Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 (2014) Review
AMD Catalyst 14.12 Omega Driver Brings Mixed Results For Linux Users
AMD Catalyst Omega 14.12 Driver Performance with Frame Times in Crossfire
Antec ISK-600M Micro-ATX Chassis Review
Build your own storage server for less
Christmas 2014 System Guide
CyberpowerPC SYBER Gaming Windows Console Review
Deepcool GamerStorm Captain 360 AIO: Does Size Matter?
Driveclub PlayStation 4 Review – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W Power Supply Review
EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600 Supply Review
How to test-drive Ubuntu Core on Fedora 21 Workstation
Install MariaDB on Ubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) Server Using PPA
Intel Haswell Low Power CPU Review: Core i3-4130T, i5-4570S and i7-4790S Tested
Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory Kit Review
Speck CandyShell Grip iPhone 6 Case Review
The Lumia 535: Microsoft’s first phone reviewed
Thermaltake Core V51 Midi Tower Review
Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 850W Power Supply Review

Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 (2014) Review

We're willing to concede that size matters, but too often in tech manufacturers take advantage of that notion by offering multiple size options of the same product, without upping the ante in any other way. Without shaming specific manufacturers, let's just say that we've seen both knock-off and name-brand laptop and tablet makers offer bigger versions of the same product without even bumping up the screen resolution, let alone upgrading the hardware inside.

That's not a concern with Amazon's refreshed Fire HDX 8.9 tablet. It's not simply a bigger version of the Fire HD 7, and is instead a much better product in almost every way. Not only is it physically bigger with an 8.9-inch IPS display, but it boasts a much higher resolution at 2560x1600 (339 ppi), faster hardware, and more features...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

AMD Catalyst 14.12 Omega Driver Brings Mixed Results For Linux Users

There are some significant performance improvements to find with this week's Linux version of the AMD Catalyst 14.12 "Omega" driver, but there's also some Linux OpenGL performance regressions to note too. Feedback from the Linux community as well to this new driver has been mixed.

The Catalyst 14.12 driver was released on Tuesday for Windows and Linux users. The Catalyst Linux driver update was a very significant update with OpenCL 2.0, VA-API video decoding, OpenGL ES 3.0, and numerous other features as previously outlined. For those that haven't yet run comparison tests on your own hardware for the proprietary Linux graphics driver, I ran some tests today to see how Catalyst 14.12 does on Ubuntu 14.10.

Read full article @ Phoronix

AMD Catalyst Omega 14.12 Driver Performance with Frame Times in Crossfire

AMD worked on the Catalyst Omega Driver (Catalyst 14.12) that was released earlier this week for nearly six months. These new drivers bring new features, a ton of bug fixes and of course the usual performance and quality improvements that gamers expect from each new driver release. AMD put so much time and effort into these new special edition drivers that they wanted to name this something different to help them stand out from the crowd. We figured the least we could do is take a look at the performance of the the new Catalyst Omega driver versus that of the previous non-beta driver release, which would be Catalyst 14.9 on our Radeon R9 290 Crossfire setup.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Antec ISK-600M Micro-ATX Chassis Review

It’s been a while since we had a new Antec chassis in the eTeknix office and I’m really happy to see them come back with something as nice as the ISK-600, and at such a perfect time for the industry too. I know a lot of people that are working on building their own compact gaming rigs since the reveal of SteamOS and SteamBox type systems. There are a lot of people out there who enjoy console gaming on the big screen, myself included, but the “glorious PC master race” can’t get by without anything less than a GTX 690, and it’s this crowd that cases like the ISK-600 appeal to, allowing you to build a kick-ass gaming rig that you can pop under your big screen TV via a home cinema system, just plug in your favourite controller and off you go. That being said, the ISK-600 is pretty competent as a HTPC too thanks to its clean looks and competent storage capabilities, you could fill it with hard drives, a half decent GPU and use it as a home entertainment unit.

It seems then that Antec have hit on a little bit of everything with the ISK-600, it’s got a great design that makes it look perfectly at home in the office, under or on top of your own desk, under your TV, or even just to take with you as a LAN gaming rig. The style isn’t without its details, but it still manages to be understated. I really like the use of aluminium on the top and side panels and the deep brush finish as well as the clean front panel makes it look like a much more expensive product than it actually is, which is no bad thing at all.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Build your own storage server for less

IT infrastructure and storage has always been part of serious conversation between IT engineers and their bosses. As always IT Engineers want to use the best of the newest technologies while their bosses want to keep every project under a tight budget. It's always an ongoing battle, however both sides always come to some mutual agreement that benefits both sides.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Christmas 2014 System Guide

Join us for this year's last System Guide update, in which we've fine-tuned our picks for your eleventh-hour Christmas shopping needs. This holiday edition also features a new wildcard build, the Cuboid, and tips on how to evade the specter of planned obsolescence for now.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

CyberpowerPC SYBER Gaming Windows Console Review

XBone got you down? Is the PS4 just too "Sony" for you? Do you long for the days when you can play steam games on your big screen? Fear not SYBER Gaming has you covered.

In this review we will be looking at Windows based gaming console from SYBER Gaming called the Vapor A. One of the highlights of CES 2014 was the rumored release of Valve SteamOS and plenty of system builders had systems on display to support Steam gaming in the living room. Many builders adopted the term Steam Machine or Steam Box for this concept and offered up a variety of different system configurations ranging from portable LAN style systems to sleek machines that looked like a home built HTPC.

Read full article @ Hardware Asylum

Deepcool GamerStorm Captain 360 AIO: Does Size Matter?

Revolution is an interesting word. On one hand it can mean a sweeping change and a dramatic break from a pattern but it can also mean a circular loop trapped in an orbit; traveling far but returning to where it started only to repeat the voyage once again. With every exciting new product announcement, an enthusiast expects it to be …

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Driveclub PlayStation 4 Review – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Driveclub has been one of the most anticipated PlayStation 4 games since before the console even launched. The game was delayed by nearly a year after the consoles release, which may have done more harm than good. Gamers wanted this game at launch, especially since I know of a few people who purchased a PlayStation 4 just for this game. Driveclub was supposed to have a freemium edition on PlayStation Plus that gave you a bunch of tracks and cars as part of your PSN subscription, that version has yet to surface.

So what has been done in this extra year of development time? To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. The game still doesn’t have the PlayStation Plus edition and several aspects of the game launched broken. What we have is a launch game that completely missed its window of opportunity.

Read full article @ eTeknix

EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W Power Supply Review

EVGA has a bit of a rocky road with HardOCP when it comes to PSU reviews. Today we give EVGA the opportunity to redeem itself with its 1300 watt powerhouse touting "exceptional efficiency" and a fully modular design that is "silent and optimized for the enthusiast." All this with a 10 year warranty It must be a badass.

Read full article @ HardOCP

EVGA SuperNOVA P2 1600 Supply Review

We aren’t messing around today. Up for analysis is the latest flagship power supply from enthusiast favourite EVGA. Their new SuperNova 1600 P2 Power supply is a monster product designed for power crazy SLI and Crossfire systems. It is 80 Plus Platinum certified, fully modular, and incorporates the highest grade Japanese capacitors inside. The EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 P2 is designed to deliver a staggering 1600 watts – which for 90% of our audience, will be completely overkill. This is not for the faint of heart, as the £275.99 inc vat asking price will testify.

Read full article @ KitGuru

How to test-drive Ubuntu Core on Fedora 21 Workstation

Ubuntu Core is a containerized edition of Ubuntu for Cloud deployments. A beta release was announced yesterday. (See Ubuntu Core to bring Snappy and transactional updates to the Cloud). Though theres a similar effort from Fedora/Red Hat called Project Atomic, nothing stops you from playing with Ubuntu Core on any release of Fedora, including the most recent Fedora 21.

Read full article @ LinuxBSDos.com

Install MariaDB on Ubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) Server Using PPA

MariaDB is a drop-in replacement for MySQL. MariaDB strives to be the logical choice for database professionals looking for a robust, scalable, and reliable SQL server.

Read full article @ Ubuntu Geek

Intel Haswell Low Power CPU Review: Core i3-4130T, i5-4570S and i7-4790S Tested

Despite being an integral part of Intels product stack, reviews of the lower power models are few and far between. For those of us that have no interest in overclocking, the lower power parts offer similar stock performance to the big boys but at 65W and 35W. Today we are testing three chips available from Newegg at $135, $200 and $300.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory Kit Review

Today we wish to present the latest Kingston desktop memory series which is the HyperX Predator DDR4, in the fastest version of DDR4-3000.
Since DDR4 memory is available only for enthusiast grade motherboards based on the Intel X99 chipset then also every Kingston DDR4 memory kit is dedicated for the computer enthusiasts and overclockers alike. It is this group of users who know how to appreciate high performance memory but also those who are using their computers for video editing, 3D rendering or gaming can take advantage of the faster system memory.
Let us take a look at our review and find out if the Kingston HyperX Predator can satisfy even the most demanding computer enthusiasts and gamers.
 

 

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Speck CandyShell Grip iPhone 6 Case Review

If you’ve had the chance to handle the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6+ then you’ll have noticed how incredibly slick and slippery these devices can be. Obviously the best way to protect the iPhone from tragedy is to put it in a protective case.

Speck has been designing iPhone cases since the inception of the Apple phone. For the latest iteration of the iPhone they have stretched out their Candy Shell Grip iPhone case to fit the latest models. Today we will look at the iPhone 6 version.

Textured grips on the back of the case allow the phone to be held with the utmost traction. The CandyShell Grip case is certified to meet or exceed military standard drop tests which means the iPhone 6 is well protected. On its front is a raised bezel, which keeps the screen safe from impact.

Read full article @ Technogog

The Lumia 535: Microsoft’s first phone reviewed

Is a low-end flagship a thing? It should be. It's no secret that Windows Phone and the Lumia smartphone range have had the most success at the low end. The Lumia 520 sold like hot cakes thanks to aggressive pricing, and it's still on the market today, with the Microsoft Store currently running a special offer where an AT&T-locked, off-contract phone can be picked up for less than $30.

The successor to the 520 was the Lumia 530, and it had big, if cheap, shoes to fill. Unfortunately, we don't think it really pulled this off, with less storage, no auto-brightness sensor, and a markedly worse screen. The Lumia 630 and 635 were more compelling, with decent screens and more capable cameras. However, they still had only 512MB RAM and lacked the ambient light sensor, which felt a little substandard for their price point.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Thermaltake Core V51 Midi Tower Review

mATX and mITX systems may be quite popular nowadays especially amongst people who are looking to build an small and silent HTPC system but most of the people i know who build new systems or upgrade old ones still strongly believe that midi and full towers are the way to go. Personally many of you know that i always prefer our systems to be housed inside the largest PC cases possible since i enjoy swapping hardware components with ease. However lately we've seen quite a few midi towers that have very little to be jealous from full towers not only in terms of interior space but features as well. Today with us we have one such midi tower and more specifically the brand new Core V51 by Thermaltake.

The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

Some people may think that the Core V51 is a cut down version of the very successful Core V71 model but that's not really the case since both offer many features, nearly identical interior space and similar build quality. So the Core V51 is compatible with mATX/mITX/ATX/EATX mainboards, comes with two 120mm fans installed at the front and one 120mm fan installed at the rear, has room for a total of nine 120mm fans, has room for up to 4 radiators (front/top/rear/bottom), can accommodate up to two 5.25" and five 3.5"/2.5" drives and has enough space for graphics cards up to 480mm long (310mm with the HDD cage) and 185mm tall CPU coolers. So as you can see the Core V51 is not really that much different compared to its brother the Core V71 but a closer look is in order to see just what it can offer you.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 850W Power Supply Review

We have seen digital power supplies for a while now from many different manufacturers. Today we have Thermaltake’s latest in their Toughpower DPS G 850W unit. This unit features a sleek design, 80PLUS Gold efficiency rating, 140 mm cooling fan and a fully modular design with flat cables. On top of all of that you can plug this power supply into your motherboard (via USB) and with Thermaltake’s DPSApp you can easily monitor stats, calculate cost, change fan speeds and more. Is this power supply perfect for your next build? Read on as we find out.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org