Here today's reviews and articles, including ASUS USB-AC53 Dual-band Wireless-AC1200 Adapter Review, Alphacool NexXxoS Cool Answer 360 DDC/XT Review, Linux Mint 15 Olivia MATE - Not as refined, MSI GX70 Gaming Notebook Review; AMD A10-5750M Tested, and SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD Reviewed At 64, 128, And 256 GB



ASUS USB-AC53 Dual-band Wireless-AC1200 Adapter Review @ Legit Reviews

After installing and using the ASUS USB-AC53 for everyday use around the house and office, we found the adapter to be a very capable replacement for our built in 3-antenna wireless-N network adapter. If you are currently running a 2-antenna (N300) wireless adapter, you will see significant (almost 200%) improvement in speeds. For a street price of $49.99 shipped, you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck...

Read more: ASUS USB-AC53 Dual-band Wireless-AC1200 Adapter Review @ Legit Reviews

XSPC Razor GTX690 GeForce GTX 690 Waterblock Review @ ThinkComputers.org

We're currently on a hot streak of XSPC watercooling components. So far we've looked at a full loop kit, an upgraded radiator, and an external radiator stand. Today's review will round out that group of excellently performing PC cooling components with the XSPC Razer GTX690 full cover water block for the GTX 690 Graphics Card. Follow along as we find out if this block can keep our dual chip GPU as cool as this block looks.

Read more: XSPC Razor GTX690 GeForce GTX 690 Waterblock Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Asus VG248QE Review @ TechReviewSource.com

The Asus VG248QE is a 24-inch gaming monitor featuring a 144Hz refresh rate, a speedy pixel response, and a highly adjustable stand. It's a good performer but could use a few more gamer-centric features.

Read more: Asus VG248QE Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Alphacool NexXxoS Cool Answer 360 DDC/XT Review @ Vortez

While there are many pre-built, sealed watercooling kits on the market today, these kits are little better than a top end air cooler. If space is at a premium these sealed units can be a great alternative to the bulky air cooler however, if you are looking for the best cooling performance this side of extreme cooling (LN2, TECs etc) then a custom built watercooling setup is the best choice.

However, watercooling a PC using custom bespoke components can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. What size tubing go with what size fittings, compression or barbs, bay-res or tube, what pump size, what rad size? these are all choices you would have to make which require a fair bit of research to get the right balance. Thankfully, some companies who make these components separately also bundle them together in a kit and because they are sold in kit form, they cost less than buying separately.

Read more: Alphacool NexXxoS Cool Answer 360 DDC/XT Review @ Vortez

Linux Mint 15 Olivia MATE - Not as refined @ Dedoimedo

I've written a fairly lengthy review of Linux Mint 15 Olivia 64-bit edition with the MATE desktop environment, covering live session, installation and post-install use, including basic and extended functionality, networking, look & feel, customization, package management and updates, applications, system resources, stability, suspend & resume, and some problems like a one-time freeze of the desktop in the live session, missing packages in the official repos, wrong permissions on hidden settings folders in the home directory, small visual glitches, and more.

Read more: Linux Mint 15 Olivia MATE - Not as refined @ Dedoimedo

Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked! Rev. 5.2 @ TechARP

This guide was written in response to the numerous fallacies about the hard disk drive that are still being propagated in many forum discussions.

As you read through this guide, you may think that some of these myths may have been made up. We wished that was true. We collected these myths from various discussions we heard or read over time.

To be honest, many articles have covered these topics. It would have been easy for someone to do a quick search online before imparting their opinions to newbies. Unfortunately, it became apparent to us that some folks just prefer to trust their innate instincts over logic and knowledge. As such, these hard disk drive urban legends have remained more popular than the simple truth.

Read more: Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked! Rev. 5.2 @ TechARP

Remember Me @ LanOC Reviews

The action-adventure genre has been getting a decent amount of attention lately with the Batman Arkham games as well as more recent titles like Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry. Remember Me is a title in this same mold from Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment that looks to balance the standard mix of platforming, exploration and combat along with a few unique tricks up its sleeve to deliver us an entertaining experience in a sci-fi dystopia based around the interesting concept of memory transfer. Will this offering prove memorable or fall flat in its attempt? Join me as we take a look.

Read more: Remember Me @ LanOC Reviews

ASUS Maximus VI Extreme Z87 Motherboard Review @ Bjorn3D

With the intro of Z87 we knew it would not be long until we started seeing the ROG boards rolling out and first up we have the Maximus VI Extreme which is the top of the line when it comes to ASUS innovation. Now lets see exactly what it has to offer.

Read more: ASUS Maximus VI Extreme Z87 Motherboard Review @ Bjorn3D

Genius DVR-FHD590 Dash Camera Vehicle Recorder Review @ Benchmark Reviews

The streets are a dangerous place for motorists, and heavy traffic congestion adds as much risk to long trips as it does to short commutes. Defensive driving will help prevent some accidents, but the daily drive to and from work is wrought with random chance and uncertainty. It's not a question of if you'll be involved in an accident, it's a question of when. You can never know when someone might run a red light as you enter the intersection, or suffer a tire failure that sends them out of control. Insurance companies tend to penalize their drivers with blame, simply because they lack solid evidence to prove otherwise. Now you can capture that proof on video, for only $131 online. The Genius DVR-FHD590 high-definition 1080p vehicle recorder automatically powers on whenever someone is behind the wheel, and acts as a witness if the worst should happen.

Read more: Genius DVR-FHD590 Dash Camera Vehicle Recorder Review @ Benchmark Reviews

MSI GeForce GTX 780 Gaming review @ Guru3D

We test and review the MSI GeForce GTX 780 Gaming edition. The graphics card comes with a nice factory overclock and the very lovely TwinFrozr IV cooler that has two silent 90mm fans. Overall the card is almost as fast as a GeForce GTX Titan, 100% cool and extraordinary silent. We test the product with the hottest games like Grid 2, Metro: Last light, Battlefield 3, Sleeping Dogs, Far Cry 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Hitman Absolution and many more. Now who doesn't like that with a card based on the chip that is embedded in the GeForce GTX titan, eh?

The GeForce GTX 780 is NVIDIAs all new high-end graphics card based in their Flagship product, the GTX Titan. This means it is based on the GK110 GPU and has an whopping 7.1 Billion transistors. That makes it a nice chunk faster opposed to the GeForce GTX 680 GPU. Just like Titan, the GTX 780 is based on the GK110 GPU with the distinctions that the Titan has a GK110-300 GPU and the GeForce GTX 780 a GK110-400 GPU. Same stuff, yet with some things disabled. But we are a bit surprized to see NVIDIA move forward with GK110. See, the GK110 chip is BIG, and that makes it a difficult chip to bake, its recipe is refined though as the product has 2304 Shader Processing Units, 192 TMUs and 32 ROPs on a 384-bit memory interface of fast GDDR5. So yeah, NVIDIA trimmed down that that 45 mm × 45 mm 2397-pin S-FCBGA Titian with its 2688 shader/stream/CUDA processors a bit.

Read more: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Gaming review @ Guru3D

MSI GX70 Gaming Notebook Review; AMD A10-5750M Tested @ Hardware Canucks

AMD launched their Richland mobile parts months ago but thus far, design wins have been few and far between. The situation has led to Intel’s expensive Haswell architecture virtually taking over the notebook and ultra-portable markets. The last place many would have expected Richland in within a gaming notebook but that’s exactly what happened when MSI chose the A10-5750M for their new GX70.

MSI’s notebook family may not be the most widely recognized around and it certainly doesn’t receive the press coverage of Dell’s Alienware line or ASUS’ Republic of Gamers G-Series notebooks. However, their gaming notebooks are known as being well priced and feature packed. The GX70 is no different in this respect since it boasts some serious specifications and only costs $1300. When compared against comparably-equipped systems using Intel processors, that’s a huge savings. But do you get less by going with a Richland-based notebook? Not necessarily if gaming is the system’s primary purpose.

Read more: MSI GX70 Gaming Notebook Review; AMD A10-5750M Tested @ Hardware Canucks

In Win Commander III 800W Power Supply @ HiTech Legion

These are also some of the properties I look for when it comes to power supplies. Unfortunately, bulk and a heavy weight can often be expected from high-capacity, high-efficiency PSU offerings. These are also often paired with high-RPM fans to sufficiently cool the internal components which in turn produce a lot noise. Aware of these issues and taking some cues from the desert fox, InWin set out to design their 3rd generation Commander series in-house and created a power supply unit that is small yet highly capable.

The In Win Commander III Desert Fox power supply is a hybrid modular unit that has quad +12V rails with 25A max output and carries an 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating at 50C. The In Win Commander III Desert Fox 800W power supply uses +5V and +3.3V DC-to-DC design and supports the C6/C7 states of the new Intel Haswell processors. All the cables on the 800W In Win Commander III Desert Fox are sleeved and four 6+2 pin PCI-connectors are available supporting NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFireX. The 800W Commander III PSU uses 105C Japanese capacitors on the primary filter and the unit also features over-current, over-voltage, over-power, under-voltage and short-circuit protection. The In Win Commander III 800W power supply also has MTBF rating of >120,000 Hours and carries a 5-year limited warranty.

Read more: In Win Commander III 800W Power Supply @ HiTech Legion

NZXT H630 Gaming Case @ Rbmods

Need a big case? Then you should definitely look at an Ultra tower case that we are reviewing today. This case comes from our friends at NZXT and its named H630.
This is a huge case with a lot of slots for both fans and HDD’s, it also has some cool cable managment features and a really clean overall look so I really look forward to looking at it bit closer.

Read more: NZXT H630 Gaming Case @ Rbmods

Cougar Spike Mini Gaming PC Case Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

With their Spike chassis Cougar look to give us solid build quality and key features in a compact form factor with low price. This could be an ideal purchase for those looking to build a gaming system and put as much of their budget as possible into internal components.

Read more: Cougar Spike Mini Gaming PC Case Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Logitech UE BOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker @ techPowerUp

UE BOOM is a brand new Bluetooth speaker with a lot of neat functions. It plays for roughly 15 hours, is very small, and light. It might just be the ideal companion for a day on the beach or as a wireless speaker for small rooms. With a huge range of colors and a good-looking design, it could be a major hit!

Read more: Logitech UE BOOM Portable Bluetooth Speaker @ techPowerUp

Three weeks with the Samsung Galaxy S4 @ The Tech Report

Last year, TR's Cyril Kowaliski bought an iPhone 5. For the past three weeks, however, he's been using one of the finest Android handsets on the market: the Samsung Galaxy S4. Here's what he has learned.

Read more: Three weeks with the Samsung Galaxy S4 @ The Tech Report

SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD Reviewed At 64, 128, And 256 GB @ Tom's Hardware

SanDisk's Ultra Plus replaces the company's older SATA 3Gb/s SandForce-based Ultra with something a bit more modern, and with a budget-oriented price tag. We test all three capacities to see if the entry-level pricing belies a pocket rocket in disguise.

Read more: SanDisk Ultra Plus SSD Reviewed At 64, 128, And 256 GB @ Tom's Hardware

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Review: GTX 700 Hits the Mainstream @ Techgage

With NVIDIA having supported Gearbox’s Borderlands 2 greatly since its launch, there’s one thing that comes to mind when I see yet another GTX 700 series card. Anyone who’s played the original Borderlands has undoubtedly heard a Psycho shout, “Strip the flesh, salt the wound!” – now all I can picture is a Psycho pinning an AMD logo to the ground.

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 760 follows-up to the $649 GTX 780 and $399 GTX 770, to settle in at an affordable $249. Based on specs and pricing alone, it looks to be a great solution for those wanting a graphics card that won’t break the bank but has enough oomph to offer kick-ass experiences with any current and up-and-coming PC game.

Read more: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Review: GTX 700 Hits the Mainstream @ Techgage

SanDisk Extreme II SSD 240GB Review @ Techspot

Compared to the rapid performance increases and price decreases of flash memory over the past few years, solid state drive advancements have slowed down considerably in 2013 as modern drives have plateaued at SATA III's 6Gb/s bus. Current flash products are already maxing out the existent SATA spec for sequential reads and writes, so it's expected the industry will eventually move to SATA Express for bandwidths of up to 2GB/s using PCIe 3.0.

That transition will inevitably encourage an entirely new breed of SSDs as companies compete for your hard-earned cash, but until then, SSDs will become cheaper and more reliable through improved manufacturing processes.

Read more: SanDisk Extreme II SSD 240GB Review @ Techspot