Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E and Core i3 Haswell Series Detailed, ASUS GeForce GTX 780 DirectCU II OC Review, Demo'ing the future at WWDC, What Enabling C6/C7 Low-Power States Do On Haswell, and What KDE can learn from Cinnamon



Intel Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" and Core i3 "Haswell" Series Detailed @ techPowerUp

We know from older reports that Intel will refresh its socket LGA2011 HEDT (high-end desktop) product family with three new parts, based on the new 22 nm "Ivy Bridge-E" silicon. A table detailing their clock speeds was leaked to the web. In addition, we got details of what Intel's entry-level Core i3 "Haswell" line of dual-core processors would look like, specs-wise. The Ivy Bridge-E silicon, is to a large part an optical shrink of the Sandy Bridge-E silicon, with a few improvements. The chip is fabricated on Intel's 22 nm node with tri-gate transistors, the IMC natively supports DDR3-1866 MHz, the PCI-Express root complex is gen 3.0 certified, and the CPUID features the new RdRAND instruction set. Aside from these clock speeds are increased across the board, although TDP isn't lowered from the previous 130W.

Leading the Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" pack is the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, with its 3.60 GHz core, 4.00 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, unlocked base-clock multiplier, and 15 MB L3 cache. This six-core chip will command a four-figure price. Next up, is the Core i7-4930K, with 3.40 GHz core, 3.90 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, unlocked base-clock multiplier, and 12 MB L3 cache. This chip could be 30-40 percent cheaper than the i7-4960X. The cheapest of the lot, though, is the Core i7-4820K. This quad-core part, interestingly, features unlocked base-clock multiplier, unlike its predecessor, the i7-3820. Perhaps Intel didn't want a repeat of Core i7-3770K cannibalizing the i7-3820. The i7-4820K features 3.70 GHz core, 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost, and 10 MB of L3 cache. The chip may be priced in the same range as the i7-4770K. All three parts feature quad-channel DDR3 integrated memory controllers, with native support for DDR3-1866.

Read more: Intel Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" and Core i3 "Haswell" Series Detailed @ techPowerUp

ASUS GeForce GTX 780 DirectCU II OC Review @ Guru3D

ASUS this week released the ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 aka the GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II OC from ASUS. The product comes with new DirectCU II & CoolTech Fan technology and a DIGI+ VRM with 10-phase Super Alloy technology. Well, in short, own design PCB, improved dual-slot cooling and a factory overclock. Now who doesn't like that with a card based on the chip that is embedded in the GeForce GTX titan eh ?

The GeForce GTX 780 is NVIDIAs all new high-end graphics card based in their Flagship product, the GTX Titan. This means it is based on the GK110 GPU and has an whopping 7.1 Billion transistors. That makes it a nice chunk faster opposed to the GeForce GTX 680 GPU. We test the product with the hottest games like Metro: Last light, Battlefield 3, Sleeping Dogs, Far Cry 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Hitman Absolution and many more.

Read more: ASUS GeForce GTX 780 DirectCU II OC Review @ Guru3D

ASUS Maximus VI Hero Review @ Vortez

The Republic of Gamers division has brought many great products to the table of the years and we can’t deny that their success has come about by careful implementation and willingness to appeal to both enthusiasts and gamers. In the motherboard arena each generation of Maximus and Rampage products have always been the topic of discussion on message boards the world-over and today we are looking at one such product which has plenty of anticipation attached to it.

The Maximus VI Hero is a full-sized ATX motherboard featuring LGA1150 and the new Intel Z87 chipset. It comes furnished with the notorious black and red finish which ROG advocates have come to adore and also boasts an impressive feature-set too. The real question is – will this 6th generation of Maximus outdo its rivals or fall by the wayside?

Read more: ASUS Maximus VI Hero Review @ Vortez

FUNC MS-3 Gaming Mouse Review @ Hardware Canucks

Today’s gaming peripheral market includes a dizzying array of mice, each one with its own features but very few of them will cause jaded enthusiasts to stand up and take notice. The FUNC MS-3 is different. It is a unique mouse that represents thousands of development hours, a rigorous beta testing phase and no small amount of fine tuning.

When the MS-3 first showed up in a news story back in January, we were intrigued to say the least since FUNC’s gaming surfaces are universally respected for their quality and longevity. Hardware Canucks’ own branded mousepads are designed and fabricated by FUNC. So with 13 years of excellence under their belts, it was high time for them to finally pair an in-house mouse design with their surfaces. The MS-3 fixes this oversight as it intends to live up to FUNC’s motto of ‘Functionality. Perfected’ alongside the MS-3’s own unique motto of ‘Advantage. Perfected.’

Read more: FUNC MS-3 Gaming Mouse Review @ Hardware Canucks

Eagletech Neptor Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard @ LanOC Reviews

Eagletech may be one of best kept secrets at our LAN parties, generously providing many of their Zen headsets under the brand name Orion as prizes. As we saw at CES this past January, Eagletech has a wide variety of portable accessories, the majority utilizing Bluetooth, in store for 2013. We’ve received the first of many teased during a private showing in Vegas this winter, the Neptor Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard, just in time for an editor hungry to take productivity on the road.

Read more: Eagletech Neptor Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard @ LanOC Reviews

Demo'ing the future at WWDC @ The Tech Report

This week, TR contributor Jason Fox blogs about his thoughts on Apple's latest Worldwide Developer Conference.

Read more: Demo'ing the future at WWDC @ The Tech Report

SanDisk Extreme II SSD Review @ HotHardware.com

Odds are, if you've bought anything that uses flash memory in the last 20 years or so, you already own a small piece of SanDisk technology. The company has been a leader in flash memory storage since the late '80s and manufactures products used in everything from smartphones and portable media players to digital cameras and camcorders. With such a long history in the flash memory business, it's should be no surprise that SanDisk offers an array of solid state storage solutions for desktop and mobile PCs as well. In fact, SanDisk recently expanded their product stack with some new, high-performance SSDs that leverage the company's own NAND flash memory and Marvel's popular 88SSS9187 controller. The new drives are members of SanDisk's Extreme II family of products and target PC enthusiasts, gamers, and multi-media aficionados...

Read more: SanDisk Extreme II SSD Review @ HotHardware.com

ASUS Z87-DELUXE Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

The ASUS Z87-DELUXE is a high-end socket LGA1150 motherboard targeted for the "Haswell" processors (fourth-generation Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors). Its main highlights include the presence of the next-generation Wi-Fi standard, the IEEE802.11ac, which supports a maximum theoretical transfer rate of up to 1 Gbps, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, Bluetooth 4.0 interface, and more.

Read more: ASUS Z87-DELUXE Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 @ techPowerUp

The Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 is a simpler version of the Deep Silence 1, with a noticably lower price tag and the aim to offer the same core functionality. We take the heavy case for a spin to see what had to change for the case to be offered at a very interesting 30 Euros less than the number 1 of the DS series.

Read more: Nanoxia Deep Silence 2 @ techPowerUp

What Enabling C6/C7 Low-Power States Do On Haswell @ Legit Reviews

On our Windows 8 test platform we were able to quickly see the benefits of running with the C6 and C7 power states enabled. We found that with C6/C7 disabled that the system would idle between 23.7 and 24.1 Watts, but with them enabled we were seeing between 20.5 to 21.2 Watts. Both numbers are impressive as you have to keep in mind that the whole system is being measures here with a Kill-A-Watt power meter at the wall outlet...

Read more: What Enabling C6/C7 Low-Power States Do On Haswell @ Legit Reviews

Case Mod Friday: ReactorMod @ ThinkComputers.org

Welcome to another Case Mod Friday showcase! This week we have a builders ReactorMod build. Here is what he had to say about it: Its a modded Chieftec BX-03 case. I wanted to make it look like its quite old and kinda shabby. I was thinking about this build for quite a long time, so I managed to collect some cool stuff that Iâ€ve found on a nearby scrap yard (e.g. switch or steel sheet that I used to make the radiator cover). I also used some spare parts that I had lying around.

Read more: Case Mod Friday: ReactorMod @ ThinkComputers.org

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid-2013) Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Equipped with a fourth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, the latest MacBook Air 13-inch shows decent performance gains. But it's the ultraportable's over 15 hours of battery life that blows away the competition.

Read more: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid-2013) Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Linux Mint 15 Olivia on Nvidia-ed laptop - Perfection? @ Dedoimedo

Here we go. Here's an enthusiastic review of Linux Mint 15 Olivia tested on an HP laptop with Nvidia graphics and Broadcom Wireless, covering live session, dual-boot configuration side by side with Windows 7, and post install use and tweaks, including look & feel, functionality out of the box, extra software like Skype, Steam and KVM, Nvidia & Broadcom drivers setup using Drivers Manager, resource usage, responsiveness, stability, suspend & resume, other details, and more. Is this the bestest Linux distro ever?

Read more: Linux Mint 15 Olivia on Nvidia-ed laptop - Perfection? @ Dedoimedo

What KDE can learn from Cinnamon @ netrunner-mag

Me latest Netrunner Magazine article: A friendly match between KDE and Cinnamon. In today's game, we learn what the older, more mature KDE framework can learn from its younger, more vigorous desktop environment brother, Cinnamon. Do read.

Read more: What KDE can learn from Cinnamon @ netrunner-mag

10 Best Nokia Lumia 620 Apps @ Techradar

The cheap, chunky and usually quite cheerful Nokia Lumia 620 is one of the more affordable ways to get into the Windows Phone 8 universe, with Nokia and the networks managing to get it into the hands of buyers for around £150 on PAYG SIMs. Nokia and Microsoft have already done a pretty decent job of pre-loading the Lumia 620 with loads of awesome apps. Nokia's Maps location tool is useful, its integrated Drive satnav software helpful, plus the excellent Nokia Music and the... interesting City Lens, so new smartphone buyers can find some top drawer stuff on the 620 to amuse them for the first few days of loving exploration. But that's still not enough.

Read more: 10 Best Nokia Lumia 620 Apps @ Techradar