Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

42 AMD and Intel CPUs review: Which processor is best?
4K Video Editing PC Building Guide (March 2018)
A Look At The Relative Spectre/Meltdown Mitigation Costs On Windows vs. Linux
ADATA XPG Spectrix D40 RGB DDR4-3000 16GB Review
Antlion Audio ModMic 5 Computer Microphone Video Review
Buying advice: Gaming PC - Updated
GRUB Customizer - GRUB configuration with style
Hewlett-Packard SSD EX900 M.2 Review
How to Choose the Right CPU for 1080p Gaming: 14 Processors Compared
HP Omen 27 Review
MSI H310-F PRO is the first mining motherboard for Coffee Lake CPUs
MSI WT73VR 7RM Mobile Workstation Review
Tesoro Gram XS Review
X2 Harada Gaming Mouse Review
Yale’s Assure Lock SL Review

42 AMD and Intel CPUs review: Which processor is best?

In 2017, AMD and Intel once again competed with each other, in a way we hadn't seen in years. Both brands came up with tons of new Core and Ryzen processors. Time to take stock: Which processor should you buy for which purpose? After reading this article you know which CPU is best for you!

2017 can rightly be called a wonderful year, at least in the area of new processors. The year started with the introduction of Intel's 7th generation 'Kaby Lake' processors in the mainstream line, cpu's with up to four computer cores. It was an almost dutiful obligatory routine, in which we saw a marginal speed increase compared to the previous generation. Therefore, the reception was not incredible.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

4K Video Editing PC Building Guide (March 2018)

A few years ago, your PC just couldn't be fast enough for digital video processing. By now every average PC is able to process Standard Definition (PAL 720x576) as well as HD Ready, but technology doesn't stand still. By now just about every smartphone can record in Full HD and the new frontier is Ultra HD, also known as 4K. This resolution and the 'accompanying' codec HEVC / H.265 require seriously powerful hardware.

That's the reason why a powerful PC can still really make a difference. You need a fast processor, lots of storage capacity, and good monitor able to display 4K resolutions.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

A Look At The Relative Spectre/Meltdown Mitigation Costs On Windows vs. Linux

The latest in our Windows versus Linux benchmarking is looking at the relative performance impact on both Linux and Windows of their Spectre and Meltdown mitigation techniques. This round of tests were done on Windows 10 Pro, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, and Clear Linux when having an up-to-date system on each OS where there is Spectre/Meltdown protection and then repeating the same benchmarks after reverting/disabling the security functionality.

This round of tests were done on an Intel Core i7 8700K "Coffee Lake" system used throughout the entire benchmarking process and all BIOS/system settings remained the same during the testing process.

Read full article @ Phoronix

ADATA XPG Spectrix D40 RGB DDR4-3000 16GB Review

XPG has jumped on the bandwagon of RGB illumination in their latest submission to our lab. What we initially saw as the XPG Dazzle RAM has evolved, and with the addition of RGB illumination, is now called Spectrix D40 RGB, but it is virtually identical in every way outside of the LED options.

Not only is this XMP 2.0 capable RAM offering fancy lights which many gravitate towards, but XPG has also gone as far as to make sure that this DDR4 is compatible with ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, and ASRock customizable RGB software suites. Also, XPG has also created their own suite to deliver options for those systems which do not have motherboard supported RGB LED options.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Antlion Audio ModMic 5 Computer Microphone Video Review

In this episode of our new series here at APH Networks, Alex takes a look at the Antlion ModMic 5 gaming microphone. Ready to turn any regular headphone into a gaming headset?

Read full article @ APH Networks

Buying advice: Gaming PC - Updated

This buying advice is all about selecting the right components for your new gaming rig. What we've done is we have put together several configurations for different gaming resolutions and we also included links to Geizhals.at with prices, that are being updated automatically.

Read full article @ ocaholic

GRUB Customizer - GRUB configuration with style

I've written a short article about GRUB Customizer, a graphics frontend for managing GRUB bootloader configuration and settings, including installation setup, ease of use, new entries, general options, environment, several small bugs and problems, and more. Have fun.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

Hewlett-Packard SSD EX900 M.2 Review

If there’s a technology company that literally needs no introduction, it’s surely Hewlett-Packard. Literally founded in a garage in Palo Alto, CA in 1947, their first product, the HP200A Audio Oscillator, shook up the industry. Their business has expanded to cover the entire spectrum of professional and consumer computers and test equipment, and today Benchmark Reviews has in hand the new HP SSD EX900 M.2 solid state drive for testing.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

How to Choose the Right CPU for 1080p Gaming: 14 Processors Compared

Last year, we saw innovation from AMD and Intel that we hadn't experienced in a long, long time. The Zen architecture made AMD competitive in segments of the CPU market it previously couldn't touch, and Intel moved as quickly as possible to defend its incumbent position. We thoroughly enjoyed the back-and-forth as both companies jockeyed for enthusiasts' adoration.

But even as new platforms were springing up with more PCIe connectivity than ever before, graphics-card availability dried up. Cryptocurrency miners bought up everything they could find to capitalize on rising valuations. Even today, you can't find modern models anywhere near their suggested retail pricing. We've resorted to buying pre-built systems and scouring the forums for previous-generation cards, trying to score a bargain.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

HP Omen 27 Review

When thinking about HP, the first though is about serious business workstations or, inevitably, printers. But HP also makes gaming laptops and screens. No wonder they created a different brand for the gaming products, with the ominous (sorry) name Omen. Omen by HP is the official name, but we simply call it HP Omen. Earlier we wrote about a super deluxe gaming laptop under this brand, today it is the turn of their 27” WQHD gaming monitor, with a refresh rate of 144Hz. This means that the HP Omen 27 at the very least has the right specs on paper, but how does it perform in our test procedure?

Gaming is still the magic word in 2018, which every brand producing consumer computers and peripherals, has to include in their range to generate profit. After some time, the big players on the computer market decided to separate their regular consumer range from the gaming range by creating a gaming brand to define their products. Acer has Predator, Lenovo has Legion, of course Dell has Alienware next to the machines under its own name, Medion has Erazer. In this way, the providers of traditionally nondescript consumer electronics can appeal to the consumer who wants to look beyond what gaming consoles have to offer.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

MSI H310-F PRO is the first mining motherboard for Coffee Lake CPUs

MSI H310-F PRO Is mining craze finally over? Well, we still can't buy graphics we want, at the price we want. This is mostly thanks to miners and really low GPU and memory supply to board partners. Despite those facts, MSI still thinks that mining motherboards are needed, so they made a new one for the LGA1151 socket, but this time for Coffee Lake SKUs, such as upcoming Pentium and Celerons (which are often the most popular choice for miners). The MSI H310-F PRO can handle 13 graphics cards at the time.

Read full article @ VideoCardz.com

MSI WT73VR 7RM Mobile Workstation Review

Although powerful components have been getting steadily smaller, if you want desktop workstation performance in a mobile platform, it probably won’t be in an ultra-portable format. Accordingly, MSI’s WT73VR 7RM isn’t going to be a notebook you would want to carry around with you all day. However, the components inside do promise capabilities not far off a full tower system, and it’s definitely not as big as one of those.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Tesoro Gram XS Review

A sleek mechanical keyboard for work and play. A surge in popularity of mechanical keyboards has seen plenty of gamers make the transition in favour of extended travel and precise actuation. Some would say that once you get accustomed to mechanical key switches, you'll wonder how you ever went without, but there is a counter argument. Mechanical keyboards are typically large, bulky affairs that don't lend themselves to a sleek, uncluttered desk.

The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB, for example, can be deemed stylish for a mechanical gaming keyboard, but it's still a sizeable piece of kit and isn't as refined as, say, a Microsoft Surface Keyboard. Is it possible to combine the key action of the former with the style of the latter? Tesoro reckons it has the answer to this admittedly niche predicament with the Gram XS.

Read full article @ Hexus

X2 Harada Gaming Mouse Review

The Harada gamer mouse is the latest addition to the Shinsengumi inspired gaming mice to be used for any gaming session from RTS, FPS to MMORPG games, by using its seven programmable buttons to your own preferences. The Harada is designed to give you the right comfort for long gaming sessions by reducing muscle strain and tension in your hand, wrist and arm. Built with the high-performance A9800 photoelectric chip for precise positioning from 1200/2400/4800/6200/7400/8200 adjustable DPI. Equipped with Omron switches which give you direct control, but also warrant a long life time. The DPI button’s location are well thought out and allow you to switch the DPI resolution instantly in 6 gears. The Harada gaming mouse supports 12000 FPS refresh rate to pledge the best and fastest response during your gaming gatherings. Seven programmable buttons set by standard windows software will empower you to set at the best configuration to reach victories with ease.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Yale’s Assure Lock SL Review

When it comes to HomeKit devices, our own Zac Hall is the resident expert around these parts, but Im doing my best to come up to speed with the plethora of options available. I recently took my first stab at installing a smart lock, the 3rd gen August Smart Lock, only to later find out that it wasnt HomeKit compatible. Its primarily my fault, because I wasnt diligent enough with my research, but August, with its somewhat confusing nomenclature should take a portion of the blame as well.

Needless to say, I wasnt keen on the idea of having a smart lock installed without HomeKit support. That would mean that I couldnt unlock my door with Siri commands, couldnt use the Home app to control the lock, and couldnt use HomeKit automation to trigger other HomeKit-enabled devices. In other words, a smart lock without HomeKit support is just not something that appeals to me.

Read full article @ 9to5Mac