Some of the specs include 16 GB of flash memory with the ability to expand storage up to 32 GB using a micro SD, a front and rear camera, built-in speakers, microphone, Bluetooth capability, 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and something not found in Apple iPads or most budget tablets – HDMI output

Read more: Idolian Mini Studio 8 Android Tablet Review @ Review the Tech

Noctua A-Series (NF-A14 NF-A15) Review @ Vortez

Noctua has been building fans since 2006. We have become familiar with the NF-P14 and the NF-P12 that stock the fabled NH-D14 heatsink. More recently, the NF-F12 dazzled us as the first stator fan for consumers, and only 25mm thick. But now, in the past eight months, Noctua has opened us to a whole new series of fans – the A series – from 40mm to 140mm. Today we will review the performance of the 120mm NF-S12A case fans, 140mm NF-A14 case fans and the 140mm NF-A15 heatsink fans. Not only that, we will look at the FLX, ULN and PWM flavors of these fans. How will they perform? Let’s see.

Read more: Noctua A-Series (NF-A14 NF-A15) Review @ Vortez

TRENDnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch Review @ DragonSteelMods

So I needed another switch for my network, wi-fi is nice but it’s not the best I prefer a wired network especially since I’ve already got the wires running all over the place. I wanted a well made switch so I opted to get one with a metal housing from TRENDnet, specifically the TEG-S50G which is from their GREENnet line meaning it’s supposed to use less power than others on the market and saving money anywhere I can is a good thing. This specific switch is the 3.0R version or it’s the latest one available and it’s a five port gigabit switch that’s very simple to use as it’s really just plug-and-play truly. I have another ‘green’ switch from D-Link and I’ve put that up against the TEG-S50G for comparison, so read on to learn more…

Read more: TRENDnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch Review @ DragonSteelMods

Silicon Power Diamond D20 500GB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive @ NikKTech

I'm a firm believer that no matter how much storage space one has it's never enough at least not the way things are currently so i always like to keep quite a few TB's of empty space around just in case. Unfortunately although 5TB 3.5" desktop hard drives are just right around the corner the small size of 2.5" HDDs has kept things slightly less impressive and so it may be quite a few years before we finally see even 4TB portable drives. However in a way the very definition of portable means that you can't expect to have the same things on the go like you do at the comfort of your home or work so for most people even 500GB are obviously more than enough to handle their mobile storage needs. Today on our test bench we have one such portable hard drive and more specifically the latest Diamond D20 500GB USB 3.0 model by our friends over at Silicon Power.

Read more: Silicon Power Diamond D20 500GB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive @ NikKTech

AMD's A10-5750M Review, Part 2: The MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook @ Anandtech

In the first part of our review of the AMD A10-5750M, we revealed the chip had a predisposition for better CPU performance. Does that carry over and help MSI's budget oriented gaming notebook, the GX60?

Read more: AMD's A10-5750M Review, Part 2: The MSI GX60 Gaming Notebook @ Anandtech