Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Seagate 600 SSD Review (480GB), be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 Review, DiskStation DS213j, Ineo Alien Vibes W601 Speaker System Review, and Corsair Obsidian 350D Review



Seagate 600 SSD Review (480GB) - Seagate Enters The SSD Arena in a Big Way! @ The SSD Review

You might remember us breaking the news of Seagates planned entry into the SSD arena at ceBIT in Germany last March. This mornings news of two 2.5″ form factor SSDs, one 12Gb/s SAS, and one PCIe SSD, marks Seagate’s official jump into the SSD arena…and what a jump it is.

Even better news is that today we are bringing to you a detailed analysis of Seagates new 600 SSD a notebook form factor SATA 3 SSD that will be the first in 5mm notebook ultra-thin SSDs.

Read more: Seagate 600 SSD Review (480GB) - Seagate Enters The SSD Arena in a Big Way! @ The SSD Review

be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 Review @ HCW

Dark Rock Pro 2 Review – We have reviewed some monstrous CPU coolers over the last several months – behemoths giving up a lot of volume real estate and weight, in exchange for silent cooling performance. Our favourite thus far has been the Noctua NH-D14, with the Phanteks PH-TC14PE not far behind.

Today we are looking at a product from be quiet!, a company that is not new, but is just entering the North American market. Their power supplies are already available, and the Dark Rock Pro 2 will be in North American stores soon with an MSRP of $90.

Read more: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 Review @ HCW

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W BN603 PSU Review @ Legit Reviews

Undoubtedly, the 850W version of the Dark Power Pro 10 is an excellent product. The performance of the power supply is exceptional on all fronts; the ripple suppression and voltage regulation are great, the efficiency is very high and the Dark Power Pro 10 is surprisingly cool and quiet considering its power output. When it comes to quality, it might be sufficient to simply mention that this is a Seasonic design improved upon by a German engineering company. Be Quiet! went with some of the best quality components currently available for commercial products and the assembly quality is astounding. Even the unique external appearance and feel of the Dark Power Pro 10 850W unit cry out that this is a very high quality product...

Read more: Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W BN603 PSU Review @ Legit Reviews

Toshiba Kirabook Review @ TechReviewSource.com

The Toshiba Kirabook is an attempt to conquer the Apple MacBook laptop. It is an upscale Ultrabook laptop that has a sleek, thin design and a Retina-like 13.3-inch touch screen display. With the Kirabook, you also get excellent battery life and a speedy solid-state drive.

Read more: Toshiba Kirabook Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Samsung 840 SSD 250 GB @ techPowerUp

The Samsung 840 SSD is the first solid-state drive using TLC flash technology, which promises higher data density, translating in lower overall cost. In our testing we see decent performance, that turns into "outstanding" when taking into account performance per Dollar and price per GB.

Read more: Samsung 840 SSD 250 GB @ techPowerUp

Synology DiskStation DS213j Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Today Synology are launching the latest of their Home/Small Office DiskStations, the DS213j. A 2 drive NAS it offers a balance of features and performance which should appeal to those looking for their first external storage device, or those looking to upgrade from an older model with more basic functionality.

Read more: Synology DiskStation DS213j Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

The Seagate 600 & 600 Pro SSD Review @ Anandtech

If you had asked me back in 2008 who I thought would be leading the SSD industry in 2013 I would’ve said Intel, Western Digital and Seagate. Intel because of its commanding early lead in the market, and WD/Seagate because as the leaders in hard drives they couldn’t afford to be absent from the long term transition to SSDs. The days of having to explain why SSDs are better than mechanical drives are thankfully well behind us, now it’s just a question of predicting the inevitable. I figured that the hard drive vendors would see the same future and quickly try to establish a foothold in the SSD market. It turns out I’m really bad at predicting things.

Like most converging markets (in this case, storage + NAND), the SSD industry hasn’t been dominated by players in the market that came before it. Instead, SSDs attracted newcomers to the client/enterprise storage business. Not unlike DRAM, owning a NAND foundry has its benefits when building a profitable SSD business. It’s no surprise that Intel, Micron and Samsung are some of the more frequently discussed SSD vendors - all of them own (either partially or fully) NAND foundries.

Read more: The Seagate 600 & 600 Pro SSD Review @ Anandtech

ADATA XPG DDR3 2133 Memory Kit @ Modders-Inc

ADATA has recently released their high performance XPG memory kits to the masses. The kits come in the 8 and 16 Gigabyte flavors with a variety of speeds and timings. The ADATA XPG DDR3 2133 memory kits feature a heat spreader with unique channels and cooling properties. How does this kit fare in our tests?

Read more: ADATA XPG DDR3 2133 Memory Kit @ Modders-Inc

Ineo Alien Vibes W601 Speaker System Review @ ThinkComputers.org

When it comes to getting speakers sadly many people just simply go to the store and pick up what they have there and do not do any research at all. Speakers allow you to take the headphones off and share the music you are listening to. Today we are taking a look at an interesting 2.2-channel speaker system from a new company called Alien Vibes. The Alien Vibes W601 features a large dual subwoofer, dual 15-watt satellites, wooden construction and a built in card reader and USB port that you can use to play music from different devices. Will the W601 impress? Read on to find out.

Read more: Ineo Alien Vibes W601 Speaker System Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Review @ Techgage

With our ever-increasing need for storage, 4TB models couldn’t be more tempting. On the scale of temptation, though, one drive is placed higher than all the others: Seagate’s Desktop HDD.15. There’s one good reason for that: it costs less than $200. We hear you – it sounds crazy. Let’s dig in and find out if it really is.

Read more: Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Review @ Techgage

Fractal Design Adjust 108 Fan Controller @ Benchmark Reviews

Fractal Design brings simplicity and style together with the Adjust 108 fan controller. This accessory has a beautiful brushed aluminum face and 6 individual slider controls. Each fan channel can power up to 36 watts of enthusiast level performance. The only component of a pc that creates any substantial noise at full capacity is the fans, and eventually it becomes the next thing on the list to find a solution for. Benchmark Reviews will examine the Adjust 108 model FD-FC-ADJ-108-BL for quality, performance, and how capable it is of toning down the white noise from fans during the times when its least desired or needed.

A desktop computer doesn't have to be just a box tucked away under the desk somewhere out of sight and out of mind. Fractal Design is a company dedicated to creating all their products with quality components and a professional centerpiece appearance. With the Adjust 108 installed the desktop computer isn't just a box its something to behold and marvel at again with a bold, brushed aluminum face plate, slider controls with white/blue LED lights and stealthy silent case fans when turned down.

Read more: Fractal Design Adjust 108 Fan Controller @ Benchmark Reviews

Gigabyte Z77X-UD4H Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Similar to the experience I have had with gaming, the study used video games to improve the memory of elderly individuals. It found that the pattern matching, puzzle solving, and mapping that goes on in the brain during gaming had a positive effect on the subjects’ memory retention. This only makes sense, considering how much information that the brain has to process when immersed in a virtual universe. So when I tell the wife I will be back in a few hours, I need to train my brain that is going to simply mean I am going to go play video games.

The Gigabyte Z77X-UD4H motherboard is a standard ATX form factor with support for second and 3rd generation Intel processors. Gigabyte has designed the Z77X-UD4H with mainstream users in mind, providing video outputs for VGA, DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable 4 Technology is on board, which features their 2X Copper PCB, Glass Fabric PCB for humidity protection, High ESD Resistance ICs, and All Solid Caps. The Ultra Durable 4 Technology means that, in the end, the motherboard will last longer and higher overclocks can be achieved. The UD4H motherboard has a Gigabyte’s 3D UEFI DualBIOS so that recovery is possible in the event of a failure. Other features include Gigabit LAN, 2-Way CrossFire and SLI support, 8 Phase Power design, Lucid Virtu GPU Virtulization support, and a 3 year warranty.

Read more: Gigabyte Z77X-UD4H Motherboard Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Transcend StoreJet 25A3 750GB @ PureOverclock

It’s always interesting to see how our perceptions of things change over time. Remember when you were a little kid, bicycling around the neighbourhood and thinking it was as big as the world, only to return years later and realize it was only a couple hundred feet across? Big becomes small, small becomes desirable, and at some point we realize that neither really matters, it was the memories that counted.

In a similar manner, portable storage used to be a little 4GB USB flash drive. Remember when 4GB capacity was massive? It could store an entire DVD on that little thing! Ah, how times have changed, and 4GB is nothing but a distant memory (no pun intended, honest). Now we want greater capacity but somethign still very portable. Yes, similar to our childhood, we still want our cake and to eat it too; we want tons of storage in a compact package.

Read more: Transcend StoreJet 25A3 750GB @ PureOverclock

Enermax Ostrog GT Review @ OCC

I have to say that the Enermax Ostrog GT is in fact a really nice case. The fit and finish are top-notch. The red accent trim (on this model) really sets this case off, and when the sun goes down and you hit the switch for the fan LEDs, it comes alive. I can't walk past this case without taking a look and admiring the red and black contrast - it is just such an attractive combination, well executed by Enermax. There are many cooling options, and perhaps if the case was a half inch taller, my H100 would be right at home. The lack of space for the H100 was probably the only real disappointment, and despite the fact that my extended ATX motherboard was a bit on the wide side, the motherboard does fit. Sure, I had to take the upper HDD cage out to keep the SATA cables from binding - but with three hard drives, I only needed the lower cage. And really, I am sure that any other mATX or ATX board would have given me no trouble at all. The extra deep side panels keep cable routing frustrations to a minimum, and the top mounted USB ports keep your flash drives out of danger.

Read more: Enermax Ostrog GT Review @ OCC

Corsair Obsidian 350D Review @ Vortez

At one time having an ATX based system housed inside a full tower was the only road to harnessing a powerful computer system. In the last few years, various brands (which chiefly include Intel) have brought high-end components to smaller form factors such as M-ATX. This in turn has paved the way for the ability to build a system half the size but with just as much power as an ATX, full tower counter-part. With M-ATX now being prevalent there is demand for this specification of computer chassis and today we will be taking a look at Corsair’s first attempt at such a case.

The Obsidian series needs no introduction; it has been a popular choice amongst enthusiasts for years now. Joining the series is the 350D – a M-ATX case adopting sleek characteristics whilst delivering on great hardware support and cable management.

Read more: Corsair Obsidian 350D Review @ Vortez

PQI i-mini USB 3.0 32GB @ techPowerUp

PQI has made things as small as possible with the i-mini flash drive while also offering the modern USB 3.0 interface. We take the minuscule i-mini for a spin to see if PQI has not shaved off too much performance in the process of shrinking things down.

Read more: PQI i-mini USB 3.0 32GB @ techPowerUp

Phanteks PH-TC14PE @ techPowerUp

The Phanteks PH-TC14PE is a behemoth of a CPU cooler that looks ready to maul the competition. This anodized aluminum and nickle-plated copper beast has twin cooling towers and five 8 mm heatpipes. Are the giant towers and fleshed-out pipes enough to deliver top tier performance?

Read more: Phanteks PH-TC14PE @ techPowerUp

ASUS GTX 650 Ti Boost DCII @ Bjorn3D

ASUS as always has its own special way of doing things when it comes to GPUs and when we heard of the 650 Ti Boost model we knew it wouldnt be long until we received one sporting the SAP components and DirectCU II cooling.

Read more: ASUS GTX 650 Ti Boost DCII @ Bjorn3D