Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

Android On Intel x86 Tablet Performance Explored
Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 Preview
ASUS Maximus VII Impact mITX Intel Z97 Motherboard Review
BLU Win HD Review
Case Mod Friday: Armor Revo Spartan Edition
Compro TN900W Review
Cooler Master Mizar Gaming Mouse Review
Cutting the Cord: Part 1 Alternatives Boxes
DDR4 3000MHz Memory Kit Round-up (Featuring Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston)
FSP Aurum PT 1200W Power Supply Review
GIGABYTE GA-X99-UD4 LGA 2011-v3 Motherboard Review
Hands On: Apples iMac with Retina Display
Hands On: Apples iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3
HyperX Skyn Mouse Pad Review
Kazam Tornado 348 hands-on review
LG G3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5
Linksys SE4008 Review
Logitech G502 PROTEUS CORE Review
Maingear Pulse 15 Review: Slim, 3K Display Gaming Laptop
Mini Review: Optoma GT1080
MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE Review (Gold w/ GTX970m)
Noctua IndustrialPPC and Redux Fan Roundup Review
QNAP SilentNAS HS-251 2-Bay NAS Review
Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD Review
Silicon Power Marvel M70 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review
The Battle of Bay Trail-D: GIGABYTE J1900N-D3V and ASUS J1900I-C Reviewed
Vizio S3851W-D4 Review

Android On Intel x86 Tablet Performance Explored

For the past few years, Intel has promised that its various low-power Atom-based processors would usher in a wave of low-cost Android and Windows mobile products that could compete with ARM-based solutions from its major competitors. And for years, we've seen no more than a trickle of hardware, often with limited availability and/or questionable pricing. Now, that's finally beginning to change. Intel's Bay Trail and Merrifield SoCs are starting to show up in attractive, full-featured, sub-$200 devices, and we've got one of them on the test bench today, the Acer Iconia Tab 8, along with a competing tablet from Dell, that we've shown you previously, the new for 2014 Dell Venue 8...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 Preview

More of the same, but ... so what? While it was very obvious what Apple needed to do to fix the iPhone in 2014—bigger screens, anyone?—demonstrably improving on the world's most popular tablets has proven to be far less obvious. So with less than the usual fanfare today, Apple introduced the new iPads, which aren't much different than the previous iPads.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

ASUS Maximus VII Impact mITX Intel Z97 Motherboard Review

Today I have a chance to look at and play with the latest small form factor motherboard from ASUS, the ASUS Republic of Gamers Maximus VII Impact mITX Intel Z97 motherboard. The Maximus VII Impact may be tiny, but it packs a lot of features into that small footprint. The Maximus VII Impact is designed for the latest processors in the LGA1150 package, like the Intel Core i7-4790K Devils Canyon processor. Though it will certainly work with other LGA 1150 processors, your best bet is going to be an unlocked K-series processor for some overclocking fun! Right now the ASUS Maximus VII Impact mITX motherboard can be found for only $229.99, when you find out more about the Impact, you’ll see it’s worth it in features alone!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

BLU Win HD Review

There's a new option to consider. For the past few years, the Nokia Lumia lineup has dominated Windows Phone and provided a wide range of options—too wide, by some measures—hitting at every price point and market niche imaginable. But with Microsoft finally offering competitive Windows Phone licensing this year, we're seeing a fair number of Android device makers offering Windows Phone alternatives. And key among them is BLU, whose Win HD is no flagship but is quite affordable.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

Case Mod Friday: Armor Revo Spartan Edition

Welcome to another Case Mod Friday showcase! This week we have Jason Pierce's “Armor Revo Spartan Edition” build. Here is what he had to say about it: My IGN is Spartan so I went off of that. It is based on a champion in my favorite game. It's my first real mod/build. I have done others since then though. I am an aspiring modder trying to get my name out there.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Compro TN900W Review

Compro have been a key player in the network camera arena since the late 80s, their portfolio is packed with products that both the home and business user can take advantage of. Today we are back again, this time taking a look at the TN900 which was released back in June.

TN900 is a PTZ ready IP camera which brings with it WiFi functionality and the ability to stream live across the globe to any smartphone or tablet via C4Home.

Read full article @ Vortez

Cooler Master Mizar Gaming Mouse Review

For some odd reason Cooler Master seems to be releasing products everyday, whether it’s a new case or a new peripheral, their product line has been increasing exponentially in the past few years. What is not odd is the fact that many of Cooler Master products Benchmark Reviews has come across end up highly appraised. Today we are looking at one of two pointing devices Cooler Master has released this month. The Cooler Master Mizar serves as a reminder to earlier gaming peripherals, with an ergonomic design and no sharp angles, rather looking like something to rival MIcrosoft’s own line of peripherals, it still brings the more cataloged features to suit modern gamers.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Cutting the Cord: Part 1 Alternatives Boxes

Well a few months ago I finally did the unbelievable and canceled my cable subscription. The main reason behind this is was that I rarely watched TV at all and honestly most of the stations I did watch showed the same shows over and over again. It was weird not having cable after having it for the past 29 years of my life it seems like, but I have really got used to it and with the money it has saved me I have been able to do other things and buy some other gadgets. In this article series I will be going through my journey of canceling my cable and finding alternatives. Today I will be focusing on hardware to watch media on your TV.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

DDR4 3000MHz Memory Kit Round-up (Featuring Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston)

One of the key technological advancements that the Haswell-E processors and Intel’s latest High-End Desktop (HEDT) platform iteration have brought into the consumer limelight is DDR4. We compare three 16GB quad-channel memory kits from Corsair, G.Skill, and Kingston, all running at 3000MHz. Is there a specific set of ‘go-to’ memory at this early point in the DDR4 life-cycle?

Read full article @ KitGuru

FSP Aurum PT 1200W Power Supply Review

Today FSP Group is launching their newest and most advanced PSU to date, the Aurum PT 1200W. The 80 Plus Platinum certified unit has been designed to compete with corresponding products from other manufacturers, many of which were a few months ago. Does FSP have what it takes to go head to head with the top-tier designs from companies like Seasonic and Flextronics? We'll find out in our full review.

Read full article @ Anandtech

GIGABYTE GA-X99-UD4 LGA 2011-v3 Motherboard Review

GIGABYTE's new Haswell-E X99-UD4 motherboard offers a no-nonsense, no frills approach to the High End DeskTop (HEDT) market segment. While this certainly is an HEDT motherboard, GIGABYTE's approach to the feature set available on this motherboard has kept its price point in the $240 range.

Read full article @ HardOCP

Hands On: Apples iMac with Retina Display

We just got done with our hands-on time with Apple’s new products, and we’ll start with what’s likely the sneakiest of them, the iMac with Retina Display.

Why “sneaky”? The answer is all in the HiDPI display, which Apple calls the “Retina 5K Display”. The retina display is definitely the star of the new iMac, as the rest of the hardware is largely a minor specification bump from last year’s model. In fact turned off you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 2013 (non-retina) and new retina models, but the screen is immediately evident once on.

At 5120x2880 pixels, the new Retina 5K Display is precisely 4x the pixels of the 2560x1440 panel in last year’s model. What this means is that Apple can tap their standard bag of tricks to handle applications of differing retina capability and get all of it to look reasonably good. This also means that 2560x1440 content – including widgets – will scale up nicely to the new resolution. Apple does not discuss whom they have sourced the panel from, but given the timing it’s likely the same panel that is in Dell’s recently announced 27” 5K monitor.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Hands On: Apples iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3

The other big announcement for the day is of course Apple’s new iPads, the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3. As signaled by their names, neither is intended to be a massive departure from their (still for sale) predecessors. But both of them, the iPad Air 2 in particular, pack a number of improvements over the 2013 models.

In-hand, the iPad Air 2 is not as significant a departure from its predecessor as the original Air was from earlier iPads, but if you are familiar with the original Air then you can appreciate the fact that Apple has taken it down from 7.5mm thick to 6.1mm thick. The weight is roughly the same (437g vs. 469g) so it’s not much lighter in the hand, but handling it makes the change in size more apparent.

Read full article @ Anandtech

HyperX Skyn Mouse Pad Review

I really enjoy finishing touches. When I am working on a project, and have the bulk portion of the work completed, and it comes down to the final details, I spend the extra time making sure the project is 100%, because I know those results will show. I believe the final details can make all the difference. The Kingston HyperX Skyn Mousepad is one of those final touches to complete your gaming, or computing, experience. You have your computer and peripherals, but having the option for different mouse surfaces to meet your specific needs, and the capacity to change them when needed, for such a small price tag, can really make the difference. The HyperX Skyn Mousepad is 355mmx255mm, which means it will fit on almost any desk, weighing only .04lbs. and being only .254mm thick, and it enhances your surface, instead of getting in your way. The anti-microbial surface prevents dirt and bacteria, while the adhesive backing allows the mousepad to stick to most surfaces with ease, stay in place while in use, and is easily removable. Also provided are additional options of two surfaces to meet your needs, speed and control, and a 2 year warranty.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Kazam Tornado 348 hands-on review

We get to grips with the 'world's slimmest' smartphone

Read full article @ The Inquirer

LG G3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5

Picking your new phone is a big decision; you are going to be stuck with it for the new few years. Because of that you don’t want to pick the first one you look at. This is especially difficult for people who have been in the Android ecosystem because there are such a wide variety of phones. Currently two of the most popular are the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5. Both have a lot of similarities and big followings. I’ve been using both phones for a good portion of the summer, today I’m going to look back and see how they compare to hopefully help a few of you decide on what phone is best for you.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Linksys SE4008 Review

Recently Linksys launched an 8-port switch which is designed to compliment their excellent WRT1900AC router. Today we cover that 8-port gigabit switch in our Linksys SE4008 Review.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven

Logitech G502 PROTEUS CORE Review

The gaming peripheral market is littered with brands and their offerings and therefore, gaining that all important spotlight is especially difficult because of the fierce competition. Logitech has been a forerunner in the peripherals market and in the past their products have been firm favourites with gaming advocates.

Today we are to look at the G502 PROTEUS CORE which is a high-performance gaming mouse featuring an optical sensor capable of up to 12,000 DPI. Combined with high-quality materials and a strong feature-set G502 has lots of customisation, so let’s begin our review!

Read full article @ Vortez

Maingear Pulse 15 Review: Slim, 3K Display Gaming Laptop

Slim gaming notebooks have been getting a lot of attention lately as newer, more efficient technology allows manufacturers to cram high-end parts in a chassis that looks no different than a general-purpose notebook. The Maingear Pulse 15 falls right into this burgeoning segment packing a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, dual SSDs and a GeForce GTX 870M GPU in its a 0.7" thick body. Its standout feature is a 3K (2880 x 1620) display.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Mini Review: Optoma GT1080

If potential TV buyers ever found out how great projectors are, panel manufacturers would be in a heap of trouble. Nine times out of 10, projectors are easy to setup, come with a built-in, decent-sounding speaker and produce a picture that’s just as sharp as their LED counterparts at twice the size. There’s a tenth time, though, where the shoddy speaker, the temperamental picture and the inconvenient setup – not to mention the hefty price tag – make those $250 720p, LED HDTVs pretty appealing. Which group does Optoma’s latest 1080p, $1,399 (about £870, AU$1,600) gaming projector fall into? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not the first one.DesignThe GT1080 is a sleek, all-white behemoth, measuring in at 12.4 x 4.0 x 8.8-inches (or 315 x 102 x 224 mm, W x H x D). It’s designed for close quarters gaming and should be placed, at least what I gleaned from my testing, about four to five feet from the wall.In the front, a bulbous lens dominates the panel. Horizontal vents located the left of the lens keep the unit itself cool, but generate an awful lot of heat. Spin it all the way around to the right and you’ll find a plethora of ports – everything from an MHL-enabled HDMI port to mini-USB.It’s not a comprehensive package of every port you’ll ever need (there are no DVI or VGA ports, for example).

Read full article @ Techradar

MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE Review (Gold w/ GTX970m)

If you are looking for a gaming laptop with Nvidia’s latest Maxwell architecture then our review today of the new MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 2QE will interest you. This machine features the GTX970m mobile GPU, alongside Raid SSD’s, an Intel Core i7 quad core processor, 3K screen, 16GB of DDR3 memory and a rather fancy limited edition gold chassis. All well and good, but is it worth the £1,799 asking price? Kitguru take you on a guided tour.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Noctua IndustrialPPC and Redux Fan Roundup Review

Noctua is, and has been, one of the biggest names in the computer cooling industry. The Austrian-based company has always delivered some of the highest quality cooling products and has practically set the industry standard. They are very well known for creating cooling solutions that are exceedingly powerful and quiet at the same time. Noctua's newest offering to the fan universe comes in the form of two product lines and even though the pair are being released together, they are specifically targeting two different audiences.

The first, the redux line, is taking its naming very literally. The redux line is reaching to the back of the top shelf, dusting off all of the oldies but goldies, and re-releasing them as a baseline product to catch the attention of the more economically inclined. However, there is one twist. A brand new, and long overdue, color scheme update. The new redux models are all coming in a light/dark contrast gray, paying homage to the original light/dark contrast brown that was their roots. Now, I know what you're thinking, "why older, out of date fans?". My answer is simple: Though the models are older, they are also what put Noctua where they are today and should not be underestimated.

The second line, the industrialPPC, is like the redux in that it is, essentially, a reboot. However, it is a reboot of the latest models instead of the older ones and it has more than just a new face. This is where Noctua took their best fans off the front of the top shelf, took them out of their shiny new boxes and gave them a tune up. The industrialPPC fans are dressed in all black, and are geared for speed. Running on more than twice the amount of power that was trickled into the originals, these puppies fly. The hope is that, despite the much highers speeds, these fans will remain quieter and more efficient than the competition(and be enough to please Noctua's "fans," of course). These are much more expensive and are geared towards those who are running high performance systems in need of serious wind tunnel action. Now, on to see if the proof is in the pudding.

Read full article @ OCC

QNAP SilentNAS HS-251 2-Bay NAS Review

This is not the typical every-day NAS we are testing today, it is a somewhat special device. When we usually think of NAS devices, it goes in the direction of tower and rack-systems; and that is not the thing you would like next to your well designed home-theatre system. Another thing that prevents most people from having their NAS in that particular location is the noise generated by fans to keep the device cooled; QNAP have tackled both these problems in the HS-251 silent and fanless NAS.

QNAP is one of the leading brands within NAS and storage, along with Synology and Thecus. Asustor have also grown into a bigger competitor in this market, and it takes something special to stand out from the crowd. QNAP is no stranger to this scenario and with the many years of experience they have in the bag, they packed this tiny 2-bay device with all sorts of useful features; this is far from the every-day NAS device.

This isn’t just a stylish and silent NAS either, it is also a HTPC at the same time. You can connect it directly to your TV or monitor via the built-in HDMI port to browse the web, stream media or play what you already have stored on the same device. There are three ways to control the HTPC part of this device, you can either attach a mouse and keyboard or use your mobile-phone or tablet with QNAP’s official control App. The third option is an extra remote control that can be bought separate.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD Review

It took a while but we finally got our hands on the Samsung 850 Pro SSD, not a small one either, it's that nicely sized 1 TB version. It is Samsung's first SSD with innovative 3D vertical NAND (V-NAND) flash memory, which ensures top performance and good endurance. The SSD drive brings 3D Vertical NAND Flash memory to SSDs, also known as Samsung 2nd Gen 86Gbit 40nm MLC V-NAND. Combined with Samsung's MEX controller and customized firmware the product is fast, very fast.

We've been testing NAND Flash based storage ever since the very beginning, and it is surprising to see where we have gotten. The SSD market is fierce and crowded though and one brand quite popular in Europe has now also introduced a line of SSDs. While stability and safety of your data have become a number one priority for the manufacturers, the technology keeps advancing at a fast pace as it does, the performance numbers a good SSD offers these days are simply breathtaking. 450 to 500 MB/sec on SATA3 is the norm for a single controller based SSD. Next to that, over the past year NAND flash memory (the storage memory used inside an SSD) has become much cheaper as well. Prices now roughly settle at just under 1 USD per GB. That was two to threefold two years ago. As such, SSD technology and NAND storage has gone mainstream. The market is huge, fierce and competitive, but it brought us to where we are today... nice volume SSDs at acceptable prices with very fast performance. Not one test system in my lab has a HDD, everything runs on SSD while I receive and retrieve my bigger chunks of data from a NAS server here in the office. The benefits are performance, speed, low power consumption and no noise. You can say that I evangelize SSDs, yes Sir... I am a fan.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Silicon Power Marvel M70 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review

I usually get off school in the worst time possible: Rush hour. If you thought it could not get worse, think about cramming yourself into a bus with many other people you may or may not know, with no safety precautions. Annoying, right? Having to wait and take an extra thirty minutes in the bus just to get home, and once I get to my bus stop, you would think the pain ends there. Think again; there is an extra five to ten minute walk home. Indeed, having to spend extra time to complete a task you could do in half the time otherwise is infuriating. Technology that is improving day by day would make us assume transportation would be faster, right? But there is also a safety factor we have to include in that. Fortunately, it is easier to speed up processes in electronics. Remember when you had to wait like an hour to wait for a file to download or something? Well, now in today’s generation, we can transfer the same a fraction of the time, depending on the type of equipment you have. Now, there is a product I would like to share with you guys, the Silicon Power Marvel M70 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive. It is a new product that has just arrived in North America, and not to mention, on the packaging it says “Super High Speed”. People like me are in luck. With a lifetime warranty, Silicon Power created a USB flash drive to transfer our files quickly as well as safely to another computer or device. When I first got my hands on the product, I fell in love with its stylish metallic casing, which emphasized its speed and power. Let us see if the Silicon Power Marvel M70 64GB performs as well as it looks!

Read full article @ APH Networks

The Battle of Bay Trail-D: GIGABYTE J1900N-D3V and ASUS J1900I-C Reviewed

All the recent talk of Haswell-E and high-end refreshes has obscured the more casual computing market. The Bay Trail platform uses Intel’s Atom based Silvermont cores and competes directly against AMD’s Kabini for integrated computing, digital signage and cheap computing models. Today we compare two mini-ITX Celeron J1900 based motherboards: the GIGABYTE J1900N-D3V at $85 and the ASUS J1900I-C at $92, as well as the SoC itself.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Vizio S3851W-D4 Review

Vizio has always been a practical, consumer-driven company focused on delivering high value at the lower end of the market. Its S3851W sound bar lives up to that legacy, offering excellent value and true 5.1 surround sound in an easy to set up package priced at just $279 (about £171, AU$312).

The whole reason sound bars exist is to do one (or more) of three things: save space, save money and/or make setup easy. For the ease of setup, many sound bars offer so-called "virtual surround," a technique that uses multiple drivers in the front unit to bounce sound off the walls and ceiling to create the illusion of rear speakers without having to run wires or do any mounting.

Vizio, however, takes a different approach with the S3851W. The unit houses conventional left, center and right channels in the front unit, then wirelessly pairs to a powered subwoofer in the back of the room that drives two rear speakers that wire directly in to it.

Read full article @ Techradar