Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

20 of the Worst PC Setups - July 2014
AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review
AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review
AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review
AMD A10-7800 Review: Testing the A10 65W Kaveri
AMD Kaveri A8-7600 and A10-7800 APU Review
AMD Kaveri Update: A10-7800 APU Review
AMD's A10-7800 processor reviewed
D-Link DSP-W215 Wi-Fi Smart Plug Review
Diamond Dual-Band 2.4GHz/5.0GHz Wireless 802.11n Range Extender Review
ECS Z97 Machine Motherboard Review
Kingston HyperX Cloud Review
NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet: The Fastest Tablet Available
Palit GTX 750 Ti KalmX 2 GB
Palit GTX750 Ti KalmX Review
SilverStone PT13 Ultra Compact Mini-ITX Thin Chassis Review
SU deathmatch: Cooler Master V750 vs. Rosewill Capstone-750-M
Swiftech H220-X Open Loop 240mm CPU Cooler Review
Thecus N7710-G NAS Server Review
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 680 AMP! Review - Single and Dual SLI Configs
Zotac Zbox EN760 Plus review: game console for Windows

20 of the Worst PC Setups - July 2014

I’m sure at some point you had a bad PC setup. Maybe moving into a new place, waiting for a new desk to arrive or you just ran out of room. I can remember my horrible PC setups from when I was living at the dorms in college. If you have ever ventured over to the Shitty Battlestations sub-reddit you will find a lot of horrible PC setups. We will are going to pick 20 each month and feature them as 20 of the Worst PC setups for that month. Here are some of the bad ones from July!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review

If you follow our website and the technology industry more broadly then you may have heard a lot about Kaveri since it was officially launched on January 14th 2014. Kaveri is the codename for AMD’s fourth generation of desktop APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) after Llano, Trinity and Richland. In successive generations we have seen AMD’s APUs grow a lot stronger mainly in terms of graphics performance but also bringing refinements in terms of power consumption and CPU performance as well as new features.

So what does Kaveri bring to the table that is new? In terms of new architectures we see a transition from Piledriver (Trinity) to Steamroller on the CPU side and from VLIW4 (Trinity) to GCN 1.0 on the GPU side. Yet the most exciting and easily the most talked about new feature is the inclusion of AMD’s new HSA technology. HSA is AMD’s “Heterogeneous Computing” plan which includes two main components: hUMA (Heterogeneous Unified Memory Architecture) and hQ (Heterogeneous Queuing). hUMA allows for the sharing of system memory equally between GPU cores and CPU cores and hQ allows for both the CPU and GPU cores to independently schedule tasks.

Read full article @ eTeknix

AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review

AMD’s Kaveri APUs may not have the spotlight hogging allure of Intel’s latest offerings like Devil’s Canyon or the upcoming Haswell-E but in the right set of circumstances they can be an excellent solution. After years of struggling to meet sales targets with both Llano, Trinity and Richland, Kaveri is seen as a whole new ballgame since it incorporates a host of next-generation heterogonous computing technologies. While many of those HSA-focused additions have yet to be fully utilized by today’s applications, aggressive pricing, an excellent feature set, a capable platform and surprisingly robust graphics performance have helped these APUs carve out a niche for themselves.

When we first reviewed Kaveri, there were a number of gaps within AMD’s lineup that were temporarily taken up by carry-over Richland APUs. The A10-7850K and A8-7600 on our test system were joined by the A8-7600 but entry Trinity APUs were missing in action since day one. Now, nearly eight months after desktop Kaveri was initially announced, AMD is finally rounding out their offerings by adding two new APUs: the A10-7800 and A6-7400K.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

AMD A10-7800 Kaveri APU Review

AMD promised many new APUs when unveiling its Kaveri architecture in January but until now was only able to deliver two, the $160 A10-7700K and $170 A10-7850K. It's a little confusing to see the company pitching an updated version of a product range that was never properly launched but on the bright side, AMD's Kaveri update seems a little more substantial than Intel's recent Haswell refresh. Today we'll be looking at the $155 A10-7800, which comes in 45W or 65W TDP modes and has a full-blown R7 GPU featuring 8 CUs with 512 SPUs and 32 TAUs like the unlocked A10-7850K.

Read full article @ Techspot

AMD A10-7800 Review: Testing the A10 65W Kaveri

Kaveri was launched as a processor line, on desktop, back in January. At the time we were given information on three of the APUs, the A10-7850K, A10-7700K and A8-7600, and reviewed two of them, including the A8-7600 65W processor. However, at the time, AMD stated that the model we tested was to come out at a later date: that date is today, in a trio of 65W parts. The A10-7800 we are testing today is the locked down version of the A10-7850K with a slight speed reduction to hit 65W as well as a configurable TDP to 45W.

Read full article @ Anandtech

AMD Kaveri A8-7600 and A10-7800 APU Review

AMD today introduced the new AMD A10-7800 and A8-7600 Accelerated Processing Units (APU) to the component channel. These processors are part of AMD’s 4th Generation of APU’s that are code named Kaveri. Kaveri is AMD’s first processor that utilizes the Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) and is aimed at the system builder and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) PC market. Read on to see how the AMD A10-7800 and A8-7600 perform!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

AMD Kaveri Update: A10-7800 APU Review

AMD updated its family of Kaveri-based A-Series APUs for desktop systems today. We first took an official look at Kaveri back in January, when we evaluated the A8-7600 APU. That particular APU is being re-launched today at a new price point, but AMD is also introducing a couple of new APUs as well, namely the A10-7800 and the A6-7400K. As their names suggest, the A10-7800 is a somewhat higher-end APU than the A8-7600 we initially evaluated, and the A6-7400K is a lower-end variant with fewer cores.

We’ve got an A10-7800 in hand and have run it through an array of benchmark to show you what its performance looks like in comparison to a few competing chips...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

AMD's A10-7800 processor reviewed

We first reviewed an AMD Kaveri processor back at the start of the year, but since then, AMD's new APU has been in kind of a weird place. The A8-7600 chip we reviewed has been scarce in retail channels, evidently because AMD succeeded in selling them elsewhere—likely to big PC manufacturers. Some of the chips were surely set aside for use in laptops, too. As a result, PC hobbyists just haven't had very good access to AMD's latest APU.

Happily, that situation is finally changing, and Kaveri-based chips are starting to make their way into the market. AMD is putting an exclamation point on that fact today by filling out its APU lineup and making some tweaks to its pricing. The headliner of the bunch is a brand-new model, the A10-7800, that may just be the most desirable Kaveri-based desktop processor yet.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

D-Link DSP-W215 Wi-Fi Smart Plug Review

Home automation is the latest frontier that tech companies are trying to conquer. Even the big names in tech are joining in as Google has bought out Nest and recently acquired Dropcam while Apple launched HomeKit a protocol for unifying devices using Apple as a central platform. As more companies are getting in on the action today we will look at a Smart Plug from D-Link.

Similar to Belkin WeMo platform, the D-Link version can be networked for remote controlled operation using a smartphone or tablet. The Wi-Fi Smart Plug DSP-W215 can turn on/off any device that is plugged into its receptacle. In addition it has a thermal sensor to keep appliances from overheating and can monitor a plugged in device’s energy use.

Read full article @ TestFreaks

Diamond Dual-Band 2.4GHz/5.0GHz Wireless 802.11n Range Extender Review

The indicators on the extender itself were really helpful in finding a good location to place it in the house. It was clear when plugged in that it was a bit out of range from the router and couldn't provide the best signal. It didn't take long to find a place where it sent out a strong signal and provided a much larger region of access. I used to have trouble connecting from the garage while working on projects; now it's not an issue. There are a few cheaper dual-band wireless extenders on the market, but quite frankly, I feel there are far fewer simple plug-and-play setups as this. The Diamond Dual-Band Wireless Extender is definitely worth your time if you are trying to get your signal further.

Read full article @ OCC

ECS Z97 Machine Motherboard Review

The Z97 Machine motherboard from ECS takes part of their mainstream offerings and this particular model has been enhanced on the audio interface by including the ESS Sabre ES9010K2M DAC. A M.2 slot for SSD is also present and we can mount up to two video cards (AMD CrossFireX) for expanding the 3D performances even further.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Kingston HyperX Cloud Review

The HyperX name was founded in 2002 as a branch of high end products from Kingston Technology. Recently, Kingston has decided to work with greater autonomy by creating the HyperX brand. HyperX Cloud are a partial facelift of the famous QPAD QH-90 headset. HyperX Cloud, today in white color, are built with high quality materials in order to offer the ultimate in terms of comfort.

Read full article @ ocaholic

NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet: The Fastest Tablet Available

Last week, NVIDIA officially announced the SHIELD tablet (powered by the Tegra K1 SoC) and its companion SHIELD wireless controller. To quickly recap, the SHIELD tablet’s specifications include NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC (clocked at up to 2.2GHz), paired to 2GB of RAM and an 8”, full-HD IPS display, with a native resolution of 1920x1200. There are also a pair of 5MP cameras on the SHIELD tablet (front and rear), 802.11a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO WiFi configuration, GPS, a 9-axis motion sensor, and Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

A few days after the initial announcement was made, we got our hands on a SHIELD tablet, wireless controller, and cover. We’re still working (and playing) with the SHIELD tablet, and will be posting up some more information about its gaming prowess in the days ahead, but in the meantime, we thought you’d all like to take to see just how the device performs...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

Palit GTX 750 Ti KalmX 2 GB

Palit's GeForce GTX 750 Ti KalmX is the first completely fanless NVIDIA graphics card in a long time which offers performance that doesn't suck. Thanks to its fanless design there is no noise coming from the card, which is important for media PC systems or quiet office PCs.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Palit GTX750 Ti KalmX Review

Nvidia’s GTX750ti Maxwell card has impressed us. We reviewed several partner solutions back in February and March this year and for the modest asking price it delivered some great frame rates, especially when factoring in the incredibly modest power demand. Today we look at a new GTX750 Ti Maxwell card from Palit, their passively cooled, silent solution dubbed the ‘KalmX’.

Read full article @ KitGuru

SilverStone PT13 Ultra Compact Mini-ITX Thin Chassis Review

When it comes to small form factor PC chassis Silverstone is a dominating force in the market, they have a huge range of small form factor PC cases and even when you’re looking at mATX and mini-ITX chassis products, they’ve proven time and time again that they can cram an impressive level of hardware into insanely small spaces. The chassis we’re looking at today is specifically designed for slim components such as mini-ITX Slim motherboard, which feature a low clearance components such as SODIMM memory to help the board squeeze into compact chassis solutions.

The PT13 is an ultra compact case designed specifically for Thin Mini-ITX boards, these are often targeted at those who need a compact system for office solutions, digital signage, HTPC’s or just anyone who needs to save space. The compact size of this case means it can easily fit into a home entertainment setup laid flat, via its included vertical mount, or it can even be mounted on the back of a VESA compatible monitor. The compact size of just 1.4 liters also means it’s easy to transport, so unhooking the cables and putting it in a bag or the boot of your car is easy to achieve.

As you can see from the specifications below the chassis features a sturdy steel body finished with a nice aluminium top cover to give it a premium look, it comes with support for most major Thin Mini-ITX motherboards, has room for a single 2.5″ drive, dual USB 2.0 ports, and room for a 30mm tall CPU cooler.

Read full article @ eTeknix

SU deathmatch: Cooler Master V750 vs. Rosewill Capstone-750-M

Power supplies have a come a long way over the past several years. To see just how far they've come, we gathered semi-modular 750W units with 80 Plus Gold certification from Cooler Master and Rosewill €”including a representative of Cooler Master's newly released VSM series €”and stacked them up against a member of the old guard, PC Power & Cooling's Silencer 760W.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Swiftech H220-X Open Loop 240mm CPU Cooler Review

So, for those that haven’t been following the situation for the last eighteen or so months….closed loop cooling manufacturer Asetek applied for and was granted a US patent for the out of the box CLC system as they developed it. That would be closed loop, with the pump and CPU block in one unit. Both of those facts are key; the closed loop and the location of the pump. Asetek then went the Apple route of threatening lawsuits against competing manufacturers. Apparently, they settled their differences with CoolIt/Corsair, as CoolIt made units remain in production and available, while Corsair branded Asetek units hit the shelves in the same time frame. Antec simply moved their pumps off the block to avoid issues, and I am not sure what legalese allowed Zalman, Cooler Master and Silverstone to go on.

Frankly, I doubt the smaller players were on Asetek’s radar as a target, and I would assume they were just looking to hitch a ride on Corsair’s PR sailboat in exchange for taking the heat off CoolIt. However, there was one product that Asetek couldn’t wait to get off the shelves, and it came from relatively small AiO newcomer (but WaCo vet) Swiftech. Make no mistake, there was a good reason for CLC manufacturers to want the Swiftech H220 gone. While the rest of the CLCs really posed no performance threat to the Asetek made units, the H220 was markedly better. The H220 also happened to be far quieter. Oh, and did I mention that the H220 was open loop with a pump strong enough to easily add a couple of more components to the loop and featured a copper and brass rad? Obviously, if you are a CLC manufacturer, you don’t want the H220 around besting you in every possible way, especially at a price point only $20 higher. So, off the shelves the H220 went, and something very telling happened next. Swiftech’s reaction was along the lines of “that’s OK, we need to focus on the next revision, anyway”. That was probably not what Asetek wanted to hear, and a sign that they had woken a sleeping giant.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Thecus N7710-G NAS Server Review

Network attached storage devices/servers (NAS) keep gaining ground over mini PC systems build solely for non-gaming purposes and no matter how one sees it this was a long time coming since their advantages simply can't be ignored. NAS devices/servers are smaller in size, consume much less electrical power, work right out of the box with pretty much every application you'll ever need (and for free), allow the end user to install multiple drives in RAID effortlessly and are far easier to setup compared to normal PC systems. According to some people the largest drawback NAS servers have is their graphical user interface (GUI) or web interface as others call it but right now there are several high-end Intel based NAS servers in the market that support multiple OS installation (yes including Windows) via virtualization so there's always a solution for the more demanding users. In order however to do everything you'd ever want with a NAS server you need high/ultra-high end hardware and although a couple of years ago choices were quite limited today in the market one can find powerful such devices that even support 10GbE for extremely I/O intensive workloads. One such NAS Server is the N7710-G by Thecus so after equipping it with a total of 6 Seagate Enterprise Capacity V3 3.5 4TB SATA III drives (unfortunately we don't have 7) and using it for roughly a week we can now share our findings with all of you.

In 2004, Thecus Technology was founded to design, manufacture, and market digital storage products. Now, 10 products and over 100 awards later, Thecus is recognized as a global leader of digital storage solutions. With decades of R&D experience, the Thecus team has developed an entire range of state-of-the-art storage products for consumers and enterprises alike. With its global sales channel development, quality Thecus products are now distributed in over 30 countries and territories across the globe. Thecus products are designed not only to be powerful and flexible, but easy-to-use. Users have increasingly growing digital libraries, and they need to access their digital media as quickly as possible Thecus storage solutions consistently deliver top-notch performance, able to deliver digital media at an impressive clip. To keep data completely safe, Thecus products are designed with data security in mind, each coming with numerous security options for the user to select. Thecus storage products also have the unique ability to support third-party software modules, making Thecus products infinitely customizable. And to make sure our products are accessible to both novices and experts alike, Thecus makes sure that each of its products can be easily installed and used. Secure and flexible storage products that simply work. That is the Thecus guarantee.

Although rackmount NAS servers are the ones mostly aimed for enterprise use the tower N7710-G is a real "beast" when it comes to its hardware specifications and so aside the powerful Intel Pentium G850 2.9GHz Dual Core CPU it also comes ready with 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz ECC RAM (upgradeable to 32GB) , two 1GbE ports, one 10GbE port (which if you happen to own an 10G switch can boost network performance over 10 times compared to 1GbE), 6 USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI v1.3 port, VGA port and 7 SATA ports (two of which are SATA III compatible while the rest follow the SATA II standard) all powered by an 300W power supply unit. The N7710-G can has room for up to 7 disk drives inside each up to 6TB in size (although i expect no issues with larger models when they become available) and allows the end user to configure them in Single Disk, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and JBOD modes (Hot spare and Hot-swap supported). Unlike the N5550 which we had here roughly half a year ago the N7710-G is almost entirely made by aluminum and steel thus making it extremely sturdy although that also means that it's quite heavy even without any of the drives installed (10.42kg). Thecus still uses the same ThecusOS which we've seen in the past but i have a feeling that because this is a newer version we may not fall into the same issues we did in the past (the increased performance of this NAS should help as well). In the end whether or not the N7710-G is enough for Thecus to win the performance crown in our charts is up to us to find out and that's exactly what we're going to do.

Read full article @ NikKTech

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 680 AMP! Review - Single and Dual SLI Configs

Back in June Technology X made the trip over to Taiwan, where we had the chance to sit down with Zotac and see the latest and greatest. Take a look at our article where Zotac was showcasing a couple of their mini PC’s as well as their GeForce GTX 780 AMP! graphics card. Founded in 2006, ZOTAC is a Chinese-based company that focuses on the production of motherboards, mini PC’s and NVIDIA based graphics cards. Today, Technology X has the great opportunity of checking out two ZOTAC GeForce GTX 680 AMP! Edition graphics cards. Our review will consist of a tear down of the graphics card, followed by a gruelling series of tests in the Technology X labs.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

Zotac Zbox EN760 Plus review: game console for Windows

The folks at Zotac often has fun ideas, one of the more recent ones being the Zbox Sphere, which we recently subjected to a large number of tests. Shortly afterwards we received the Zotac Zbox EN760 Plus, a mini PC that offers literally huge performance. In addition to a Core i5, Zotac also managed to incorporate an actual Nvidia GeForce GTX860M.

If you're looking for a small computer, then Zotac has plenty to offer. Remarkably, this company, which is primarily known for their high-end video cards, also happens to be a specialist in designing small PCs. If you happen to be looking for such a little machine, for example to build a compact productivity box or as the basis of your HTPC, then the company can offer your numerous options. Generally speaking, you could say that the performance of the processors ranges from slow to pretty fast, but that there's room for improvement with regard to the graphical performance.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info