Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

Acer Notebooks Among First to Feature Core Coffee Lake Processors
AMD to Include AIO Liquid Coolers with Ryzen Threadripper Processors
ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE Motherboard Review
Cooler Master MasterFan Pro RGB Fans and Controller Review
Curlew Multimedia Converter Ubuntu installation using PPA
Gigabyte Aero 15W-CF2 (15.6-inch laptop with a tiny screen bezel)
HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Keyboard
Intel Core X in short supply
Intel Core-X HEDT CPU Review on ASRock X299 Taichi Motherboard
Intel Core-X HEDT CPU Review on ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe Motherboard
Linux Mint 18.2 Red Sonya - Distro the Destroyer
Report: AMD Ryzen Series Customers Falling Prey To RMA Fraud On Amazon
ROCCAT Isku+ Force FX Keyboard Review
SanDisk Extreme 500 (500GB) Review
Shuttle XPC Slim DS77U Barebone Review
Single, dual and quad channel memory performance: More lanes, more speed?
The Kingston HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Keyboard Review
What Games Can Ultrabooks Really Play?

Acer Notebooks Among First to Feature Core Coffee Lake Processors

PC major Acer will be among the first manufacturers to deploy Intel's 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors on its products. The company's Swift 3 notebook, which is already open to pre-orders on Amazon, has one of its CPU options as Intel Core i5-8250U, as discovered by LaptopMedia, in an article. It goes on to describe the i5-8250U as a quad-core chip clocked at 1.60 GHz with up to 3.40 GHz boost, with 6 MB of L3 cache. This is particularly big for the ultra-slim notebook segment as the i5-8250U is among the first quad-core "ultra low power" ("U" suffix) SKUs based on a high performance core, by Intel. The listing doesn't reveal when the notebook will ship.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

AMD to Include AIO Liquid Coolers with Ryzen Threadripper Processors

In a move that could drown out the value proposition of competing Core X processors even further, AMD is reportedly including all-in-one liquid CPU coolers with its two upcoming Ryzen Threadripper processor models, the 12-core/24-thread 1920X and the 16-core/32-thread 1950X. While in its recent reveal of its first two Ryzen Threadripper SKUs besides Ryzen 3 series, the company did not specify the TDP of its Threadripper chips, older rumors pin the TDP of the 12-core part at 125W, and the 16-core part at 155W, both of which could run comfortably under liquid cooling. This won't be the first time AMD is bundling stock liquid-cooling solutions with its processors. The company bundled liquid coolers with certain high-TDP SKUs of its FX-series 8-core processors (pictured below).

This, combined by the dearth of compatibility announcements by third-party CPU cooler manufacturers for its TR4 socket, could be forcing AMD to take steps to ensure that the first Threadripper owners aren't left without a cooler, more so in maturing markets. Intel's new LGA2066 socket, on which its Core X processors are based, didn't face this problem, as it shares its mount-hole spacing with older LGA2011v3 socket. According to the source, Threadripper could be available in Japan on the 10th of August. This could mean availability in the US from 9th August.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE Motherboard Review

ASUS's PRIME X299-DELUXE is currently ASUS's top of the line X299 motherboard, and the second most expensive you can buy at this point. ASUS's Deluxe lineup of motherboards has a long-standing tradition of being quite hardcore in the way of features and quality. The new Prime X299 Deluxe should follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, and we will see if it truly does in the coming pages and review. The motherboard is loaded with features such as Wireless AD also known as WiGig, and what they couldn't fit on the PCB they provide in the form of an add-in card. The motherboard also has a white and black color theme that many people like, as well as RGB LED support. Without further wait, let's see what it's got!

Read full article @ TweakTown

Cooler Master MasterFan Pro RGB Fans and Controller Review

Are you ready to take your systems lighting customisation to the next level? I know I am! While there's a lot of RGB hardware on the market right now, innovations are seemingly few and
far between. Of course, the latest fans from Cooler Master certainly add a few new features to the mix, and custom lighting lovers are sure to be excited here.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Curlew Multimedia Converter Ubuntu installation using PPA

Curlew is a simple Audio/Video converter for Linux distributions. Check the recent changes and installations for the latest release Curlew 0.2.4 down below. Curlew is built using GTK3 and Python and it depends on FFmpeg  avconv.

Read full article @ LinuxNOV

Gigabyte Aero 15W-CF2 (15.6-inch laptop with a tiny screen bezel)

The Gigabyte Aero 15 is an intriguing laptop for two main reasons. The first is the way it packs a mid-sized 15.6-inch screen into a laptop that appears to have a 14-inch chassis – that 5mm bezel on the sides and top edge is remarkably slender. The second point is that we rather expected this sleek, light and stylish laptop would be branded as an ‘Aorus’, rather than a ‘Gigabyte’. The explanation we were given is that the Aero 15 runs Windows 10 Professional which means it is intended for business users.

We aren’t so sure a business user will want a laptop with GTX 1060 graphics and a keyboard with RGB illumination. It sounds like a gaming laptop to us, no matter what Gigabyte has to say on the subject.

Read full article @ KitGuru

HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Computex season is upon us and with it the latest batch of enthusiast product releases. HyperX is building on the success of their gaming targeted Alloy FPS series of keyboards with new styles of HyperX Alloy Mechanical Gaming Keyboards; an Alloy FPS with no 10 key and a larger Alloy Elite model.

Today we will be looking at the HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. With the Alloy Elite, HyperX brings the primary features we loved in the Alloy FPS to a more traditional design. Is this the HyperX keyboard for you? Let’s find out!

Read full article @ Hardware Asylum

HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Kingston has really started to separate their HyperX brand from the main Kingston brand. HyperX started with Kingston’s high performance memory and then they added solid state drives, gaming headsets, gaming keyboard, mice, and more. It is a true gaming brand offering some of the best products in those categories. Today we are checking out their brand new Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, which were were given a first look at back in January at CES. The Alloy Elite boasts a solid steel frame for great support and durability, Cherry MX Red mechanical key switches, red backlighting with a unique 18 LED light bar at the top of the keyboard, USB pass-through port and much more. Many gamers have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this keyboard, is it worth the wait? Read on as we find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Keyboard

Like Corsair and a lot of other SSD and Memory brands, HyperX in the last few years especially have jumped in completely into the peripheral market. It makes sense, SSDs and Memory are commodities so the margins are small and they are able to expand their gaming brands to an area where people can get their eyes and hands directly on your products. HyperX with their Cloud headsets has really done well and recently they even got into the mechanical keyboard market. I hadn’t had the chance to check what they had going on out yet though so when I heard they were introducing a new keyboard I was all in. So today I’m going to check out the HyperX Alloy Elite, their top of the line mechanical keyboard, and see if HyperX is doing as well here as they have been with their headsets.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Intel Core X in short supply

Part of the issue is that the Skylake-X-based Core X chips were based on the same chips Intel sells to its data-centre customers in the form of Xeon Scalable Processors. These punters are given more priority as data-centre customers generally dramatically outnumber the high-end desktop processor customers. Another thought is that there is a suspicion that the chip’s launch was rushed and there was not enough time to build inventories of some of these Core X chips. As are result Chipzilla did not get enough of the chips to distributors.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

Intel Core-X HEDT CPU Review on ASRock X299 Taichi Motherboard

Over the years, Intel has undoubtedly taken control of the entire PC desktop market. They offer specialized platforms to both mainstream and enthusiasts consumers. Earlier this year, Intel released their 200-series platform for mainstream consumers and it turned out to be a modest jump in terms of performance and features, something that we have come to expect from Intel during the recent years.

While mainstream desktop buyers got their platform cycle refresh earlier this year, enthusiasts are receiving the update in the second quarter. In 2014, Intel released X99 and it was a big leap in term of features compared to X79. It was the first platform to feature support for DDR4 memory, some thing that mainstream consumers would get a whole year later. It was also the first platform that pushed the core count on Intel processors from 6 to 10. While expensive, the competitors had no answer to Intel’s enthusiast platform which gave Intel another market to take control over.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Intel Core-X HEDT CPU Review on ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe Motherboard

The ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe motherboard is a very high-end, enthusiast grade motherboard and costs $499 US which is a very steep price, even for a HEDT product. The motherboard comes with all the latest tech wizardry you can expect of.

ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe Motherboard Features:

5-Way Optimization: One-click, system-wide tuning, delivering optimized overclocks and intelligent cooling for CPU or GPU-intensive tasks.
Industry-leading cooling options: Comprehensive controls for fans and water pumps, via Fan Xpert 4 software or the acclaimed ASUS UEFI.
Next-gen connectivity: Supreme flexibility with 2×2 802.11ad Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt 3, U.2, M.2 and front USB 3.1 Gen 2 connector.
M.2 heatsink: Ultra-efficient heatsink reduces M.2 SSD temperatures by up to 20°C for unthrottled transfer speeds and enhanced reliability.
LiveDash: A customizable onboard display that shows system temperature, CPU frequency, fan speeds or even your own logo.
Aura Sync and addressable-LED header: Controllable onboard RGB lighting and addressable-LED-strip header, easily synced with an ever-growing portfolio of Aura-capable hardware.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Linux Mint 18.2 Red Sonya - Distro the Destroyer

We're opening the week on a happy note. Here's a long, thorough, fairly enthusiastic review of Linux Mint 18.2 Sonya 64-bit Cinnamon edition, tested on a laptop with UEFI, Secure Boot, 16 partitions, and a multi-boot setup with Windows and Linux, covering live testing, installation and post-install use and tweaks, including look & feel, networking support - Wireless, Bluetooth, Samba sharing, printing, smartphone support - Ubuntu Phone and Windows Phone, multimedia support - HD video and MP3, partitioning, slideshow, package management & updates, applications, resource usage, responsiveness, performance, battery life, suspend & resume, customization, small problems, and more. Lovely jubbly.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

Report: AMD Ryzen Series Customers Falling Prey To RMA Fraud On Amazon

What seems like a very well organized mass-RMA fraud is seeping through the cracks over at Amazon. In a very short period of time, two users have so far reported receiving a fake Ryzen processor and both have indicators of being orchestrated by the same person(s). While Amazon did offer both of them refunds and even a gift card, these type of scams might turn away first timers who want to try the PC-building experience and even lead to damaged motherboards in some cases (which Amazon will probably not cover).

The scam itself is very elaborate. Apart from the fact that it is very clearly an LGA based Intel processor (the distinctive shape of the PCB is obvious to any PC enthusiast), the scammer(s) managed to remove the Intel markings on top of the package and even place legitimate-looking Ryzen markings. I have no doubt that this has the potential to fool a first time builder. That said, if the AM4 motherboard bought is the real deal then the chance of permanent damage is relatively low. Since AMD AM4 motherboards do not have any pins on the socket, there’s nothing much to mess up the motherboard unless you try to use overly excessive force, potentially break the socket seat itself.

Read full article @ Wccftech

ROCCAT Isku+ Force FX Keyboard Review

The ROCCAT Isku+ Force FX is a good keyboard, but it is difficult to justify the tradeoff of having a pressure sensitive zone instead of mechanical keyswitches.

Read full article @ APH Networks

SanDisk Extreme 500 (500GB) Review

Eminently portable and fast. Having a decent amount of external storage is becoming easier as capacities increase over time. Remember when the ubiquitous USB stick cracked the 1GB barrier - if not, you are probably way younger than me - but now it's easily possible to go beyond 1TB of speedy storage connected to your computer via USB3.0/3.1.

For those who want their precious data to be protected in both an encryption and ruggerdised sense, industry giant SanDisk has been steadily building up its Extreme range over time. With respect to the Extreme 500 portable SSD range, the company offers capacities ranging from 120GB to 1GB, all presented in the same ruggerdised form factor and housing the firm's own TLC NAND chips.

Read full article @ Hexus

Shuttle XPC Slim DS77U Barebone Review

Shuttle has updated just recently its XPC Slim and XPC Nano series with the new Kaby Lake generation from Intel, which does not only have an increased IPC versus the previous Skylake but also higher clocks. The DS77U series does pack a durable 1.3L metallic chassis, is approved for 24/7 operation and can be purchased in four different variants (DS77U with Celeron 3865U, DS77U3 with Core i3-7100U, DS77U5 with Core i5-7200U but also DS77U7 with Core i7-7500U). This configuration scheme gives more flexibility, so the companies/end users can go for the model that is able to run their desired applications optimally.

Read full article @ Mad Shrimps

Single, dual and quad channel memory performance: More lanes, more speed?

These days a decent PC will support dual channel memory, while high-end desktops usually go with quad channel memory. Does this actually improve performance, and if so, how much and for which applications? We researched it for you.

A frequent Hardware.Info reader who builds their own system, will generally fill up at least two memory slots. This is because the effective bandwidth increases when multiple memory channels are in use. However, if you purchase a prebuilt system in a shop, or if you buy a laptop from the cheaper segment, you will quite often find that only a single memory channel is used. If you're lucky, you might be able to fill up the second slot yourself and upgrade the capacity this way. We were wondering whether the usage of multiple memory channels actually improves performance.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

The Kingston HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Keyboard Review

A few months ago, Kingston made their move into the mechanical keyboards market with the Alloy FPS, a compact, portable mechanical keyboard. Today we are having a look at their second mechanical keyboard, the HyperX Alloy Elite, a product that is ditching the portability of the Alloy FPS for additional practical features and superior aesthetics.

Read full article @ Anandtech

What Games Can Ultrabooks Really Play?

Integrated graphics in most ultraportables are not as useless as they once were. It is actually possible to game on an ultrabook, it's just a matter of choosing the game and its settings carefully. We've tested 34 games on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon to give you an idea of what games are actually playable on modern ultraportables.

Read full article @ TechSpot