Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Bay Trail System Review, GIGABYTE G1.Sniper A88X Review, Verizon Wireless LG G2, ThinkPad T440s, and OCZ Vertex 460 240GB SSD



Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Bay Trail System Review @ Legit Reviews

What kind of DIY desktop computer kit can you get for just $128.00? The Intel NUC DN2820FYKH is so inexpensive and tiny (measures just 116.6mm x 112.0mm x 51.5mm) that it grabbed our attention and we just had to get our hands on one. The Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH is powered by an Intel Celeron N2820 processor (up to 2.4GHz dual-core, 1MB cache, 7.5W TDP) that also contains Intel HD Graphics that operates up to 756MHz with a single HDMI 1.4a video output. The kit comes with the processor, CPU cooler, power supply, motherboard, 802.11n WiFi card and the case. The only thing missing is a single 1066MHz DDR3L SO-DIMM memory module and a 2.5-inch notebook hard drive or solid-state drive. The final price of building up the NUC DN2820FYKH really depends on the hardware and OS that you install, but it shouldn't be that bad. Read on to see how to build one and then how it performs!

Read more: Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Bay Trail System Review @ Legit Reviews

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper A88X Review @ Vortez

If you are looking for a gaming motherboard to go with your shiny new Kaveri APU, GIGABYTE will want to turn your attention to their G1.Sniper A88X, that's right, SNIPER. Sitting at a very competitive price as far as the A88X motherboards go, there are likely concessions made when compared to the big boy brothers on the Intel side. Regardless, we have the green and black aesthetic for the AMD team which allows for personal preference and selection. Most noticeably with the G1.Sniper A88X, GIGABYTE shed a lot of the extreme designs and opt for a more sensible solution, we find a 4+2 digital power phase delivery which is perfectly adequate for this low power platform, as opposed to the 16 phases that can be found on the G1.Sniper 5! Also, you will not find any skulls! Let's turn our eyes to the details then take a look at performance.

Read more: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper A88X Review @ Vortez

Radeon HD 5870 vs. R9 280X - Should I upgrade? @ ocaholic

A gamer simply can't get enough graphics power in their rig, which makes the upgrade question omnipresent. To show you whether it makes sense to upgrade from one generation to another we created this series of articles, where we will compare graphics cards from different generations. Today we're having a close look at the differences between the Radeon HD 5870 and the R9 280X.

Read more: Radeon HD 5870 vs. R9 280X - Should I upgrade? @ ocaholic

Raijintek Pallas Review @ ocaholic

The Pallas from Raijintek is a rather interesting new CPU cooler, that features a low-profile form factor. At a first glance manufacturing quality appears to be on a really decent level and judging by the number of heatpipes used as well as the size of the heatsink, it looks like this cooler could also perform quite well. Paired up with a price that is actually payable we're curious to see what this cooler can do.

Read more: Raijintek Pallas Review @ ocaholic

Thermaltake Urban S71 Full Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Sleek and stylish cases are not something that we normally see from Thermaltake. We know Thermaltake for cases that tend to be more on the flashy side. Their Urban Series is the exact opposite of this as the series is designed to have a simple and elegant aesthetic and is for users who look for everything but a flamboyant appearance. Today we are taking a look at the largest case in the Urban Series, the S71. This case has room for quite a lot of hardware including ATX and E-ATX motherboards, long graphics cards, six hard drives, and three optical drives. On top of that you have tool-less installation, USB 3.0 support, a large side panel window and even a hard drive dock! Will this be your next case? Read on as we find out!

Read more: Thermaltake Urban S71 Full Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Verizon Wireless LG G2 @ LanOC Reviews

For what seemed like months we have seen commercials for the LG G2 on television. Recently Verizon Wireless sent one over for us to check out and I have been putting it through daily use. For the most part the G2 is a lot like other phones but it does have a very unique placement of its volume and power buttons. Where most phones have the buttons on the sides or top, the G2’s buttons are on the back of the phone. So today I’m going to talk a little about my experience with the G2 and Verizon Wireless’s network.

Read more: Verizon Wireless LG G2 @ LanOC Reviews

Corsair Obsidian 250D Review @ Vortez

Building on the success of the Obsidian Series which is now a household name for Corsair, they are back yet again with a new addition to the family. Inside the portfolio there are now seven models to choose from, giving plenty of variation and choice to the end user but the one piece missing from the puzzle is a dedicated Mini-ITX chassis.

Today we are to cast our critical eye over Corsair’s new 250D. Embracing the characteristics many have come to love, this new case delivers Mini-ITX support for those demanding a small form factor and condensed layout.

Read more: Corsair Obsidian 250D Review @ Vortez

Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 @ techPowerUp

Fractal Design's latest mATX chassis brings the Arc Mini series up to par with the Midi line by offering an R2 variant. It includes a few nice updates, but does come with a price tag to match. Is the Arc Mini R2 fly enough to get away with it?

Read more: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 @ techPowerUp

ThinkPad T440s @ Techradar

Lenovo is on a mission with the ThinkPad. It's a mission of not just making the Chinese vendor's business-bent laptops thinner and lighter, but simpler, more stylish and more versatile.One of Lenovo's recent attempts at modernizing the brand is the ThinkPad T440s, a 14-inch professional grade ultrabook that sacrifices little, if anything, to meet Intel's standards for ultrabook status. But is this ThinkPad enough to rattle the competition, namely the HP ZBook 14 and 13-inch MacBook Air? This laptop certainly tries to, but quickly loses its ultrabook status in that effort.The T440s comes packing a 1920 x 1080, 10 point multi-touch IPS panel, fingerprint reader and hot swappable battery technology before clicking the Checkout button. This is all crammed inside a slick, smooth carbon fiber and magnesium frame at a mere .80 inches thin. That's certainly a start. Sadly, this laptop lacks the dedicated graphics processing of the ZBook 14 and the whiffs on the pure portability of the MacBook Air in attempting to match its longevity.Aside from hinges that can bend 180 degrees, the T440s doesn't have many tricks up its sleeve.

Read more: ThinkPad T440s @ Techradar

Fractal Design Arc XL Review @ Guru3D

We'll be reviewing the Fractal Design Arc XL, it is a notch bigger yet also better as far as we are concerned. This all black and white chassis comes with plenty of cooling options, great design and aesthetics and is so big that it will even house the biggest motherboards up-to E-ATX and XL-ATX. This product is made with airflow and liquid cooling in mind to serve the more performance oriented PCs. You'll be excited about storage, style, USB 3.0 options and an even integrated three-speed fan controller. The Fractal Design Arc XL is what you can tag as big-tower chassis. So it'll be present in your room or work-space and will offer you space to go wild with your cooling and components. As such liquid cooling fanatics should not be disappointed, on the contrary, it can hold multiple thick 240mm radiators and slim radiators up to 360mm in length with enough room left for pumps and reservoirs. The chassis comes with three high-performance but silent R2 fans that are already factory installed, and that means good ventilation versus fairly little noise. You can tie the fans towards an internal fan controller. Fractal Design Arc XL many other features that we'll show you in this review, like cable routing space, removable fan filters, CPU cooler sizes limits of up to 180mm, a black paint job and a top I/O panel with two USB 2.0 and two 3.0 ports, audio in/out, power button, HDD activity led, reset button and fan controller.

Read more: Fractal Design Arc XL Review @ Guru3D

Silverstone Raven RV04 Case Review @ Hardware Asylum

The Silverstone Raven series is a special line of cases that allow the designers to try new and sometimes unconventional ideas. The most famous of these was the rotated motherboard layout that turned the motherboard such that your video cards exhausted out the top of the case. Doing this allowed for heat to naturally rise and also allowed Silverstone to install larger fans and apply positive air pressure to the chassis.

Of course the most important feature of the Raven series was also the most controversial. Many users complained about the motherboard orientation and reviewers often criticized the design for just being too different. We actually liked the design and saw the orientation to be a benefit in both cooling and casemodding. In keeping with the Raven traditions the forth version changes things slightly and throws in a few other ideas to keep things fresh.

In this review we will be looking at the new Silverstone Raven RV04. As we mentioned before this is the forth version in the Raven lineup designed to push chassis design and see what can be done. Unlike previous designs the RV04 doesn’t feature the rotated motherboard orientation in favor of an inverted one. We feel that intent was to make a much shorter chassis and use some of the cooling benefits found in the Temjin TJ08-E.

Read more: Silverstone Raven RV04 Case Review @ Hardware Asylum

Raidmax Horus Case @ PureOverclock

We have the new Raidmax Horus mid-tower case in for review today. Named after Egyption mythology, Horus first appeared as a soaring falcon and has been worshipped in Egypt as representative of the greatest cosmic powers. The Horus PC chassis is packed with all the features you would expect in its class. It has cable management, water-cooling support and tool-less installation options. Raidmax has been reinventing their case lineup with more features than users expect to see, even with some of their budget-friendly cases. The question is, “Will this sleek designed case, named after an Egyptian god, meet your requirements?” Read on to find out more.

Read more: Raidmax Horus Case @ PureOverclock

OCZ Vertex 460 240GB SSD @ Custom PC Review

The last few months haven’t been pretty for OCZ. Late in November of last year, OCZ hit rock bottom when they filed for bankruptcy, and within the next two months, Toshiba purchased the then defunct OCZ’s assets for a paltry price of $35 million. Considering only a couple years ago, OCZ was valued at over $1 Billion, Toshiba got a pretty sweet deal for a ton of valuable IP.

Following Toshiba’s acquisition, it seemed like Toshiba would be most interested in merging OCZ with their own SSD division; however, with Toshiba recently completing the OCZ acquisition, it’s been made clear that OCZ will continue to operate as a separate, autonomous entity now known as OCZ Storage Solutions, a Toshiba Group Company. Given OCZ’s strong presence in the consumer market, it seems logical that Toshiba decided to keep the OCZ branding rather than integrate OCZ and have them work on the next Toshiba HZDLMFAOLOLROFLR54684123 SSD.

At the same time OCZ transformed into OCZ Storage Solutions (which we’ll be referring to as OCZ from this point on), OCZ also released a new enthusiast class SSD, the OCZ Vertex 460, which we’ll be reviewing today.

Read more: OCZ Vertex 460 240GB SSD @ Custom PC Review

AMD Radeon R7 260 Review: The Bonaire GPU Rides Again @ Toms Hardware

AMD announced its Radeon R7 260 in December of last year, and we were excited about a $110 Radeon HD 7770 replacement. Almost two months later, one model is available on Newegg for $140. Today, we're testing the card and pondering its curious position.

Read more: AMD Radeon R7 260 Review: The Bonaire GPU Rides Again @ Toms Hardware