Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

AMD's 5 GHz Turbo CPU in Retail: The FX-9590 and ASRock 990FX Extreme9 Review
ASRock Z97 OC Formula Review
Asus Zenfone 5 Review: Entry-Level, Five-Inch Handset
Dell announces Alienware 13 gaming laptop
Fractal Design Core 3500W Review
Kingston HyperX Fury 240GB SATA SSD Reviewed
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Review
Sapphire Radeon R7 260X CrossFire Review
SSD Endurance Diary with OCZ Vector 256 GB
Sumo Omni Reloaded
Surface Pro 3 vs Surface Pro 2 head-to-head Review
Wavemaster Moody 2.1 Rev 2 Speaker Review
Wolfenstein: The New Order review: tested on 32 GPUs

AMD’s 5 GHz Turbo CPU in Retail: The FX-9590 and ASRock 990FX Extreme9 Review

The story behind AMD’s fastest ever x86 CPUs is slightly odd. Two models, the FX-9590 and FX-9370, were both launched into OEM channels in June 2013. Being an OEM component, the only way to get one was in a pre-built system through a retailer, or through a bulk system integrator that had a model around one of these CPUs. Typically this is a process that is only exhibited with server class processors: from a range of CPUs being produced, only several will be available for end-users at retail because server CPUs usually go through a system builder. At the time, it seemed that AMD concerned that the high TDP of this CPU, at 220W listed, is too much for most cooling setups within a home user system and the best way to get it to consumers would be if a system builder chose the appropriate cooling for them.

As a result of this orientation of sales, AMD did not sample the media with review units. We review an AMD product typically though an AMD sourced sample. It was also noted that the OEM price for the CPU was near $900 for the FX-9590, which seemed like an excruciating amount for what was essentially a good overclocking version of the FX-8350. Several media websites were able to collaborate with system builders in order to get a chance to review the CPU, and AMD was confident in their promotion and handling of the new CPU.

Anecdotally, in my field of vision, the promotion of this CPU was relatively limited. The price was the main factor, resulting in comparative AMD/Intel systems being more power hungry on the AMD side, and substantially more expensive when put up against the latest mainstream i7 at the time. As a result, while some retailers were selling the OEM CPU at full price, some retailers decided to sell their OEM stock with a severe price cut directly to consumers, down from $900 to $390, in order to get rid of units (this is when I picked up our sample).

Read full article @ Anandtech

ASRock Z97 OC Formula Review

The Z97 OC Formula is ASRocks new high-end motherboard when it comes to overclocking. There is also a beefed up audio solution with a very decent headphone amp, which makes this board even more interesting for gamers too. What you also get with this board is ASRocks "Conformal Coating", which basically makes this board waterproof. It's especially extreme overclockers who will love this feature. Overall we're really curious about this motherboard. ASRock has been investing quite some extra time in crafting this board and now we really want to know what it can do.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Asus Zenfone 5 Review: Entry-Level, Five-Inch Handset

Targeting the entry-level market, the newly-released Zenfone 5 packs a 5.0-inch 720p display, an 8-megapixel camera, customized software, and a rarely-used Intel Atom dual-core SoC. A polished hardware offering and a form factor more closely in line with high-end devices could make this a fantastic choice for a small price.

Read full article @ Techspot

Dell announces Alienware 13 gaming laptop

Dell has announced a new Alienware gaming laptop. This one slots in right at the bottom of the range, as far as screen size is concerned – until this Alienware 13 gaming laptop is released the Alienware 14 will remain the firm's most compact offering. The Alienware 13 has, of course, a 13-inch screen, weighs 4.5lbs (2.04Kg) and is less than an inch thick. To earn its gaming stripes it will utilise Intel i5 or i7 ULV processors combined with (up to) an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU.

This smaller, lighter and more slender gaming laptop is Alienware's reaction to products like the Razer Blade, suggests PCMag. Dropping an inch in screen size from the Alienware 14 also drops around 900g off the weight and 19mm off its thickness – so it will be much more portable than that slightly larger screened stable mate.

Read full article @ Hexus

Fractal Design Core 3500W Review

Fractal Design has released new Core X3 series PC cases and today we'll review the Core 3300, an all black and stylish mid-tower chassis. This ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX ready tower chassis can house a pair of external 5.25-inch drive bays, four ODDs (optical disk drives) or anything else that uses that form factor of course. It is a wide-body ATX Mid Tower. High-performance features include superior liquid cooling potential with support for a 240mm radiator. Then on the inside Fractal Design made sure you can house a lot of internal 2.5/3.5-inch HDDs and SSDs. There is something special about the storage solution though. But we'll show you that in more detail in the review. Up to four 3.5" or 2.5" hard drives can be fitted in the hard drive tray, with vibration dampening silicone grommets. In addition, two additional SSD drive can be placed behind the motherboard tray.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Kingston HyperX Fury 240GB SATA SSD Reviewed

Not too long ago, it seemed like SSD pricing would never reach mass market affordable levels. Now we’re finally seeing SSD prices below 50 cents a GB, making it a great time to buy. 240GB SSDs seem to be the sweet spot for many builds, and can be found for under $120 US. For those looking for larger dries, even 1TB units are coming down the pipe in the $400-450 price range. It’s still not as affordable as platters for storage capacity, but we are starting to get more flash for less. And of course, the main benefit of SSD technology is system speed and responsiveness.

Following in the foot steps of the original HyperX Black and Blue SSDs, Kingston recently launched a new, the more affordable HyperX Fury SSD series that appeals to gamers on a budget. With a SandForce SF-2281 controller inside, it should be a great combination of performance and capacity. Let’s take a closer look!

Read full article @ Futurelooks

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Review

Microsoft gets desktop expansion right. Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 Docking Station—available for preorder and due in stores in the US and Canada starting next week—is exactly what you were hoping for: An elegant and efficient way to turn the ultimate mobile computer into a desk-bound workstation that can connect to multiple peripherals, including multiple displays. If you were hoping to consolidate everything around Surface Pro 3, you'll want to pick up the Docking Station as well.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

Sapphire Radeon R7 260X CrossFire Review

It doesn’t matter what you are shopping for, there are always seems to be a huge amount of choices. Not only do you have choices of brands and models, but everywhere you turn there are big box stores that all carry the same products. So what do you focus on when you comparison shop? I think, for most of us, the first thing to do is look at what the budget might be for a certain item and then try to get the best item for that budget. When do you blow the budget? What if it is only by a little bit for an superior item?

When it comes to computer components, it can be a real challenge to read between the marketing lines that are just trying to sell you a component. I take that challenge similarly to the way I examine news stories in mainstream media, I have to look at many different sources to decide what is really the best bang for the buck, and if it’s worth putting just a few more dollars into my budget to step up to the next level of component. Budget gaming systems are probably one of the areas where most people have the hardest time deciphering between the price to performance ratio conundrum.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

SSD Endurance Diary with OCZ Vector 256 GB

Meanwhile most enthusiasts have an SSD in their PC and since manufacturers are successfully conquering the mass maket with SSDs, these new, quick drives are nowadays widely spread. In the past there were quite a few drives that died an all sudden death. Even today customers are not sure for how long their SSD will last and especially the P/E-cylce count (program/erase cycles) is something that worries quite a few well informed users. In this diary we're going to check what it takes to use up all P/E-cycles an OCZ Vector SSD has to offer, that features 256 Gigabyte capacity. So what is your guess, how long is it going to take until the drive refuses

Read full article @ ocaholic

Sumo Omni Reloaded

Our friends at Sumo are out with another interesting creation that we've had the chance to review and it's already likely our most favorite Sumo product to date. Let's checkout the Sumo Omni Reloaded this weekend.

Every once in a while we enjoy checking out a product that isn't Linux related or specifically computer hardware related for that matter, but proves to be interesting in its own right and worthy of sharing with Phoronix readers. In the past Sumo Lounge has sent over several high-end beanbag chairs that we've tested: the Sumo Omni, Titan, and Emperor we've tried out over the past five years. All three of those beanbag chairs were top notch and worth sharing with Phoronix readers, especially as they're enjoyable to sit in while using a laptop for extended periods of time, gaming on a home console, or simply enjoying a beer after a long day of work. The Omni Reloaded from Sumo is another winner in this category.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Surface Pro 3 vs Surface Pro 2 head-to-head Review

We see how Microsoft's new all-in-one compares to its predecessor

The influx of multiple new devices connecting to most businesses' networks is an ongoing problem for IT departments. As well as making it more difficult for IT managers to secure their networks, the wave of new devices also means many workers now expect to have both a work laptop and tablet – an expectation that drives up company expenses and increases IT managers' workload.

Because of this, businesses of all sizes have viewed Microsoft's Surface Pro line of devices, which are designed to function equally well as both tablets and laptops, with cautious curiosity. But so far this curiosity hasn't translated into mass enterprise adoption, and in general Microsoft's 2013 Surface Pro 2 was a rare sight in the corporate world.

Read full article @ V3

Wavemaster Moody 2.1 Rev 2 Speaker Review

It was just over a year ago that we reviewed the Wavemaster Moody 2.1 speakers and I absolutely loved them. For their price range, I thought they looked great, sounded superb and offered great value for money, which is why I awarded them with our Bang for Buck award, as a reflection on them being a great return on investment.

Now the team at Wavemaster have taken their speakers and made a few minor, but potentially important tweaks to their design and performance, and while they’re being launched under the same name as the old model, this is officially the revision 2 model of the Moody 2.1 speakers which I’ll be reviewing today.

Specifications Rev 2

Speaker drivers: subwoofer 16,5 cm bass driver, satellites 7 cm wide range drivers with phase-plug
Amplifier: integrated with 3 separate channels
Output power (RMS): subwoofer 35 Watt, satellites 2 x 15 Watt
Frequency response: subwoofer 30 – 150 Hz, satellites 150 Hz – 20.000 Hz
Input sensitivity: subwoofer line-in 500 mV, remote line-in 250 mV
Cable remote: with on/standby function, volume control, headphone jack (amplified) and line-in
Satellite speakers: with compact design (wall mountable), detachable front covers and 3m connection cable
Subwoofer: wooden cabinet with bass reflex technology, bass control, treble control and main power switch
Power supply: internal, 100-240 Volt ~ 50/60 Hz, 0.7A max., Standby Power