Here a roundup of todays review's and articles:

AMD A10-7870K
BenQ XR3501 Review
Budget All-round PC - August 2015
Cherry MX 6.0 Keyboard Review
EVGA GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ reviewed
Exclusive details on AMD's Zen
Fractal Design Node 202 Enclosure Review
Gaming Classics: 17 PC games that have aged well
How to Install SteamOS in Virtualbox
How To Unlock Windows 10 God Mode
Intel Core i7-6700K Cache Overclocking
Lenovo Z51 Review
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Review
My thoughts, so far, on Windows 10 Mobile build 10512
Is 4GB video memory enough?
Noctua NH-U9S U-Type Tower CPU Cooler Review
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti: Simply The Best For Linux Gamers
Nvidia's Shield Android TV reviewed
Pentax K-3 II Review
Preparing System Image for Windows 10 Upgrade
Thermaltake Core X1 ITX Computer Case Video Overview
Thermaltake Core X1 ITX Computer Case Video Overview
WiFi Standard 802.11ax To Boost Wireless Speeds to 10Gbps

AMD A10-7870K

It feels like just yesterday I was checking out the original Kaveri APU from AMD but surprisingly they actually launched it in mid-2014. Between this and now we have seen their FX line get refreshed and a whole mess of CPUs from Intel as well so it is no big surprise that we are now seeing a Kaveri refresh. Specifically we are going to take a look at the new A10-7870K APU. The 7870 might confuse some people because AMD did use that on their GPUs just a few years ago but they aren’t related. So in order to find out what the 7870K is all about let’s check out where AMD improved the APU then run it through all of our benchmarks to see how it performs!

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

BenQ XR3501 Review

A curved ultrawide panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. The market for high-end ultrawide monitors, with a 21:9 aspect ratio, is slowly growing in response to a wider variety of panel types and increasing consumer interest in the ultrawide advantage. Recently released ultrawide monitors include the stunning LG 34UC97 with a 3,440x1,440-pixel curved IPS display and the LG 34UM67 with a 2,560x1,080 IPS display and AMD FreeSync support. Monitor vendors consistently pitch the new 21:9 aspect ratio as ideal for gamers yet, thus far, most ultrawide panels have been limited to 60Hz or 75Hz refresh rates.

BenQ sets out to change all that with its XR3501 gaming ultrawide that delivers a 144Hz refresh rate on a 2,560x1,080 panel. Measuring in at 35 inches, the XR3501 uses an 8-bitVA-type panel to achieve the range-topping refresh rate paired with a 4-millisecond grey-to-grey response time. There is currently no support for adaptive V-Sync technologies, FreeSync or G-Sync, on BenQ's XR3501 meaning it potentially misses a trick in consolidating its gaming monitor credentials.

BenQ's XR3501 is similar to LG's 34UC97 in that it sports a notable curve in the display to provide a more immersive experience, something BenQ hopes will attract the gaming audience. Other features of the XR3501 include 20 levels of colour-vibrancy control to provide those poppy gaming visuals and colours as well as the Black eQualizer function which exploits gamma settings to 'illuminate' dark areas while not boosting the brightness of lighter areas. BenQ also provides three display profiles for different game genres such as racing and FPS that it worked to tune with professional gamers.

Read full article @ Hexus

Budget All-round PC - August 2015

he all-round PC is a PC with comprehensive features for around £650 - £750 that can do a little bit of everything. It should have enough speed and capacity to meet your needs for some time. Currently it can run all applications, and you're able to upgrade it with small future investments when you need more power or storage capacity.

Surfing, gaming, business applications, photo and video editing should all be possible on the all-round PC without giving you the feeling that it's lacking in performance.

This means a fast processor and graphics card with an excellent price/ performance ratio, in combination with more than enough memory and storage space. Let's not forget a good computer case and a power supply that will remain energy efficient and silent enough for some years to come. Since the monitor, mouse and keyboard will be used daily you should definitely not skimp on these peripherals.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Cherry MX 6.0 Keyboard Review

Cherry is a name that should be familiar to any PC user. It makes the MX switches which have shown up in just about every gamer and typist’s high-end keyboard over the past decade. Today we look at a board of its own design, featuring the same switches with a brand new interface.

Read full article @ KitGuru

EVGA GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ reviewed

EVGA GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ card used for this review comes with hefty factory overclock which sets the base GPU clock at 1102MHz.
Superclocked stands for super high factory overclock, the suffix ‘+’ means the card comes with backplate, and ‘ACX 2.0+’  is for a custom dual fan cooler.
The clock speed is significantly higher than the 1006MHz reference. The Boost clock is 1190MHz compared to the 1074MHz reference . Higher clocks are translated directly into higher performance making this card perfect for users who want highest performance right out of the box.

EVGA did not overclocked the memory which is left at a default 7GHz (effective GDDR5), but as you will see  you can overclock the  memory and GPU even further.
The reference GTX 980 Ti is priced at $650 and it gets close to the Titan X, which is priced at $999. The EVGA GTX 980 Ti Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+, which is priced at $680, outperforms the Titan X in most scenarios.For those who came in late, the GTX 980 Ti is based on a version of the 28nm GM200 GPU, earlier seen on the GTX Titan X graphics card. The GPU packs 22 enabled SMM units for a total of 2816 CUDA cores and 176 texture units (TMUs). The CUDA core number was cut and the amount of memory was slashed to 6GB, the number of ROPs, amount of L3 cache and the memory interface remained the same as on the Titan X. The Geforce GTX 980 Ti packs 96 ROPs, 3MB of L3 cache and 6GB of memory paired with a 384-bit memory interface. The new Geforce GTX 980 Ti has the same 250W TDP and needs 8+6-pin PCI-Express power connectors.The next image shows EVGA’s full GTX 980 Ti line-up.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

Exclusive details on AMD's Zen

The new Zen uses a SMT Hyperthreading just like Intel. They can process two threads at once with a Hyperthreaded core. AMD has told a special few that they are dropping the "core pair" approach that was a foundation of Bulldozer. This means that there will not be a shared FPU anymore.
Zen will use a scheduling model that is similar to Intel's and it will use competitive hardware and simulation to define any needed scheduling or NUMA changes.Two cores will still share the L3 cache but not the FPU. This because in 14nm there is enough space for the FPU inside of the Zen core and this approach might be faster.
We mentioned this in late April where we released a few details about the 16 core, 32 thread Zen based processor with Greenland based graphics stream processor. 
Zen will apparently be ISA compatible with Haswell/Broadwell style of compute and the existing software will be compatible without requiring any programming changes.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

Fractal Design Node 202 Enclosure Review

One of Fractal Design's highlights at Computex 2015 was for sure the enclosure we are taking a closer look at in this review: the Node 202, a small footprint chassis, combining sleek and the typical Fractal looks. Nevertheless the dimensions, this Node 202 provides the option to install a high end gaming graphics card, thus making it ideal to serve as a HTPC media PC and/or gaming rig, this while blending in perfectly with other multimedia peripherals in your living room. The Node 202 is available in two versions, one with and one without the Fractal Design Integra 450W power supply. Fractal Design was so kind to send us the high end model with the PSU. Time to open the box and explore what this Node 202 can mean for you.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Gaming Classics: 17 PC games that have aged well

There are some classic PC games -- some old enough to buy their own alcohol -- that are as good today as the day they were released. You may not have heard of all of them. After all, when a game has been out for a while, people generally stop talking about it. They are still out there though, waiting patiently for someone to pick them up and play. In this article, we are looking specifically at games that are still fun to play, ten or more years old, and are the best of their style in their series.

Read full article @ Techspot

How to Install SteamOS in Virtualbox

If you are a gamer or you read gaming news at all, you will probably know of SteamOS. It is a new operating system that Valve is working on for dedicated gaming computers. The Operating system is based on Linux and has a Debian x64 architecture as its base. While this is really cool and I am personally looking forward to the day when I we can use this OS for serious gaming, it is still in the Beta development stages.

Read full article @ Howtogeek

How To Unlock Windows 10 God Mode

Windows 10 has been out for just a little while now and the same God Mod that was present in Windows 7 and Windows 8 can be unlocked in Microsoft’s brand new operating system. God Mode will put all of the configurable options and setting for your operating system all in one place.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Intel Core i7-6700K Cache Overclocking

Last week I looked at DDR4 memory scaling from 2133MHz to 3866MHz on the new Intel 6th Generation Core i7-6700K ‘Skylake’ processor. Since that article was published I’ve received a number of kind and helpful letters from the overclocking community, board makers and memory companies with ideas on how to get even better memory performance. Intel has yet to brief the media on the changes the made in the 14nm Skylake core architecture and it turns out I might have unintentionally been limiting some internal memory bandwidth by overclocking the DDR4 dual-channel memory without also overclocking the processors cache or ‘Ring Frequency’ as some people call it. In our original DDR4 memory scaling article the Intel Core i7-6700K Processor was overclocked to 4.6GHz, but I didn’t overclock the CPU cache and left it at 4.1 GHz. The CPU Cache Frequency can be adjusted on most enthusiast-class Intel Z170 based motherboards in either the UEFI itself or on the desktop with the Intel Xtreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU).

Intel clocks the CPU Core/Cache Frequency at 4100 MHz on the Core i7-6700K and they picked that frequency as it was best tuned to go along with the processors maximum Turbo Clock speed (4.2GHz) and the most common memory kits on the market today. Changing this value in the UEFI was very simple as I just changed the min/max CPU Cache ratio from AUTO to a higher value that I wanted. Without knowing much about the architecture I had to talk to several board makers about what they know to be safe and if higher voltages would be needed for overclocking. It turns out that the ring/cache voltage is tied into the core processor voltage on most boards, so no voltage changes should be needed for cache overclocking. ASUS was able to confirm that the CPU Core/Cache voltage is linked together on the ASUS Z170 Deluxe motherboard that I am using as a test platform. From what I have learned, the cache frequency itself should easily be increased 300-500MHz on the new K-Sku processors without breaking a sweat, but like any overclock you can go higher if you want to push it a little bit.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Lenovo Z51 Review

If you're in the market for a laptop that can handle the rigors and demands of an academic environment, the Lenovo Z51 might be ideal for you. The Z51 won't win any Laptop of the Year awards, but with its $600 (£384, AU$814) price tag, there are very few competitors capable of delivering the Z51's style and versatility. One such competitor is the Asus ZenBook UX305 – a laptop that we awarded a five-star rating earlier in the year. The Z51 also stacks up well against the Acer Aspire V7, a 14-inch laptop that performs almost as well as it looks. That said, it's not all about looks and compatibility with other devices. What happens under the hood is oftentimes more important than how the hood looks. Design The black with silver-trimmed exterior of the Z51 gives it a substantive feel, like a tank or a warship.

Read full article @ Techradar

MSI Z170A Gaming M7 Review

Using the Game Boost option to overclock allows the enthusiast to use a dial an overclock feature in both hardware and software modes from the EZ Mode in the Click BIOS 5. There are options from 4.3GHz to 5GHz all by spinning the knob through seven different positions. We can officially say good bye to OC Genie and its limited scope, although it was solid and repeatable. If you would rather tweak in the OS to find your limits, MSI's Command Center lets you tweak away on the CPU with voltage, clock speed, and ratio adjustments. For the memory, you get a much more limited set of options, but you can tweak the timings and voltage for improved performance.

Read full article @ OCC

My thoughts, so far, on Windows 10 Mobile build 10512

So today Microsoft released build 10512 (and technically another branch) of Windows 10 Mobile for those on the Windows Insider program. Part of me wants to say finally released. However, that seems a bit presumptuous especially since the company just pushed out the largest desktop OS update in their history. I think I can cut them some slack for an OS not due to the fall. Still, I can be a little anxious, and it has been what seems like a long time since build 10166 weeks ago. Today's updates took a bit longer than usual for a few reasons, so let me explain what I am running this OS on (so far) this evening. Throughout I'll pepper the article with some screenshots from the new build.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Is 4GB video memory enough?

One question we haven't answered decisively in our recent series of graphics card reviews is: how much video memory is enough? More pressingly given the 4GB limit for Radeon R9 Fury cards: how much is too little?

Here's a quick look at that issue.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Noctua NH-U9S U-Type Tower CPU Cooler Review

Noctua is one of the most recognisable cooling brands around and for those who don’t recognise the name, you will most likely recognise the colours. Noctua are famous for two things, extremely high-quality products and that beige/brown colour scheme; love it or hate it, you can always pick a Noctua out of a crowd.

“Continuing the renowned legacy of Noctua’s award-winning NH-U9 series, the NH-U9S is a premium quality quiet CPU cooler in classic 9cm size. Its asymmetrical design with 5 heatpipes not only provides even better cooling performance than the previous generation but also improves compatibility: Thanks to its 95x95mm footprint, the NH-U9S clears the RAM and PCIe slots on all Intel and most AMD based mainboards, including µATX and ITX. Combined with its 125mm height, this makes the NH-U9S a highly versatile solution with excellent case, RAM and PCIe compatibility. The included NF-A9 premium fan supports automatic speed control via PWM for outstanding quietness of operation and a second, optional NF-A9 fan can be added for further improved performance in dual fan mode. Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system, Noctua’s proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-U9S is a deluxe choice through and through.” – Noctua

Read full article @ eTeknix

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti: Simply The Best For Linux Gamers

or the past few weeks I've been extensively testing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti on Linux and it's been a rather pleasant experience. Compared to the troubles with the R9 Fury on Catalyst Linux, the GTX 980 Ti has been a pleasant experience and yielding terrific results, assuming you're okay with using NVIDIA's proprietary driver.

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti was launched earlier this summer and then towards the end of July the review sample had finally arrived. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is a upgrade over the original GeForce GTX 980 that launched last September. The GTX 980 Ti has 6GB of GDDR5 video memory versus 4GB with the original GTX 980, 2816 CUDA cores versus 2048, 384-bit memory bus rather than 256-bit, 176 texture units versus 128, and 96 ROP units versus 64.

With the GTX 980 Ti packing in more, the Ti version has a higher TDP at 250 Watts versus 165 Watts with the GTX 980. The GTX 980 Ti manages to deliver superior performance all while its base clock is at 1000MHz (where as the GTX 980 is at 1126MHz) and a boost of 1075MHz (while the 980 boosts out at 1216MHz).

Read full article @ Phoronix

Nvidia's Shield Android TV reviewed

With its Shield Android TV, Nvidia has finally created the set-top box we all asked for when it launched the Shield Portable. We put it to the test to see whether it's the one living-room box to rule them all.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Pentax K-3 II Review

Pentax has stepped up the rate at which it releases new DSLRs of late, and the K-3 II marks the third launch in a year. The company's latest top-of-the-line DSLR replaces the K3, and introduces some new features designed to steal the enthusiast camera thunder of market leaders Canon and Nikon.Sitting at the top of Pentax's lineup, although only featuring an APS-C sized sensor, the K-3 II competes most closely with mid-range or enthusiast cameras such as the Nikon D7200 and Canon EOS 70D; it's certainly priced to compete with such those models.The highlight feature of the K-3 II is what Pentax calls its Pixel Shift Resolution System, which follows the same sort of idea as the High Res Shot mode in the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II. With Pixel Shift Resolution mode enabled and the K-3 II mounted on a tripod, the camera captures a series of images in close succession with just a one pixel shift between them. These are then combined in-camera to produce a high-resolution image of a quality you arguably can't get from a regular single-layer sensor. There are limitations to normal sensor technology. Resolution is limited to the number of photo sites (aka pixels) the sensor holds, while each one is sensitive to only red, green or blue light, which means the camera has to interpolate, or estimate, the full colour data for each pixel.

Read full article @ Techradar

Preparing System Image for Windows 10 Upgrade

Microsoft has generously offered Windows 10 as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, and so far the response has been very positive. In this article Benchmark Reviews details the steps needed to successfully complete a full backup of Windows 7 or Windows 8 to a System Image, prior to upgrading to Windows 10. This process preserves everything on the drive, and may be used to restore back to your previous installation without losing any data or applications. This guide may also be used to create a Windows 10 backup System Image, or for creating a hard disk image that can be restored onto an SSD.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake Core X1 ITX Computer Case Video Overview

Modders-Inc takes a quick look at the Thermaltake Core X1 computer case. This is the case that we used for our staff vs staff contest for QuakeCon 2015. Being small and versatile made it perfect for the contest so that each staff member could create something different. Modding is all about being unique and we wanted our staff to have … Read more.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Thermaltake Core X1 ITX Computer Case Video Overview

Modders-Inc takes a quick look at the Thermaltake Core X1 computer case. This is the case that we used for our staff vs staff contest for QuakeCon 2015. Being small and versatile made it perfect for the contest so that each staff member could create something different. Modding is all about being unique and we wanted our staff to have … Read more.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

WiFi Standard 802.11ax To Boost Wireless Speeds to 10Gbps

Today’s standard of 802.11ac was only approved back in January of 2014, is still trying to make its way into households around the world. However, 802.11ax is the next wireless standard that could see speeds up to 10Gbps. 802.11ax is the new standard that the Wi-Fi Alliance is looking at which lab tests have shown can hit speeds slight over 10.53Gbps which equates to 1.4 gigabytes of data per second! This means you could download a 4.5Gb ISO image in less than 3.5 seconds!

Read full article @ Geek Inspector