Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including How Kaveri IGP Gaming Performance Scales with Memory Speed, EK Waterblocks R280X Matrix Edition Full Cover Block Review, Corsair H105 CPU Cooler Review, ASRock Z87 KILLER FATAL1TY Motherboard Review, and Thecus N2310 Review: NAS with PowerPC processor



How Kaveri IGP Gaming Performance Scales with Memory Speed @ HCW

Kaveri Days continue here at HCW. First we had our full Kaveri review at launch, which compared the new APU to several CPUs from both AMD and Intel. Then we looked at how CPU performance scaled with increased clock speed, as we overclocked it to 4.7 GHz. Finally, we added a 1020 MHz GPU overclock to the mix, and compared Kaveri’s overclocked performance in gaming and OpenCL.

Today we turn our attention to the memory controller, as we discover how gaming performance scales with memory speed.

It’s common knowledge that it doesn’t take much for a GPU to be memory bandwidth limited. Even the relatively weak Intel GPUs scale up with memory speed. With Kaveri, AMD introduced the fasted integrated graphics controller to date, based on GCN architecture.

Read more: How Kaveri IGP Gaming Performance Scales with Memory Speed @ HCW

ASUS Maximus VI Formula Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

When ASUS launched their Republic of Gamers Z87 motherboards there was one that was missing, the Maximus VI Formula. They had already launched the Maximus VI Extreme, Hero, GeneZ and Impact boards. After a little while ASUS went ahead and finally launched the Maximus VI Formula motherboard. So why is this motherboard so special? Two things that really stand out about it is that it features the same Thermal Armor that ASUS has used on its TUF series of motherboards and it is the first ASUS motherboard to use the CrossChill hybrid air and water-cooling technology to keep the VRM's nice and cool. Beyond that this is a Republic of Gamers board so you have Extreme Engine Digi+ III, SupremeFX Formula audio, Sonic Radar and a mPCIe Combo II with 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0. Does this board have it all? Read on as we find out!

Read more: ASUS Maximus VI Formula Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

WildStar: DevSpeak and Customisations with Kaeyi Dream @ HardwareHeaven.com

As an MMO veteran I feel customisation is everything. Whether its character, gear, class or housing; I just love it! I can't get enough. I like the idea that I as a player can put my personal touch on something I potentially will invest hundreds of hours on. MMO's (especially RPG's) count on the player having a very close relationship with their playable character, a bond that keeps them coming back for more and more. That bond wouldn't be as prevalent if we all were forced to use the same character, look the same, play the same class and live in the same house.

Read more: WildStar: DevSpeak and Customisations with Kaeyi Dream @ HardwareHeaven.com

SteelSeries Siberia Elite Gaming Headset Review @ Legit Reviews

SteelSeries is perhaps a brand that needs little introduction. In-fact, it's very likely you've heard of their name and products through some of your favorite eSports teams SteelSeries sponsors, from other gamers such as your friends or the greater community, or on tech enthusiast sites such as this one. Then, there's the Siberia V2 which might be SteelSeries's best known gaming headset in recent time. It was first released in 2009 as SteelSeries new flagship headset and its success spawned numerous colors and related designs including USB and lighted variants. For many long years, the Siberia name was dominated by the Siberia V2 until now. The Siberia Elite is the proud new member to the Siberia family that continues the tradition SteelSeries set forth with the original in 2004. Read on to see how this headset sounds and feels!

Read more: SteelSeries Siberia Elite Gaming Headset Review @ Legit Reviews

AMD Richland A10-6790K Review @ Vortez

Once we have seen the performance from the series of AMD processors, it is fairly safe to say, there will not be much deviation in the scale until we see the new architecture. The A10-6790K comes in to offer very similar specs to the A10-6800K, just 100MHz lower than the base/turbo clock frequency of the 6800K and a lower rated memory frequency of 1866MHz as opposed to 2133MHz, is all that separate them. What this means is, you can save a fair bit of money (£5-15) over the A10-6800K and get very close to the same performance when used at stock. If you overclock, however, you will be glad to hear that this is a K unlocked black edition, and we are likely to see par top results.

So to be a little more objective, we place the A10-6790K APU against the Haswell i5-4430 CPU that comes with the HD 4600 iGPU. Costing up to £46 more than the APU we can expect a lot of CPU horses, but how well does it do when considering the complete system?

Read more: AMD Richland A10-6790K Review @ Vortez

EK Waterblocks R280X Matrix Edition Full Cover Block Review @ Madshrimps

While many are fully focused on the All-in-One cooling products, the die-hard enthusiasts still will opt for a full blown do it yourself watercooling setup; the latter provide superior cooling performance at a far lower noise rate. If you are looking to maximize the performance of your setup for daily usage then the steeper cost price will be a small hurdle to take. Many are still afraid of the more complex assembly, let alone the idea of a possible leak. Things have evolved, assembly is straightforward if one opts for a complete kit alike the L 360 from Slovenian waterblock manufacturer EKWB. Not alone processors benefit from a watercooling solution, graphic cards tend to run hot too, especially during long gaming sessions; some are even throttling due to a too high temperature reached. To watercool a graphics card one can opt for an universal block or a full cover waterblock. The latter is tailor-made for the specific card, ensuring full stability for the GPU, memory and the onboard power circuitry during high loads.

Read more: EK Waterblocks R280X Matrix Edition Full Cover Block Review @ Madshrimps

Antec SPZero Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P.) is a division of Antec, a market leader in PC hardware. A.M.P. designs devices that not only change the way people experience life through their mobile devices, but do it in a style that it is attractive and durable. Benchmark Reviews has recently had the opportunity to examine one of A.M.P.'s latest products, the SPZero: a Bluetooth portable speaker with it's own proprietary speaker driver.

Read more: Antec SPZero Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review @ Benchmark Reviews

DVR-027 dashboard camera review @ Dedoimedo

And now for something completely different - a thorough review of DVR-027 in-car dashboard camera, including specifications, options and accessories, ease of setup and use, battery and charger modes, supported media formats, quality of recorded video and audio, night LED functionality, real-life footage, other considerations, and more.

Read more: DVR-027 dashboard camera review @ Dedoimedo

Plextor M6e PCI Express SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Recently Plextor released their latest M6 series of drives and like the last generation of drives they are pushing to explore new market segments. In the case of today's review that means an M2 drive, on PCIe add-in card which allows us to exceed the limitation of the SATA bus. We have the 128 and 512GB version of the M6e on our test bench so let's see how they perform.

Read more: Plextor M6e PCI Express SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Corsair H105 CPU Cooler Review @ Guru3D

Today we test and review the Corsair H105 liquid cooler. Corsair has been releasing a massive amount of Liquid coolers lately, we already reviewed the Corsair H110, H100i, H60 liquid coolers but yeah, we just had to share the results on their all new All-in-One liquid cooling solution Hydro H105 as well. The new 240mm liquid cooling kit features a 240 mm radiator that is thicker than normal, with a 38 mm thickness. As comparison the H100 uses a 27mm tick radiator. That should help you dissipate some extra heat from your processor. With cool looks and very silent operation we can see this product ending up in a lot of PC builds alright.

Compared to the last generation of Hydro products Corsair changed the fan, tubing, pump and cooling blocks sizes. The H105 is a dual 120mm fan based liquid cooling solution that offers cooling performance at the level of the more expensive heat-pipe coolers in terms of cooling performance, as really it offers excellent performance for the money whilst remaining very silent. The Corsair Hydro H105 series once again is easy on the eyes and has a relatively simple to manage installation, the product is compatible with AMD Socket AM2, AM3, FM1 and FM2 any modern AMD CPU really. All current Intel socket formats are covered too, so whether you have a LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366 or LGA2011 motherboard this product will fit / can be used.

Corsair mounted two 120 mm SP120L fans that can spin at a programmable speed ranging from 800 RPM to 2700 RPM. They can push up to 73 CFM, make up to 37.3 dBA of noise, and have a static pressure of 3.9 mm of water.

Read more: Corsair H105 CPU Cooler Review @ Guru3D

With Catalyst 14.1, AMD Unleashes Mantle @ Hardware Canucks

AMD’s Mantle has been discussed, dissected and theorized about since it was first announced last year. Now, with the release of the Catalyst 14.1 Beta, we’re about to see the first Mantle libraries packaged into a beta driver alongside plenty of other improvements. It won’t be available to the public just yet but expect it to be live in the next few days.

In and of itself the inclusion of Mantle compatibility into a driver can’t be considered a drastic step forward since, up until today there simply weren't any applications which supported it. Without being able to experience AMD’s marketing claims first-hand, the real benefits of this new low-level API remained nothing more than wistful thinking. Unfortunately, that portion of the equation ran into countless delays with Mantle’s primary showcase, Battlefield 4, going through teething problems which ultimately destroyed a carefully crafted availability timeline.

This situation is about to change in a big way: Dice is rolling out their long awaited BF4 Mantle patch at 4AM today. At least that’s the plan right now but with the hiccups Origin is known for….you never know.

Read more: With Catalyst 14.1, AMD Unleashes Mantle @ Hardware Canucks

Sapphire Radeon R7 260X @ Phoronix

For those in the market for an affordable mid-range graphics card that will run just fine on Ubuntu and other Linux distributions while having the choice between the open-source RadeonSI Gallium3D driver and the binary but high-performance Catalyst driver, meet the Sapphire Radeon R7 260X. Our Linux hardware review for today is looking at the Sapphire 100366L Radeon R7 260X 2GB graphics card.

Sapphire kindly sent over the Radeon R7 260X earlier this month and it's been running great with Linux. Sapphire's Radeon R7 260X features 2GB of GDDR5 video memory, dual DVI connections, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectivity. Sapphire equips this mid-range gaming graphics card with an effective dual-slot cooler that keeps the graphics card running well at a low temperature while not being noisy.

Read more: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X @ Phoronix

Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H @ LanOC Reviews

It seems nearly every motherboard manufacture took the change to change things up slightly when it came time for the Haswell launch. I didn’t have a chance to check out a board from Gigabyte at the launch but I did get one in recently, specifically their Z87X-UD4H. It’s not their highest end board, nor is it entry level. It should give us a good idea of what to expect from Gigabyte on the Z87 platform without breaking the bank. With its red styling, you can’t say it’s not a little eye catching, that’s for sure!

Read more: Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H @ LanOC Reviews

Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows Tablet @ MEGATech

Remember the old Windows tablets? These were the business oriented devices that were usually expensive convertible notebook PCs, complete with stylus and anything but a touch-centric user interface. You might remember some of the old ThinkPads from IBM. Well, the world of Windows tablets has changed substantially, in size, in scope and in price. One of the better examples of this comes from Dell.

It’s called the Dell Venue 8 Pro with “Pro” part of the name designating that this is a Windows 8 tablet and not a device powered by Android. As you can guess the “8″ part of the name signifies its 8-inch display, finding that delicate middle ground between something that is more portable and something that is more useful. Does it achieve this goal at a price we can accept? Let’s have a look.

Read more: Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows Tablet @ MEGATech

CM Storm Stryker Big-Tower Case Review @ OcInside.de

OCinside.de presents a test of the CM Storm Stryker Big Tower from Cooler Master.
Who associates the word Stryker with a 8x8 multifunction armored vehicle from the U.S. Army is not so wrong.
But until we get one of those to make a test, we present you a much more interesting product from Cooler Master - the CM Storm Stryker Big Tower - which received our Overclocking Dream Award 01/2014.

Read more: CM Storm Stryker Big-Tower Case Review @ OcInside.de

Dynatron G556 2U Xeon Server Heatsink Review @ FrostyTech

The Dynatron G556 was originally designed for LGA1366 'Gainestown' Intel processors of a TDP up to 130Watts. In this review Frostytech will be testing the 64mm tall G556 heatsink with a 200 Watt heat load. The G556 2U server heatsink uses a top mounted fan which impinges air downward into densely packed aluminum fins. Given the maximum heatsink height within a 2U server chassis is >70mm, that doesn't leave the fan whole lot of room to breathe, so Dynatron have selected one with no side frame - essentially allowing air to be drawn in from 360-degrees.

Read more: Dynatron G556 2U Xeon Server Heatsink Review @ FrostyTech

MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming 2 GB @ techPowerUp

If you are looking to build a SFF gaming PC or a compact Steam Box, then the MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming should definitely be on your short list. It runs quieter than any other compact graphics card we ever tested, yet still has enough power to play all the latest titles at full HD with maximized settings.

Read more: MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming 2 GB @ techPowerUp

Maingear EPIC RUSH With Radeon R9 290X Crossfire @ Hothardware.com

Although the market for them is relatively small, we love to check out elaborate, no-holds-barred gaming PCs from time to time--you know, the kind of system that costs about the same amount as a serviceable used car. As fun as it is to check out an ultra high-end gaming rig, we also do it to gauge the user experience and to see just how much better it is (or isn't) versus a mainstream PC. But how great is the experience, really? The answer needs to be darn near perfection, because - let's face it - a midrange gaming desktop is going to give you a pretty solid gaming experience (and look good doing it) without inflicting nearly the same damage to your wallet. Though the phrase "experience" has been driven to an industry clichà by PR types, it's an apt description of what you're looking for when you size up a top shelf, custom rig. It should be the computer you remember when you're geeking out with your buddies years from now. With its $6k price tag, Maingear's EPIC RUSH series is meant to do just that...

Read more: Maingear EPIC RUSH With Radeon R9 290X Crossfire @ Hothardware.com

Tesoro Gandiva H1L Review @ ocaholic

Originally presented at CeBIT last March, Gandiva H1L is the new flagship model of Tesoro. The device uses the Avago ADNS-9800 sensor, has 8 programmable buttons and an exclusive design. In the following pages we will show you the main features of Gandiva.

Read more: Tesoro Gandiva H1L Review @ ocaholic

ASRock Z87 KILLER FATAL1TY Motherboard Review @ HardOCP

ASRock was founded in 2002 and in the last 12 years has risen to becoming the third largest motherboard manufacturer in the world. Cost effectiveness compared to its competitors is one of the primary reasons for this. ASRock has established a reputation for being relatively reliable and certainly inexpensive on the whole.

If you’re a long time reader of HardOCP then you probably know we are not huge fans of ASRock as a brand. We have had more than a few mixed experiences with ASRock products that we have purchased in etail thus far. Our problems with ASRock tend to be centered around quality and quality control, or lack thereof. Not all of its models are necessarily of poor quality. In fact we’ve even taken pictures of ASRock PCBs with more waves in these than your average beach at high tide. Still some models like the X79 Extreme4 stand out as examples of excellence while models like the Z68 Gen3 were polar opposites of that.

Read more: ASRock Z87 KILLER FATAL1TY Motherboard Review @ HardOCP

Aorus X7 Review @ Hexus

Over the years we've become accustomed to gargantuan gaming laptops that shun refinement in favour of maximum performance, but it's 2014 and the time has come to shake off that unwanted stereotype.

In recent months we've seen manufacturers vying for consumer attention with a new range of gaming systems that are thinner and lighter than ever before, while retaining much of the performance promise that sets apart such machines from regular Ultrabooks.

The Razer Blade, Gigabyte P34G and XMG C703 are all examples of this transition to sleeker form factors, but when it comes to cramming high-end hardware into increasingly-thin chassis, we've perhaps seen nothing as bold as the Aorus X7.

Read more: Aorus X7 Review @ Hexus

XFX Radeon R9 280X Black Edition Video Card Review @ Benchmark Reviews

AMD released their new lineup of GCN-based video cards back in October and the industry manufacturers have since been adding their own special tweaks and improvements to the initial designs. XFX has recently released their latest version of the Radeon R9 280X card in the form of the XFX Black Edition Double Dissipation Radeon R9 280X. The XFX R9 280X TDBD sports upgraded features like a factory overclock to 1080MHz, high quality DURATEC components, a dual-fan design, and the second generation of XFX proprietary Ghost Thermal technology.

Read more: XFX Radeon R9 280X Black Edition Video Card Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Avatar: A new Open Source OS for the Internet generation, with privacy at its core, is getting readied! @ Tech Drive-In

The Avatar project intends to free the Internet once again, and let the users world-over to access  information beyond borders, and be as anonymous as you want without any worries of being constantly analyzed and monitored. Once released, Avatar OS sure looks like a promising way to safeguard your privacy in the ever so vulnerable Internet of todays. Avatar will be platform agnostic and will work on all devices with a modern browser. Avatar OS and Avatar BridgeAvatar OS is an application that runs on modern web browsers.

Read more: Avatar: A new Open Source OS for the Internet generation, with privacy at its core, is getting readied! @ Tech Drive-In

Thecus N2310 Review: NAS with PowerPC processor @ Hardware.Info

Intel and ARM basically own the NAS market when it comes to the processor inside. The high-end deluxe NAS devices are built around Intel chips and the more affordable models have ARM processors. Thecus has taken a completely different approach with their N2310, because it runs on PowerPC architecture. We tested the NAS to see how that decision turned out.

Read more: Thecus N2310 Review: NAS with PowerPC processor @ Hardware.Info