Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

2018 15-inch MacBook Pro Review: Better, faster, stronger, throttle-ier?
ADATA XPG SX8200 480GB M.2. SSD Review
AMD's Zen 2 Will Reportedly Offer Higher Core Counts, Major IPC Gains
ASRock X470 Taichi (AMD X470) Motherboard Review
ASUS TUF X470 Plus-Gaming Review
Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB Tempered Glass Micro-ATX Case Review
Corsair H100i Pro Review
COUGAR PANZER-G Tempered Glass Gaming Mid-Tower Review
Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review
Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review
Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1+ PSU Review
Intel Pentium Gold G5600 And G5400 Review
Kingston A1000 NVMe SSD Review
Neon Notepad Review
Razer Blade (15-inch) Review
Razer Blade 2018 Review
Razer Naga Trinity Gaming Mouse Reviewed
Samson Go Mic Mobile Review
Seasonic FOCUS PLUS Gold 650W Power Supply Review
Tt eSPORTS Ventus X Optical RGB Review
Viotek GN24C 24-inch Curved 1080p 144 Hz Monitor Review

2018 15-inch MacBook Pro Review: Better, faster, stronger, throttle-ier?

It offers a huge year-over-year speed boost, but there's still one big unknown. Part of that disconnect comes down to parsing what Apple means when it adds the “Pro” label to a piece of hardware. Naturally, the term means different things to different people depending on what exactly they’re professionals at doing.

Then there’s the fact that the MacBook Pro has lived a double life not just as a pro workstation but as the high-end consumer Mac. Lots of people buy MacBook Pros who aren’t professionals—at least, not professionals at doing the sorts of things they might actually need a $3,000 computer for. These users buy it because it’s simply the best-performing Mac laptop.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

ADATA XPG SX8200 480GB M.2. SSD Review

ADATA released its ultra-fast new M.2. SSD, the new SX8200 series, the rather properly volume sized models which we review is fast and furious with a rated sequential read speed up to 3200MB/s and sequential write speed up to 1700MB/s. ADATA is entering the high-end and enthusiast class with their new SSDs.

Yes, ADATA is entering the high-end and enthusiast class with their new SSDs. The specs are fantastic, but will they be able to deliver a unit that manages to impress? M2 is the interesting form factor, these small storage units are evolving from being "just as fast" as a regular SSD towards double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, sextuple, septuple and perhaps in the future even octuple that performance. It comes in a different package, M.2. Using the PCIe lanes interface it is so much more capable as it can deal with way more bandwidth using PCI-Express lanes. As such, M.2 solutions are intended for high-end and enthusiast class motherboards and laptops. The SX8200 series M.2 SSDs are a stunningly fast series of storage technology as they offer enthusiast class performance as you are looking at a product that reads well over 3GB/sec and writes close towards 2 GB/sec. These new M.2 units use the NVMe protocol and that means storage technology at millennium falcon hyper-fast speeds while remaining competitive in pricing.

Read full article @ The Guru of 3D

AMD's Zen 2 Will Reportedly Offer Higher Core Counts, Major IPC Gains

Information gleaned from Chinese forum Chiphell suggests that AMD could release mainstream desktop CPUs with "up to 16 cores and a 10 to 15 percent IPC (instructions per cycle) uplift when the company moves to 7nm." While pushing 16 cores in a dual-channel memory configuration would be a serious challenge, some say it could be done by overhauling the CCX design and increasing L3 cache to decrease pressure on the memory bus.

AMD's modular approach with Ryzen gives it some freedom to experiment with hitting different core counts, but jumping up to 16 cores as a baseline consumer product is quite a leap. It's possible that AMD won't change the baseline core count of a Ryzen 2 die, but might offer CPUs with up to 16 cores as part of a lower-cost Threadripper alternative on its conventional desktop socket.

Read full article @ HardOCP

ASRock X470 Taichi (AMD X470) Motherboard Review

Today we take a look at ASRock's X470 Taichi motherboard, one of the brands better known and widely enjoyed SKUs. In fact, we reviewed the Taichi Ultimate version with more high-end features, and today we are looking at a motherboard that costs roughly $60 less with a similar feature set. Both of the Taichi models offer up RGB, but their heat sink and cover colors are opposite of each other. Let's see what the X470 Taichi has to offer.

Read full article @ TweakTown

ASUS TUF X470 Plus-Gaming Review

We review the ASUS TUF X470- Plus Gaming, optimized for Ryzen 2000 / Zen+ on a motherboard with an ATX form factor. Alongside the release of Ryzen 5 2600X and Ryzen 7 2700X processors, AMD prepped the X470 chipset, that offers a more fine-tuned experience for your Ryzen processor. The new board offers is more appealing budget wise as it is selling at a 159,- USD/EUR price point. At this price point, features are cut away, but it still is a nice motherboard with overclocking features, DDR4 A-XMP functions, and two M.2. slots. That and the distinct TUF looks, of course.

Yeah, Zen+ was launched in April, aka Ryzen 2000 or 12nm optimized Ryzen processors, the 'refresh' SKUs so to say. The new 12nm Zen+ processors will work fine with your X370 chipset based motherboard and vice versa, however, AMD launched the X470 chipset alongside these new Zen+ processors. The new chipset offers small improvements in combo with the new 12nm products. For example, to better facilitate XFR2 options. It has been a year already ever since AMD launched the first generation Ryzen processors. It had a bit of a rocky launch with the inter-core latency discussion a 1080p gaming performance as well as memory support. But the tide definitely turned for AMD as more and more people are considering to purchase an AMD processor-based PC, for their next purchase. The memory compatibility issues are mostly all gone, of course, we'll look at game performance in this article as well. But yes, things are looking good. The new 12nm processor generation can be clocked a notch higher. The upper range frequencies at 4.2~4.3 now are feasible, that also means that on the lower end of the spectrum, AMD is now capable to increase base-clock performance ion the more high-end parts. All these little tweaks bring the benefit of an overall faster processor series. Add to that improved memory latency and improved XFR2 ranges and you'll notice that the new ZEN+ generation now has become a really viable and more competitive product. So the ones that have not made a move towards AMD Ryzen just yet, now potentially could or will. So if you go with a proper processor, you'll like want a proper motherboard as well eh? X470 will give a home to the new Zen+ procs, with socket AM4 and will provide faster DDR4 memory support (as well as all other modern usual suspects like USB 3.1 gen 2, SATA Express, as well as NVMe protocol based M.2 support and surely PCI-Express Gen 3.0).

Read full article @ The Guru of 3D

Corsair Crystal Series 280X RGB Tempered Glass Micro-ATX Case Review

Corsairs new Crystal Series 280X RGB enclosure brings tempered glass and lighting effects down to the size of the companys previous micro-ATX Carbide Air 240 case (reviewed here back in 2014), creating a high-end take on this compact dual-chamber design. Beyond the stylish appearance an important question presents itself: can the Crystal 280X RGB offer sufficient airflow for good cooling with all of those glass panels? We will find out!

There is no more pervasive trend in the world of PC hardware than RGB lighting, and with the Crystal Series of enclosures Corsair adds the one component you will need to see as much of that colorful lighting as possible: glass, glass, and more glass. Yes, no fewer than three panels of the tinted, tempered glass variety adorn the 280X RGB, with the side, front, and top of the case covered - or, with the front and top, partially covered. About a third of the front is a solid panel, as is a third of the top, and this serves to help illustrate from the exterior that we are actually looking at a dual-chamber design.

Read full article @ PC Perspective

Corsair H100i Pro Review

The newest Corsair 240 AIO focuses on performance, and a formal dress code. The addition of the new 240mm H100i to Corsair’s Hydro Pro lineup provides impressive cooling performance, more akin to a larger 360mm model, with the benefit of leaving extra space in your case and spare cash in your pocket. Although the H100i Pro runs a bit light on now-ubiquitous RGB lighting effects, this understated marvel certainly makes up for it where CPU core temperatures are concerned.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

COUGAR PANZER-G Tempered Glass Gaming Mid-Tower Review

Just like RGB lighting tempered glass also took the market by storm when it was first introduced into gaming and enthusiast oriented PC cases roughly 3 years ago and the rest as they say is history. So today most PC cases to get released feature at least one side panel made out of tempered glass and if you happen to be among the ones who can climb very high in terms of budget you can find massive full tower models with as many as 4 panels made out of tempered glass (like for example the View 91 TG RGB by Thermaltake which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago). Still not everyone has the budget needed for one such PC case and so some manufacturers have released mid-tower models which combine low price and at the same time offer something that looks just as good. COUGAR is one such manufacturer and today we'll be taking a very thorough look at their recently released PANZER-G Tempered Glass Gaming Mid-Tower.

COUGAR products are designed by COUGAR GERMANY, a professional R&D engineering team and COUGAR is part of the “HEC/COMPUCASE” Group. The unique combination of the world-famous German skills of designing the best products worldwide and HEC/s power and long-time experience to produce the best high quality products created innovative masterpieces in PSU history. The PC upgrading and DIY market is changing rapidly and is growing more and more. Professional user are asking for more than only stable and silent PSU/s, they want efficient and energy saving products without compromises in quality. COUGAR GERMANY created such products! COUGAR GERMANY combines the features of innovation and evolution to create efficient, powerful and unique products like “COUGAR POWER”. The purpose of COUGAR GERMANY is the satisfaction of the customer, reaching it by creating most valuable, advanced products. COUGAR – YOUR POWER!

Read full article @ NikKTech

Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review

Watching other people play games is a bigger business than anyone could have imagined. Back when I was a kid, watching Gamesmaster on TV was about all we had, it was awesome too. However, that show ended a long time ago. The world has changed a heck of a lot since then, with the growth of the internet, the increasing popularity of online gaming, and an extremely large demand to watch eSports and streamers play games. It’s entertainment, but not as I’ve ever known it.

Production of these streams can be tricky. If you’re making a YouTube video, you can fix your transitions, effects, overlays, and sound effects in software after you’ve filmed. With streaming, you need those overlays and effects instantly. Enter Elgato, which promises to be an elegant solution for real-time interaction for streamers and video producers. Instead of using a myriad of macro launchers, scripts, shortcut keys and software, Elgato puts everything you need and more at your fingertips. Is it any good though? That’s what I’m here to find out. However, given my lack of interest in the Twitch scene, my inexperience with streaming in general, and everything else, I’m able to provide my newcomer’s opinion on how easy this stuff really is to use.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review

Following on from the Stream Deck which was released last year, Elgato's engineers have taken the best parts of the Stream Deck and miniaturised it to create the Stream Deck Mini. Instead of fifteen LCD keys, there are now six, but with Elgato's new features, that shouldn't be a concern at all.

Read full article @ Vortez

Elgato Stream Deck Mini Review

Have you met the Elgato Stream Deck's little brother?

Elgato is out to prove power can come in small packages, with the all-new Stream Deck Mini.

Elgato's first Stream Deck has become a staple tool for video game streamers everywhere, including us here at Windows Central. But if you thought it was either too big or too expensive, Elgato now has a smaller, cheaper $99 option just for you.

Read full article @ Windows Central

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1+ PSU Review

EVGA's SuperNOVA 650 G1+ is a mid-capacity 80 PLUS Gold-rated PSU with fully modular cables, 100% Japanese capacitors, and good overall performance. But can it earn a recommendation over the company's other compelling options? The SuperNOVA 650 G1+ is a fully modular and efficient PSU. It sells for $110 though, and that price weighs heavy on our value score. In fact, while the 650 G1+ does demonstrate excellent performance, it costs the same as EVGA's own 650 G3 and Seasonic's Focus Plus Gold 650, both of which serve up superior results across our benchmark suite.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Intel Pentium Gold G5600 And G5400 Review

Building a capable PC for less than $500 is challenging, especially as memory prices soar. Fortunately, a competitive CPU market means it's possible to get lots of processing power without breaking the bank.

Fast, affordable Ryzen models from AMD forced Intel to improve its dual-core Pentium chips with Hyper-Threading Technology and larger L3 caches. As a result, today's Pentiums look a lot like yesterday's Core i3s. That makes them a big win for budget-oriented builders, particularly when they're paired up with Intel's H370, H310, and B360 chipsets.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Kingston A1000 NVMe SSD Review

Kingston's A1000 entry-level NVMe SSD is slow enough to fit in that category, but the price is higher than it should be. The Phison PS5008-E8 SSD controller promised us low-cost and low-power devices that would speed the transition to NVMe. Early indicators backed that claim, but the market is different now than when companies first launched products with the controller. Kingston was a little late bringing the A1000 to market, and as a result, faces several challenges because mainstream NVMe SSDs like the Adata XPG SX8200 and HP EX920 have crashed the price points the A1000 was designed to fit in. The A1000 is a decent SSD, but the performance difference that comes with spending just a few dollars more is much larger than we imagined.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Neon Notepad Review

Some notes don't need a lot of space. Neon Notes packs a notepad into a compact package.

Last week I reviewed WebToApp which can put any webpage into Compact Overlay mode. In the same vein, Neon Notepad utilizes Compact Overlay mode in a unique way. It's a basic notepad that can pop into a miniature window that persists on your screen above everything else. It's handy for jotting down little notes without having to give up a lot of screen real estate.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Razer Blade (15-inch) Review

The Razer Blade 15 impresses with its looks and built quality, but its expensive and runs hot. The Razer Blade boasts one of the best designs we’ve seen thus far. Coupled with its attractive lighting and thin bezel, the 15-inch Blade will catch anyone’s eye. But even though it offers a premium experience as well as great synthetic and gaming performance, it’s hefty price ($1,900 to start, $2,400 as tested) is hard to swallow.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Razer Blade 2018 Review

One of the most popular gaming laptops on the market continues to be the Razer Blade. New for 2018, Razer has refined the design and improved the internal hardware to make it even better than before.

With the 2018 Blade, Razer is fully on board with the thin bezel revolution. Previous models included 14-inch displays with fat bezels and it was a look that frustrated a lot of people. I mean why couldn’t they have just put a larger screen in the same chassis? With more competition from devices like the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin and Gigabyte Aero 15X, using the same design from the last few years just wasn’t going to cut it this time.

Clearly Razer’s engineers have been thinking the same thing, because the new Blade features a 15.6-inch display in a body that’s essentially the same size. The result? Bezels on either side of the display that are just 5mm thin, and it looks a whole lot better because of it.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Razer Naga Trinity Gaming Mouse Reviewed

Way back in 2009—nearly 10 years ago—Razer released the original Naga MMO mouse for the button-crazy. By that time, I had already been thinking that mice didn't have enough buttons. We had all these keys under our left hand, but had to make do with just five mouse buttons under our right-hand fingers? The Naga and its 12 side buttons seemed like an answer to my prayers, so I snapped one up as soon as I found it at retail and rushed home with it gleefully. I had some frustrations with the mouse, but I used it for a good while.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Samson Go Mic Mobile Review

Recording great phone video means capturing great audio too — Samson's Go Mic almost does it perfectly.

As a mediocre musician and an even more mediocre comedian, I often like to record myself for both posterity's sake and to learn from my many, many (many) mistakes. The built-in microphones on most smartphones nowadays are decent, but a quality external mic can make the difference between a good recording and a great one. If you're shooting phone video, and shooting in 4K at that, then you should have clear audio to go along with it.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Seasonic FOCUS PLUS Gold 650W Power Supply Review

n the power supply realm, when consumers think of quiet and efficient power supplies one of the first companies that comes to mind is Seasonic. Today, we are having a look at a brand new Seasonic unit that is part of their new FOCUS PLUS Gold lineup. In this review, we will specifically be looking at the 650W model (SSR-650FX) variously listed as the Focus+ Gold 650W, Focus+ Gold 650, Focus Plus 650 Gold, FOCUS Plus 650 Gold, FOCUS PLUS Gold 650W, etc.

Seasonic is one of the older companies producing consumer power supplies having been founded in 1975 and entering the PC power supply production market in 1980. During that more than 40 years as a company Seasonic has cultivated lines of power supplies that are today some of the standard bearers for efficiency and quiet computing. This focus, and its reputation for quality, has lead to an explosion in production as Seasonic can be found providing OEM services on various model lines for Antec, XFX, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, and of course under its own Seasonic brand.

Read full article @ HardOCP

Tt eSPORTS Ventus X Optical RGB Review

A lot of companies have started producing an enormous number of high quality gaming mice within this last decade—Tt eSPORTS is not an exception, and their product range is absolutely huge. I have recently reviewed one of their entry-level gaming mice, the Iris Optical RGB, which is an absolute bang for the buck. This time, I will take a closer look at one of their high-end models—namely, the Ventus X Optical RGB. This one is equipped with a top optical sensor, has a unique air-flow design shell, and does of course light up in 16.8 million colors, while remaining relatively cheap compared to a lot of its rivals out there.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

Viotek GN24C 24-inch Curved 1080p 144 Hz Monitor Review

Over the past few months we’ve been checking out Viotek’s gaming display offerings. We first took a look at their GN32Q 32-inch Curved 1440p 144Hz display, then their GN27D 27-inch Curved 1440p 144Hz display, and today we have the GN24C. This display is a 24-inch curved Full HD (1920 x 1080) VA panel with a 144 hz refresh rate, and FreeSync support. Full HD displays with a 144 Hz refresh rate are really popular right now for gamers as that is what mid-range graphics cards can push (144 FPS) with the settings on games turned all the way up. There is no point in getting a 1440p or 4K display with a high refresh rate if you system can’t even run at those settings. These displays are also very popular with FPS gamers as they like the high refresh rate. This display is selling for only $219.99 on Amazon and is even listed as an “Amazon Choice” product. Let’s see if this display is the perfect gaming monitor for you.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org