Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

ASUS X99-A Intel Motherboard Review
Corsair HXi Series 750 W
Customizing your new mechanical keyboard
Fractal Design Core 3300 Review
GSKILL Phoenix Blade 480GB PCIe SSD Review
HP Stream 7 First Impressions
Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury FPS Gaming Mouse Review
Nexus 6 review
Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Case Review
SilverStone Fortress FT05 Review
Slingbox M1 Review
ThL 5000 Smartphone Review
Tt eSPORTS Challenger Prime Gaming Keyboard Review
Ultimate Ears BOOM Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review

ASUS X99-A Intel Motherboard Review

If you’re looking at building an X99-based system, you already know they’re expensive. But if you can live without features like a second Ethernet port and onboard WiFi, you can get great performance and save some money too. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at ASUS’ new X99-A LGA2011-v3 mainstream motherboard for Haswell-E systems.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Corsair HXi Series 750 W

After the flagship HX1000i unit, the time has now come to evaluate the smaller member of this series, the HX750i. Like its big brother, this one is fully modular and 80 Plus Platinum certified. It is also fully compatible with the Corsair Link system because of the digital monitoring circuit it is equipped with.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Customizing your new mechanical keyboard

By now, a lot of you most likely have figured out that I have a bit of a thing for various keyboards and mice. I’ve even been known to make sure the backlighting on my keyboard matches with my mouse and with my PC build as well. Oddly enough, through all of my keyboards the only time I have ever really customized a keyboard was when I had the chance to review a custom keyboard from Max Keyboard. The fact that I haven’t dug deeper into this is curious because generally I have a hard time leaving things alone, especially my cars and my computers. It’s not that I hadn’t seen the photos of everyone’s keyboards on r/mechanicalkeyboards and GeekHack, I just never did it myself due to not knowing enough and frankly not having the time. Well after reviewing the new Novatouch from Cooler Master, I decided to take advantage of the Cherry MX stems and dive a little deeper into keyboard customization and finally show everyone what it is all about. I reached out to a whole list of companies who make a variety of products to help you take your new mechanical keyboard and turn it into something completely unique, today I’m going to talk a little about what I found!

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Fractal Design Core 3300 Review

To conclude, Fractal Design has made another chassis that holds its own in many ways. Even with a few set backs, I would recommend this chassis to anyone who is looking to get a few features that may be only available in a high tier / price range. For the rest, who aren't completely sold on the Core series, Fractal Design does offer the XL I reviewed last year along with the other chassis at similar prices.

Read full article @ OCC

GSKILL Phoenix Blade 480GB PCIe SSD Review

We'll be testing the GSKILL Phoenix Blade PCIe SSD today. Let me just quickly throw some numbers at you that will bring a smile to your face, so how does 2,000 MB/s maximum read and write performance sound? Yes Sir, or 245K IOPS? Yep - that's the kind of performance GSKILL offers to the performance aficionados in the year 2014.

The world of Solid State storage technology is full of surprises and the development rate is exceedingly progressive. Last year it however turned from a growth market towards a steady market where only the big players have a real saying. Names like Micron (Crucial), Samsung, Intel and Toshiba (OCZ) will be the brands to keep an eye on. The development rate however has been going so fast that current component technology cannot keep up with the pace. The transition to SATA 3 (6G) was huge, but the minute SATA 3 was released (offering 6 Gbps transfers) these controllers already started reaching their maximum bandwidth with the latest generation SSDs. Starting with Z97 you'll be seeing a lot of M2 products, basically offering a 10 Gbps link directly from your chipset (PCIe) and later on in the year 10 Gbps Sata Express will become a thing of discussion. So basically you will see three things trending this year, slightly faster SSDs (but these are bottlenecked due to SATA3), then you'll see the M2 devices (these will become very popular due to ease of installation versus performance), and the last trend will be a series of new PCI Express based SSD solutions. Recently we tested a couple already like the OCZ RevoDrive series, Plextor, MX-Extreme all fun stuff.

Read full article @ Guru3D

HP Stream 7 First Impressions

Well, it doesn't suck. I'm not sure if HP is trying to singlehandedly make the case for high-quality, low-cost Windows devices, but between the HP Stream 11 and HP Stream 7, a new 7-inch mini-tablet, the company is off to a great start. I looked at the HP Stream 11 last week. Here's a quick peek at the HP Stream 7.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury FPS Gaming Mouse Review

When I first started getting into PC gaming one of the companies that really stood out for gaming mice was Logitech. It seemed everyone I knew was rocking a Logitech gaming mouse. With the popularity of PC Gaming and eSports there have been many gaming peripherals companies pop up like ROCCAT, Tt eSPORTS and Mad Catz. It’s crazy to realize, but I haven’t used a Logitech mouse in years. Well they have sent me their brand new gaming mouse, the G402 Hyperion Fury. Logitech has coined this mouse as the “world’s fastest gaming mouse” and it is made for FPS gamers. Since I mainly play FPS games, this should be a good fit. The mouse features Logitech’s Fusion Engine, 8 programmable buttons, 32-bit ARM processor, on the fly DPS switching and much more. Will this mouse make me think of Logitech as a gaming company again? Read on and find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Nexus 6 review

Slow storage hurts load times, multitasking on Google's new flagship. Plus, why 6 inches?

Another year, another Nexus phone. Google's flagship devices are the fast track for the newest software, but they've typically been devices of compromise. A bad camera, no LTE, or a poor battery—there's always something. The compromises were usually easy to forgive thanks to the incredible—probably subsidized—pricing scheme that Google has used in the past.

This year, Google has tapped the newly Lenovo owned Motorola to build a massive, 6-inch monster of a phone with a 1440p screen. It has nearly doubled the price up from $350 for the Nexus 5 to a whopping $650 for an unlocked Nexus 6. Google says they're aiming for more "premium" devices this year, and the company is working with all four big US carriers to offer the phone with a two-year contract.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Case Review

What a difference a year makes. In Q3 of 2013, Phanteks branched out from their well-known CPU cooling and fan items and released the Enthoo Primo computer case. Their first chassis won multiple awards and was quickly followed by the Enthoo Pro; a more accessible case that still exuded a premium feel from this brand-new case company. The Enthoo Luxe arrived quite a few months later, adding a splash of color to the lineup. With the premium tower, full-tower and mid-tower segments covered, Phanteks has delved into the smaller form factors. Today, Benchmark Reviews will review Phanteks’ latest offering, the micro-ATX Enthoo EVOLV. With rear-hinged aluminum panels, snap-on front and top covers concealing 200mm/140mm fans and multiple radiator mounts along with a few other surprises, will this aluminum-clad water-cooling oriented chassis pack as much of a punch as its bigger brothers?

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

SilverStone Fortress FT05 Review

Around this time of the year SilverStone release their next instalment to what have become two very popular product lines for them. One such product line is SilverStone’s highly revered Fortress Series which has captivated hardware advocates for a number of years now and today we have the pleasure of looking at the fifth rendition, namely FT05.

Just like previous generations, the Fortress FT05 adopts a similar internal design as the Raven RV05 but brings a touch of elegance to the table by being styled with minimalism as an integral feature. Inside, SilverStone has included some exciting features such as dual Air Penetrator 180mm fans, a rotated motherboard tray, quick-release side panel latches and much more! Join us as we explore this new computer chassis.

Read full article @ Vortez

Slingbox M1 Review

Every year the choices for video streaming services seem to grow. Offerings from Netflix, Hulu, Redbox as well as HBO Go and Showtime Anywhere help provide various viewing options. Of course each of these services require an additional cost to what you may already be paying for your home television provider.

What if you could bring the TV service you pay for at home to anywhere with Internet access? This is what Sling Media has been providing for years with their Slingbox line. Today we will look at their current mid level entry – the Slingbox M1.

With the Slingbox you don’t need to pay more for remote streaming of the content you already have purchased. Any live or recorded TV shows/movies can be watched and controlled remotely on your mobile devices whether it’s a PC, Mac, iOS or Android device. Depending on your connection this content can be delivered in Full HD. Slingbox also works with Digital video recorder (DVR), DVD or Blu-ray Disc player/recorder and video security cameras

Read full article @ Technogog

ThL 5000 Smartphone Review

If you are on the market for a high-performance octa-core MTK model, which is packed with a good Sony camera sensor, 16GB of internal memory, 2GB of RAM and a very consistent 5000mAh battery, then look no further since the ThL has all these and is bundled with plenty of other accessories thanks to Chinavasion.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Tt eSPORTS Challenger Prime Gaming Keyboard Review

Today, we're giving our attention to a reasonably priced gaming keyboard from Thermaltake's gaming division. The Tt eSPORTS Challenger Prime costs $29.99 plus $1.99 shipping at Newegg, but packs features normally expected from more expensive gaming keyboards including tri-color backlighting, dedicated macro keys, and dedicated media keys. Already, the Challenger Prime is looking like the keyboard to beat at this price.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Ultimate Ears BOOM Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review

For the past 5 years or so I’ve been looking all over the market to track down the perfect portable wireless speaker (the holy grail of wireless speakers as i like to call it) with no luck really. Sure many models by some of the leading companies in the field have reached us some of which performed extremely well both in terms of audio quality and volume levels while others offered a plethora of interesting and innovative features including built-in MP3 players, battery packs (used to recharge other devices), voice recorders and even on-the-fly voice "changers" but in the end to my disappointment none offered both. Ultimate Ears has been around for quite some time and I’ve worked with them in the past but ever since they joined with Logitech for reasons unknown we drifted apart. Well I’m happy to say that this ends today since with us we have their best portable wireless speaker to date the BOOM.

Ultimate Ears, a brand of Logitech, revolutionized the way artists perform music on stage with the creation of its custom fit professional earphones in 1995. Today, more touring artists use Ultimate Ears than any other brand, and UE makes critically acclaimed earphones and speakers that are redefining the way people experience the music they love. Ultimate Ears is the leading supplier of custom fitted earphones for professional musicians and an emerging provider of premium speakers and earphones for the consumer market. For more information, please visit www.ultimateears.com.

At first glance the cylindrical BOOM 360 degree wireless speaker certainly has very little to offer in terms of design since it's apparent that Ultimate Ears designed it either with a bottle in mind or an energy drink (redbull anyone?). That however doesn't mean it looks bad, quite the opposite largely thanks to the fabric used (ultimate ears calls it acoustic skin), the plasma coating used to make it water resistant and the available colors. Did we say available colors? This is one of the things that distinguish the BOOM from every other wireless portable speaker in the market currently since Ultimate Ears sells it in not one but 21 different color combinations (check the last page for more on that). Specs-wise the BOOM comes ready with support for NFC (Near Field Communication), A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and HFP1.5 (Hands-Free Profile) and packs two full-range 1.5 inch drivers (frequency range of 90Hz-20Khz with 4 Ohm), two 2 inch passive radiators, dual noise-cancelling microphones and a lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack that gives it up to 15 hours of music playback.

Read full article @ NikKTech