Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

A Week with the OnePlus One
Apple OS X 10.10: first impressions of Yosemite
Asus GTX 760 Striker Platinum
ASUS Maximus VII Gene Review
ASUS Z97 SaberTooth Mark 1 Motherboard Review
Attitude One Almaz Headset
Bayan Audio Soundbook X3 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review
Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 700W Power Supply Unit Review
Breaking: Nokia X2 launches
Corsairs Vengeance K70 keyboard reviewed
Enermax iVektor Case Review
Exclusive: AMD to Launch Refreshed FX-9590 CPU
Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5 Motherboard Review
HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB Hard Drive Review
Intel Core i7-4790K Devils Canyon Review
Intel Core i7-4960X vs Core i7-3960X 3-way SLI Gaming-Performance
MSI Z97 MPower Max AC Preview
Patriot Supersonic Phoenix Flash Drive Review (256GB)
Russia building Baikal processor to replace AMD and Intel chips
Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch Review
Sennheiser HD-8 DJ Headphone Review
SFF Giada PCs combine Haswell CPUs and GeForce graphics
Thermaltake Massive Notebook Coolers (V20, SP, TM) Review

A Week with the OnePlus One

The OnePlus One is among the most talked-about phones these days. Both because of its high-end features and affordable price, making it one of the flagship models of 2014, but also because it's... impossible to get one. These are my first impressions of the device so far.

Read full article @ OSNews

Apple OS X 10.10: first impressions of Yosemite

This isn't a review. The first Yosemite beta has only just emerged, and so it's clearly not ready for prime-time. However, although some of the new features demoed at WWDC 2014 are absent or broken, enough are baked to the point you can get a feel for how OS X is going to be later this year. Here are our first impressions on some of the highlights, after a day of exploring Yosemite.The OS X Yosemite interfaceOS X's interface is now a strange combination of stark minimalism, subtle colour effects and cartoonish icons. The stripped-back interface typically works well, and transparency effects in sidebars and behind toolbars are (surprisingly) subtle enough to provide a sense of place without being a distraction or interfering with legibility. Performance seems unaffected.The Helvetica variant used for the system font is generally legible, if lacking in character, but the spindly menu extras are less successful — it's now hard to tell whether the network indicator is showing a connection.

Read full article @ Techradar

Asus GTX 760 Striker Platinum

Just as soon as I thought all of the video card introductions from the Nvidia 700 series cards were over Asus tossed out another one. This time it was something a little special, the Striker. The Striker is a GTX 760 but they went a little above and beyond from their standard cards. This is actually a little bit of an unusual launch, typically special cards are limited to the highest end GPUs (like this Mars and Poseidon models), but they did something special with that GPU that more people can afford. Now lets dig in and see how the Striker holds up against the competition.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

ASUS Maximus VII Gene Review

In our new venture with Intel’s Z97 chipset and Devil’s Canyon we delve into the world of the Republic of Gamers Series for a look at the new Maximus VII Gene.

In the M-ATX arena the Gene motherboards throughout the preceding generations have always been the very best of what you can get with a smaller form factor. You typically get all of the features from the bigger Republic of Gamers (ROG) motherboards but on a smaller PCB and usually at a smaller price-tag, meaning this is perfect for building a compact system.

Read full article @ Vortez

ASUS Z97 SaberTooth Mark 1 Motherboard Review

Today we'll review the ASUS Z97 SaberTooth Motherboard. Join us in a review on a product that is bound to please the PC gamer. The Z97 TUF themed mainboard is intended for Intel's 22nm Haswell and Haswell refresh processors on that Socket LGA1150 platform. It is a mainstream to high-end segmented product amongst the ASUS Sabertooth series that comes with some nice features and very decent overclock potential.

Intel released their series 9 chipsets, among them will be low-end and high-end desktop solutions. For the consumers and readers of Guru3D, H97 and Z97 will be the two most interesting ones. For the HTPC end of things H97 is the most appealing as tweaking options are stripped away with a lower price-tag. For the more hardcore gamers and PC aficionados, the Z97 is the most interesting. Z97 by itself as a chipset is nothing special. HOWEVER, we have plenty to look at as the motherboard manufacturers went totally nuts and started redesigning their motherboards, added new features and made them extraordinarily cool. You'll spot new redesigns build on the DNA of Z87 yet improved massively.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Attitude One Almaz Headset

Attitude One is a new player on the gaming scene, and today, we take a close look at their first headset, the Almaz. The Almaz can be configured to act as either a headphone or headset because of its detachable microphone and multiple cables.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Bayan Audio Soundbook X3 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Review

Who is Bayan Audio? Back in 2011, an UK-based company started that had the sole intent of creating high quality products that produce phenomenal sound out of natural materials, that you can take with you wherever you may go. You may recognize them from a previous report we did a few weeks back, when we took a look at the Bayan Audio Soundbook Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. Today, we have the privilege of taking a bigger and better look at the Bayan Audio Soundbook X3, the big brother to the previously reported Soundbook. One thing to keep in mind before we dig into the X3, is that we are looking at a wireless bluetooth speaker. More often then not, you ‘get what you pay for’ when it comes to wireless bluetooth speakers. The cheaper wireless speakers are typically comprised of a lower grade material, which will further inhibit the performance of the speaker, but the opposite also remains true. What really impresses us is when a company creates a product that is not only of high quality, but doesn’t break your bank as well.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 700W Power Supply Unit Review

With the rather recent appearance of 80 Plus Titanium certified power supply units in the market (some of which rated up to 1500W) hardcore overclockers and enthusiasts alike have found yet another reason to reach deep down their pockets for a brand new and rather costly upgrade. For good or bad the ultra-high-end power supplies cost quite a bit and in the end are mostly suited for use with really power hungry systems so casual consumers have really almost no need for something like that. On the other hand 80 Plus Bronze and Silver power supplies are far more affordable, feature quality components, come in both low and high power outputs and offer very good performance levels. For the past 2 days one such solution has been lying on our test bench, the Pure Power L8 700W (L8-700W) PSU by be quiet!

be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC. be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany for five consecutive years *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions. be quiet! is awarded for five times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-known German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” underline the high acceptance of our products. be quiet! sticks to its name: Ten years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed Silent Wings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation - our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation. If you choose be quiet! you can be sure to get premium quality and second to none silent operation from the quietness experts.

The Pure Power L8 line features several 80 Plus Bronze certified (up to 88% power conversion efficiency) power supply units and although it consists of both modular and classic (fixed cables) models the 700W variant which we have here with us is the later. This particular model features one of the latest 120mm SilentWings L8 fans by be quiet along with two independent +12V rails for improved power stability (deliver up to 91% of the units total output) and 4 PCI-E power connectors while it also brings support for Energy Star 5.2, ErP 2013, Intel Haswell platform and Intel’s Deep Power Down C6/C7 mode. Spec-wise the Pure Power L8 700W may not be something unique but it should prove more than just enough for its target audience, the how much more however is up to us to find out.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Breaking: Nokia X2 launches

The Nokia X2 has been officially announced by the Finnish firm on its blog after teasing us with the launch last week. It's been less than six months since Nokia took to the stage at MWC 2014 to announce its first trio of Nokia X devices, but already we're getting a successor in the form of the Nokia X2. Sporting a 4.3-inch display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera and a 1800mAh battery the X2 has seen its specs bumped up across the board. While the Nokia X2 may be running Android at its core, the operating system has been rebuilt from the ground up to make it unrecognisable as Google's offering, providing a more Windows Phone style interface.

Read full article @ Techradar

Corsairs Vengeance K70 keyboard reviewed

Corsair's Vengeance K70 keyboard is a masterful combination of Cherry MX mechanical switches, programmable backlighting, and distinctive industrial design. We get all touchy feely with one of the finest mechanical keyboards around.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Enermax iVektor Case Review

We have always known Enermax for some pretty attractive and interesting cases. Today we are taking a look at one of their latest cases the iVektor. One interesting thing about this case is that it has a soft touch coating that is said to absorb vibrations, noise and prevent fingerprints. Besides this coating the iVektor features a large side panel window for showing off hardware, USB 3.0 support, room for large graphics cards and liquid cooling solutions and multiple tool-less installation features. The iVektor comes in black, white and red, but today we will be taking a look at the black version. Will this be the case for your next build? Read on as we find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Exclusive: AMD to Launch Refreshed FX-9590 CPU

It all started with a tweet. A few days ago AMD’s Roy Taylor teased an unnamed new FX-series chip on Twitter and enthusiast websites promptly exploded with all manner of wild theories. Naturally, we were all left wondering what it was about. A Kaveri APU? The introduction of a Steamroller-based CPU? Well, after poking and prodding the right people at AMD and Overclock.net's ExtravaLANza, we got the scoop about what’s actually launching and everyone can now take a collective breather. It's interesting and "newish" but not a brand new processor or even a refreshed architecture.

In short, AMD is relaunching the FX-9590 but bundling it with a water cooling solution so it can achieve even higher out-of-box overclocking frequencies. That’s good news for anyone building a new AMD system since the FX-9590 really did need a water cooling unit to shine.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5 Motherboard Review

The G1.Sniper 5 high-end Z87 board from Gigabyte is also available in a smaller form factor, while retaining some of the most important features like Killer NIC, dual BIOS, Creative Sound Core 3D DSP. The UEFI interface is pretty customizable, has three modes and features the same design as with the Gigabyte G1.Sniper 5.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

HGST Deskstar NAS 4TB Hard Drive Review

Since this is the first time we here at APH Networks are covering something with the name "Deskstar" attached to it, I have no choice but to go over a bit of history. Back in 1994, IBM launched their Deskstar line of hard drives. This name became infamous to consumers and professionals alike at the turn of the millennium, thanks to the Deskstar 75GXP, which consisted of six models ranging from 15GB to 75GB notoriously known for their unusually high failure rate. In fact, it was so bad, the name "Deathstar" stuck ever since. Two years later, in 2003, Hitachi bought IBM's hard drive division, and since then, they have continued selling under the same name with the Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) brand. When Hitachi sold the division to Western Digital a couple of years ago, the Deskstar product line has consistently been hailed by many as some of the highest performance and most reliable hard drives in the storage market. Today, this is no different. With the rising popularity of dedicated network attached storage systems in home and business environments, companies such as HGST, Western Digital, and Seagate took notice. Last week, we have reviewed the Western Digital Red WD40EFRX 4TB, a model designed for low power consumption and competitive performance for a reasonable price. The Seagate NAS HDD ST4000VN000 4TB we are covering in the coming weeks attacks the same problem with a different approach; delivering reasonable power consumption and acceptable performance at the lowest price. This, then, leaves the Deskstar NAS 4TB in a category all by itself. By being the only 7,200RPM drive of the group, the HGST promises pure speed without a whole lot of concern for power consumption. But how do all these factors quantify out on the charts against the competition? With many pages of benchmarking, we have all the results and the answers.

Read full article @ APH Networks

Intel Core i7-4790K Devils Canyon Review

After last month's underwhelming Haswell refresh, Intel says overclockers can rejoice over the newest revision of its fourth-generation Core processors, codenamed Devil's Canyon, which actually promises a few improvements on the CPU side of things including updated packaging materials, more capacitors for smoother power deliver, as well as a 'Next Generation Polymer Thermal Interface Material' (NGPTIM).

If you recall, Intel moved the voltage regulator on-die with Haswell and this caused problems for overclockers by creating an additional hot spot on the chip. Moreover, the company never changed the thermal interface material (TIM) from Ivy Bridge, which was believed to be a downgrade from Sandy Bridge's and led to Ivy Bridge and Haswell parts to running hotter than older Sandy Bridge ones.

Read full article @ Techspot

Intel Core i7-4960X vs Core i7-3960X 3-way SLI Gaming-Performance

Gamers are always curious to know what benefit they get from an expensive CPU in terms of frames per second. In this series of articles we will have a look at different CPUs, running at different clock speeds and with each article we will compare two CPUs. These CPUs will be place in a test system that's been equipped with no less than three high-end graphics cards in order to open the GPU bottleneck.

Read full article @ ocaholic

MSI Z97 MPower Max AC Preview

With the Z97 MPower Max AC, MSI has a rather interesting motherboard in its portfolio, since there are features relevant for overclockers as well as gamers. For overclockers there is for example a 20 phase power design and gamers will love the beefed-up audio as well as quite a bunch of other features.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Patriot Supersonic Phoenix Flash Drive Review (256GB)

While HDDs are great for storing personal documents and offer us high capacity at a decent price, they do have their cons. When constantly on the run, consumers want fast and reliable external storage in a very portable form factor. Portable external HDDs are usually able to meet those needs, but not always. HDDs have two issues when used as portable media; one, they are slow compared to SSDs and two, they are not nearly as resistant to physical abuse as solid state storage option. For the most part, USB 3.0 thumb drives usually are able to deliver us decent speeds and portability, but unless you are going to pay an arm and a leg, you aren’t going to get HDD like capacity. This is where Patriot steps in, with their Supersonic Phoenix USB 3.0 mobile flash drive.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

Russia building Baikal processor to replace AMD and Intel chips

The Russian government has decided to domestically produce a computer chip which for use in government offices and state-run firms. The move is meant to elbow processors from the likes of AMD and Intel out of government use due to concerns about US spying and processor back doors.

Electronics Weekly says Russian President Putin decided to push forward this processor development initiative. It follows a move, four years ago, when the Russian government said that all its computers would be moving to Linux.

The Russian processor is currently referred to as the 'Baikal' microprocessor, named after most voluminous freshwater lake in the world. The chip is being designed by T-Platforms, a Russian supercomputer maker, alongside state defence corporation Rostec with co-financing from Russian state-run technology firm Rosnano.

Read full article @ Hexus

Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch Review

Wearables in general--and smartwatches in particular--are among the hottest tech trends of today. Despite a great deal of hullabaloo over these devices, though, many aren’t quite finding them as compelling as you might think. As a result, there’s a sense that no one has yet figured out the secret sauce that makes a wearable / smartwatch a "much have" device.

Samsung is at the forefront of the smartwatch push, looking to develop that perfect swoon-worthy device. The company is already on the second generation of its smartwatch line with its Gear 2, the wearable that we’re looking at today...

http://hothardware.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=efc4c507c2cf964fc2462caca&id=7549d50a6d&e=0c004f9c13]Read full article @ HotHardware.com[/url]

Sennheiser HD-8 DJ Headphone Review

Perhaps one of the candidates for the most popular headphones of all time could be the Sennheiser HD-25′s which were first released in 1988 and can still be found today, although in a more contemporary design. Many would claim these to be the most likely runaway winner and, if popularity alone through time is any indication, we would have to agree. Sennheiser has now released the successor to the HD-25 in the HD-8 DJ and, if you are a media professional who spends hours on end with a set of headphones on your head, these definitely merit a close look. A word to the wise though, the HD-8 DJs forge new ideas on just what professional headphones should be, no doubt the years of advise provided DJ’s and studio professionals.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

SFF Giada PCs combine Haswell CPUs and GeForce graphics

Small form factor specialist Giada has introduced two new Mini-PCs intended for gaming, reports Notebook Italia. Both of these PCs look to share the same 230mm x 54.5mm x 173.5mm chassis (about the size of the Argos catalogue). The Giada D2308V is powered by an Intel i5-4200U Processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX650 GPU and the D2308U is powered by an Intel Core i7-4500U and Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 GPU.

Read full article @ Hexus

Thermaltake Massive Notebook Coolers (V20, SP, TM) Review

If you are on a tight budget, but you still need cooling, the V20 is your best bet. If you love your music (or in-game music) and can deal with something that is at least 300% better than your laptop speakers, while also keeping your laptop cooler than the V20, the SP will suit you. If you are a heavy gamer on your laptop and it is screaming all day long, the TM will reign it in. I never imagined that one of these coolers would ever perform so well. All three of these coolers stand the test of time under Thermaltake's banner and I would gladly recommend them to any and all.

Read full article @ OCC