Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: March 2013, Top 5 iPhone 5 Alternatives For 2013, OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 Portable Enclosure Kit Review, Tomb Raider Video Card Performance and IQ Review, and Dell XPS 13 (Q1 2013) Ultrabook Review: What a Difference 1080p Makes



Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: March 2013 @ Tom's Hardware

In this month's update, we discuss AMD's upcoming mobile Richland APU. We also talk about Intel's Pentium G2010 and the price changes we expect to see. Moreover, we're sharing some information about AMD's upcoming tablet-oriented APU, code-named Temash.

Read more: Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: March 2013 @ Tom's Hardware

Top 5 iPhone 5 Alternatives For 2013 @ ThinkComputers.org

The dominance of the iPhone is waning. Apple's stock prices are gradually dropping and more consumers are switching out their iPhones for more sophisticated and modern choices. As the prestige of owning an iPhone wears off, people are looking for new companies and innovations to help them decide on what smartphone to buy. Following is a list of the top 5 alternatives to the iPhone 5, ranging from phones with more power to phones designed from the ground up for the business person.

Read more: Top 5 iPhone 5 Alternatives For 2013 @ ThinkComputers.org

Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1000W Power Supply Unit Review @ NikKTech

Last month we witnessed the introduction of the world's fastest single GPU graphics card the GeForce GTX Titan by NVIDIA which is basically a cut down version of the K20 Tesla compute accelerator for supercomputers. Owning such a graphics card however is only the beginning since you also need to pair it with a very high quality power supply unit capable of feeding it with lots of clean and stable power. The 80Plus Platinum certification has been out for almost 2 years now and always accompanies the highest quality and performance power supply units the market has to offer, at least until 80Plus Titanium Certified units finally get released. The latest Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1000W PSU is amongst the best out there and although it's been around for quite a while we decided to check it out as we will many other 80Plus Platinum PSUs in the near future.

Read more: Antec High Current Pro Platinum 1000W Power Supply Unit Review @ NikKTech

Roku 3 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Roku is a pioneer in video-streaming media hubs, but as Apple TV became popular, and HDTVs and Blu-ray players began supporting Netflix and other online services, Roku boxes started to look less unique and less useful. The latest box, the Roku 3 changes that. What's new? More power, a streamlined interface, an invaluable cross-service search feature, and a remote-mounted headphone jack.

Read more: Roku 3 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 Portable Enclosure Kit Review @ Madshrimps

The Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 is a stylish enclosure from OWC which can include storage or can be ordered empty. The product comes with a transparent acrylic housing and a small heatsink in order to eliminate the excess heat and also features an On/Off button near the USB port.

Read more: OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro USB 3.0 Portable Enclosure Kit Review @ Madshrimps

Canon DR-C125W Review @ Techradar

Canon's latest high speed scanner, the DR-C125W, is its first desktop scanner to incorporate Wi-Fi and designed to connect to any desktop or portable device. It also boasts a small footprint and a maximum throughput of 25 pages per minute. One of the main problems with the traditional desktop scanner these days is that not many businesses exclusively use a desktop. Most have a selection of devices from laptops to smartphones to tablets, and not all of the devices have operating systems designed with peripherals in mind.

Read more: Canon DR-C125W Review @ Techradar

Zalman FX100 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

The Zalman FX100 is a fanless CPU cooler with a huge cube heatsink and 10 heatpipes. Let's test it with no fan, and also with one optional 92 mm fan, and see if it can cool our CPU. Check it out!

Read more: Zalman FX100 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

PowerColor PCS HD7870 MYST Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Are you looking to buy an AMD Radeon HD 7870 video card? If you are then you've likely noticed that there is no shortage of companies that offer them as Newegg alone has 18 different models to pick from. The PowerColor PCS HD7870 MYST Edition video card uses the recently released Tahiti LE core and costs under $250. Read on to see how this card performs versus the AMD Radeon HD 7870 GHz edition!

The overclocking performance of the PowerColor PCS HD7870 MYST was on par with other Tahiti based video cards that we have reviewed in the past. The card was able to overclock up to 1235MHz on the core and we were able to get an extra 100MHz out of the Elpida GDDR5 memory. The performance jumped up over 10% thanks to this large overclock and can help justify the higher price of this card if all overclock this good...

Read more: PowerColor PCS HD7870 MYST Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Cyril's sci-fi book is available for free this week @ The Tech Report

Last November, TR's Cyril Kowaliski released his debut novella: a sci-fi story about a man who wakes up in the 22nd century. This week, the book is available for free at Amazon for a limited time. The sale will continue until March 23 at 2:00 AM CDT.

Read more: Cyril's sci-fi book is available for free this week @ The Tech Report

Tomb Raider Video Card Performance and IQ Review @ HardOCP

Our in-house graphics card gurus have just published our Tomb Raider Video Card Performance and IQ Review for your viewing pleasure. This is definitely one you don't want to miss.

Tomb Raider is the first game to sport AMD's new TressFX feature. This DX11 effect creates a new sense of realism in-game with each strand of Lara's hair reacting to her movement and environmental features like wind and rain. Crystal Dynamics has worked hard to advance our expectations as gamers and enthusiasts alike!

Read more: Tomb Raider Video Card Performance and IQ Review @ HardOCP

Kingston HyperX 10th Anniversary Edition 2400Mhz DDR3 16gb Kit Review @ TestFreaks

Before Kingston released their HyperX line ten years ago they were primarily known as a budget memory supplier. HyperX was their rebranding of their high performance memory. Protected by a distinct electric blue heat spreader, the Kingston HyperX began its ten-year run as one of the premiere memory modules for gamers, overclockers, enthusiasts and power PC users.

To celebrate its decade of excellence, Kingston has introduced the Kingston HyperX Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Series. This line of DDR3 modules comes in capacities of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB with frequencies ranging from 1600MHz–2400MHz. Like all other HyperX modules these chips can be overclocked with stable voltages from 1.35V-1.65V. These memory sticks are designed to work with P55, H67, P67, Z68, H61 (AG), X79 and Z77 Intel and A75, A87, A88, A89, A78, and E35 (Fusion) AMD chipsets.

Read more: Kingston HyperX 10th Anniversary Edition 2400Mhz DDR3 16gb Kit Review @ TestFreaks

Azza Silentium 920 Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion

I can’t even stand having a very audible running PC. I have minimized the fan voltages and use aftermarket cooling to significantly lower the noise as I cannot concentrate when I can hear the fans whirring or the hard drive discs moving. I would use a silent-case but unfortunately, a lot of so-called silent-oriented cases just simply slap on foam on the side panels and pass it off as worthy of a $30-40 premium over regular mid-tower case. Azza aims to change that with their offering that is priced well below the competition.

Read more: Azza Silentium 920 Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Razer Ouroboros Elite Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

In 2009, Razer started working on a mouse with some ambitious goals. It would be a gaming-grade, wireless hybrid mouse. It would be ambidextrous, even adjustable - allowing the user to create that perfect fit. It would pack in the latest sensors and gaming technology, complete with a cloud-based driver solution. Three years later in late 2012, Razer finally released the Ouroboros. As soon as it was released, it quickly sold out of stock online and in stores and has since disappeared from regular channels. At Benchmark Reviews, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse, and take it for a spin.

Razer has normally named all of their gaming mice after snakes (the idea being, snakes eat "mice"), and the Ouroboros is no different. The name comes from a mythical tale or idea, essentially describing anything of a cyclical or "eternal" nature; commonly depicted as a snake eating its own tail. The Razer team picked the Ouroboros as a symbol to describe the process in which this gaming mouse was created - inspired by the Lamborghini Reventon and the Tumbler from Batman Begins, the design went through many drafts and revisions before finally being released in the form it is today. The Ouroboros page on the Razer website shows an interesting history, a rare peek into the development of a modern gaming peripheral. Did they end up accomplishing their goals?

Let's take a closer look.

Read more: Razer Ouroboros Elite Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews

Unigine Valley 1.0 Benchmark Tool Walk Through @ OCC

As you can see, the tests are very consistent within the same preset. The average distance from the average score is just 0.49% for the Basic preset, 0.66% for the Extreme, and 0.05% for the Extreme HD. It does not take careful statistical analysis to recognize that this is significant consistency, which is quite important for the use of this benchmark.

Read more: Unigine Valley 1.0 Benchmark Tool Walk Through @ OCC

MESH Slayer 3770K OC System review (w/ GTX Titan) @ KitGuru

Today we are looking at the new high end system from MESH the Slayer 3770k OC. This system includes the highly overclockable i7 3770k and the ultra high end flagship GPU from Nvidia, the GTX Titan. On paper this looks to be a gaming beast and today we will put the system through its paces, including a look at MESH build quality.

Read more: MESH Slayer 3770K OC System review (w/ GTX Titan) @ KitGuru

Noctua NF-S12A Silent Case Fan Review @ DreamWare Computers

In 2009, the NF-S12B series was announced as the 2nd generation of NF-S12 series. As expected, it was better than 1st generation NF-S12 and silent PC enthusiasts were crazy about it. 1st and 2nd generations of Noctua NF-S12 have received a stunning 250 awards for all these years.

Now, after 3 years of R&D work Noctua released the new 3rd generation – NF-S12A silent case fans. Size is again 120mm and manufacturer says that it will have better airflow and noise rates than 1st and 2nd generation by up to 8%.

Read more: Noctua NF-S12A Silent Case Fan Review @ DreamWare Computers

Dell XPS 13 (Q1 2013) Ultrabook Review: What a Difference 1080p Makes @ Anandtech

Around this time last year, we had a chance to take a look at Dell's first ultrabook, the XPS 13. This was an ultrabook I was for the most part fond of, but one that was clearly suffering from being first generation ultrabook hardware. Ultra low-voltage Sandy Bridge chips were perfectly serviceable, but they could still generate a tremendous amount of heat in a chassis the size of the XPS 13. That meant noise and heat were both serious issues. Compounding that was a routine, run-of-the-mill, utterly dismal 1366x768 TN panel display.

Read more: Dell XPS 13 (Q1 2013) Ultrabook Review: What a Difference 1080p Makes @ Anandtech