Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

AMD R7 240GB SSD Review
In Win 901 Mini-ITX Chassis Review
Kingston HyperX Fury 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review
Noctua Fan Round Up: Phase II
Nokia Lumia 735 Review: The latest mid-range from Microsoft
Oculus Rift DK2 VR Headset Review
Speedlink Prime Z-DW Optical Gaming Mouse Review

AMD R7 240GB SSD Review

When it was launched a few months ago (yes, we’re a bit late with this review) the AMD R7 series SSDs were well placed within a highly competitive market segment and even now that hasn’t changed. Originally conceived to be part of a much broader push towards and all-inclusive AMD system offering alongside processors, graphics cards and memory modules, even now the R7 series is a unique product that focuses on delivering an affordable, high endurance and performance-oriented SSD from a company that has plenty of brand recognition. However, there’s more going on here than what first meets the eye.

While the R7-series SSDs carry the AMD namesake, their internal architecture has been developed and manufactured by the relatively new Toshiba / OCZ conglomerate. Even the warranty coverage is done through OCZ which should come as a relief since they’ve always had one of the best customer support teams in the industry and that hasn’t changed under Toshiba’s stewardship. However, to say the R7-series are merely rebranded OCZ drive is doing them a serious disservice since their combination of parts and technology isn’t available on any drive in the current OCZ lineup.

Despite have its roots firmly placed in OCZ’s camp, the R7-series isn’t supposed to compete with their current stable of SSDs. While the Vector 150 targets the higher end segments and the Vertex 460 aims to give entry-level users a taste of SSD goodness, the R7 drives are supposed to deliver performance that matches the Vector at a lower price point while offering a generous 4 year warranty.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

In Win 901 Mini-ITX Chassis Review

In Win are no stranger to unique and premium quality chassis. Over the last couple of years the company has come back time and time again with a stunning new product that is unlike anything else on the market. The 901 is no exception to that rule, albeit only slightly. This is in fact the smaller version of their stunning In Win 904 chassis. It’s been cut down to size to support mini-ITX motherboards, ideal for those who want a more compact system, but still want all of the style of the full-size 904.

I absolutely loved the 904, it’s one of the slickest looking chassis on the market today. While it can be a little expensive at around £160, you got a vast amount of high quality brushed aluminium and tempered glass for your money. The 901 isn’t exactly budget friendly either, clocking in around £120 despite it’s greatly reduced form factor. If previous specialist In Win cases are to go by, the 901 will be worth every penny. Of course there is only one way to find that out, so let’s take a closer look at what it has to offer.

As you can see from the specifications, things are pretty straight forward. There is a slim optical bay, room for an ATX PSU, mini-ITX motherboard, a long graphics and a range of cooling fans/radiators; more than enough for a decent gaming rig.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Kingston HyperX Fury 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review

One thing I have learned recently is no matter how true a stereotype may be, there will always be some outliers or people who do not fit this description. Case in point, last Friday I went Black Friday shopping, hoping to find some good deals. In the morning I went with a group of guys, including Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kwan and frequent guest writer Brian Cheung. We did our usual thing, and headed to several local electronics stores to check out the deals. On an aside, when I shop, I generally follow the stereotypical guy-like shopping. This means I will head directly to where I want to find the product I am looking for, and then proceed to the checkout. However, as a group, we actually walked around the entire mall, taking our time instead of rushing from one place to the next. I did not really have an exact product I was looking for, but this was not the norm. Later on, in the afternoon, I headed to a larger mall with a group of my friends, most of whom were girls. Thankfully, there was at least one more guy, so I split off with him and left the girls to do their thing. Later on, we met up with the girls group again, and one of them rushed over. Thinking she was ecstatic with the deals, I was surprised when she said, "I do not understand!" She then proceeded to lament about how she could not comprehend how the other girls could spend so long shopping at a certain store. As you can see in both cases, stereotypes, while they can be true for majority of the time, are not absolute whatsoever. A guy can easily shop like a girl, and vice versa. This is the same for products, like today's review of the Kingston HyperX Fury 64GB. For one, being labeled in the HyperX line infers some sort of higher performance. However the Fury lineup is known for its mid-range performance. So which does this USB 3.0 flash drive fall into? Hopefully this question, and more will be answered in today's review!

Read full article @ APH Networks

Noctua Fan Round Up: Phase II

While beige and brown provide a unique aesthetic that clearly defines the Noctua brand, it hardly fits in most color schemes that builders decide on for their rigs. Just when all hope was lost that we would ever see anything different, Noctua decided to give us two new colors in their arsenal of fans; a grey scheme for the Redux line and a black/brown scheme for their Industrial line. Let's continue our closer look in this Part II Roundup of Noctua fans.

Read full article @ PureOverclock

Nokia Lumia 735 Review: The latest mid-range from Microsoft

Selfies are a huge trend but the problem with this is that most front facing cameras on phones still suck. Looking to address this, Microsoft's device team has produced a mid-range handset dubbed the “selfie phone”, complete with a higher resolution and better quality five megapixel front facing camera. Although the 735’s standout feature is the selfie cam, it also packs other things we’ve come to love from Lumias.

Read full article @ Techspot

Oculus Rift DK2 VR Headset Review

Oculus VR is one of the hottest technology companies of a generation, promising huge innovations in the way we consume content such as computer games and movies. While their consumer ready CV1 (Consumer Version 1) Oculus Rift technology is still not ready, we have been fortunate enough to get our hands on their DK2 development kit hardware. The DK2 hardware is a pre-release model for testing of the general hardware and software components, allowing developers to create games that are Oculus-ready for when CV1 launches in around 12 months (estimate).

The DK2 brings some very important hardware updates when compared to the DK1 Oculus Rift headset. The resolution is higher, now offering 960 x 1080 resolution per eye @ 75Hz with low persistence; this promises smoother performance, less motion blur and a reduction in the screen-door effect that plagued the DK1 headset.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Speedlink Prime Z-DW Optical Gaming Mouse Review

Budget gaming mice can be tricky, not only because there are so many, but it can also be hard to find which one offers the best performance. To stand out from the crowd, budget models usually feature a number of unique features, outlandish designs and more to try and attract buyers; the Speedlink Z-DW which I am reviewing today is no exception. The mouse features not one, but two scroll wheels, as well as a range of extra buttons that should appeal to a wide range of gamers; is this a worthless gimmick, or could Speedlink be onto a cool and practical idea?

Being a budget friendly model, I’m not expecting earth shattering performance from this mouse; it would be unfair to do so. What I am looking for is decent build quality, a good range of practical features, reasonable performance and all round value for money. There are countless gaming mice available on the market for a similar price, so I’m eager to find out how the Speedlink Prime Z-DW compares.

As you can see, we’ve got a 3200 DPI optical sensor, right hand ergonomics, eight programmable buttons, two scroll wheels, internal memory for profiles and macros, colour customisation and more. At least on the features side of things, this mouse does sound fairly exciting and competitive.

Read full article @ eTeknix