Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

AAEON EMB-BT1: A Linux-Friendly, Mini-ITX, Atom Bay Trail Board
Acer DA241HL Android all in one review
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8 GB
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Video Card Review at 4K Ultra HD
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Graphics Card Performance Review
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 officially launched
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Performance Review
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review: A Dual-GPU Beast
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review: Hawaii x 2
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 review: ready for the Ultra HD revolution
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Video Card Review
AMDs Radeon R9 295 X2 graphics card reviewed
BenQ XL2720Z Gaming Monitor Review
Corsair Carbide SPEC 01 Review
Deepcool Gamer Storm Gabriel Review
Enermax Liqtech 120X Review
iui Design Mirror Boombox Review
Keep your SSD Healthy ADATA SSD Toolbox
Super Flower Leadex Platinum 1200 W
The AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review
Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E CPU Cooler Review
XFX Type01 Bravo Mid-Tower Case Review
Zalman Z3 Plus White Mid-Tower Case Review

AAEON EMB-BT1: A Linux-Friendly, Mini-ITX, Atom Bay Trail Board

For those after a low-cost mini-ITX board for use within an HTPC, SOHO file server, or other low-power situations, AAEON has out an interesting board called the EMB-BT1, or more formally the AAEON EMB-BT1-A10-3825. This mini-ITX motherboard has onboard an Intel Atom E3825 "Bay Trail" SoC for delivering decent performance out of the six Watt SoC and having open-source-friendly graphics under Linux.

AAEON is a name that's likely not known to many Phoronix readers. In fact, up until recently I wasn't even familiar with AAEON until approached by their midwest sales manager. AAEON is a company specializing in single-board computers and other embedded platforms, particularly for industrial and military applications. AAEON was founded in 1992 and was acquired by ASUS in 2011. AAEON sells a wide-range of single-board x86 computers in a variety of designs and form factors, along with doing a lot of custom products for its wide-range of customers from railroad companies to the military and industrial automation.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Acer DA241HL Android all in one review

The Acer DA241HL is a big, weighty machine designed for desktop use. The picture above shows it in relation to a Motorola smartphone to give an idea of scale. The build quality is reasonably good, and although the plastic used for the back feels cheap, it is solid and doesn't give under pressure.

The front is strong aluminium with a toughened glass screen. The physical buttons felt a little delicate, but they're aesthetically pleasing, and based on looks alone, we wanted to take this device home.

Read full article @ The Inquirer

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8 GB

Today AMD is launching their Radeon R9 295X2 which is a dual-GPU card, based on two fully unlocked, fully clocked Hawaii graphics processors. As a result the card delivers impressive numbers in 4K and EyeFinity. But with a price of $1500 it is certainly not cheap, no matter how you look at it.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 8GB Video Card Review at 4K Ultra HD

The AMD Radeon R9 295X2 video card has finally arrived! This is the first dual-GPU graphics card based on AMD's latest Hawaii architecture and just happens to use two fully enabled Hawaii XT GPUs. With 5,632 stream processors (2 x 2,816) running at 1018MHz and 8GB of GDDR5 memory running on a dual 512-bit memory interface running at 1250MHz (5.0GHz Effective) this is certain to be one fast card. Read on to see how it performs on our 4K setup...

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Graphics Card Performance Review

Today AMD launch their multi-GPU product for the R9/Hawaii generation, the R9 295 X2. With two full GPUs based on the R9 290X and a liquid cooling solution as standard we will compare it to existing cards in games such as Titanfall, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls and Battlefield 4 all with our CPU at 5GHz and our screen at 4k resolution.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven.com

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 officially launched

The wait it finally over and AMD has now officially announced and launched its newest dual-GPU flagship graphics card, the Radeon R9 295X2. Based on two 28nm Hawaii XT GPUs which is the same one found behind the R9 290X graphics card, the new Radeon R9 295X2 is a proper performance beast. In order to keep the GPUs well cooled, AMD has teamed up with Asetek for the all new Project Hydra hybrid liquid+air cooler and according to reviews posted around the net, they definitely did a great job, both performance- and cooler-wise.

The card is definitely not aimed at those looking to game on sub-UHD/4K resolutions, with the exception of 5760x1080 Eyefinity multi-display configurations. After all new Radeon R9 295X2 features two fully-enabled 28nm Hawaii XT GCN2 GPUs, so it is overkill for 1440p or 1600p. Each of the GPU packs 2816 Stream Processors, 176 TMUs and 64 ROPs and each is connected to a 4GB of GDDR5 memory paired up with a 512-bit memory interface. The GPUs are interconnected via PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express gen 3.0 x48 bridge chip and each of the GPUs has its own 5+1-phase VRM design which draws power from the two 8-pin PCI-Express power connectors. The new R9 259X2 features single DVI and four mini DisplayPort outputs, which makes it highly suitable for multi-display systems.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Performance Review

“This card isn’t for everyone” is AMD’s byline of choice when talking about their Radeon R9 295X2, code named Hydra. That may come off as ominous and slightly off-putting in some circles but it’s a well-placed warning. There are only a few dedicated gamers who typically see the value in these ultra expensive, power hungry dual core graphics cards. The 295X2 takes things to another level, which may limit its appeal in certain cases but at the same time its unique design could open the door to broader acceptance.

To understand a bit more about the R9 295X2 and the decisions AMD made during its gestation, we’ve got to look back in time. The HD 4870X2, HD 6990 and HD 7990 were all excellent cards in their own right but were ultimately crippled by poor driver support, constant in-game stuttering and extremely loud fan profiles. With the more recent HD 7990, AMD overcame the first two issues months after launch but by that time it’s luster had worn off and gamers had moved on to discussing the upcoming Hawaii architecture. The R9 295X2 hopes to do things differently with strong driver support from day one and an advanced cooling solution which is meant to drastically cut down its noise footprint.

With a pair of fully enabled Hawaii XT cores –the one found in the hot running R9 290X- on a single PCB, the R9 295X2 makes no qualms about targeting a very narrow enthusiast subset. However, even with some advanced engineering backstopping already impressive technical specs, there are still some limitations AMD’s engineers had to contend with. Due to PowerTune’s updated algorithms reference R9 290X’s tended to throttle their clock speeds back when trying to balance out thermal characteristics and performance. To overcome rampant heat production the R9 295X2 uses a water cooler which is a solution that’s been bandied about for several generations now but is only seeing the light now.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review

Primed for gaming at 4K. The console vs. PC debate is often an amusing source for repartee and discourse amongst technology-loving friends. Thought about it objectively, the graphics quality of consoles is closest to PCs when there's a new launch, as there was at the tail end of last year with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but then the PC forges way, way ahead over the next few years.

A seismic shift in PC graphics ability usually occurs when either AMD or Nvidia 'double-up' on their latest GPU architectures by launching a card equipped with dual GPUs. Recent history is littered with such examples, with the GeForce GTX 590 and GeForce GTX 690 from Nvidia and Radeon HD 6990 and Radeon HD 7990 from AMD.

Read full article @ Hexus

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review

With the recent Nvidia announce of the $3,000 Titan Z (http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-z-the-first-3000-consumer-graphics-card/) , AMD have taken the battle into the ‘dual GPU arena’ by releasing their R9 295 X2 solution, comprising a mind blowing 12.4 billion transistors.

Read full article @ KitGuru

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review: A Dual-GPU Beast

We first caught wind of an upcoming dual-GPU Hawaii graphics card this time last month when AMD teased us with its top-secret "Two is Better Than One" campaign. Although AMD didn't actually reveal anything, it was clearly planning a successor to the Radeon HD 7990, which is essentially two Tahiti dies on a single board, or in other words a pair of slightly underclocked Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs.

Back when we tested the 7990 in April 2013, it was a formidable rival for the GeForce GTX Titan. The biggest problem the card faced was AMD's frame latency performance, which was quite poor at the time, especially compared to a single-GPU solution like the Titan. The 7990 also suffered from enormous power consumption figures compared to the Titan, as we found it pulled almost 40% more power.

Read full article @ TechSpot

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review: Hawaii x 2

Going back all the way to the Rage Fury MAXX, ATI/AMD has had a long history of releasing dual-GPU powered graphics cards. During the previous generation, AMD so much as said the Radeon HD 7990 was coming well before the single-GPU powered Radeon HD 7970 even launched, but a number of things delayed the arrival of the 7990, and towards the end of its development cycle we got the sense AMD was sick of answering questions about it and regretted unveiling its plan so early. This time around, there wasn’t so much as a peep (at least officially) out of AMD about a dual Hawaii GPU-based graphics card. Some folks--including yours truly--even wondered if AMD would attempt a dual Hawaii GPU-based card after seeing how much power a single Radeon R9 290X consumed, not to mention the difficulty in routing traces for dual 512-bit memory interface.

But, they did, and AMD is ready to take the wraps off of what is undoubtedly the most powerful graphics card the company as ever produced...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 review: ready for the Ultra HD revolution

When AMD introduced their latest top model graphics card the Radeon 290X, rumours started surfacing very quickly about AMD working on a dual GPU version of their latest chips. As AMD has marketed a dual GPU card of their high end GPU's over the last years the prediction of a new dual GPU card is not a hard one to make. The rumors and codename "Vesuvius" that surfaced in november 2013 have proven to be correct, as today AMD introduces their Radeon R9 295X, basically two Radeon 290X on one PCB with water cooling.

The Radeon R9 295X2 is the latest in a long range of AMD dual GPU cards, after the AMD Radeon HD 7990, AMD Radeon HD 6990, ATI Radeon HD 5970, ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 and, for people with long memories, the ATI Rage Fury Maxx. The introduction of its predecessor, the 7990, was not the best that AMD could have had. A few weeks before AMD introduced it nVidia provided hardware sites with a FCAT-benchmark, that showed that a lot of the frames rendered by the second GPU were not shown properly on the screen. nVidia managed to damage the card's reputation before it was even officially on the market.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Video Card Review

The new AMD Radeon R9 295X2 contains two Radeon R9 290X GPUs on a single video card package that utilizes liquid cooling for the best GPU performance. We compare it to NVIDIA's competitive configuration and see just how well it performs at both huge 4K resolutions and in an Eyefinity setup.

Read full article @ HardOCP

AMDs Radeon R9 295 X2 graphics card reviewed

We review the most powerful piece of consumer graphics hardware ever created. Not to put too fine a point on it.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

BenQ XL2720Z Gaming Monitor Review

Hello again! Here we are again today with the review of the brand new BenQ XL2720Z "Ultimate Esports Gaming Monitor".

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Corsair Carbide SPEC 01 Review

Known for their excellent computer cases, Corsair are now a household name in this competitive arena. Whilst there are many series to choose from within their portfolio of cases, they aren’t synonymous with being particularly affordable and so Corsair has decided to switch the focus and appeal to the lower-end of the market with the new SPEC range which is found within the Carbide Series.

SPEC 01 is aimed at those on a very strict budget and yet it promises to deliver on the visual appearance, feature-set and quality. Can this new mid-tower steal the limelight for entry-level system builders? Join us as we evaluate this new computer chassis.

Read full article @ Vortez

Deepcool Gamer Storm Gabriel Review

Deepcool brings to the table the Gamer Storm Gabriel. The Gamer Storm Gabriel is a low profile 120 mm cooler that boasts the power to cool down 100 watt TDP CPUs.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Enermax Liqtech 120X Review

Enermax, famous for its quality PSU and recently, PC cases and Fans and Aicoolers, have been also making quite a push in the All-in-One water cooling market and some of its Aircoolings have been quite impressive. Today, we are looking at the latest Enermax Liqtech series AIO water cooler which stands out with its impressive manufacturing quality. We will certainly try to find out if it has what it takes to compete in the quite crowded AIO water cooling market.

Read full article @ ocaholic

iui Design Mirror Boombox Review

There are thousands of Bluetooth speakers on the market. With Mirror Boombox, it is clear iui Design wanted to stand out from the crowd of multi-colored mostly boxy average run of the mill Bluetooth speakers. iui Design has created officially licensed Bluetooth speakers that are shaped like car mirrors. We were lucky enough to get the Mini Cooper version, but iui Design also offers Ford Mustang products. The best thing about iui Design’s Mini Cooper Mirror Boombox is it looks exactly like a side mirror on a Mini Cooper. Will its unique design be able to keep the Mirror Boombox separated from the crowd? Continue reading to find out.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Keep your SSD Healthy ADATA SSD Toolbox

ADATA Technology recently released its own software for monitoring the status and maintaining performance of Solid State Drives. The ADATA SSD Toolbox enables the ability to configure, optimize and monitor the health your solid state drives. It includes features such as S.M.A.R.T., temperature monitoring and total space used. In its utilities section the user has the option af Secure Erase, firmware update (ADATA SSD's only) and toolbox update. For diagnostics there are two options Quick and Full both run a scan on the selected drive for problem detection. If that isn't enough the ADATA SSD Toolbox even included system optimization options as well.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Super Flower Leadex Platinum 1200 W

The Leadex Platinum 1200 W will hit our test bench today. It features 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, a fully modular cabling design, and promises to perform wonderfully while producing hardly any noise by utilizing an excellent platform and a semi-passive operation user can swap to by flipping a switch.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

The AMD Radeon R9 295X2 Review

Launching today is AMD's Radeon R9 295X2. After much consumer speculation and more than a few teasers, AMD is releasing their long-awaited Hawaii-powered entry to their dual-GPU series of cards. With Hawaii AMD has a very powerful (and very power hungry) GPU at their disposal, and for its incarnation in the R9 295X2 AMD is going above and beyond anything they’ve done before, making it very clear that they're playing to win.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E CPU Cooler Review

The market currently is filled with two types of CPU cooling solutions, the extremely old and popular CPU Air Coolers of all types aimed toward the masses and the somewhat more advanced and expensive AIO and custom Liquid CPU Coolers aimed primarily towards professionals, enthusiasts and overclockers (custom water cooler kits however are still considered niche mainly because of their price and installation). Through the years many air and liquid coolers have reached our test bench and if we've learned something is that nowadays air coolers don't seem to be advancing as much as liquid ones. Luckily there are some CPU Air Coolers out there capable of going head to head with many AIO Liquid Coolers and so since there's no real headroom for serious improvement the next best thing is for manufacturers to improve on what they already have. Thermalright has been polishing the Silver Arrow model for quite some time now and according to them the brand new Silver Arrow IB-E model which we have here today is a clear improvement over the previous SB-E model.

Read full article @ NikKTech

XFX Type01 Bravo Mid-Tower Case Review

Computer cases have come a long way from the old, heavy steel frame that sat on our desks with our 50 pound CRT on top of it. Today's cases can be both sleek and functional. The case we'll be looking at today is from a name most enthusiasts are quite familiar with: XFX. That's right folks, XFX, the company best known for graphics cards and power supplies, has once again added a new branch to their tree by venturing into the case market with the Type01. XFX is promoting this case series as a mid-tower gaming chassis.

Read full article @ Neoseeker

Zalman Z3 Plus White Mid-Tower Case Review

I have a bad habit of being swayed by beautiful things. Far too often in my life I have let a good thing slip by because I was looking at something a little bit prettier. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we should forgo aesthetic qualities in the hopes of getting something that is higher quality. What I am saying is we need to seek a balance. When it comes to PC components, and especially cases and such, it is sometimes easier to find a great balance because of the rule, form follows function. What that means to me is that when something looks like it is going to work great, it usually will, and when it is designed to work wonderfully, it will look just as cool.

Of course, that is not always the case and so consumers need to do a lot of research in order to ensure they get the best deals, and so you come to us here at HiTech Legion to get a firsthand look at all the newest products. You come to read our articles or watch our videos and you hope to see a real and honest perspective from an objective source. We strive to do just exactly that, it is our mission to be as fair as possible. Although we all have personal favorites that obviously will influence our thoughts and reactions to a new piece of tech that we are reviewing, we all make it a point to step back and remain as objective as is possible, while simultaneously actually reviewing the product. If you are here for an entertaining infomercial, you are in the wrong place.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion