Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

13-Way IBM POWER9 Talos II vs. Intel Xeon vs. AMD Linux Benchmarks
8+ Tools for Finding and Deleting Duplicate Files on Windows
Blue Compass Broadcast Boom Arm Review
Corsair STRAFE RGB Mk.2 Gaming Keyboard review
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3,600 (CMW32GX4M4C3600C18W) Review
ENHANCE XXL Mousepad Review
Hitman Definitive Edition Review
Intel Z390 chipset expected to be a Z370 rebrand
KnewKey Rymek Retro Mechanical Keyboard Review
MSI Immerse GH70 Gaming Headset Review
NVIDIA Looks to Gag Journalists with Multi-Year Blanket NDAs
OfficeCore M2 Review
OnePlus 6 Review
Productivity Booster: Enable 'Night Mode' on All Your Devices
Swann NVR-8580 8-Channel 4K Security System Review
Ultimate Ears Blast Smart Speaker Review
ViewSonic M1 projector Review

13-Way IBM POWER9 Talos II vs. Intel Xeon vs. AMD Linux Benchmarks

Back in April we were able to run some IBM POWER9 benchmarks with remote access to the open-source friendly Talos II systems by Raptor Computer Systems. We were recently allowed remote access again to a few different configurations of this libre hardware with three different POWER9 processor combinations. Here are those latest benchmarks compared to Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC server processors.

Read full article @ Phoronix

8+ Tools for Finding and Deleting Duplicate Files on Windows

We've covered many ways that you can save space on your storage drives over the years, most recently discussing methods for deleting the Windows.old backup folder made when installing Windows 10 updates and reclaiming several gigs in the process. Deleting the duplicate files on your system could easily result in clean out that is similarly sizable if only a few large files are found.

Unfortunately, Windows itself doesn't make it easy to deal with duplicate files. While there are many options for accomplishing this sort of task with batch files or PowerShell scripts, we assume most people would prefer something that doesn't involve a command prompt.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Blue Compass Broadcast Boom Arm Review

The folks over at Blue have finally introduced their own boom arm, Compass. The Blue Compass is a premium broadcast boom arm with internal springs, built-in cable management and stylish looks. Blue says this beefy boom arm can support up to 2.4 lbs, so it should be able to hold pretty much any microphone on the market. Could this be what you need to free up desk space and look professional?

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Corsair STRAFE RGB Mk.2 Gaming Keyboard review

When you ask gamers or enthusiasts about their favorite manufacture for peripherials, Corsair’s name normally comes up. Over the last few years, Corsair has released quite a few keyboards, mice and headsets. The Corsair Strafe RGB MK.2 is the latest in the Strafe line. The Strafe RGB Mk.2 features new built-in media controls as well as your choice of two types of Cherry MX Switches. You can choose from Cherry MX Red or Cherry MX Red Silent.

The sample we received has the Cherry MX Red Silent keys. Cherry MX Red keys are linear switches. The Cherry MX Red Silent are quieter versions of the Red switches. When looking purchasing a keyboard, go down to the retailer and try the keyboards out. Some will have a display model. Switch preference is very subjective. Some love Reds while others hate them. Don’t be alarmed if it takes a little bit to get used to new switches.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3,600 (CMW32GX4M4C3600C18W) Review

Outshining the competition. Can't get enough of RGB lighting in your system? Then having RAM with the appropriate lightage is probably for you. Every manufacturer we care to name has a RGB-laden memory in their arsenal, with each trying to outdo the other in terms of brightness and impact. To that end, Corsair released the Vengeance RGB Pro modules earlier this month.

That makes three LED-lit ranges in the Corsair portfolio. There's single-colour Vengeance LED in capacities up to 64GB and speeds hitting 3,600MHz. Stepping it up a notch, Vengeance RGB brings near-limitless colour in the usual capacities. Improving upon the predecessor, frequencies go all the way up to 4,266MHz for a 16GB kit.

Read full article @ Hexus

ENHANCE XXL Mousepad Review

This mousepad is huge and likely far larger than you require, but it's a fine surface to glide your mouse on.

This XXL — which truly means extra-extra large in this case — mousepad from ENHANCE isn't your typical surface for pointing devices. Sporting a comfortable wrist rest and massive amounts of real estate make this affordable accessory worth considering if you're in the market for a new mousepad. Not only could you throw a gaming pointer on this mousepad, but also a full QWERTY keyboard and a bunch of other things.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Hitman Definitive Edition Review

You would think the infamous Hitman, with his finely tailored suit, shiny implements of death and well-worn passport would have access to rock-solid Internet connection. Hitman Definitive Edition is, as you might have guessed, a collection of all the content available from the 2017 Hitman game. All the levels, challenges and the second season, plus a few extra toys to play with.

It would be an absolute delight to play through, exploring each of the intricate levels and utilizing all the different means of assassination, if the servers weren’t held together with spit and prayer. Through several hours and dozens of attempts, I couldn’t ever play a game with sustainable server access. This, you might think, shouldn’t be much of a problem for the single player only game that is Hitman. But you would be mistaken.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Intel Z390 chipset expected to be a Z370 rebrand

Economics of 14nm mass production behind the decision, suggests report. Information, including a block diagram for the Intel Z390 chipset has leaked. Tech site Guru3D shared the Z390 info, gathered from a Chinese source, and compared it to the existing Z370 specs to find only minor changes. Thus it is hoped that the upcoming 8-core Coffee lake CPUs will work fine on the Z370 chipset.

According to the report, Intel Z390 based motherboards will support all Coffee Lake desktop processors, and will also be compatible with the next-generation. The main difference with Z390 is that end users will benefit from the provision of some more external controllers such as those from ASMedia. Furthermore, it could have some "heftier CPU VRM specifications, to cope better with its upcoming 8-core LGA1151 processors," it is thought.

Read full article @ Hexus

KnewKey Rymek Retro Mechanical Keyboard Review

Many keyboard enthusiasts view them not just as input devices but also as fashionable accessories. Anyone searching for gaming keyboards or browsing the mechanical keyboard subreddit will be greeted by keyboards tricked out with RGB LEDs, fancy chassis, and custom keycaps. It's no surprise, then, that there's a market for mechanical keyboards with retro styling. KnewKey is a young company that'll soon be releasing its first keyboard: the Rymek. The Rymek is a mechanical keyboard styled after old-school typewriters, which sounded to me like a fun concept to take for a spin.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

MSI Immerse GH70 Gaming Headset Review

You know, I think it's fair to say that if you don't know who MSI are, then either you are relatively new to the PC gaming scene, or you've somehow avoided them (which would be a very impressive feat). They're basically a household name in the PC industry now, but - to my mind - their entry into the gaming orientated peripherals market is relatively new. I could be wrong, here, but then again I have only been in this since the days of Haswell (i.e. Intel 4th Generation 'Core'). MSI has a fairly wide variety of headsets on offer, and the GH70 sits proudly right at the top of that list.

A notable upgrade (and perhaps it is the upgrade) over the slightly lower end GH60's is the dropping of that venerable 3.5mm jack in favor of a USB 2.0 connection. This allows, chiefly, for the device to be controlled via MSI's own suite of software. I say 'suite', because one bit (MSI Mystic Light) is purely for RGB control, and the other (MSI Gaming Centre) is more for the unit itself. EQ, audio settings, etc. As per normal with a high-end unit, we are also getting a simulation of Dolby's 7.1 Surround Sound. Now, naturally, this is not 'true' surround, and a truly good implementation of the effect is very hard to achieve inside two small earcups with 50mm drivers. That said, it has been done well, as noted in my review of the Asus ROG Strix Fusion 500s, as well as my long-term daily driver, Kingston's Hyper X Cloud IIs. Given that this headset is specifically targeted at gamers, it would make the most sense for this mode to be used in a game only, and I will be using it later on in the gaming segment of this review. Aside from that, the other immediate difference between the GH70 and its cheaper brother is the addition of RGB illuminated ear cups. Say whatever you want about RGB, but it is perhaps the standout and runaway success of 2017, and I do not see that trend dying anytime soon. As a small point, the lights themselves are partially obscured behind two mesh grills that do a decent job of breaking up the LEDs. Aside from this, the GH70's are still very much your 'big' gamer's headset. Big earcups, big headband, and big profile. Depending on what you want, this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It's also good to see (if expected) the presence of 50mm drivers, and this - combined with elements mentioned above - means that the GH70's are very much a headset of 2018, featuring all you would expect in this price bracket, which is a topic I will mention in more detail below.

Read full article @ The Guru of 3D

NVIDIA Looks to Gag Journalists with Multi-Year Blanket NDAs

First and foremost, I should tell you that NDAs in the tech world are nothing new, but those non-disclosure agreements usually are product-specific and date-specific. Say we agree to get a review sample of video card X. Many times we will get an NDA that is specific to releasing any information shared by card X's representative and a date when we can share that information with you, often referred to as the "embargo date." The German website Heise is telling us that NVIDIA's new NDA is much more far reaching than product-specific information, and stretches out 5 years. Recently we discussed EK's NDA, which we would not agree to, reaching out for 10 years and having financial penalties attached to it as well. You can read the EK NDA here. You can read the NVIDIA NDA shared below and make up your own mind.

That all said, NVIDIA has not contacted HardOCP about any upcoming information, which we believe to be in direct retaliation for discussing GPP with the world. NVIDIA did tell us before publication of the GPP information, that doing so "could damage the relationship" between HardOCP and NVIDIA.

Read full article @ HardOCP

OfficeCore M2 Review

One perennial issue with organizing a conference call the traditional way is that either it can be hard to hear the person on the other end or the mic is not clearly picking up your voice; as well as the messy cable setup that comes with it. While Jabra has long been offering wireless conferencing solutions with noise cancellation features, Shenzhen eMeet Tech Co. from China aims to help address that problem with the help of artificial intelligence.

The company is fairly new to the voice segment: it launched the OfficeCore M1 conference speakerphone in November last year, its first product geared toward the enterprise market. Early in June, eMeet made a bold attempt at making inroads into the smart speaker segment by releasing an improved second-generation OfficeCore conference speaker to the market, the M2, with the main selling point being its AI-powered algorithm for suppressing noise and echo, which marks a major upgrade from the OfficeCore M1. The first-gen speakerphone relies only on the VocalFusion technology developed by XMOS, a provider of embedded voice and audio interface solutions. In a nutshell, VocalFusion uses far-field voice recognition to identify the human voice.

Read full article @ Neowin

OnePlus 6 Review

It's the latest flagship from OnePlus but it comes with a slight price hike. Is it still worth it? With its bi-yearly release cycle now well established, mid-2018 sees OnePlus release its latest flagship – the OnePlus 6. Things have changed a fair bit since we reviewed the OnePlus 5T earlier this year, with a larger design being the most obvious difference, though improvements have also been made to the internal components and dual camera system. With a slightly higher price of £519 for the 8GB/128GB model, is this a compelling option for those who want flagship specs without the flagship price?

Despite the price increase over the OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 is still considerably cheaper than rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S9+ or Huawei P20 Pro. That is despite the fact it sports Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 processor, a huge 8GB of RAM and an AMOLED display – all features we would associate with pricier flagships. The model we are reviewing today is the 8GB/128GB model priced at £519, but you can save £50 by going for the 6GB/64GB SKU which potentially represents even better value.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Productivity Booster: Enable 'Night Mode' on All Your Devices

It's becoming common knowledge that exposure to blue light can prevent your body from winding down properly before bed and making it more difficult to sleep. If you often work at night or simply like to read on a screen before going to sleep, this can be a game changer.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Swann NVR-8580 8-Channel 4K Security System Review

A month or so back we looked at our first product from Swann when I reviewed the INTCAM two camera kit. During the researching of that article, I came across CCTV systems that Swann offers and inquired about them. With that, Swann was nice enough to send over the NVR-8580 8 Channel system that comes included with four 4K capable cameras.

The 8580 is one of Swann's most advanced units offering 8 channels of connectivity coming equipped with four cameras. This solution takes advantage of the latest in CCTV security with night vision, audio capture and alarm/ push notifications. True Detect is carried over from previous products and offers thermal motion sensing to the system allowing the NVR to distinguish people from moving plants or leaves moving across the screen. Advanced 4K video analytics, such as Face Detection recognize elements on the image to trigger recording & alerts. PoE makes installation a lot simpler by having power, audio and video transmitted via a single Ethernet cable per camera

Read full article @ TweakTown

Ultimate Ears Blast Smart Speaker Review

Ultimate Ears finally jumped on the smart speaker bandwagon with the release of their BLAST and MEGABLAST smart speakers. Today, we are taking a look at their smallest smart speaker. The BLAST is sized like the older simpler BOOM, but is a full-fledged smart speaker equipped with a beam-forming microphone array.

Ultimate Ears was one of the first companies to build some great all-around Bluetooth speakers when they released their UE BOOM several years ago. Today, we will be taking a look at their newest and smartest speaker yet: the BLAST. The BLAST is a full-on smart speaker with WiFi connectivity as well as Bluetooth. Once hooked up to WLAN, it will handle Alexa requests to Amazon all by itself as opposed to the semi-smart speakers that just pass such requests on through your phone.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

ViewSonic M1 projector Review

Before getting my hands on the ViewSonic M1, my previous experiences with a portable projector had left me wondering why anyone would deal with the cables, the temporary stands and props, and the fan whine that easily overpowered the one small speaker built into the case.

Yes, my old portable projector is, well, old, but the bulb hasn't gone dark and, besides, I don't use a projector that often, anyway. At least until the M1 entered my life. It's easy to set up, it has a stand incorporated smartly into the design, and it has loudspeakers that deliver a full sound. Is this projector for you? Let's find out.

Read full article @ Windows Central