Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

ASRock Rack Announces EP2C612D24 and 4L: Dual Socket Haswell-EP with 24 DDR4 Slots
Budget Game PC - May 2015
Hands on Windows 10 build 10125: New icons, UI changes and more
How Windows 10 will change smartphones forever
KitGuru Complete Guide to PC Workstations – Part 2
Scythe Mugen MAX SCMGD-1000 CPU Cooler Review
They call me Kodi
Vodafone Smart Prime 6 Review

ASRock Rack Announces EP2C612D24 and 4L: Dual Socket Haswell-EP with 24 DDR4 Slots

Two things jumped out at me when I received this press release. Firstly the name, which comes out as a mouthful – it isn’t something you could casually mention in conversation, even if you worked closely with the motherboard. The second is the amount of DRAM slots, which is ultimately what the EP2C612D24 and EP2C612D24-4L are catering for.

The Haswell-EP/Xeon E5 v3 DDR4 memory controllers are designed for up to three DIMMs per channel, similarly to Ivy Bridge-EP (E5 v2) and Sandy Bridge-EP (E5), although in all cases it is usually reserved for more niche systems. With 16GB UDIMMs, this allows for a maximum of 384GB, although moving up to RDIMM, LRDIMMs or 64GB NVDIMMs pushes the max to 1.5TB in a dual socket motherboard. Only those with deep pockets, big budgets or stringent requirements need apply, as the major cost here will be the DRAM.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Budget Game PC - May 2015

The Hardware.Info Budget Game PC Advice has a balanced configuration for playing video games, without having to spend too much. The components have been selected to offer the best bang for your buck.

That means you cannot always expect the highest settings, resolution and frame rate, but at the same time you should be able to play all modern games in Full HD resolution without making huge concessions to either the image quality or your enjoyment of the game.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Hands on Windows 10 build 10125: New icons, UI changes and more

A new build of Windows 10 has made its way to my machine and despite the incremental update in the build number, there are quite a few changes in this release including new icons and other UI changes.

Microsoft has included new icons in this release for folders, drives and other items as well. The icons are a bit more matte and flatter than what was being used in Windows previously and now look more consistent across the entire OS. In the Taskbar, the File Explorer icon has been updated as well and when you download an item from the Internet, the progress bar fills vertically instead of horizontally.

The Start menu has been tweaked too. When you click on the 'All Apps' section, you now are presented a grid of letters if you click on anything that is not an app to make it easier to jump to the section with the app that you need. Of course, you can still search in the menu as well, which is the fastest way to open an app.

Read full article @ Neowin

How Windows 10 will change smartphones forever

Phones have had a renaissance over the past half-decade. Gone is the idea that they are used simply for calls and texting, replaced by an all-capable device that can run apps, surf the internet, video call and more.Led by the iPhone in 2007, touchscreen technology and software improvements have meant that phones no longer need a keyboard and can have a large screen and a high pixel density. Other manufacturers, from HTC to Samsung, have added their own take on what makes a smartphone, redefining the market in the process. Now, it seems that it's Microsoft's turn. After years of relative obscurity in the world of smartphones – Windows Phone, despite having some good ideas and positive reviews has never been a commercial success – Redmond has decided to take a different tack, incorporating its weakest asset into the biggest: Windows Phone has now become Windows. Redefining the smartphonePreviously, Windows Phone was similar in design ideas to Windows 8 but was never actually one and the same thing. There was always the promise on the horizon that the two would merge and apps created for one would work on the other (an idea that I argued would not shift the fortunes of Windows Phone), but with Windows 10 for Phones Microsoft has gone further and could, if the implementation is right, redefine how we see phones.The implementation is, with hindsight, blindingly obvious: all you need is an HDMI connection, a keyboard and a mouse and your phone transforms into a computer.

Read full article @ Techradar

KitGuru Complete Guide to PC Workstations – Part 2

As we explained in our introduction to this series, workstations are considerably more than just powerful PCs. Brute performance may be the basis of a system you intend to use for high-end desktop computing tasks like 3D animation, CAD/CAM, engineering and product design. But there is much more to a workstation than a high-end rig aimed at general work usage or gaming. There are many more variations within the Intel Xeon processor range than Core i7, and whilst the professional graphics cards have a family relationship with their consumer counterparts, the specification of these and driver accreditation make them very different beasts, too.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Scythe Mugen MAX SCMGD-1000 CPU Cooler Review

Today I will be reviewing the Scythe Mugen Max SCMGD-1000 CPU Cooler. Let me begin by expressing the need for a CPU Cooler capable of great cooling: For one, the colder you keep the processor the lifetime will increase by years just by keeping the temperatures down a couple of degrees. Secondly, if you are into overclocking or a heavy gamer, we all want top notch performance out of the hardware we spent our hard earned money on and achieving the best performance requires keeping the operating temperatures to a minimum. Lastly, a cooler can be a great aesthetic piece to your computer. Having someone compliment on your sweet cooler has always brought a smile to my face. Honestly there are so many coolers out there to choose from, so finding one that fits your needs and style should not be problem. Scythe should be one to look at if you want proven performance and long lasting hardware.
 
For enthusiasts, Mugen fans and the like, Scythe is "pulling out all the stops" for the new Mugen MAX. Another contender for the "XL" CPU tower cooler market, the Mugen MAX is a real eye-catcher. For performance, a GlideStream 140mm PWM fan is taking care of business by blowing air through the T-M.A.P.S. (Three-dimensional Multiple Airflow Pass- through Structure) known from Scythe's flagship, the Mugen 4. For practical, easy mounting, the mounting system is borrowed from the "smaller brother" as well. Nickel-plated heatpipes add a classy touch to this impressive cooler.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

They call me Kodi

We're no strangers to XBMC, you know the rules, and so do I. The best media center is what we're looking for, you won't get it from any other distro. And so forth. Yestereve, we talked about Xubuntu, and now, we have a review of Kodi 14.2 Helix media center software, formerly XBMC, covering setup, skins and addons, video and music playback, pictures, weather, other features and settings, look & feel, usability, comparison to other similar products, other considerations, and more. Enjoy.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

Vodafone Smart Prime 6 Review

We're at a time in smartphone evolution when budget phones are actually not all that bad (see also: digital cameras and laptops) – and that means you can save yourself some money without ending up with a real clunker of a handset.Apple and Samsung may hog the limelight, but not everyone cares what a Snapdragon is, or necessarily want to spend the money to get one. Do you want your phone to run first-person shooters smoothly or just cover the basics? There are more people in the latter camp than you might think.Into that context comes the Vodafone Smart Prime 6, one of the new breed of 'own-brand' phones that the networks are releasing (such as the EE Harrier Mini). Available in the UK, it costs £79 with a pay-as-you-go SIM included. That's pretty much the cheapest way to get 4G today and you get yourself a 5-inch 720 x 1280 pixel display, 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor and Android 5.0 Lollipop thrown into the mix, too.

If you're really tight for cash, there's a £40 derivative called the Smart First 6: with a poor camera, slower processor, smaller screen and Android KitKat, you're definitely better off paying the extra £39.The camera is a serviceable 8-megapixel shooter and there's a 2-megapixel model on the front. 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage (expandable via memory card) round out the key specs. I'm not sure of the battery size, but we've asked Vodafone for clarification.DesignVodafone isn't going to win any international design awards with the Smart Prime 6, but it's well constructed and feels comfortable to hold. The back panel is nicely finished grey plastic and a metallic trim around the screen adds a small touch of class.You'd struggle to find anything particularly interesting or innovative about the design of the phone. It's nicely rounded and curved at the corners and the build quality suggests you're going to get a good number of years' service from it.

Read full article @ Techradar