Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

5 good alternatives to Google Docs
AMD slide shows Zen CPU offers double FX 8350 performance
Cooler Master Devastator II Reader Video
Corsair Gaming K70 RGB RapidFire keyboard Review
Corsair Lapdog Review
Corsair Lapdog Review: PC Gaming on Your Lap
Hands-on review: HP Omen 15
HyperX Cloud Revolver
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Mini PC Review: Palm-Sized And Powerful
LG G5 Review: LG's flagship smartphone goes modular
Linksys EA8500 Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Smart Wi-Fi Router Review
Meet Franz - Alles Klar Herr Kommissar?
MSI X99A Godlike Gaming ATX Motherboard Review
OCZ RD400 NVMe SSD Review (256GB/512GB/1TB)
SpeedLink Ledos Gaming Mouse Review
SSD Charts 2016: 66 SSDs - Toshiba OCZ RD400 512 GB
The Toshiba OCZ RD400 (256GB, 512GB, 1TB) M.2 PCIe SSD Review
Thecus N5810 PRO NAS Review
Thermaltake Core X71 Chassis Review with Pacific DIY Cooling Installation
 SteelSeries Apex M500 Gaming Keyboard Review

5 good alternatives to Google Docs

IntroductionThe go-to cloud application these days is Google Docs. Many office workers rely on it in the same way we rely on fossil fuels and Starbucks. Yet, you might wonder if there is something you're missing if you choose a different cloud suite for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. There are always options, and some of the alternatives are powerful and innovative. Interestingly, one of the trends with knowledge workers is to move away from the traditional cloud document editing suite that includes a presentation tool and a spreadsheet. Apps are becoming more focused on specific tasks – for example, using Evernote for writing notes shared between teams and then creating full business docs in a different app."Many clients we work with are shifting from just wanting a standard 'office suite' to looking at more modern alternatives," says Alan Lepofsky, the Vice President and Principal Analyst for the Future of Work at Constellation Research.

Read full article @ Techradar

AMD slide shows Zen CPU offers double FX 8350 performance

Tech site WCCFTech uncovered the above slide and did a bit of maths based upon the graphs. It came to the conclusion that the upcoming Zen CPU, as performance charted above, will be direct competition for the octa-core Intel Core i7 5960X. There's quite a lot of assumptions in there, considering the sketchy graphs, with the one on the right probably (but not necessarily) sharing the same axes/scale as the other graph.

On the topic of the upcoming Zen processors, a wafer shot of AMD's octa-core Summit die is thought to have been 'accidentally' revealed by AMD at its shareholder's meeting earlier this month. Tech commentators over at SemiAccurate are largely of the opinion that the wafer shot reveals that each Zen module will comprise of; four cores, an L3 cache in the centre and a DDR4 interface on top, with a South Bridge to the top right. Furthermore some suggest that on the bottom right of the chip is a Global Memory Interconnect (GMI) for chip-to-chip communication.

Read full article @ Hexus

Cooler Master Devastator II Reader Video

We have published the first reader video on OCinside, today. This unboxing video of the Cooler Master Devastator II in German with English subtitles is recorded by lion149. She will write a full review of the Cooler Master Devastator II soon.

Read full article @ OcInside

Corsair Gaming K70 RGB RapidFire keyboard Review

Corsair Gaming released their all new RapidFire K70 cherry MX mechanical keyboard with RGB LEDs and the fastest Cherry MC switches on the globe. The K70 RGB RapidFire is the successor of the REGULAR K70 in terms of the overall basis and concept, but it adds RGB lighting per key configurable with full RGB LED lit keys that can be animated and profiles. Also the keyboard uses a new type of Cherry switches, ready for some keyboard madness ? Obviously being part of the Corsair Gaming label they release the K70 with the very cool RGB programmable and per key configurable K70 RGB Cherry MX tech based mechanical keyboard. The K70 RGB RapidFire is the successor of the REGULAR K70 and RGB models in terms of the overall basis and concept, but it adds a new type of switch called the MX SPEED-switch. Simply put, the actuation point on these linear switches is shorter than on Cherry MX Reds, now 1.2mm compared to 2mm, respectively. Now realistically you’re looking at an extremely small change here switch-to-switch, on average, from cherry reds to the new fast ones. In fact they share the same 45g actuation force, too. It's not just all about the RGB LEDs and faster switches though, the keyboard once again comes in excellent looking black anodized aluminum, it just looks incredible.

The K70 RGB RapidFire is not replacing the RGB cherry red version, it's an edition in the line-up. The K70 once again is 100% mechanical with per-key adjustable back-lighting, using RGB LEDs, so that you can customize which keys are lit, according to the game you’re playing. As you'll be able to see, the K70 RGB comes with a detachable full-sized wrist rest as well, in fact it is quite similar to the one used on the K90. The specs overall remain the same, including a 1000Hz polling rate, 100% anti-ghosting, and the media keys and USB pass-through on the rear remain too. The K70 RGB is a full n-key rollover keyboard. A funny addition to the K70 is a four way BIOS switch located at the backside of the keyboard. It allows you to reduce the polling rate from 1000Hz to 500, 250 or 125Hz, or even strip it back to a basic BIOS mode. Corsair states that this is basically just to aid compatibility with some BIOSes. So in general very few people will ever need to touch the switch.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Corsair Lapdog Review

Gaming in the living room environment has been dominated by the games consoles for, well, ever. Though with the coming Steam machines, Steam OS, combined with large, Ultra High definition TV screens, this trend is set to change. Using the living for PC gaming tends to be relatively stressful and awkward particularly with games where a keyboard and mouse is a must have. Our experiences alone range from sitting against the sofa, pulling up a coffee table, using cushions, chopping boards and receiving several splinters from left over ply. So Corsair have now released a solution to fix all of that and have rather fittingly named it the Lapdog.

Featuring a squishy memory foam cushion that attaches to the base of a frame via magnets, it perfectly encapsulates the popular K65/K70 mechanical keyboards (thus offering the Lapdog and K70 as a bundle). The 4-port USB 3.0 hub has 2x interior ports for your keyboard and mouse, and 2x exterior (including a fast charging port) for additional devices such as your USB gaming headset and smartphone. The mousepad area is a generous 11" x 11" so there is enough space for those that like to play FPSs with a low DPI.

Read full article @ Vortez

Corsair Lapdog Review: PC Gaming on Your Lap

Dubbed as the "Gaming Control Center" the Lapdog allows you to take a gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard and place it comfortably on your lap for PC living room gaming.

Read full article @ Techspot

Hands-on review: HP Omen 15

The HP Omen lowers the barrier to entry for would-be PC gamers once again, but, if you were a fan of 2015 version, this isn't exactly the same laptop. Whereas the last HP Omen offered high-end style with a mid-range price and specs, the new 15-inch gaming laptop offers even more power with an entry-level price of $899 (about £610, AU$1,249).You'll be able to upgrade this affordable gaming laptop up to an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GTX 965M graphics and even two storage drives.DesignWhile the 2015 Omen featured a unique and bold design, the newest model is pretty much a reskinned version of the company's recently refreshed Pavilion notebooks.While it seems like an easy shortcut on HP's part, it's arguably a smart use of resources and, allowing these machines to be so well priced.

Read full article @ Techradar

HyperX Cloud Revolver

It’s amazing sometimes how quickly things can change. Back in 2014 when Kingston introduced their first gaming headset, the original Cloud, it was a little surprising. It didn’t take very long though before we started seeing them a lot at LAN events and people were talking very highly of them. The same for their Cloud II’s as well. Well the some of you might not know but the Cloud was licensed from Qpad with Kingston tweaking a few things on the sound engineering side of things. Well recently they introduced a new headset called the Cloud Revolver and this time around everything is designed in house. Today I’m going to check it out and see if it stands up to the very high standard that the original Cloud designs set.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Mini PC Review: Palm-Sized And Powerful

We first got a glimpse of the Intel NUC, code named Skull Canyon, back at CES in January. To say this isn't your Daddy's NUC would be an understatement. Styled with a new thinner but longer, all black chassis design with digital grid markings and Intel's classic Skull branded logo, this NUC steps up and calls you out. Reminiscent of the original Skulltrail platform and Intel's countless enthusiast platforms with the mark of the skull thereafter, the Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK mini PC not only boasts a Skylake quad-core CPU that boosts to 3.5GHz, but also Intel's fastest Iris Pro Graphics 580 integrated graphics core, with 128MB of on-chip eDRAM (embedded DRAM) and the ability to boost to 1GHz.

Take your average mainstream desktop PC, slice off some of its expansion slots, give it a generalized bandwidth shot in the arm and you've got the teeny-tiny little Skull Canyon NUC, ready to kick ass and take names. It's your basic Napoleon complex in a PC, but in a good way.

Read full article @ HotHardware

LG G5 Review: LG's flagship smartphone goes modular

With the G5, LG has boldly redesigned their flagship to include new ideas that they hope will capture the eyes of buyers. The biggest and most obvious one is the modular design, which sees the battery slide out the bottom of the handset attached to a swappable module that can be used to add in other features. There's also an all new metal design and an upgraded 2-lens camera system.

Read full article @ Techspot

Linksys EA8500 Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Smart Wi-Fi Router Review

To my knowledge/understanding there are two types of consumers out there, the ones who rarely use wireless connectivity and only when they are nowhere close to their desktop computer (myself included) and the ones who rely almost entirely on wireless connectivity even when at home or at the office. Still with most households (and offices) having multiple mobile devices (for example between our notebooks, tablets and smartphones we currently have 12 in the lab) it's not a bad idea to invest on a good new generation Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) router capable of offering high-speed connectivity on multiple compatible portable/mobile devices. Linksys has released several powerful MU-MIMO compatible models in the market during the last year and today with us we have their EA8500 Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Smart Wi-Fi Router.

The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem. Linksys is part of Belkin International.

When released roughly a year ago the E8500 was the very first router to use Qualcomm's MU/EFX Wi-Fi technology and more specifically their QCA9980 4-Stream VIVE 802.11ac chipset. Thanks to this technology the EA8500 can service up to three compatible devices simultaneously with up to 3x performance increase compared to single user MIMO (SU-MIMO) routers (the difference between MU-MIMO and MIMO is that the first delivers exactly the amount of speed supported by connected devices as opposed to the second which delivers the entire bandwidth). Of course the keyword here is compatible so whereas such devices can also enjoy longer battery life that does not apply for every device out there (although compared to when the EA8500 was launched there are many more compatible devices in the market today). Under the hood of the EA8500 we also find Qualcomm's IPQ8064 1.4GHz dual-core Internet Processor (features 2 Krait 300 CPUs clocked at up to 1.4 GHz and two network accelerator engines clocked at up to 730 MHz) with 512MB DDR3 RAM and 128MB of flash. In terms of features the EA8500 has a maximum combined data rate of 2600Mbit/s (1733Mbit/s on the 5GHz band and 800Mbit/s on the 2.4Ghz band), 4 dual-band detachable high-gain antennas (support beamforming), single internal antenna, 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, Gigabit WAN port, eSATA/USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Meet Franz - Alles Klar Herr Kommissar?

Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz, Franz. Free multi-protocol messagging app. New article. OCS-Mag. Good. Ja. Read.

Read full article @ OCS-Mag

MSI X99A Godlike Gaming ATX Motherboard Review

MSI's latest X99 motherboard invokes divinity. Does it deserve our worship, or is it a false idol? I call myself a practical enthusiast. I love seeing new technology advances, but in the end I always ask myself if I or others will actually be able to afford and use them. This means my exposure to top-shelf tech usually results in a lot of drool, but few purchases. Like most people on a limited budget, component performance value is the most important aspect for me when building a computer. While I can sometimes spend a little extra money for a CPU or GPU, budget constraints almost always dictate I use a solid but unassuming mainstream motherboard in my personal systems. So what am I supposed to think about a motherboard that retails for more than a whole office PC?

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

OCZ RD400 NVMe SSD Review (256GB/512GB/1TB)

More MB/s, more IOPS, and lower latencies are what storage enthusiasts dream of. CPUs, RAM, and GPUs are all pushing faster speeds than ever, but storage has typically been a bottleneck for enthusiasts, even after the introduction of SSDs. To enable faster speeds bus bandwidth has been increased over the years and storage has started to migrate onto the PCIe bus so that it is closer to the CPU. With the latest flash technology, protocols have even had to be rewritten to keep up as well. In the past two years Non-Volatile, Memory Express, or NVMe (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=74af2b60c9&e=312ec141fb) , has replaced AHCI protocol and is now common speak among storage enthusiasts. Thanks to the launch of the Intel 750, the first consumer NVMe product (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=49f1e0ecb5&e=312ec141fb) , more and more people have been demanding NVMe products for their systems. With the ability to
deliver multiple GB/s read and write speeds as well as hundreds of thousands of IOPS due to great reductions of latency and overhead, we here at The SSD Review can't help but think, who wouldn't want this type of speed?

The list of readily available consumer NVMe SSDs is pretty short. First there is the Intel 750 Series, which comes in two form factors, HHHL add-in card and 2.5" SFF. In addition to this, Zotac now has a HHHL AIC NVMe SSD out too (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=bbe51bc457&e=312ec141fb) . These SSDs are great for desktop/workstation platforms, however, there is an opportunity left on the table for other competitors in the market. Samsung with their 950 Pro, and now OCZ with the RD400, have decided to go a different route by producing smaller M.2 form factor NVMe SSDs (though OCZ also offers a HHHL AIC adapter option). These smaller form factors are perfect for those who want to save space in their desktop system by utilizing an M.2 slot, now common on many new motherboards, or use them in the latest laptops that support them. Furthermore, form factor wasn't the only opportunity left on
the table. With a readily available 1TB capacity, the OCZ RD400 couldn't have come soon enough for enthusiasts and prosumers! With specs that rival the Samsung 950 Pro, a capacity point that nips at the heels of the Intel 750's largest model, and competitive MSRPs, the OCZ RD400 is out for blood. Read on to learn more about this latest enthusiast class NVMe SSD and see how it competes with the best of the best!

Read full article @ The SSD Review

SpeedLink Ledos Gaming Mouse Review

We tend to review quite a lot of high-end gaming mice but are there decent options for those on a tighter budget? Today, we are taking a look at the Ledos Optical Gaming Mouse from SpeedLink, featuring an ambidextrous design, an optical sensor with just enough DPI and ‘rapid-fire’ buttons.

Read full article @ KitGuru

SSD Charts 2016: 66 SSDs - Toshiba OCZ RD400 512 GB

In our comparison tables you find benchmark values regarding 66 different SSDs. Furthermore we do not comment the benchmark values. The idea and also the goal is to present to you a market overview which helps you choose the right SSD.

Read full article @ ocaholic

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 (256GB, 512GB, 1TB) M.2 PCIe SSD Review

Having recently assimilated OCZ and turned it into an enthusiast-oriented consumer brand, Toshiba has released their first M.2 PCIe SSD into the consumer market. Initially previewed by OCZ as the RevoDrive 400 and now simply the OCZ RD400, it is a high-end PCIe 3 NVMe SSD based on last years OEM-only Toshiba XG3.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Thecus N5810 PRO NAS Review

The Thecus N5810 PRO is a NAS with five lockable drives bays, an LCD display and a USB 3.0 port that looks impressive from the front.

Turn to the rear of the NAS and it starts to look awesome as there are two more USB 3.0 ports, five Gigabit Ethernet and if you look closely you will spot the battery UPS.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Thermaltake Core X71 Chassis Review with Pacific DIY Cooling Installation

Your build our core - that’s the motto for Thermaltake’s Core series that brings us to the realm of modular chassis’. The X71 specifically is what we are looking at with this review, along with a calming description of DIY loop cooling systems.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

 SteelSeries Apex M500 Gaming Keyboard Review

When it comes to competitive gaming you want a product that works, you really don’t care about looks, lights, or anything like that. It is all about function and helping you be the best gamer you can be. We’ve seen keyboards evolve over the past few years, but the plain jane solid competitive keyboard really has not changed all that much. SteelSeries latest entry into this segment is the Apex M500 which features a very simple design, Cherry MX Red mechanical key switches, and single-color backlighting. This keyboard is all about performance and function. It was designed specifically for the needs of professional gamers. Let’s take a look and see what it is all about.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org