Here a roundup of todays review's and articles:

A Guide to the Windows 10 Start Menu
Acer G247HYU, ASUS VX24AH and BenQ BL2410PT review: WQHD on 24-inch
Alphacool Eisberg 240 Liquid CPU Cooler Review
Asrock Z97 Extreme 4 Motherboard Review
Asus Radeon R9 Fury Strix DC3 OC Review
BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z97Z7 ATX Motherboard Review
Case Mod Friday: Chessboard
Dell Venue 10 Series 7000 Android Tablet
HGST Ultrastar He8 HDD RAID Review (8x8TB) - 64TB Analysis on the Adaptec 8805 RAID Adapter
HIS Radeon R9 390X IceQ X2 OC 8GB Video Card Review
Intel Core i7-5775C
Maxnomic Commander S BWE PC Gaming Chair Review, In The Hot Seat
Moving From Intel Ivy Bridge 3770K to Intel Broadwell 5775C
Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler Review
Noctua NH-D15S High Compatibility Enthusiast Class CPU Cooler Review
Noctua NH-L9x65
OCZ TRION 100 480GB Solid State Drive Review
OCZ Vector 180 Review
Sorcerer King Review
SteamOS 2.0 Beta review - Commencing countdown

A Guide to the Windows 10 Start Menu

Since the release of Windows 95, the Start Menu has been the primary way for users to access their files and applications. Microsoft attempted to move away from this setup with Windows 8, creating a serious backlash. Now the Start Menu is back and better than ever for Windows 10. However, there have been a few changes since the last time we saw the Start Menu. Theres more functionality and customization options packed in than ever before, but the best way to take advantage of it might not be immediately obvious.

Read full article @ MakeUseOf

Acer G247HYU, ASUS VX24AH and BenQ BL2410PT review: WQHD on 24-inch

More pixels on the same surface for more work space and a sharper image - that's what 24 inch 'wide quad hd' or WQHD-displays promise us. We have now tested three models with those attributes, produced by Acer, ASUS and BenQ. The panel we used is the same, but the results certainly are not.

For years, the 2560x1440 resolution was only available on 27-inch screens. This also used to be the highest resolution for your desktop, except for the 16:10 counterpart with 2560x1600 pixels. Meanwhile, Ultra HD is the norm when you really want a lot of pixels, but this doesn't make WQHD superfluous.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Alphacool Eisberg 240 Liquid CPU Cooler Review

Whenever i get a few free minutes between reviews i always like to visit forums and Reddit to read the hottest topics and although lately the usual AMD vs NVIDIA flame (all over again this time because of the new Radeon Fury and GeForce 980 Ti cards) leads the pack once again there are many people out there who wonder which is the best solution for their systems, AIO liquid CPU coolers or CPU Air Coolers. The answer has much to do with what kind of case/tower you own and the amount of airflow inside but generally AIO liquid CPU coolers are easier to "optimize" compared to regular CPU air coolers since they can be configured to suck air from the outside and thus provide even better cooling results. One such solution is in our test bench today and more specifically the first complete 240mm AIO liquid CPU cooler by Alphacool called the Eisberg.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Asrock Z97 Extreme 4 Motherboard Review

Offering a lot more features for the same price or as their competitors seems to be ASRocks style, and it certainly has served them well and in turn, the consumers get more value.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Asus Radeon R9 Fury Strix DC3 OC Review

Today we take a look at the second Fury card to hit our labs, the Asus Radeon R9 Fury Strix. This card ships with the latest Asus DirectCU III cooler and a very modest overclock, activated directly via ASUS GPU Tweak 2 software. I was impressed with the Sapphire Tri-X R9 Fury when I tested it last week, so we will see today if Asus are able to bat at the same level.

Read full article @ Kitguru

BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z97Z7 ATX Motherboard Review

Manufacturers have put their best engineering minds together to create new features and designs in a seemingly all out MMA fight for market share. We have things like improved or upgraded audio, high speed M.2 storage support, highly tuned BIOS for the best possible CPU performance, overclocking, easy to use software and new design themes. Things what would put any design that didn't at least have these features as standard equipment to shame today.

We're happy to take a look at a board from BIOSTAR whom we haven't seen in the labs before. The board in question is the BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z97Z7 motherboard aimed at audio and potentially gaming enthusiasts at a leg sweeping affordable price. We ran the board through extensive testing to see if it hits its mark as well as whether or not it meets our tried and true standards.

Read full article @ Futurelooks

Case Mod Friday: Chessboard

Welcome to another Case Mod Friday showcase! This week we have Gabrielzm's “Chessboard” build. Here is what he had to say about it, "Dual loop with redundant d5 pumps. One loop for the GPU + Aquaero 5 lt waterblock and another loop for the ram + CPU block. GPU loop - It is a reverse case so the white rads (XSPC 480 and 240) will handle the two titan blocks. This loop is with fittings in white and dark grey liquid. CPU loop - The single 560 mm HWlabs rad on the bottom compartment will handle this loop. The rad, fittings and reservoir are black with white liquid (either Aurora 2 or Pastel).

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Dell Venue 10 Series 7000 Android Tablet

As I sit here at my local Starbucks, sipping on an iced Americano and typing away on a tiny keyboard attached to a 10-inch screen, I'm reminded of a nearly identical experience some seven years ago. There I was, also sitting at a coffee shop, also typing on a tiny keyboard attached to a 10-inch screen, except that was an Acer netbook running on some distribution of Linux that I fail to recall.

You see, today is completely different. Instead of Acer, this is a Dell. And instead of a hard physical connection, this keyboard is Bluetooth. Oh, and this is Android, which is only based on Linux and not exactly Linux itself, per se. Say hello to the Dell Venue 10 7000 Series Android tablet.

Read full article @ MEGATechNews

HGST Ultrastar He8 HDD RAID Review (8x8TB) - 64TB Analysis on the Adaptec 8805 RAID Adapter

Big data is BIG. We create billions of gigabytes of data on a daily basis, from uploading a photo to Facebook or emailing a new project document, all this data is stored in data centers across the globe. Big data is usually divided between high performance and storage. While SSDs are much faster and help greatly to accelerate the analytics side of big data, but they don’t offer the capacity value of HDDs quite yet. Thus, a storage tier of high density and high performance HDDs has been the medium of choice for mass storage solutions and is in high demand. Actually as of late, enterprise HDD sales have been thriving while consumer sales have been taking a hit.

Okay, so now that that has been said, what is all this talk about big data and HDDs? Doesn’t The SSD Review just test SSDs? Those are good questions. Our answer to them is simple. We were given the opportunity and we couldn’t resist. If someone offered to a test drive in their new Lamborghini, would you say no? We didn’t think so! So, today we will be reviewing the HGST Ultrastar He8 (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=b11182ee35&e=1230c2ab07) , but we won’t be testing just one drive. Today we will be testing eight of them in multiple RAID configurations as well! That is right, 64TB worth of the latest and greatest enterprise storage! Go big or go home right?

Read full article @ =?utf-8?Q?The=20SSD=20Review?=

HIS Radeon R9 390X IceQ X2 OC 8GB Video Card Review

We are indeed dealing with a refresh of the previous Hawaii XT GPU now baptized Grenada XT, featuring GCN 1.1, 6200 million transistors, 2816 shading units, 176 TMUs, 64ROPs and 44 Compute Units. The available VRAM is now 8GB instead of 4GB GDDR5 and now runs at higher frequencies than on 290X cards by default (1500MHz, 6000MHz effective); this surely helps when running multiple cards for a CrossFireX setup and using multiple monitors. Speaking of the frequencies, the defaults of the GPU on OEM cards have been raised to 1050MHz and with its pre-overclocked card HIS has added extra 20MHz.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Intel Core i7-5775C

For those of you following what Intel has been up to, they officially announced their Broadwell based CPUs at Computex this year. Last year we did see a Broadwell based Core-M CPU come out for some ultrbooks but beyond that everyone has been waiting to see what they would have to offer for desktops and normal laptops. Well coverage has been trickling out and you can expect to see CPUs finding their way into stores soon as well. Today I’m going to take a look at the Core i7-5775C, Intel’s flagship desktop model. You will also notice their isn’t a new chipset launch to go with this one as these 14nm Broadwell CPUs run on the same 9 Series Intel chipset that the Haswell based CPUs ran on.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Maxnomic Commander S BWE PC Gaming Chair Review, In The Hot Seat

Over the years I've bought a slew of generic high-back desk chairs that looked reasonably good at first sight, but quickly deteriorated into a rigid skeleton of protruding bars and flattened foam--I presume many of you have done the same. I eventually splurged on a Herman Miller task chair, which had minimal features, but was incredibly well made and comfortable. Although there are several factors and considerations I will discuss later, I have been using the Maxnomic Commander S BWE exclusively now for months and have not turned back to my Herman Miller chair yet...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

Moving From Intel Ivy Bridge 3770K to Intel Broadwell 5775C

Back in 2012 we built a custom mini-ITX gaming PC that featured an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, Intel Z77 motherboard, NVIDIA Kepler GPU, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and water cooling. The original build cost on our system in 2012 was $2600, so it was a high-end build using some of the best components available at the time. After that build article was done we used it for a gaming PC for a short time and then pulled out the video card to save power and have been using it for an office PC ever since. A quick look at CrystalDiskInfo shows that we’ve racked up nearly 16,000 hours and have written 230 Terabytes of data to the original Kingston HyperX 5K 480GB SSD. More impressive is the fact that the Kingston HyperX 5K SSD shows that it still has 100% of its life left! In fact, not one component we selected and used in the build has failed in the 3+ years that the system has been in service!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler Review

According to the US Department of Labor, if you are working in an indoor environment in the summer, the air conditioner should be set at 76F or below, with humidity between 20% and 60%. Now, for everyone else in the world that uses a real system of measurement, also known as the metric system, this will be 24.4c. Why is it important indoor workplaces are kept within this range? Well, for one thing, it is the law. But even if it was not the law, I am sure most reasonable employers -- especially those in the professional environment -- will be happy to oblige. A healthy and happy employee will be more productive. Try doing accounting work or designing a car when it is hot and humid inside, haha. On the other hand, it is important not to take cooling to the extreme. According to the same law, the minimum temperature standard -- although this is probably related to heating in the winter, rather than cooling in the summer, but regardless of which -- is 68F, or 20c. Recently, my visited Taiwan and Hong Kong, and she said she set the air conditioner at 19c, because it was too hot outside. Clearly, my friend did not understand human beings have an optimal operating temperature, so I told her to might as well sit in a freezer to simulate a Canadian winter instead. ("The freezers in Hong Kong are mini sized," she said. "I am not that mini you know!") Is there such thing as setting the temperature too low? For human beings, definitely. But how about computer processors? Generally speaking, for any normal, sustainable method, the cooler, the better. Today, we will take a look at the newest big daddy of all air coolers, the Noctua NH-D15S. Evolved from the NH-D14 and NH-D15, both mega-sized heatsinks that took air cooling to the extreme, but often criticized for blocking RAM and PCIe slots, the NH-D15S promises to retain the same epic performance, all without the epic interference. Was Noctua successful? Well, let us find out.

Read full article @ APH Networks

Noctua NH-D15S High Compatibility Enthusiast Class CPU Cooler Review

You are finally putting together your SFF gaming build. You have all of the components picked and in your cart, but you are still banging your head against the wall trying to find the right cooler. Everything you are finding that has the cooling potential you need seems to block the first PCIe slot. Everything that clears the first PCIe slot is smaller and is going to have the fan working harder creating noise, and may not have the overclocking potential you are hoping for. You thought a CLC might be a good idea until you actually heard one in operation and decided that you didn’t want to be forced to use your headset all the time. The fact is, finding an enthusiast level cooler that has solid performance, quiet and clears the first PCIe slot (and maybe has some clearance for taller RAM) can be a bit of a hunt. While it would seem impossible to use something like a Noctua NH-D15 in this scenario, it no longer is with the introduction of the NH-D15S.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Noctua NH-L9x65

Pint-sized and full of pep, the Noctua NH-L9x65 takes an already solid design and scales it up. Made with compatibility in mind, it keeps clear of memory and first expansion slot while offering a quieter alternative to stock coolers. With the quality you expect and the low noise output you desire, can the NH-L9x65 deliver on performance?

Read full article @ techPowerUp

OCZ TRION 100 480GB Solid State Drive Review

I’ve had the pleasure to test all of OCZ’s current SATA drive line-up and I’ve never been let down by any of them and I doubt that it will be any different this time. Today I’m taking a look at the brand new OCZ TRION 100 SSD with 480 GB capacity.

The TRION 100 series is the new value series. You might not get the fastest drive on the market, but you will get one of the cheapest while it still maintains a strong performance. A lot of good things have come from OCZ since they became a part of Toshiba, and now you can get even more of that for you money thanks to the TRION 100.

Read full article @ eTeknix

OCZ Vector 180 Review

One of the early powerhouses of the consumer SSD market, California-based OCZ was acquired by Japanese giant Toshiba Group in 2014. Since then the company has gone from strength-to-strength, capitalising on technological improvements and economies of scale in the NAND market to create a range of consumer and enterprise SSD products which match any in scope. We’ve seen some solid designs since the takeover and this comes as no surprise since there is now direct access to premium, cutting-edge components and technologies courtesy of the Japanese multinational.

Today we’re looking at OCZ’s most recent release: the Vector 180 solid state drive. Vector 180 is designed primarily for the enthusiast, a segment of the market which is one of the most high-profile in their SSD portfolio. Our drive is also driven by a Barefoot 3 M00 controller and utilises 19nm MLC NAND flash, both of which promise to deliver consistent performance in a range of scenarios. OCZ are also keen to press a new feature called Power Failure Management Plus – presenting a new level of reliability!

Read full article @ Vortez

Sorcerer King Review

Does the Sorcerer King need to be smacked down, or is this one time we can let the villain enjoy his victory? In my opinion, this is definitely a game worth playing, if you are ready for it. I find Sorcerer King to be very fun and enjoyable, so I intend to continue playing it for some time, but I enjoy 4X games. To that end, I recommend this to other 4X gamers, and those who enjoy turn-based strategy games. It has some novel twists that make it stand out from others of the genre, but experience with the genre is part of what makes it fun, to see how things are different.

Read full article @ OCC

SteamOS 2.0 Beta review - Commencing countdown

Linux gaming just got better. Here's a short, enthusastic review of SteamOS 2.0 Beta, a dedicated gaming 64-bit Linux operating system based on Debian, covering setup and early preparations, look & feel, main interface & store, downloads and gaming, Big Picture mode, and more. Enjoy.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo