Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including How to install the Media Center Pack in Windows 8.1, ECS Z87H3-A2X Motherboard Review, Corsair Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler Review, How the VDSL Connection Works @ Hardware Secrets, and 9 computer speakers tested: with or without subwoofer?



How to install the Media Center Pack in Windows 8.1 @ gHacks

Windows 8.1, just like Windows 8, ships with Windows Media Player by default. The program has been crippled by Microsoft as it does not play DVD movies anymore. You may remember that it did play them on Windows 7.

Read more: How to install the Media Center Pack in Windows 8.1 @ gHacks

ECS Z87H3-A2X Motherboard Review @ Guru3D

Today we review, test and benchmark the ECS Z87H3-A2X series motherboard. As always ECS is offering a more affordable product, though this motherboard is priced at 239 USD. The Z87H3-A2X Extreme is part of the Gank series of L337 motherboards, the Z87H3-A2X. The Gank Machine motherboards are designed for the more enthustast gamers and offer a nice feature set. The Z87H3-A2X is obviously based on the Intel Z87 Express Chipset supports the latest Intel 4th Generation Intel Core CPUs (Haswell) up to 200W TDP.

Read more: ECS Z87H3-A2X Motherboard Review @ Guru3D

Gear4 StreetParty 5 Portable Speakers / iPod/iPhone Dock Review @ KitGuru

Sometimes, the basic speakers on a mobile device just don't offer the performance that many users desire. Instances such as this are exactly where portable speaker docks prove their worth. Can Gear4s portable StreetParty5 speaker dock generate impressive music playback performance?

Read more: Gear4 StreetParty 5 Portable Speakers / iPod/iPhone Dock Review @ KitGuru

Toshiba Satellite S55t-A5277 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

The Toshiba Satellite S55t-A5277 offers category leading performance and a healthy feature set, but the ho-hum design and short battery life keep it from ranking higher.

Read more: Toshiba Satellite S55t-A5277 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Corsair Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Corsair's Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance CPU cooler has been on the market for some time now. It actually has quite the positive reputation amongst enthusiasts, but most of these tests are against previous generation Intel CPUâ€s. Today weâ€ll take a look at the H100i and put it to the test on a 4th Generation Intel Core-i7 4770k processor and see how well it can tame the somewhat high temperatures that we have seen with Haswell on the retail boxed HSF.

Read more: Corsair Hydro Series H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Raijintek Ereboss CPU Air Cooler Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

We all know Raijintek, right? Well chances are you are thinking who?. Raijintek are a new player in the cooling marketplace (and soon to be expanding into cases and PSUs too), looking to take on the competition with a range of high performance, low cost heatsinks. Today we take a look at one of their top end models, the Ereboss."

Read more: Raijintek Ereboss CPU Air Cooler Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

OZONE Oxygen In-Ear ProGaming Headset @ NikKTech

Just like everyone else out there over the course of my life there have been quite a few occasions when I've been out looking to get a set of earphones but had to compromise either in terms of quality or clarity due to a limited budget. For good or bad i am a strong believer that almost always you get what you pay for (obviously excluding the times you pay way too much for a brand name) and that's especially on the spot when we are talking about audio and video related devices such as headsets, graphics cards, LCD screens and more. However there have been a few very rare occasions when I've come across cost-effective products that manage to go head to head with others that are many times more expensive and promise everything you'd ever want. This is exactly what happened with the brand new Oxygen In-Ear ProGaming Headset by OZONE which has been keeping us company for nearly two weeks now.

Read more: OZONE Oxygen In-Ear ProGaming Headset @ NikKTech

How the VDSL Connection Works @ Hardware Secrets

VDSL (Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line) is another popular type of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Internet connection. As its name suggests, it allows a higher transfer rate than ADSL. Let's see how it works.

Read more: How the VDSL Connection Works @ Hardware Secrets

RAVPower 14000mAh External Battery Pack Review @ TestFreaks

One of the things will being the mobile society we are these days is batteries and never seeming to have enough power when we need it. I can’t count how many times I’ve looked at my phone and realized it needs charged just when I need to use it. I try and make sure my phone is charged, and really I don’t use it that much but yet when I do want or need to use it I find I’m low on power and there’s not an outlet to be found for charging it. In my time I’ve reviewed quite a few external portable batteries but none as big as the one I have today, I don’t mean that in physical size but capacity. Back in May I reviewed one that was 10,000mAh and that’s fairly large but today I have one that’s 14000mAh and can provide power to phones and tablets and it can do it for both at the same time and still have power left over to charge them again a few more times. The product is from RAVpower and it’s simply called the Deluxe RP-PB13 14000mAh Power Bank. This battery pack has dual USB ports and there’s even a built-in LED flashlight for emergencies and best of all it’s small and very portable. Read on to learn more…

Read more: RAVPower 14000mAh External Battery Pack Review @ TestFreaks

MSI GTX 660 Gaming Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

By the time this review goes live many of us will have already seen the bulk of the GTX 600 series. Since then many of the top end cards have been replaced by the GTX 700 series Kepler. GTX 780 is the new top of the line (assuming you don't count GTX Titan) followed by GTX 770 (the new GTX 680) and GTX 760 (the new GTX 670'ish) rounding out the product offering. The question that many people have is, "Why do I still see GTX 600 cards on the market?"

When NVidia refreshed their product lines they only replaced the high-end cards leaving anything GTX 660 Ti and below in the actual line up. This means that you can spend a few extra bucks on a 700 series card or stick with a lower end card and spend considerably less money. Both Kepler generations have their benefits so be sure to check them all out.

Read more: MSI GTX 660 Gaming Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

Humble Indie Bundle 9 Review @ OCC

With each game covered separately, it is time to consider the bundle as a whole. Is the Humble Indie Bundle 9 worth purchasing? Yes it is. Trine 2: Complete Story is an enjoyable puzzler with beautiful graphics and a gameplay design that lets you play at your own pace; hunt down every secret or just reach the end and return later. Mark of the Ninja also lets you control your gameplay experience, as you choose to vanquish your foes or sneak past them. FTL: Faster Than Light offers a randomized experience each time you start a new game, which will probably happen a lot as it mercilessly tests your ability to captain a spaceship. These three, individually, make the bundle worth purchasing.

Read more: Humble Indie Bundle 9 Review @ OCC

ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU Mini 2 GB @ techPowerUp

The ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU Mini is an ultra-compact GTX 760, enabling you to play all the latest games with a mini-ITX system. ASUS even managed to squeeze an overclock into the tiny package. Pricing of the card is quite reasonable, with just a $20 premium over the GTX 760 reference design.

Read more: ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU Mini 2 GB @ techPowerUp

9 computer speakers tested: with or without subwoofer? @ Hardware.Info

PC speakers do not adhere to Moore's Law. It's a market that doesn't evolve based on technological developments, but that doesn't mean that there isn't any innovation in the world of speakers. To the contrary. Today we'll take a look at nice speaker sets that are very different that what you would have seen 10 years ago.

The decline in popularity of PC desktops of course didn't do anything good for the dedicated PC speaker market. Once upon a time we were able to have group tests with dozens of 5.1 surround sets, but these days we have search high and low to get enough for a decent round-up. Since laptops can't escape that weak, tinny sound, there's still a need for good speakers. Most current PC speakers are more of the entry-level kind.

Read more: 9 computer speakers tested: with or without subwoofer? @ Hardware.Info