Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Processor Review
ASUSTOR AS1002Tv2 NAS Review
Gigabyte X399 Aorus Xtreme Motherboard Review
How to Create a Windows 10 Virtual Machine with VMware Player and VirtualBox
HyperX Alloy FPS RGB Gaming Keyboard Review
HyperX Alloy FPS RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
Mad Catz E.S. PRO+ Gaming earbuds Review
MSI MEG X399 Creation Review
MSI Optix MAG24C Gaming Monitor Review
Noctua NF-P12 Redux, NF-A12x25 Fans and Accessories Review
RadarScope Review
Rivet Networks Killer 1550 Wireless NIC Review
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Review
Seagate BarraCuda Pro 14TB HDD Review
Seagate Barracuda Pro 14TB HDD Review
Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review
Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review
Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review
Supermicro H11SSL-i (SP3 EPYC) Server Motherboard Review
Team Group T-Force XCALIBUR RGB DDR4-3600 Review
Wyze Cam Pan Review

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Processor Review

Not that long ago we took a look at AMD’s new flagship mainstream processor the Ryzen 7 2700X, which is an 8-core, 16-thread part. Take a step down and about $100 off the price of the Ryzen 7 2700X and you have a 6-core, 12-thread Ryzen 5 2600X. This second generation Ryzen processor has a base clock of 4.2 GHz and boosts up to 4.2 GHz. All of that performance, and cores for only $225 at our favorite online retailer. On top of that since this is a second generation Ryzen part you have Precision Boost 2 and XFR2. Given its price and expected performance this could be the processor to get for new PC builders. Read on as we see what the Ryzen 5 2600X can do!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

ASUSTOR AS1002Tv2 NAS Review

Recently I had an opportunity to take a look at one of the most affordable entry-level NAS devices available on the market, AS1002T by Asustor. I liked this device so much that I have given it a “Must Have” award based on the price and performance. Just like every storage manufacturer out there Asustor discontinues and updates its lineup of NAS devices. Their latest update to the Entry Level NAS devices is AS1002T v2. AS1002T v2 is an updated version of AS1002T which includes a faster Dual-Core ARMADA-385 processor that is clocked at 1.6GHz vs 1.0 GHz in its previous generation. Still offering the same features of Asustor Data Master OS AS1002T v2 continues to bring NAS services at affordable price. I got AS1002T v2 in my test environment so let’s see how it compares to the previous AS1002T NAS.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Gigabyte X399 Aorus Xtreme Motherboard Review

AMD's second-generation Ryzen Threadripper CPUs proved a bit of a bump in the road for the long-term compatibility roadmap for its X399 high-end desktop motherboards. The Threadripper 2990WX and Threadripper 2920WX pose some of the highest per-socket demands for power this side of a dual-socket server.

AMD is confident that every X399 motherboard launched alongside first-generation Ryzen Threadrippers will be able to handle its latest high-end CPUs at stock speeds, but holding up to the demands of overclocking those chips is another story. To keep up with those parts, motherboard makers are supporting the second-generation Threadripper launch with some new boards meant to allow no-limits tweaking of WX-series chips.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

How to Create a Windows 10 Virtual Machine with VMware Player and VirtualBox

Having a virtual machine on-hand can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as testing software or tweaks in a sandboxed environment that is separate from your primary operating system. A virtual machine can also help you to run older software that doesn't work with your new operating system, or simply exploring a new operating system altogether.

Read full article @ TechSpot

HyperX Alloy FPS RGB Gaming Keyboard Review

HyperX is the “high performance product division” of Kingston Technology– that is, they make the gamer-centric stuff. They have a complete line of gamer-oriented mice, keyboards, headsets and the like, but with the fierce competition in the field these days, they’re constantly expanding their product line. Their HyperX Alloy series of keyboards boasts a solid steel frame, anti-ghosting and N-key rollover, and Cherry MX key switches. Well, most of them use Cherry key switches: today, Benchmark Reviews has in hand the new HyperX Alloy FPS RGB keyboard with ultra-responsive RGB-lit Kailh Silver key switches. With a shortened actuation distance compared to other switches, the Kailh Silver switches should help amp up the responsiveness of this keyboard for the most hardcore gamers.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

HyperX Alloy FPS RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

HyperX has launched the Alloy FPS RGB mechanical keyboard, featuring Kailh Silver Speed switches. The keyboard has a more compact design than the Alloy Elite RGB keyboard I reviewed back in June, and carries a price tag $50 lower than that model thanks in part to the lower-cost Kailh switches employed. Is the quality of this new keyboard up to the high standards of previous HyperX designs? How do these Kailh Silver Speed key switches feel compared to Cherry MX switches? I will try to answer both of these questions in this review, so lets get started!

Read full article @ PC Perspective

Mad Catz E.S. PRO+ Gaming earbuds Review

Mad Catz has returned with its lightweight E.S. PRO+ Gaming earbuds – but should you give them a chance?

It was only a year ago that iconic third-party peripheral manufacturer, Mad Catz, closed its doors in bankruptcy. The company is now headed for a revival in 2018, backed by a Chinese holding company comprised of its former factory workers. While retaining the brand's past identity, its revived team hopes to bring the Mad Catz name back to the accessories market.

Kicking off its new future, a revised version of Mad Catz's E.S. PRO+ Gaming earbuds is headed to store shelves. These lightweight in-ear earphones aim for increased portability, while still offering features expected by gamers. We received a pair of the new E.S. PRO+, ahead of a public release set for this fall.

Read full article @ Windows Central

MSI MEG X399 Creation Review

This really is a hell of a showcase for MSI - read on to see why. MSI demonstrated perfect timing when they introduced the MEG X399 Creation at Computex. AMD announced the 32-core 2990WX Threadripper at the start of Computex then MSI followed up with this X399 motherboard that uses 16-phase VRMs that promise a new level of power delivery. AMD increased the TDP of the 24-core and 32-core Threadrippers from 180W to 250W however this figure might be slightly confusing as the new CPUs were guaranteed to draw far more power from the wall socket under heavy load and when overclocked.

In theory you could match the 2990WX with any X399 motherboard but in practice we knew it would require something special and MSI MEG X399 Creation looked VERY special. The headline feature is the 16-phase VRM for the CPU Vcore and it turns out each phase is rated at 70A which means this motherboard has a maximum theoretical capability of 1,120A. If you set the Vcore at 1.2V this gives a total power figure that is north of 1,300W, while a 1.3V setting would be a maximum of 1,456W. Of course these are figures for the VRMs loaded to 100 percent but no matter how you look at it, these are remarkable figures for a workstation or gaming motherboard.

Read full article @ KitGuru

MSI Optix MAG24C Gaming Monitor Review

MSI targets budget-minded gamers with its Optix MAG24C 144Hz monitor, a curved 24-inch panel with FreeSync and a price below $250. But does it cut corners?

There’s no shortage of premium gaming monitors. If you have $700 or more to spend, there are dozens of big-screen displays with refresh rates up to 240Hz, adaptive sync and long feature lists that cater to every kind of game. But when you’ve spent less than $1,000 on your entire system, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to spend that same amount on a display. So what can you get for $250?

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Noctua NF-P12 Redux, NF-A12x25 Fans and Accessories Review

We are used to seeing top quality products under the Noctua logo so I hope that this article will also present exceptional products. In this review, we will focus on the latest line of fans and accessories and we will perform tests using NF-A12x25 and NF-P12 Redux fans installed on the AIO water cooling.

There is a lot to describe so I won’t make this introduction any longer. Let’s focus on the new Noctua products.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

RadarScope Review

September and October often bring severe weather. If you're trying to stay up to date then you might want a more detailed set of information than you get in most weather apps. RadarScope is a powerful weather tracking tool that lets you see an incredible amount of detail on your PC.

The app is available for $29.99 on Windows 10. There are also versions available on Android, iOS, and MacOS.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Rivet Networks Killer 1550 Wireless NIC Review

The Killer brand has been in service for over a decade, going through several companies. Now that it has found a home at Rivet Networks a series of innovations has brought us to the latest iteration of their WNIC, the Killer 1550.

Rivet decided to go a different route with the Killer Wireless AC 1550, engaging in a partnership with Intel to harness the power of the latest Intel Wireless 9260 chipset. Adding in the speed, intelligence, and control that Killer offers, we now have what Rivet boasts as the world's fastest 2x2 11ac NIC. Diving into the hardware, 1550 is quite impressive with 160Mhz channel support on the 5GHz band allowing 1.73Gbps of throughput. Along with this, we have standard 867Mbps support via 80MHz on the 5GHz band and 300Mbps support on the 2.4GHz 40MHz band.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Samsung Galaxy Note9 Review

Is the new *Samsung Galaxy Note9* the best Note Samsung ever made? Is it much better than the already impressive Galaxy Note8? Is it worth buying?

Here is our comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 smartphone. Let's see if it's an evolutionary upgrade, or a revolutionary device... and find out why it won our Editor's Choice Award!

Read full article @ TechARP

Seagate BarraCuda Pro 14TB HDD Review

The exponential increase in data storage requirements over the last decade or so has been handled by regular increases in hard drive capacities. Multiple HDD vendors supply them to cloud providers (who get the main benefits from advancements in hard drive technologies), but, Seagate is the only one to also focus on the home consumer / prosumer market. In the last three generations, we have seen that Seagate has been the first to target the desktop storage market with their highest capacity drives. The 10 TB BarraCuda Pro was released in Q3 2016, and the 12 TB version in Q4 2017. Read on for our review of the 14 TB version launching today.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Seagate Barracuda Pro 14TB HDD Review

In this article, we take the new Seagate Barracuda Pro 14TB from Seagate for a spin (oh yeah that's a pun!), 14,000 GB and that makes it the biggest single consumer unit storage device to date. It might not offer SSD performance, but it certainly isn't slow. It's the year 2018, it's big but with these massive HDD platters, will it be fast enough? Seagate submitted the Barracuda Pro as it is their most high-end series of Seagate for desktop PC usage, actually, they specifically aim it at gamers as well, lots of storage being offered at pretty fast performance. Combined with these eight PMR platters in a helium-filled sealed enclosure, Seagate also will offer you a terrific warranty period of five years.

Read full article @ The Guru of 3D

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

The most recent story arc for Lara Croft has dipped into how she came to be the rough-and-tumble Indiana Jones-inspired adventurer we all met fully formed decades ago. Along the way, though, there have been a fair few examinations of her violent tendencies, creating what is essentially a post-modern meditation on the state of gaming culture in the ‘90s (when Croft's first iteration hit the original PlayStation).
The modern incarnations of the series have stuttered a bit in their character construction, though. The inability to marry the sometimes ruthless actions of this intrepid woman with the cerebral consideration of the ancient and the lost has left her adventures feeling a little stilted.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft ventures from Mexico into the jungles of Peru. It's fun and beautiful and is a lengthy adventure full of enjoyable Tomb Raidery things. It's built on the sturdy traditions of the 22-year-old franchise and uses most of the same smart systems that were introduced in 2013's Tomb Raider reboot and refined in 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

Lara Croft is undoubtedly one of the most iconic videogame characters and not just for its theatrical appearances. She was arguably the first female lead of a big game in a medium which was, for the most part, dominated by macho protagonists at the time.

Over time her status symbol faded, mostly due to the Tomb Raider games eventually becoming repetitive. However, Crystal Dynamics (the studio, previously known for Legacy of Kain, got the reigns of the franchise after Core Design failed with Angel of Darkness) had the courage to start a complete reboot after Underworld in 2008. Five years later they shipped Tomb Raider, a new beginning for both Lara and the franchise, restored to its former glory at long last.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Supermicro H11SSL-i (SP3 EPYC) Server Motherboard Review

When we think of servers, we often think of huge datacentres full of racks of servers. But that isn’t always the case. Supermicro’s H11SSL-i comes in a standard ATX form factor which makes it easily deployable everywhere. You can grab any off-the-shelve chassis and build yourself a kickass server.

The motherboard supports AMD’s EPYC 7000 series of processors with up to 32 cores. That’s also the type of CPU I’ll be using to test it: a 7551P. The board has 8 DDR4 DIMM slots with support for up to 1TB registered ECC memory. The 8-channel design will help a lot of with memory-intensive applications and you can run up to 2666 MHz speeds here. AMD’s EPYC series are System-on-Chip design, so there’s no need for a chipset to add functionality.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Team Group T-Force XCALIBUR RGB DDR4-3600 Review

Team Group's latest RGB DDR4 design hits our test lab, the T-Force XCALIBUR RGB DDR4. This special-edition version of the T-Force XCALIBUR sticks is rated at 3600 MHz with rather loose 18-20-20-24 timings, but comes with claims of overclocking, too.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

Wyze Cam Pan Review

If you're in the market for a home security camera, you know there are many options with a wide range of prices. The Wyze Cam Pan is a powerful option with an incredibly low price. Full pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) capabilities, cloud and local storage options for just $38, is it too good to be true?

Read full article @ TechSpot