Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Overview
AMDGPU-PRO 17.50 vs. RADV/RadeonSI Radeon Linux Gaming Performance
Arctic Freezer 33 TR - Budget 120mm air tower Threadripper cooler
Mionix Wei Ice Cream Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
OCCs Recommend Holiday Build Guide
OPSEAT Master Series Gaming Chair Review
Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Driver December 2017 Analysis
Roccat Kone AIMO Gaming Mouse Review
Sapphire teases NITRO+ Radeon RX Vega with 3x 8 pin power
Seagate Barracuda Pro 12TB review: the biggest hard drive ever
Western Digital (WD) Gold 12TB Hard Drive Review

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Overview

The next version of AMD's Radeon Software Graphics Drivers, Adrenalin Edition, has been released today, and it aims to more than just a customizable overlay. One of the many exciting new features is AMD Link, an iOS/Android app that makes the most of a second screen experience. This is a driver release that merits the time to go through in detail.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

AMDGPU-PRO 17.50 vs. RADV/RadeonSI Radeon Linux Gaming Performance

With today's AMDGPU-PRO 17.50 Linux driver release alongside the Radeon Software Adrenalin Driver for Windows users, it's significant in a few ways. First and foremost, AMD has stuck to their word of the past two years and is now able to open-source their official Vulkan Linux driver. When it comes to AMDGPU-PRO 17.50 itself you are now able to mix-and-match driver components to choose what pieces you want of AMD's somewhat complicated driver make-up. Additionally, their OpenGL/Vulkan drivers in 17.50 have some new feature capabilities. So with that said here's a fresh look at how the AMDGPU-PRO 17.50 professional driver performance compares to the latest open-source RadeonSI OpenGL and RADV Vulkan drivers.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Arctic Freezer 33 TR - Budget 120mm air tower Threadripper cooler

The key thing about the Arctic Freezer 33 TR is the TR suffix stands for Thread Ripper. That’s right, this diminutive 120mm tower cooler claims to have the ability to deal with AMD’s mighty Threadripper that has up to 16 hardware cores and a TDP of 180W.

The secret is that Freezer 33 TR has a larger base than the basic Freezer 33 that is better suited to the enormous AMD Threadripper CPU and this increases the TDP capability from 150W to 200W.

As a neat touch Arctic has chosen a red and black colour scheme that is evocative of the traditional ATi/AMD colours.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Mionix Wei Ice Cream Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

When we got our hands-on the Mionix Castor Ice Cream mouse, we had also received the accompanying keyboard to give us the complete set, if you will. It has taken us a while to get back to the keyboard portion, as we ran into an issue that was partly our problem, and partly on Mionix as well. What we ran into was either confusion on our part or a misplaced firmware upgrade on site, but none the less, when we applied the update we bricked the product. We worked with Mionix to solve the issue, and came up with two things in the process. The first thing I was informed of, was that there was not an update for the keyboard, and I must have flashed the mouse firmware to the keyboard. We take full credit for the fumble, but it did bring up a light bulb moment for Mionix, where after my mistake, they addressed the programming so that the mouse firmware can no longer be flashed to the keyboard. While this may seem slightly humorous, and maybe even trivial at best to most, but we are trying to point to the fact that Mionix stood up, and with no blame passed, fixed the issue for everyone else, and also provided us with another sample. In this way, Mionix has proven that they can adapt, they are not afraid to update their products after release, and that they are a company which delivered us service than many others have not in the past.

The idea behind the new keyboards is much the same as what was offered in the Castor. Mionix wanted to step away from the normal products offered by everyone else and develop a line more suited for those who appreciate oddities and products with a bit of added flair and personality. That being said, the accompanying naming scheme follows along to simplify life for those looking to complete the set. There is the Ice Cream model, there is the French Fries version as well, we also find the Frosting, and Black models, all of them geared to match the mouse, as well as also having a set of wrist pads, slash, mouse mats to round out the group too. While Mionix states that these products are geared towards gamers and artists, do not let that limit your decision, as even just to add a bit of style to a machine that sits out for everyone to see and use, you will not be sorry you made such a purchase.

Read full article @ TweakTown

OCCs Recommend Holiday Build Guide

This build guide is focused solely gaming and getting the best "bang for the buck" so to speak. A byproduct of this are things like RGB lighting and color theme builds go out the window due to budget restraints. On the low end, every dollar saved from an unnecessary, flashy setup can be put to better use. However, nothing is set in stone and you are free to adjust and spend a few dollars more to purchase things more to your liking. But whatever changes you make, just be sure it is compatible. If you unsure, feel free to hit up the OCC forums and ask for help. On that note, I am not loyal to one brand, but my lists do consist of parts I would buy myself instead of putting together a list of the cheapest possible combinations. I also avoided rebates due to needing to pay more up front. Since I opted out of the rebates, you will find better hardware for a similar price if you are willing to fill out the paperwork. I also listed alternate choices for most of the parts, so if something is out of stock or if you have a distaste for a certain brand, the option is available to choose.

Read full article @ OCC

OPSEAT Master Series Gaming Chair Review

Ah the office chair, coffee stained, broken arms, and worn out padding, this often overlooked piece of furniture is the unsung hero of all night raids and game releases. It is the foundation for overclocking and coding sessions alike. Why then do we focus so much of our attention and budget on the electronic bits that reside within our rigs and so little on the only item that can bring us comfort? If you’re reading this you have probably achieved a level of enlightenment that has allowed you to focus beyond the screen you are staring at. Welcome to the land of physical comfort! There are a plethora of options when it comes to gluteal support. From worn out second hand items scored at the thrift store to multi thousand dollar executive thrones, the range is wide. One of the more recent trends is the racing seat styled gaming chair. No doubt you’ve seen these at all professional gaming tournaments and advertised everywhere gaming things live. Here at ThinkComputers we’ve covered a nice pair of these already, today we are adding the OPSEAT Master Series chair to our stable. Follow along as we find out of this is the right chair for your nerdy needs!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition Driver December 2017 Analysis

AMD today unleashes their annual December driver, this round it's their new Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition. Based on and after the Adrenalin Rose, which is a different shade of red compared to Crimson. In this article we browse through the news features and analyze a thing or two.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Roccat Kone AIMO Gaming Mouse Review

With so many RGB components flooding the current market, it is difficult to find the right product that offers a wide variety of modern features without compromising performance and functionality. The Roccat Kone AIMO offers just that. Equipped with the Roccat 12000 DPI Owl-Eye (PixArt 3361) optical sensor, the Kone AIMO provides excellent tracking and precision for games and productivity. Through the Swarm software, users can customize a variety of settings and gain access to the AIMO Intelligent Lighting System. This mouse also comes in three colors; black, grey, and white. In this article, Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Roccat Kone AIMO in black. Let’s look at some of its features, specifications, and a quick overview of the product.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Sapphire teases NITRO+ Radeon RX Vega with 3x 8 pin power

Card is already in the hands of some tech hardware reviewers. Sapphire is teasing the impending arrival of the Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX Vega. Global VP Marketing at Sapphire, Adrian Thompson, Tweeted that “It’s finally coming”, simultaneously tagging all the words that make up the full title of this highly anticipated graphics card. Until this / these NITRO+ product(s) come out, all of Sapphire’s Radeon RX Vega offerings are simple rebadged AMD reference designs.

A few more juicy details and images followed up Sapphire’s official Tweet. In response to Thompson’s Tweet and photo the HardwareLuxx Editor replied that he was already installed the Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX Vega into a test rig.

Read full article @ Hexus

Seagate Barracuda Pro 12TB review: the biggest hard drive ever

In the summer of last year we finally went into the double digits in terms of storage capacity of 3.5"-hard disks. At the last moment of 2017 Seagate takes the next step, because the manufacturer sent us the first hard drive with a storage capacity of 12TB. It is certainly big, but is it also fast, this Seagate Barracuda Pro 12TB?

The Barracuda Pro-series is the most high-end series that Seagate has for desktop use. The drives in this series are available in the highest capacities - the regular Barracuda only goes up to 4 TB at the moment - and they also have a long warranty of five years.

The new 12TB-model that we take a look at today consists of eight platters of 1.5 TB each, that operate at a speed of 7200 rpm. In order to fit this many platters in a 3.5"-case, Seagate used helium to fill the drive. This means that the drive is completely airtight which makes it look more massive when compared with regular models. The used storage technology is 'just' PMR. In other words, the downsides of SMR do not apply to this drive.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Western Digital (WD) Gold 12TB Hard Drive Review

Western Digital’s Gold range of hard drives have been designed to service nearline enterprise environments and as such they have a range of sensors and technologies onboard to help them maintain peak performance in such environments. The latest Gold model launched has a 12TB capacity and is the new flagship drive for the range.

Read full article @ KitGuru