Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Install OS X Mavericks on Any Supported Intel-based PC, Samsung XP941 NGFF M.2 PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 Worlds Smallest SSD Combination Hits 2GB/s, Best Tablets of 2013: Fall Edition, OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review, and Sapphire Radeon R9 280X TOXIC



Install OS X Mavericks on Any Supported Intel-based PC @ TonyMacX86

The following guide is a complete walkthrough to installing or updating to the latest version of OS X. It requires no experience and all of the necessary installation and post-installation tools are available on tonymacx86.com.

UniBeast is a tool that creates a bootable installer out of your downloaded version of OS X. In order to start fresh, you'll need access to a functional computer running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later. This is a requirement, as you need access to the Mac App Store to download OS X and create the installation drive.

Read more: Install OS X Mavericks on Any Supported Intel-based PC @ TonyMacX86

S2 Innovation AXIOM Pro Dust-Proof Midi Tower @ NikKTech

Innovation is not something we see very often in the PC market lately and that goes double when we're talking about PC cases since although manufacturers tend to equip them with features a lot more than in the past still none of those features is really something we haven't seen before. This is perhaps one of the area that new manufacturers surpass the really well-known ones since they need the "extra push" in order to establish themselves in the market and what better way to do that than to answer the requests/recommendations of consumers and hope for the best? S2 Innovation is a brand new manufacturer based in Korea which i have to admit i knew nothing about up until 3 months ago when we first inquired about their brand new AXIOM Pro Midi Tower PC Case which is quite interesting since it incorporates a very innovative filtration intake system along with several other useful features. Well roughly 2 months later it found its way onto our photo bench and today we can finally unveil our review.

Read more: S2 Innovation AXIOM Pro Dust-Proof Midi Tower @ NikKTech

Samsung XP941 NGFF M.2 PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 Worlds Smallest SSD Combination Hits 2GB/s @ The SSD Review

Sometimes we get fortunate enough to have just the right hardware at just the right time. Such was the case when Sony sent us their new VAIO Pro 13 Ultrabook with a Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe SSD for review. That SSD provided performance speeds over 1GB/s and enabled our statement of the VAIO Pro 13 as being the smallest, lightest and highest performing ultrabook available to the consumer today. In publishing that report, we found ourselves with two Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe SSDs on hand and the opportunity to configure one dynamite RAID 0 configuration, the other XP941 having been the subject of this SSD analysis.

Read more: Samsung XP941 NGFF M.2 PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 Worlds Smallest SSD Combination Hits 2GB/s @ The SSD Review

Rocksmith 2014 Edition Video Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Rocksmith makes its return with the all-new 2014 Edition from Ubisoft, today Stuart Davidson shows us his experiences with the game.

Read more: Rocksmith 2014 Edition Video Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard Review @ KitGuru

Today we are going to take a look at the ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ motherboard which is their flagship FM2+ model. We recently looked at a Gigabyte's flagship FM2+ motherboard – the G1 Sniper A88x and we were very impressed with the overall package.

Read more: ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ Motherboard Review @ KitGuru

be quiet! Power Zone 850 Watt Power Supply Review @ HiTech Legion

Consumers, especially tech addicts, fall prey to overkill far too often. I am not referencing the classic song or album from the early days of Motorhead, though it would be easy to see the confusion. Yes, “No Class” lifted ZZ Top’s classic riff from “Tush”, but it did it so much more aggressively. Then again, did Motorhead ever do anything that wasn’t somehow more aggressive? Lemmy Kilmister’s vocals alone were often enough, always sounding like he was gargling broken glass. But I digress, it’s overkill purchases that we are supposed to be talking about here.

Read more: be quiet! Power Zone 850 Watt Power Supply Review @ HiTech Legion

NZXT HALE82 v2 700 Watt Modular Power Supply Review @ Modders-Inc.com

Finding the right power supply and be either and easy task or a hard one. If you don not care about the color or options then you can go down the easy road, but NZXT knows that if you want a nice looking power supply, has the options you need you have a hard task ahead of you. That is why NXZT has the done it's homework and presents the HALE82 V2 Modular Power Supply to us.

Read more: NZXT HALE82 v2 700 Watt Modular Power Supply Review @ Modders-Inc.com

Gigabyte R9 280X OC 3 GB @ techPowerUp

Gigabyte's R9 280X OC comes at no price premium, yet features an overclock out of the box and uses the company's famous triple-fan WindForce 3X cooling solution. With a 100 MHz GPU overclock, it manages to beat the much more expensive GTX 770 in real-life performance.

Read more: Gigabyte R9 280X OC 3 GB @ techPowerUp

Cougar CMX v.3 850W Power Supply Review @ Legit Reviews

Nowadays, it seems that most manufacturers have a subsidiary company, which brings them direct access to the retail market. Today we will be having a look at the new v.3 revision of the CMX 850W power supply by Cougar, the sister company of HEC/Compucase, one of the oldest manufacturers of power supply units. This is our second encounter with their products, after our review of the basic PowerX 550W several months ago which, although it did not set any performance records, its value-to-performance ratio was very good.

Read more: Cougar CMX v.3 850W Power Supply Review @ Legit Reviews

Samsung 840 EVO SSD 750 GB reviewed @ Metku.net

This time we'll be taking a closer look at the Samsung's 840 EVO series offering. This particular EVO unit offers a whopping 750 gigabytes of storage space. This is enough space for most setups to be run with a single drive. Is the speed there?

Read more: Samsung 840 EVO SSD 750 GB reviewed @ Metku.net

Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro 27" LCD Monitor @ Anandtech

The first Monoprice display I looked at didnt fare well. While very affordable, it only offered a DVI input and very little in the way of controls. The worst sin was that the brightness control on the display just didn't work correctly. A step up from that model is their IPS-Glass. With HDMI, DSub, and DisplayPort inputs to go with a dual-link DVI input, it is far more flexible than the cheaper model. It also returns the display controls to the front of the monitor instead of the rear. As important as these changes are, it wont really matter if the issues found in the cheaper model exist here, so let's see if this second go with Monoprice fares any better.    

Read more: Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro 27" LCD Monitor @ Anandtech

Best Tablets of 2013: Fall Edition @ Techspot

The tablet market doesn’t look very different than it did a year ago from the perspective of who’s doing well and who’s not. Perhaps the most exciting developments came towards the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 from the usual big guys: Google released the Nexus 10 and updated the Nexus 7, Apple launched a smaller and cheaper iPad mini, while Microsoft went all in with the Surface RT and Pro.

As we move closer to the end of the year everyone’s moving to refresh their lineups in preparation for the lucrative holiday season. To summarize: Apple just announced a new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, Microsoft pushed out the second generation Surfaces, Amazon hedged its bets on high-end hardware and real-time support for the Kindle Fire refresh, Samsung did its own thing with numerous Android devices at different price points and sizes, and Google is set to refresh the Nexus line later this month (we’ll update this article as soon as they’re out).

Below is a compilation of what we consider are the best options either currently available or announced so far, complete with metascores from our Product Finder engine and review links where available.

Read more: Best Tablets of 2013: Fall Edition @ Techspot

Fractal Design Arc XL Mid-Tower Case Review @ HiTech Legion

In a world where materialism reigns supreme man is oft like the raccoon which finds a shiny bauble in a crevice and remains trapped because it refuses to let go. Many product designers take advantage of this tendency towards glamorously styled items to deliver inferior products and reap huge profits. But, we want to have our cake and eat it too. Thankfully, there are some companies that consistently produce products that look great and deliver exceptional quality.

Finding that blend between form and function is an ongoing battle. When all emphasis is placed on functionality, you get products that are aesthetically barren. The reverse usually produces gaudy monstrosities. Fractal Design is one company that manages to combine a massive list of features, pleasing aesthetics and great quality in their products.

Read more: Fractal Design Arc XL Mid-Tower Case Review @ HiTech Legion

The Plantronics RIG Gaming Headset Reviewed @ Futurelooks

Have you ever been on a game winning streak, or near an all time high score and your phone rings? Do you answer it, or keep going? Or perhaps your team really needed to get a hold of you to defend the team’s title almost last minute but you were too immersed in your other game to notice the call. While the first two are common scenarios, there are also gamers who like to game at work whether it be at the office or at home. Imagine if you could hear and talk to your incoming calls without having to take off your gaming headset. Well, imagine no longer. The Plantronics RIG Gaming Headset is exactly what you need.

Read more: The Plantronics RIG Gaming Headset Reviewed @ Futurelooks

Corsair Carbide Air 540 Review @ OCC

The Corsair Carbide Air 540 sets your idea of what a computer case should look like on edge. This is a bold step for Corsair, and they have done it with near perfect execution. The quality is top notch, which is certainly no surprise from Corsair. The fit and finish, particularly the way the top and front vent covers fit together impressed me. The compact case size is deceiving - there is plenty of space for an attractive build. The included AF140L fans are quiet and move plenty of air. The two-chamber design indeed improves air flow and helps to keep temps down. It took me a little while to get used to the sideways optical drive, but that was no big deal. Don't let the compact size fool you, as the Air 540 can handle an E-ATX (Extended ATX) motherboard with ease.

Read more: Corsair Carbide Air 540 Review @ OCC

Synology DiskStation DS114 NAS Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Today we take a look at the latest entry in Synology's single bay NAS solutions, the DS114. Running the same OS we find on their more advanced models it could be the ideal model for the storage novice to use for their first network based device.

Read more: Synology DiskStation DS114 NAS Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Asus' Transformer Book T100 convertible notebook reviewed @ The Tech Report

Despite its low $350 starting price, the Transformer Book T100 offers a quad-core Bay Trail SoC, a 10" IPS touchscreen, 10+ hours of battery life, a USB 3.0-equipped keyboard dock, and the full-fat version of Windows 8.1. We take a closer look at the most uniquely compelling notebook/tablet hybrid to date.

Read more: Asus' Transformer Book T100 convertible notebook reviewed @ The Tech Report

OS X Mavericks Review @ Neowin.net

The questionably named OS X Mavericks is out for all to purchase today. But should we trust this very incremental update? Are the performance updates really noticeable?

Read more: OS X Mavericks Review @ Neowin.net

OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review @ Ars Technica

No longer an apex predator, OS X takes some time for introspection.    

Read more: OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review @ Ars Technica

Thecus N5550 @ techPowerUp

Thecus is a key player in network storage solutions, and today, we get the chance to closely examine one of their newest NAS offerings, the N5550. Targeting enthusiast users or small business environments, it is equipped with an Intel Atom CPU and can take up to five HDDs for a total of 20 TB storage.

Read more: Thecus N5550 @ techPowerUp

Gaming Mice Roundup 2013: Corsair, Steelseries, Gigabyte, Logitech and Razer @ Techspot

Shifting from a standard office mouse to something more appropriate for gaming is worthwhile if you care about your performance, but investing $60 or more in handful of plastic might seem silly if you've never experienced the realm of difference a proper mouse can make. Taking that plunge isn't any easier these days considering how many major manufacturers have entered the ever-expanding arena.

With many hot PC game releases scheduled over the coming months, it seems like a fine opportunity to step up your game with a new mouse this holiday season if you were thinking about pitting your trusty, dusty retail rodent against Battlefield 4. Come along as a dozen mice compete for spots in our holiday and PC buying guides, and ultimately for your cash.

Read more: Gaming Mice Roundup 2013: Corsair, Steelseries, Gigabyte, Logitech and Razer @ Techspot

iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5 video review @ V3

We go through the new additions to the 5S to see if it is worth an upgrade     

Read more: iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5 video review @ V3

Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 @ Hexus

One of the biggest problems with enthusiast PCs, as we see it, is that they're just too darn big. Sure, we've enjoyed our fair share of full-tower monstrosities over the years, but today's high-end components offer so much more in terms of efficiency that smaller systems should be packing a bigger punch than ever before.

For this reason alone, we believe the days of ATX PCs in the home are numbered, and Mini and Micro are destined to become the new standard-bearers for self-builds and enthusiast rigs. And let's face it, building something that's petite and powerful is more challenging and, well, more fun than a big hungry beastie.

So, for all those who are thinking of downsizing, which chassis are worthy of consideration? We've already taken a look at Lian Li's PC-Q27 and Corsair's Obsidian Series 350D, and today we're continuing our quest by examining the credentials of Fractal Design's Arc Mini R2.

Read more: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 @ Hexus

ASUS GTX760 DirectCU Mini OC review: compact GeForce GTX 760 @ Hardware.Info

Last year the ASUS GTX670 DirectCU Mini OC came out, a smaller version of the GeForce GTX 670, perfect for compact Mini ITX systems. Now ASUS has the GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU Mini OC, which is the subject of today's review.

It was expected that an ASUS GTX 760 DirectCU Mini OC card would be released. In our review of the GeForce GTX 760, we mentioned that the GTX 670 is actually based on the GeForce GTX 670. So ASUS was basically able to take the design of the GTX670 Mini, stick the revised GPU on it, add the appropriate BIOS and... they're done! That's exactly what happened, so the ASUS GTX760 is indistinguishable from last year's card.

Read more: ASUS GTX760 DirectCU Mini OC review: compact GeForce GTX 760 @ Hardware.Info

Sapphire Radeon R9 280X TOXIC @ Hexus

Just recently, we asked whether graphics-card rebrands were acceptable to you. The consensus was that if the 'new' version was faster and cheaper than the one it ostensibly replaced, then that was just about acceptable. AMD's recent transition from Radeon HD 7000 to R9/R7 cards - a rebrand in the main - straddles the fine line between what we believe to be acceptable, then.

AMD's largest board partner is Sapphire. A new launch isn't complete without Sapphire rolling out a number of graphics cards, usually overclocked to the hilt. The R9 280X is no different in this regard, with two overclocked versions - Vapor-X and TOXIC - already on retailers' shelves.

The TOXIC variant appears to be the more interesting of the two. Featuring a new cooler, heavily overclocked frequencies, and a competitive street price of £260, let's put it through the review wringer.

Read more: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X TOXIC @ Hexus