Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Building a Small Form Factor Gaming PC, SteelSeries Apex [RAW] Review, Fedora 19 KDE review - The cat is dead, Corsair H100i CPU Liquid Cooler, and Windows 8 Beats Ubuntu Linux For Intel "Haswell" OpenGL Performance



Building a Small Form Factor Gaming PC @ Techspot

For years now we've had the ability to take a compact Micro ATX motherboard along with a high-end GPU and squeeze them into a custom case not much bigger than a shoe box. We did it back in 2010 with the Lian Li Mini Q PC-V354, which became home to a Phenom II X6 1075T along the Gigabyte 880GMA-USB3 motherboard and the monstrous Radeon HD 5970 graphics card. The case also made room for seven 3.5” hard drives and could support long power supplies.

The following year we tried out the less subtle Thermaltake Armor A30 which was outfitted with similar hardware. That review was best known for our apparently controversial decision to use a 2L coke bottle for a size comparison.

Read more: Building a Small Form Factor Gaming PC @ Techspot

SteelSeries Apex [RAW] Review @ Vortez

SteelSeries were last seen in these parts treating Richard to an excellent aural experience with the Siberia V2 Limited Edition headsets, but it’s been over eighteen months since our most recent SteelSeries keyboard review. The mechanical 7G gained Silver and Approved awards, showing how accomplished they are in this arena and complementing the rest of their formidable peripheral range.

In the intervening period the Danish designers have iterated upon a number of already strong products, most notably the Sensei [RAW] gaming mouse of November last year, but the lack of new keyboards has been notable. For a time it seemed as if they were concentrating on the many licensed peripherals for the latest new games titles; a valuable proposition certainly, but somewhat lacking in innovation. Thankfully the Apex range was announced in early January and a version has made the long journey to the UK and into our tests. We present: the Apex[RAW].

Read more: SteelSeries Apex [RAW] Review @ Vortez

Intel DZ87KLT-75K LGA1150 Desktop Motherboard Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Until a few years ago, Intel motherboards were, well, boring: reliable, sure, and well-made, but without any really interesting features that would appeal to enthusiasts. That started changing around the time of the Z68 chipset, and although Intel has announced theyll stop manufacturing desktop motherboards in the near future, the Z87-based DZ78KLT-75K makes a good swan song.

Read more: Intel DZ87KLT-75K LGA1150 Desktop Motherboard Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Fedora 19 KDE review - The cat is dead @ Dedoimedo

This article is probably going to annoy you, but please try to remain calm. So here we have a very short, unsuccessful review of Fedora 19 Schroedinger's Cat 64-bit edition with the KDE desktop, ended prematurely without the ability to log into the live session, with some reference to the beta testing results, and a bit more.

Read more: Fedora 19 KDE review - The cat is dead @ Dedoimedo

Hands-On With Samsung’s Newest Additions to the ATIV and Galaxy Tab Product Families (Video) @ Megatech

In recent years, it feels like Samsung has gotten into the habit of releasing the widest array of products possible. They have smartphones and tablets in just about every screen size that you could possibly desire and this expansion of consumer choice is continuing this summer with a several new Samsung ATIV tablets and notebooks, as well as the newest addition to the Galaxy Tab series. We had the opportunity to sit down with Samsung Canada to get our hands on the newest hotness. Perhaps the most unique of the products showcased in the MEGATech video below is the Samsung ATIV Q. It’s not really fair to call it a tablet and it’s not really accurate to call it a notebook either. Instead, it’s a sliding convertible PC that runs on full Windows 8, but it can also run Android at the same time. You can quickly and easily hot swap between the two operating systems on the fly. This is far more ambitious than something like the Samsung 700T ATIV Smart PC Pro that we reviewed earlier this year.

Read more: Hands-On With Samsung’s Newest Additions to the ATIV and Galaxy Tab Product Families (Video) @ Megatech

Corsair H100i CPU Liquid Cooler @ PureOverclock

Corsair – if you have been into PCs over the past few years, you will probably view them fondly. They make some of the best cases, RAM and power supplies available, not to mention other accessories like SSDs, keyboards, mice and audio products. Corsair got into the AiO cooler market a few years ago with the H50. It was a great cooler for an initial offering, and despite being a thin 120mm radiator, it performed admirably well. In fact, I still have an H50 running on a Q6600 @ 3.7GHz in a spare system right now!

Things have come a long way since the original H50, though. The radiators are thicker and longer, the tubing is larger, and the fans are quieter. Fast forward to today and you’ll notice that Corsair’s new H100i has “all that and then some” in an effort to keep your system cool and quiet. They were kind enough to send me one to check out, so without further adieu let’s get to it!

Read more: Corsair H100i CPU Liquid Cooler @ PureOverclock

CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse @ PureOverclock

Finding a great gaming mouse is no easy prospect for most people. Frankly, it can be downright a pain in the…..er, hand. Hands come in different sizes, as it were, and users have just as many different preferences as there are choices on the market for a solid gaming mouse. These little rodents are often a source of much debate and discomfort, at least when poorly designed. Form follows function, as the old saying goes.

Users tend to find a mouse they like and rarely venture into uncharted territory, seemingly content to use what they have for years, and you don’t see many innovations, let alone newcomers to the marketplace. Cooler Master is no industry lightweight, however, and has plenty of experience with hardware components. In fact, we’ve taken a look at several of their gamer-oriented Storm lineup products and found nearly all of them to be very well designed and constructed, both stylish and smartly functional. And today we’re looking at another, the CM Storm Havoc, a laser gaming mouse that looks to offer great features for an attractive price of $55.

Read more: CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse @ PureOverclock

NZXT H630 Silent Full Tower Case Review @ Hardware Canucks

NZXT is becoming one of the more dominant brands within the chassis market and their latest addition, the H630 aims to cement their position. It is an enthusiast full tower which follows in the Phantom series’ footsteps but also represents an interesting departure from the norm in a number of areas.


While the Phantom lineup focuses on offering enthusiasts the highest performance chassis possible which is wrapped with a great looking exterior, the H-series takes a slightly different approach. Its goal is to provide users with the quietest computing experience possible while also retaining some of its sibling’s advanced cooling technologies.

The H630 fills a gap in NZXT’s lineup that few realized was actually there. While earlier H-series cases seemed to home in on the mid-tower market, this is one of the few “Ultra Tower” sized enclosures which can boast a truly “silent” design. Now, this does come at a relatively steep price of $150 but for a large space with plenty of room, countless features and tons of sound-dampening, it isn’t that expensive either.

Read more: NZXT H630 Silent Full Tower Case Review @ Hardware Canucks

Windows 8 Beats Ubuntu Linux For Intel "Haswell" OpenGL Performance @ Phoronix

While we have published many Linux articles about Intel Haswell since the debut of the processors a month and a half ago, coming out now are our first benchmarks of the Microsoft Windows 8 performance against Ubuntu 13.10 Linux when using an Intel Core i7 4770K processor with HD Graphics 4600. Past Phoronix benchmarks have shown the Intel OpenGL performance to be superior on Windows over the Intel open-source Linux driver, but is this the case for Haswell?

Earlier in July I provided updated Windows vs. Linux OpenGL benchmarks for HD 4000 Ivy Bridge graphics on an Intel Ultrabook in anticipation of this Haswell testing. The Ivy Bridge testing showed that even with the latest Windows drivers and all of the brand new Linux driver code and kernel, Microsoft's operating system still delivered better gaming performance than Linux.

Read more: Windows 8 Beats Ubuntu Linux For Intel "Haswell" OpenGL Performance @ Phoronix

Gigabyte Aivia Neon Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets

The Aivia Neon is a hybrid between a conventional wireless mouse and an air presenter. It works both on the table and in the air, changing functions with the press of a button and a flick of the wrist. Besides the double duty, it also features a laser pointer. We will first describe its unusual body design and then examine its performance.

Read more: Gigabyte Aivia Neon Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets

Corsair Raptor M30 and M40 Gaming Mice Video Review with Kaeyi Dream @ HardwareHeaven.com

Today Kaeyi Dream takes a look at the latest Corsair Raptor gaming mice the M30 and M40. Corsair acquired Raptor Gaming last year, and we can see the influences of both Raptor and Corsair design and technology.

Read more: Corsair Raptor M30 and M40 Gaming Mice Video Review with Kaeyi Dream @ HardwareHeaven.com

Apple's Haswell-Powered 13-Inch MacBook Air - Review @ HotHardware

Intel's roll-out of their 4th generation Haswell-based Core series processors has been a little pokey, quite frankly, when you compare this launch to the deluge of products that hit the market when Ivy Bridge broke cover last year. Regardless, Apple always seems to have an inside track on Intel's latest technology and so, as it turns out, our first Haswell-powered notebook has finally arrived and it's none other than the Apple MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air for 2013 is virtually indistinguishable from the previous gen model, though if you'll look closely there actually two tiny pinholes on its left edge, for dual omnidirectional microphones, versus a single mic on previous models. Beyond that, it's the guts of the new Air that bring the glory.

In addition to the anticipated performance gains that Intel's new CPU might bring to the table for the MacBook Air, there are additional component-level enhancements that Apple baked in to their new ultra-light machine; namely a higher capacity 54 Whr battery and a PCI Express-based Solid State Drive (SSD). If you've been reading these pages for any length of time, you'll know the latter feature gets us more than a little fired-up. Let's see what the new MacBook Air is made of and if it holds its own versus Windows-based Ultrabook offerings in the market.

Read more: Apple's Haswell-Powered 13-Inch MacBook Air - Review @ HotHardware

InWin G7 @ LanOC Reviews

While most enthusiasts prefer Full Tower cases because of the ample amount of space for things like water-cooling solutions and multiple video card setups, sometimes the sheer size of the cases can be prohibitive as far as portability. Luckily there has always been a healthy market for enthusiast minded Mid Towers. Today we look at the G7 Mid Tower from InWin that promises to offer a great blend of features, performance and quality aimed at DIY enthusiasts. Will it stand tall among quality competition? Let’s find out.

Read more: InWin G7 @ LanOC Reviews

Roccat KONE Pure Inferno Orange Review @ KitGuru

Today we are taking a look at the limited edition ROCCAT Kone Pure Inferno Orange. Armed with an 8200 DPI sensor, Omron switches, customizable lighting and a 32-bit on-board processor, the Kone Pure has high expectations and big boots to fill. Despite all its features, the Kone Pure comes in at a relatively modest asking price of £58.51 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/ROCCAT-Kone-Color-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B00C2AUNSA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374605732&sr=8-3&keywords=roccat+kone+pure) inc vat.

Read more: Roccat KONE Pure Inferno Orange Review @ KitGuru