Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

BitFenix Recon 5-Channel Touchscreen Fan Controller Review
HIS R9 280 IceQ X2 OC 3GB GDDR5 Video Card Review
Intel P3700 NVMe SSD Installed In a Win 8.1 Consumer PC – Drivers Benched
Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 32GB USB Flash Drive Review
Manual Camera Controls and RAW in Android L
Ozone Onda Pro Headset Review
SanDisk Extreme PRO 480GB SATA SSD Review
Synology DS414j Budget-friendly 4-bay NAS Server Review
Tt eSPORTS SYBARIS Wired And Wireless Gaming Headset Review

BitFenix Recon 5-Channel Touchscreen Fan Controller Review

More is not always better. Whoever said “you can’t have too much of a good thing” has obviously never worked with computer airflow…or he has and he is very hard of hearing. Is airflow a good thing in your computer? Of course it is. Will more airflow produce better temperature performance in almost all cases? Of course it will. Does more airflow mean more noise? In almost every case, the answer to this is a resounding “yes”.

When it comes to airflow, the optimal amount can vary greatly from situation to situation, and will be completely based on preference. Most will find that having the fans set on a curve to provide only the airflow that is required to be the most advantageous. This insures the lowest possible noise while providing the required amount of performance. In systems using multiple fans in multiple areas, the needs of each individual fan will also be different. Some motherboards may have enough headers to accomplish this, but most likely they will not and software may be lacking and temperature probes non-existent. For many, a fan controller will make a lot of sense to truly optimize cooling needs.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

HIS R9 280 IceQ X2 OC 3GB GDDR5 Video Card Review

With the R9 280 GPU (rebadged Radeon HD 7970), HIS have released a new card which features the proven 5-heatpipe two-slot cooling system; the product comes with a mild overclock but retains a very good overclocking potential, being able to reach and even surpass cards based on the 7970 GHz Edition. The card can handle most games at Full-HD resolutions, with or without filtering, while at 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 we may often need to adjust the detail levels.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Intel P3700 NVMe SSD Installed In a Win 8.1 Consumer PC – Drivers Benched

In all fairness, our recent review of the Intel P3700 800GB NVMe SSD, both from an (http://thessdreview.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3d9b6193ffd32dd60e84fc74b&id=155800848e&e=312ec141fb) enterprise and enthusiast perspective, is the first look the storage world has really had at NVMe, and definitely the first taste of how it may appear for business use, enthusiast and even the consumer. In short, it is a powerhouse that revolutionizes the storage industry and will affect all segments within the next year. And then came the e-mail, PM’s and comments once again… Will it boot? Is it hot? What about start times? Can we migrate the system as a backup to a SATA 3 SSD? Is it difficult to install? Questions like this played right into our hands as we fully intended on creating just that enthusiast build this weekend.

Read full article @ The SSD Review

Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 32GB USB Flash Drive Review

Have you ever found yourself running through more and more electronics each year? For example, let us look at mobile phones. There was a time when people could actually buy cellphones, use them for a full three years on their contract, and when they were ready to change phones, they would pick a newer model with very similar features or specifications. Sure, one phone may have a full color screen, another with a back-facing camera, or equipped a slide out keyboard. However, the usage of phones back then was for two main purposes: Talk and text. Nowadays, you will find that most phone manufacturers are remaking their phones annually, despite not having huge differences. Operating systems can go through multiple updates within a year, and internal hardware can go through refreshes quite quickly, but the changes are not major. Yet, most users are searching for a new phone practically every year so to keep up with the times. This is not just for high end phones, but low and mid range devices too. While you could debate on whether this is actually necessary or not, the fact is consumers are gobbling up as much and as fast as they could. Unfortunately, this also means a lot of our products get replaced quickly. And one of those products is today’s review of the Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 32GB. This product was available to consumers around March of this year, but only five months later Kingston announced the launch of the DataTraveler microDuo 3.0, a line-up serving the exact same purpose as this product, except with the inclusion of USB 3.0 and its faster speeds. So what exactly is the DataTraveler microDuo’s purpose? And is this product already outdated? Let’s find out in today’s review!

Our review unit of the Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 32GB arrived from California, USA, where Kingston's American offices resides. Much like the past Kingston products we have seen shipped to us, Kingston chose a nice FedEx Large Pak. Inside these large bags Kingston also puts a smaller, brown corrugated box to actually hold the product, in this case the DataTraveler microDuo 32GB. Using the International Economy service, everything arrived in mint condition to APH Networks in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At the time of the review, we also received the Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FK2/16 2x8GB DDR3, which I will be reviewing in the weeks to come. Oddly enough, they sent both of these items in different packages, despite arriving at the same location and the same time.

Read full article @ APH Networks

Manual Camera Controls and RAW in Android L

For those that have followed the state of camera software in AOSP and Google Camera in general, it’s been quite clear that this portion of the experience has been a major stumbling block for Android. Third party camera applications are almost always worse for options and camera experience than first party ones. Manual controls effectively didn’t exist because the underlying camera API simply didn’t support any of this. Until recently, the official Android camera API has only supported three distinct modes. These modes were preview, still image capture, and video recording. Within these modes, capabilities were similarly limited. It wasn’t possible to do burst image capture in photo mode or take photos while in video mode. Manual controls were effectively nonexistent as well. Even something as simple as tap to focus wasn’t supported through Android’s camera API until ICS (4.0). In response to these issues, Android OEMs and silicon vendors filled the gap in capabilities with custom, undocumented camera APIs. While this opened up the ability to deliver much better camera experiences, these APIs were only usable in the OEM’s camera applications. If there were no manual controls, there was no way for users to get a camera application that had manual controls.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Ozone Onda Pro Headset Review

Hello readers of Funkykit, here we are again. Today with Ozone Gaming Gear's newest headset: The Onda Pro...

Admit it, most of the people who buy headset specifically ones like this are gamers. People who want a headset for listening to music or watching movies will not buy a "Gaming Headset" and people who use Skype or programs like that the whole day are usually not looking to this segment too.

Not Saying they are bad if you want to listen to music or such. Their main 'purpose' is for gaming, and therefor I will focus on that aspect

Read full article @ FunkyKit

SanDisk Extreme PRO 480GB SATA SSD Review

When SanDisk first introduced the Extreme II SSD last year, it easily ranked as one of the best enthusiast SSDs on the market. Unlike many enthusiast SSDs which can reach top performance only in light workloads, the Extreme II is also capable of top, consistent performance even after heavy, extended use. At the time, this was a fairly new aspect of enthusiast SSD performance which was generally only a metric in the enterprise space.

Recently at Computex early last month, SanDisk unveiled the successor to the SanDisk Extreme II, the SanDisk Extreme PRO which we have the opportunity of reviewing today. Like the SanDisk Extreme II before it, the SanDisk Extreme PRO is designed for users such as media professionals, gamers, and PC enthusiasts who not only demand fast, but also consistent performance.

Read full article @ Custom PC Review

Synology DS414j Budget-friendly 4-bay NAS Server Review

Synology has updated their low-end 4-bay model with the release of the DS414j which retains the old version chassis and at its core we will find the 1.2GHz MindSpeed Comcerto dual-core ARM processor, which is paired with 512MB of RAM. As the more expensive models, DSM 5.0 is installed on the unit which adds great value and ease of use.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Tt eSPORTS SYBARIS Wired And Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Using and testing Bluetooth enabled devices has become a way of life for me since i spend the better part of each month in the company of many wireless portable speakers, earphones and headphones. However no matter how many of these devices happen to land in my hands in the end with just minor exceptions like the REVO Wireless by Jabra (and some hands-free headsets i use in the car) i prefer wired headphones over wireless ones when listening to music in the comfort of my sofa. Granted I’ve said many times in these pages that i believe wireless freedom is the future but at least when it comes to consumer oriented products we've yet to reach a point where wireless streaming can produce the same results (although i have to admit that AptX is doing a great job narrowing that gap). Tt eSPORTS has been manufacturing quality gaming headsets since day one of their appearance in the market and so it was just a matter of time before they too would enter the wireless market which they just did with the introduction of the SYBARIS Wired And Wireless Gaming Headset.

“Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. We do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success. Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.

Although the SYBARIS is the first attempt by Tt eSPORTS to enter the wireless market i was surprised to see that it comes packed with several technologies we don't see much with other similar products (at least not all together) including support for Bluetooth v4.0, AptX lossless audio streaming and NFC (Near Field Communication). The SYBARIS uses two 40mm neodymium stereo drivers featuring a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 32 Ohms impedance and 97dB (+-3dB) sensitivity and a bi-directional detachable noise cancelling microphone that features a frequency response of 100Hz-10KHz with 2.2KOhm impedance and -67dB (+-3dB) sensitivity. Also thanks to the built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs placed in both earcups and Bluetooth v4.0 you can use the SYBARIS wirelessly for up to 14 hours at normal volume levels. Since however it wouldn't be the first time that on paper something sounds great let's see how Tt eSPORTS did with their first Bluetooth wireless headset.

Read full article @ NikKTech