Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

Building a 32-Thread Xeon Monster PC for Less Than a Haswell-E Core i7
Corsair Gaming Sabre RGB 10k DPI Optical Mouse Review
Dark Souls 3 Review
Enermax Liqtech 240 Review
Gelid Antarctica Ultra-Quiet Tower CPU Cooler Review
Gigabyte P35W v5 Gaming Laptop Review
How to ensure TRIM is enabled on Windows 10 to keep an SSD at top performance
Overclockers UK Titan Dark Zone Gaming PC Review
Pad & Quill Contega Thin Case for Apple iPad Pro Review
Seagate launches world's first USB-C powered 8TB external HDD
SMPlayer Media Player Review
The Last Man On The Moon Review
ViewSonic XG2401 24-inch FreeSync Monitor Review
Xtorm AL390 18000mAh Laptop Power Bank Review
Yumqua 5 Meter USB Camera Borescope Endoscope Review

Building a 32-Thread Xeon Monster PC for Less Than a Haswell-E Core i7

Originally released in 2012 for a whopping $1,550 and beyond, thousands of Xeon E5-2670 CPUs hit the second hand market last year as massive data centers upgraded their servers. This 4-year old CPU delivers 8-cores clocked at 2.6GHz with a 3.3GHz turbo frequency and a large 20MB L3 cache, but with supply overwhelming demand prices have plummeted to just $70. Or seen from another perspective: it's now possible to build an insanely affordable 16-core/32-thread beast for less than a Haswell-E Core i7.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Corsair Gaming Sabre RGB 10k DPI Optical Mouse Review

Corsair Gaming has been on a major winning streak recently, with the amazing Corsair Void series of headsets being some of the best we’ve ever tested, followed by the incredible Corsair Strafe RGB Cherry MX Silent, which is an incredible keyboard and also one of the quietest mechanical keyboards on the market. So, no stranger to innovation with their latest products, Corsair Gaming are now introducing the Scimitar RGB Optical MOBA and MMO gaming mouse, and it’s pretty special.

“The Scimitar RGB gaming mouse revolutionizes game play with its Key Slider control system, 12 mechanical side buttons, and pro-proven 12,000 DPI optical sensor. It’s purpose built to deliver the ultimate MOBA and MMO gaming experience.”

Read full article @ eTeknix

Dark Souls 3 Review

In Dark Souls 3, death paves the way for progress. In that regard, it's business as usual for fans of FromSoftware's sleeper-hit series. But digging deeper into its core, it's the boldest, most approachable game that the company has ever created.For those who haven't yet dipped their toes into this proverbial pool of piranhas, let me paint a picture. At any moment, the rug could slip from under you. Then, said rug will proceed to beat the shit out of you. That never-relenting tension makes a crossroads out of every move. You will die...a lot. But each failure is a learning experience, calling for a change in perspective and tactics. Progress comes slow, but it's an absolute blast to play.

That unique brand of fear is back in the latest installment of Dark Souls, along with the rest of the winning formula that the series is known best for: A haunting, mysterious story that's nestled deeply into several environments, each aged and damned in their own right. Third-person combat that's easy enough to learn, but nearly impossible for the average gamer to master without flaw. As similar as it may be to its predecessors, Dark Souls 3 is not a mere carbon copy.

Read full article @ Techradar

Enermax Liqtech 240 Review

So you find yourself considering building a new system or simply looking to upgrade your current one, but you are not sure whether you want to go with liquid cooling. Well, liquid cooling these days has gone from complex and risky, to easy to install and low risk with all-in-one (AIO) units that range in size and cooling capacities. Liquid cooling gives users additional overclocking headroom and gives them a cleaner CPU mounting solution by removing what once would have been a massive heat sink, in exchange for a radiator that mounts out of the way. Here at Bjorn3D, we love liquid cooling and also love that it is no longer something that only an expert can do, but even first time beginners.

Read full article @ Bjorn3D

Gelid Antarctica Ultra-Quiet Tower CPU Cooler Review

Gelid are one of the most legendary cooling companies in the world and while you may not think of them first when you’re looking at a new CPU cooler, they’re the top choice for many system builders, enthusiast overclockers, and all of us here at eTeknix for our test benches, when it comes to Thermalpaste. Gelid GC-Extreme has been a popular choice for many years, and it’s with that in mind that we know that Gelid has a fair bit of knowledge when it comes to thermal performance in the PC market.

“The Antarctica comes with a 3D optimized heatsink that offers best-in-class thermal performance. The engineers of GELID Solutions especially designed a set of 5 power heat pipes, aluminum fins with improved profiling and an additional smaller heatsink with a copper core. These elements provide exceptional heat transfer from the CPU to the heatsink. Both heatsinks were created using precise software simulation and calculation during the development stage to ensure efficient air flow distribution at the lowest fan speed possible. The result, the Antarctica fully supports heat transfer of TDP 220W being paired with even very low-speed, virtually noiseless fans.” – Gelid

Read full article @ eTeknix

Gigabyte P35W v5 Gaming Laptop Review

The Gigabyte P34W v3 is touted as “the world’s lightest GTX 970M gaming laptop” and exemplifies how portable modern gaming laptops can be whilst offering an impressive level of graphical prowess. After growing up with a number of 17″ behemoths that almost weighed the same as my Desktop; it is staggering how far technology has come. From the outset, the P34W v3 looks more like a fashionable ultrabook designed for basic tasks instead of an enthusiast-grade laptop. However, don’t be deceived by its slim design; the P34W v3 packs an enormous punch with an Intel Core i7-4720HQ, 8GB of RAM and GTX 970M. This combination provides a stellar 1080p gaming experience without requiring a bulky setup. The question is, have Gigabyte made too many concessions in a bid to reach a compact form factor?

Read full article @ eTeknix

How to ensure TRIM is enabled on Windows 10 to keep an SSD at top performance

TRIM is an essential feature for an SSD to keep it on top performance and helps the drive to last much longer. Here's how to make sure the feature is enabled on Windows 10. Besides getting a speedy processor and as much RAM as you can afford, a Solid State Drive (SSD) also plays a very important role in making your PC fast. However, an SSD will stay on it best performance and last longer only if it's properly maintained. TRIM is an ATA command set that was originally designed for the purpose of keeping a Solid State Drive at its optimal performance throughout its lifespan. The TRIM feature allows Windows 10, or any supported operating system, to notify an SSD which blocks of data are no longer in use and can be safely wiped out to be writable again. Having this operation done ahead of time improves performance, as the drive won't have to spend time erasing a particular block when space is needed to store new data, ensuring the SSD reaches its advertised lifespan.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Overclockers UK Titan Dark Zone Gaming PC Review

verclockers UK is one of the leading stockists of PC hardware and their engineering team produces an impressive range of custom rigs to suit contrasting tastes. Whether you’re looking for a silent air-cooled build, or extreme overclocked PC with premium water cooling parts, there’s something designed for your specific requirements. Often, whenever a new game is released which sells remarkably well, consumers like to pay homage with a system based around its theme. This can be a challenge especially if the game in question doesn’t have a distinctive colour scheme. The Division is an open world third-person shooter set in a bleak vision of New York City ravaged by a smallpox pandemic. This intriguing setting and captivating multiplayer confrontations have proved to be incredibly popular! As a result, The Division became Ubisoft’s fastest selling game on record and attracted a very passionate community.

This success story has given Overclockers UK inspiration for their latest gaming PC entitled the Titan Dark Zone. The system opts for orange braided PSU extension cables and vibrant LED lighting which creates a stunning aesthetic design. Combining the orange tones with black jet black components is quite unusual and a reference to The Division’s box art. Therefore, the Titan Dark Zone is a dream come true for fans of this particular title and features a very potent specification capable of powering VR devices without any concessions. The Intel i7-6700K is professionally overclocked to 4.5GHz using the Alpenfohn Broken 2 cooler. As a result, I expect to see an impeccable performance to noise ratio which surpasses many closed-loop-coolers. On another note, the 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory, factory overclocked GTX 980Ti and Samsung 250GB boot drive should be able to provide a sensational gaming experience even on high-resolution monitors. Rather surprising, Overclockers UK have decided to use a non-modular power supply which complicates cables management. On the other hand, the PSU has received a great deal of critical acclaim and showcases the careful decision-making process when designing a system’s specification.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Pad & Quill Contega Thin Case for Apple iPad Pro Review

As a reviewer it is fascinating to follow the growth of a company from its humble beginnings to becoming a highly touted brand. One such company is Pad & Quill whose products I’ve had the pleasure to review for the past six years.

While Pad & Quill have garnered an excellent reputation for their products they have not shed their small business, home grown character. Receiving one of their products always feels special as their products are hand crafted and not mass-produced overseas.

The Contega is one of Pad & Quill’s iPad case lines. For today’s review we were sent the Contega Thin Case for iPad Pro. As opposed to the standard Contega this model focuses on having a svelte profile that uses a unique system for keeping the iPad Pro in place. To find out what that system is, keep reading…..

Read full article @ Technogog

Seagate launches world's first USB-C powered 8TB external HDD

Seagate claims that in the world of consumer electronics, there is an abundance of external hard drives that still require additional power adapters, and with technologies like 10Gbps USB Type-C capable of delivering up to 100 watts at 20 volts over a single cable, this really does not have to be the case anymore.Seagate is calling its power adapter-less technology “Ignition Boost,” which allows the drive to operate solely from USB 3.1 Type-C bus power without a dedicated power source.The single-cabled Innov8 external hard drive features all-aluminum housing with a chiseled design and basically looks like six Pop Tarts stacked on top of one another. It measures 208mm long by 123.6mm wide by 36mm tall (8.19 x 4.87 x 1.42 inches) and weighs 1.5kg (3.31 pounds).Seagate’s Innov8 8TB HDD is a recipient of this year’s Red Dot design award, and the design was created in partnership with Huge-Design, a firm that has contributed to top consumer brands in the past including Nike, HP and GoPro.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

SMPlayer Media Player Review

SMPlayer is a free media player for Windows operating systems and Linux that uses the free media engines MPV and MPlayer for playback. Like most media players nowadays, SMPlayer ships with built-in support for many popular and even lesser known video and audio formats so that it does not rely on installed codecs for playback.

Read full article @ gHacks

The Last Man On The Moon Review

The Last Man On The Moon tells the story of Gene Cernan, a man who joined an elite band as one of only 12 people to have set foot on the Moon's surface. This documentary by Mark Craig examines the unseen toll that that superhuman level of professional accomplishment and personal sacrifice had on Cernan's life and the lives of those around him back on Earth.It took five years for Craig to get this documentary realised, and at nearly 2 hours long, I felt I'd been in a five-year orbit watching the trajectory of Cernan's life play out. From stunning archival footage and photographs, to interviews with Cernan and his friends in the present day, a light is shone on key points in his life. Through Cernan's beginnings as a hot-shot Air Force pilot, all the way to his still-action-packed retirement, his drive to excel was and is clear.

Read full article @ TechRadar

ViewSonic XG2401 24-inch FreeSync Monitor Review

ViewSonic is the latest major display manufacturer to add FreeSync to its lineup. Today, we're testing the 24-inch XG2401. It's a FHD/TN screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and ultra-fast panel response.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Xtorm AL390 18000mAh Laptop Power Bank Review

Time flies by very fast and so once again summer is just around the corner so naturally most people i know are already planning for their highly anticipated vacation. Summer vacations however usually mean going to the beach on a daily basis (where i live anyways) and although in the past that ment only taking a towel and an umbrella with you today thanks to our smartphones, laptops and tablets things have become quite more complicated. Now there are some people who prefer getting up and going all the way to their cars to charge their mobile devices but leaving out the quite annoying getting up part and going all the way to your car that means you can't use the device while charging (not to mention doing so may help deplete your car batter). Portable rechargeable battery packs (power banks) have solved that problem for the majority of people but to date not many people are aware that there are some models which can also be used to charge their laptops and other not so "portable" devices. The AL390 Laptop Power Bank by Xtorm is one such model and we've spend the past month testing it with all our portable devices.

Xtorm is part of the Dutch company A-solar bv and was founded in 2008 with the idea that today more and more mobile devices come to the market, which requires a lot of power. To contribute to the environment we have searched for durable applications to provide a solution to this problem. Meanwhile we are the manufacturer in the field of innovative and practical solar and power solutions for everyday use. We bring a complete range of affordable and user-friendly consumer products on the market that simply charged from solar power and USB. The products with the brand Xtorm have a contemporary character and are of high quality.

The AL390 Laptop Power Bank by Xtorm features a high-quality 18.000mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack which can be used to fully charge tablets up to 2 times and most smartphones up to 9-10 times (up to 90 hours of extra operation time according to Xtorm). It also has two 5v/2.4A USB ports for charging of mobile devices but what really separates it from most products of its category is the built-in AC 230v socket which can be used with laptops and virtually anything that uses a wall plug (as long as it's rated for up to 65W). Unfortunately all of the above mean that the AL390 is not the smallest power bank in the market today (far from it really) but all said and done people who are interested in such a device will obviously not be looking for one with just enough juice to charge their smartphones.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Yumqua 5 Meter USB Camera Borescope Endoscope Review

I’ve been reviewing products for about 12 years now and one of the great things about reviewing is getting things that are useful like the USB borescope or endoscope I have for review today. There a lots of products I want but don’t need so I’ll probably never buy them, but getting them for review is nice. A borescope is something that I wanted but not really needed, maybe once or twice per year I might have a use for one, not really worth running out and buying one, but it can be very useful for the average homeowner to own something like this as you never know when you’ll need one. The one I have for review today is 5 meters long or about 16.4 feet and even has LEDs that you can adjust built in to make sure you see everything you need to. Overall it’s not a bad product, it’s inexpensive and I found it works with both Windows and Android. Read on to learn more…

Read full article @ Technogog