Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including How To Fix GDI Leaks In Internet Explorer, What You Need to Know About the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Silicon Power S55 Slim SATA III 240GB SSD Review, KingSpec MultiCore 1TB Driverless PCIE SSD Review, and Intel Atom Processor Z3770 Bay Trail First Look and Performance Testing



How To Fix GDI Leaks In Internet Explorer 10 and 9 Rev. 2.0 @ Tech ARP

Thanks to better memory management in Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows 7, it is now common for users to run half a dozen or more applications at the same time for days and weeks. In fact, I have about a dozen applications running at any one time, with one of them being Internet Explorer.

Despite its declining popularity, Microsoft Internet Explorer remains an important web browser with many corporate users. The belated introduction of Internet Explorer 10 breathed new life into this web browser by adding support for new web standards, improving security and fixing bugs. Its stability was also greatly improved, allowing for 20-30 tabs to be opened at a time without any issue.

Read more: How To Fix GDI Leaks In Internet Explorer 10 and 9 Rev. 2.0 @ Tech ARP

Cooler Master CM 690 III Review @ Vortez

Cooler Master’s CM 690 series has always been a popular choice for enthusiasts and gamers. Its middle of the road styling has satisfied both camps by remaining largely subtle in its aesthetic approach. It was way back in 2011 that 690 II received a refresh with the advanced edition, but today CM are back with their next instalment, namely 690 III.

690 III is a mid-tower which isn’t that dissimilar to its counterpart and predecessor the 690 II. It’s never an easy task introducing the successor to a popular product and rather than journey into unfamiliar territory by completely redesigning this new case, CM have chosen to refine the classic looks and we have to admit, this is a wise move.

Read more: Cooler Master CM 690 III Review @ Vortez

What You Need to Know About the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C @ ThinkComputers.org

As expected earlier today Apple announced not just one, but two new iPhone models. This is the first time they have ever done such a thing. The two new models are the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. The iPhone 5C is the lower cost poor man iPhone and the iPhone 5S is the true successor to the current iPhone 5. The iPhone 5S will become the new flagship iPhone, but should you get that or the iPhone 5C? Read on as we go over all of the features of both phones so you can make the decision on what phone is best for you.

Read more: What You Need to Know About the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C @ ThinkComputers.org

Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Blacklist PC Video Game Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Blacklist is a Unreal Engine 2.5 video game that has been modernized to include DirectX 11 special effects thanks to direct support by NVIDIA. Single-player Solo missions also enable a second player to join for Co-op mode, while online multiplayer Spies vs. Merc mode expands the action for up to eight gamers. In this article Benchmark Reviews explores DirectX 11 Tessellation and NVIDIA TXAA features that help bring this game to life.

Read more: Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Blacklist PC Video Game Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Silicon Power S55 Slim SATA III 240GB SSD Review @ Madshrimps

Silicon Power has recently launched a mainstream SSD with decent transfer speeds and a lower 7mm height in order to increase the compatibility and include ultrabooks and other slim devices to the list. Besides the 16 NAND Flash chips, the SSD also features a 72-bit processor from Phison, the PS3108-S8-1 and also 512MB of DDR3 RAM for caching purposes.

Read more: Silicon Power S55 Slim SATA III 240GB SSD Review @ Madshrimps

Sony Xperia Z Ultra Review: A powerful 6.4-inch Android phablet @ Techspot

With no less than 30 devices in their Xperia smartphone range, Sony certainly doesn’t shy away from releasing multitudes of Android devices. This year’s Xperia Z flagship is competing well against the heavyweights from Samsung, HTC and Nokia, while other phones such as the Xperia SP and Xperia E give consumers options in the lower reaches of the market. And let’s not forget tablets like the Xperia Tablet Z, praised by many for its slick design and water resistance.

However, nothing Sony has released thus far can be likened to the Xperia Z Ultra.

Read more: Sony Xperia Z Ultra Review: A powerful 6.4-inch Android phablet @ Techspot

Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 2666MHz 16GB Review @ OCC

Overclocking the Vengeance Pro modules provided some added lift in the performance numbers while maintaining the stock timings of 11-13-13 with only an adjustment needed on the TRAS to 35 along with the prerequisite bump in voltage to 1.75v. Keeping the voltage static at 1.65v would not allow a boot even with looser timings, even up to 13-15-15-35 at 2800MHz, the next divider up from 2666MHz. The maximum clock speed I could pull out of these modules was just over 2900MHz using 1.75v and timings of 12-13-13-35. Any higher than that the performance drop off was not worth the effort for day to day use but would look great in screen shots.

Read more: Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 2666MHz 16GB Review @ OCC

KingSpec MultiCore 1TB Driverless PCIE SSD Review @ The SSD Review

PCIe SSDs are a funny animal as they have been out for a few years yet haven't really caught on just yet. They are very limited to either very expensive and system specific enterprise variations or require driver installation that isn't always as simple as instructions seem. We have yet to see an affordable plug and play PCIe SSD solution that has the 'get up and go' workset without the need for driver installation and thoughts of compatibility issues that keep most from PCIe purchase.

At the consumer level, the indisputed king of the hill is still the OCZ Revo 3x2 PCIe SSD which is LSI SandForce based, capable of speeds up to 1.5GB/s and can be had under the $700 mark. That price point will leave them in that position, as they have been for years now without a true competitor, at least until we see what their upcoming Vector PCIe release has in store. The stage just might be set this next year with Mushkin, Mach Xtreme and KingSpec all jumping in with PCIe SSDs of their own and with an interesting variation, they are driver-less and a simple plug and play solution.

Read more: KingSpec MultiCore 1TB Driverless PCIE SSD Review @ The SSD Review

Thermaltake NiC C4 CPU cooler @ PureOverclock

We all probably know the name Thermaltake. They’ve been around for quite some time now and make cases, power supplies, GPU coolers, CPU coolers, and a ton of cool accessories. They’ve been taking the CPU cooler market by storm in recent years with their Frio line of coolers. They recently released their Water 2.0 series of AiO cooling systems as well. Their latest entry into the CPU cooler market is the NiC series which consists of four models – the F3, F4, C5 and the cooler we’ll be looking at today – the C4. NiC stands for non-interference cooling and the main goal was to provide performance and maximum RAM compatibility.
Let’s review the NiC C4 sample that Thermaltake sent us!

Read more: Thermaltake NiC C4 CPU cooler @ PureOverclock

Gamester Gear Cruiser P3210 Gaming Headset Review @ HiTech Legion

I remember more than twenty years ago buying a fancy, fairly expensive set of headphones for a Sony Walkman cassette player. It was Koss headphones and they brought a whole new level to the terrible music that teenage me was subjecting myself to. For the first time, I was able to distinguish words from music, and could really hear the entire song as it was meant to be heard. I have no idea what the response range was, or what the ohms rating was, at 14 I didn’t care and wouldn’t have really understood if I had bothered to look. All I really cared about was that they were loud enough to hurt and drown out all other sounds while I was out running the town and being moody.

Since those times, I have developed a somewhat more refined taste in audio, but one thing holds true, I like my music loud and clear. I know that listening to things as loud as I do is bad for me; I just keep hoping that graphene will really take off and I will be able to afford a good pair of hearing aids when the time comes. Nowadays, I do not listen to cassettes or walk the streets with nowhere to go any more, but I do still use headphones every single day. Being a gamer that loves online games and needs to communicate with teammates, I use headphones with a microphone, and I am sure I’m not alone in this. I think headphones are as necessary to gaming as the controller or a good keyboard/mouse combo. No one can stay on the move and type out directions or make calls in real time without verbal, audio communication.

Read more: Gamester Gear Cruiser P3210 Gaming Headset Review @ HiTech Legion

Shuttle Fanless Slim-PC DS47 @ techPowerUp

Shuttle is well-known for their slim-PC offerings. Their newest model, the DS47, is a fanless slim-PC equipped with an Intel 847 Celeron processor. This fresh model is mostly for full HD digital signage applications and comes fully equipped with all kinds of I/O ports to allow for a great variety of peripheral devices.

Read more: Shuttle Fanless Slim-PC DS47 @ techPowerUp

Intel Atom Processor Z3770 Bay Trail First Look and Performance Testing @ Legit Reviews

Today Intel introduced the world to Bay Trail, Intel's first 22nm system-on-a-chip (SoC) for mobile devices. Bay Trail is a complete redesign of the Intel Atom processor series and offers performance that comes closer to Intel's mainstream processors lines. Since Bay Trail is based on the company's new low-power, high-performance Silvermont microarchitecture, you can expect to see roughly two to three times the performance of the current Clover Trail Atom with better battery life! Intel hasn't had too many design wins in the tablet market with Clover Trail, but Intel is starting fresh and has high hopes to Bay Trail to capture a significant chunk of the Android and Windows tablet designs and even a fair number of 2 in 1 devices.

Read more: Intel Atom Processor Z3770 Bay Trail First Look and Performance Testing @ Legit Reviews

Intel's Atom Z3000 'Bay Trail' SoC revealed @ The Tech Report

Intel has just pulled back the curtain on the Atom Z3000 series, based on the "Bay Trail" SoC. Equipped with the potent new "Silvermont" CPU architecture, this chip is intended to challenge ARM for supremacy in tablets and convertibles. We have a first look at its architecture and performance.

Read more: Intel's Atom Z3000 'Bay Trail' SoC revealed @ The Tech Report

Gigabyte Also Shows Off Thunderbolt 2.0-Equipped Motherboards @ TechPowerUp

In addition to the G1.Assassin 3, Gigabyte showed off its first motherboards with Thunderbolt 2.0 connectors. Armed with 20 Gb/s of bandwidth, Thunderbolt 2.0 gives you enough bandwidth to drive high-resolution displays (beyond WQHD), and storage arrays with SSDs. Among these motherboards are the Z87X-UD7 TH. Gigabyte distinguished the "UD7" brand extension from "OC," which marks products that prioritize performance-enhancing components over connectivity, while the UD7 leads the company's mainline Z87X pack with top-grade connectivity, and electricals not too far behind the Z87X-OC.

The Z87X-UD7 TH is built in the standard ATX form-factor. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, an optional 4-pin ATX, and an optional SATA power input. It uses a 16-phase VRM to power the CPU, which uses high-grade PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs. The VRM cooler is a combination of an active air-cooled heatsink, with a coolant channel that lets you make it part of your liquid cooling loop. This cooler shares some of its heat with the heatsink covering the PLX PEX8747 bridge chip, and the PCH, which also features a fan-heatsink. The board features five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, of which three are gen 3.0 x16 capable, and four gen 3.0 x8 capable. A mechanism lets you bypass the bridge chip, and connect a single graphics card directly to the CPU. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots complete the expansion area.

Read more: Gigabyte Also Shows Off Thunderbolt 2.0-Equipped Motherboards @ TechPowerUp

Zotac GeForce GTX 780 AMP! Edition @ Hexus

What is the best single-GPU graphics card available to gamers today? Technically, it would have to be the GeForce GTX Titan, whose unsurpassed muscle makes a mockery of most other cards and commands a wallet-busting £800 at retail.

The price alone has most die-hard enthusiasts looking elsewhere, but the good news for gamers is that the second-best solution - Nvidia's GeForce GTX 780 - is practically every bit as fast when a healthy dollop of overclocking is applied.

For this reason, add-in-board partners are fighting it out to produce the fastest/best GTX 780. That means plenty of choice, and with so much variation, we've set out on a journey to cut through the marketing jargon and identify the one GTX 780 that rules them all. EVGA's SuperClocked ACX, Gigabyte's WindForce 3X, Palit's Super JetStream, Asus's DirectCU II and Gainward's Phantom GLH have all been under the spotlight, but we're not done yet as we're now turning attention to Zotac's GTX 780 AMP! Edition.

Read more: Zotac GeForce GTX 780 AMP! Edition @ Hexus

KFA2 GeForce GTX 780 Hall Of Fame @ Hexus

All signs suggest that AMD's next-generation Radeons are getting ready for a big unveil, but if you have to have an ultra-fast card and you have to have it now, you should be considering Nvidia's GeForce GTX 780.

Offering outstanding single-card performance for around £500, the GTX 780 is the obvious choice for many an enthusiast. And the good news for those who like something a little different is that Nvidia's various add-in-board partners are continuing to serve up GTX 780s in new and enticing variations.

We've seen our fair share over the course of the past few months, but none quite as lavishly designed as KFA2's GeForce GTX 780 Hall Of Fame.

Read more: KFA2 GeForce GTX 780 Hall Of Fame @ Hexus

Corsair Carbide Series 330R Quiet Case Review @ KitGuru

Continuing the expansion of its chassis range, Corsair has added a low-noise option to its Carbide series. Can the Corsair Carbide 330R quiet case prove that it can compete in a tough market?

Read more: Corsair Carbide Series 330R Quiet Case Review @ KitGuru