Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

ASUS Maximus VII Formula LGA 1150 Motherboard Review
Asus X99 Deluxe Motherboard Review
ASUS Z97-A (Intel LGA 1150)
BIOSTAR HI-FI Z97WE Review
COMPRO TN1600P Cloud Network Camera Review
Cooler Master Hyper 612 V2 CPU Cooler Review
ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit Review
Humble Indie Bundle 12 Review
In Win D-Frame Mini Review
Noctua NH-D15 Heatpipe Tower CPU Cooler Review
Patriot EP Series Micro SD Card (32 GB) Review
PowerColor TurboDuo R9 285 reviewed
Roccat Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review
Sony Xperia M2 Aqua Review
Super Flower Leadex Gold 650w PSU Review
The iOS 8 Review
The New Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen) Review
Zotac ZBox Sphere Oi520 Series Review
ZOWIE FK1 Competitive Gaming Mouse Review
ZTE Grand X Smartphone Reviewed

ASUS Maximus VII Formula LGA 1150 Motherboard Review

The ASUS Maximus VII Formula is the follow up to the highly successful Maximus VI Formula which was one of the best Z87 chipset motherboards that we have ever reviewed. The seventh generation Maximus has big shoes to fill. Read on to find out if this feature-rich motherboard is up to the challenge.

Read full article @ HardOCP

Asus X99 Deluxe Motherboard Review

Intel’s Haswell-E Core i7 5960X is an all-round powerhouse, there’s no question about that. But a powerful chip is only a portion of the battle – an accompanying motherboard and high-speed RAM are essential in exploiting the processor’s dizzying multi-core performance. Enter Asus’ showcase motherboard for the latest HEDT chipset – the X99 Deluxe. Packed to the brim with a variety of overclocking, general usage, and connectivity features, can the Asus X99 Deluxe show us exactly how the six- and eight-core Haswell-E chips should be partnered?

Read full article @ KitGuru

ASUS Z97-A (Intel LGA 1150)

Looking for an affordable, yet highly-featured Z97 board? ASUS has the board for you! The ASUS Z97-A is ASUS' mainstream Z97 product, yet you might wonder about whether ASUS made a mistake with the price once you get one and see what it packs. The $120 Z97-A definitely offers more than you would expect.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

BIOSTAR HI-FI Z97WE Review

BIOSTAR has been manufacturing motherboards since the mid-80s, yet their focus has been in countries other than Europe and many enthusiasts will probably be unfamiliar with their products. Whilst they may not be deemed a top-tier motherboard manufacturer for the enthusiast market, they do offer a combination of solid features and good value for money.

Today we will be taking a look at BIOSTAR’s HI-FI Z97WE motherboard which among other things promises to offer great audio quality. This model gives system builders the bridge to Intel Z97 without having to spend large amounts of money.

Read full article @ Vortez

COMPRO TN1600P Cloud Network Camera Review

I remember a time when we used to leave the door of our house wide open and the keys of our car in the ignition because we knew and trusted everyone around our neighborhood (ah the good old days). Now things are way different/worse and so many houses near where i live have alarms, security doors and even metal bars on the windows and let’s face it who would want to put their family in danger when they can do something about it? Personally i don't think that bars are needed (not yet anyways) so i believe that a good surveillance/alarm system is more than sufficient to keep your family and possessions safe and that's why i have plans to even install such a system at my vacation house on the mountain just like i have done at both the lab and my home. COMPRO is one of the oldest manufacturers of surveillance equipment and although they may not be the most popular brand out there we've seen their solutions quite a few times in the past so when we were asked if we could test their latest TN1600P Cloud Network Camera we jumped at the chance.

COMPRO Technology Inc., based in Taipei, Taiwan, has been an innovative leader in the design and development of consumer and industrial imaging application since 1988. Through innovative, reliable products and services, motivated and talented staff, responsible approach to the business, and collaboration with business partners and customers, COMPRO Technology is bringing an exciting new digital lifestyle to make the world a better and safer place to live in imaginative new direction.

The TN1600P Cloud Network Camera is actually an POE (Power Over Ethernet) compatible outdoor IP camera model featuring an IP66 certified aluminum housing (in short IP66 means it's protected against dust and heavy water/seas), a 2.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor which can record video at a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 @ 15fps (also supports 1280x1024/1280x720/640x480/320x240/160x120p) and a total of 30 IR LEDs which can provide clear night vision for up to 20m (according to Compro that is). Along with the TN1600P model (the line includes the standard TN1600, the TN1600P which we have here today and the TN1600W which also features Wi-Fi connectivity) Compro packs a very useful POE injector which can be used to send power to the camera via the Ethernet cable if you don't happen to own a POE compatible switch (since the camera comes without a DC power connector POE is the only way). Also as the name suggests thanks to the C4Home Cloud service you can access the TN1600P from anywhere around the world through their mobile app or Internet Explorer. Overall it seems that Compro has released a very interesting IP camera but since it's our job not to trust specifications alone time to take a closer look.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Cooler Master Hyper 612 V2 CPU Cooler Review

Cooler Master is well known for its ‘Hyper’ series of CPU coolers, which tend to promise excellent cooling performance at a low price. Today we will be looking at the latest addition to the range, the Hyper 612 V2 – how does it stack up against the competition?

Read full article @ KitGuru

ECS LIVA Mini PC Kit Review

I know you are saying I have already seen these little computers before, but this one is a little different. It doesn’t use an Intel Atom line of mini Microprocessor platform. The New ECS LIVA MINI PC Kit runs a fully dressed Intel BayTrail-M SoC (Intel Celeron Processor N2807), which has a full 1MB cache with turbo mode of up to 2.16 GHz. The little Intel Celeron is a dual thread, dual core 64 bit 4.3 watt TDP laptop processor with normal operation wattage of 2.5 Watts and will max out at 4.3 Watts. ECS LIVA MINI PC KIT also uses SKHyniex 2GB DDR3L 1333MHz speed memory soldered on-board RAM. The all black PC board uses either a 32GB or 64GB of eMMC memory which is like the main hard drive and also can use M.2 form factor combo wireless card that supports 802.11b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 and also has a Gigabit LAN connection to boot.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Humble Indie Bundle 12 Review

With the individual reviews covered, does the Humble Indie Bundle 12, as a whole, deserve to be purchased, and at what level? Two of the three base games, Gunpoint and Hammerwatch, are both titles I would recommend to anyone interested. The third game, SteamWorld Dig, has the issue of being a game for explorers, so if you are not one, you may not want to get it. If you are though, it is pretty easy to recommend. Of the BTA games, LUFTRAUSERS stands out the best, as its addicting gameplay is something I think many gamers would enjoy. Papers, Please is also a game I recommend picking up the bundle for, if you are ready for its style of gameplay. Gone Home left me undecided. It is a well-done, story-focused game, but it just never quite grabbed me, as some others have. Still it is well done, so if you do beat the average, it is worth checking out.

Read full article @ OCC

In Win D-Frame Mini Review

A few months ago In Win presented the D-Frame Mini, a new case with mini-ITX form factor. Made of aluminum pipes and tempered glass, the case is able to house 240 mm watercooling solutions as well as one high-end graphics card. It is an elegant solution, made from high-end materials and a unique design. If you are looking for a solid and rather unique mini-ITX case, check this new review.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Noctua NH-D15 Heatpipe Tower CPU Cooler Review

Noctua is a designer and manufacturer of some of the most impressive CPU air coolers that you can find. The company was founded in 2005, and Bigbruin.com first reviewed their products in 2006 (the NH-U9 and the NH-U12). Their designs have followed the same basic formula, but they have evolved to offer greater performance, convenience, and compatibility with the latest processors from AMD and Intel. My first experience with Noctua came last year when I covered the NH-U12S and NH-U14S together, and I had actually acquired an NH-D15 before the sample was provided for review.

The promotional image above shows the beastly NH-D15, which looks more like two traditional heatpipe coolers standing side-by-side. It is hard to get a sense of scale, but consider that each fan is 140mm in diameter, and you may be able to imagine that this is a rather large cooler. Before getting in to the heart of the review, let's take a look at some published data on the NH-D15, as taken from the official product page on the Noctua website.

Read full article @ Bigbruin.com

Patriot EP Series Micro SD Card (32 GB) Review

When it comes to flash storage, it seems as though each day we see a significant milestone reached, especially when it comes to the reduced size of today’s flash modules. As this trend continues, camera and camcorder manufactures quickly adapt to allow these new modules to be used, which in turn allows for more physical space inside of the camera and camcorder for greater capabilities. And if it’s not the increasing of space within the unit, it’s the reduced physical size of the camera or camcorder. Today we are looking at the Patriot EP Series Micro SD Card, a minuscule SD card which can be used in most of today’s action cameras and camcorders.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

PowerColor TurboDuo R9 285 reviewed

Because Hawaii is the high-end chip and Tonga is mainstream part, the latter has fewer shader units, less memory, a narrower memory bus and some other performance related chip parts were also sacrificed. Both GPUs support TrueAudio, FreeSync and Mantle.

TrueAudio and Mantle are implemented in only a few games and to use FreeSync we need a new FreeSync capable monitor – and those monitors are still not available. We decided to point this out because it could be a factor for some potential customers, depending on what they are upgrading from. For some the new Tonga series could be a great choice, but others may not be impressed by TrueAudio or Mantle. In terms of performance, Tonga products should roughly be on par with the R9 280 and the GTX 760.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

Roccat Ryos MK Pro Mechanical Keyboard Review

The Ryos MK Pro is a mechanical keyboard that features per-key LED lighting that can be customized as the user sees fit. The keyboard also features dual 32-bit ARM Cortex processors and sports 2MB of flash memory.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua Review

In recent times, Sony has become one of the leading makers of water resistant phones. Just a few years ago weatherproof mobiles like this were big, chunky, and looked like they belonged on a construction site. Phones like the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua are a completely different proposition. There's nothing in the basic look of this phone that shows it's a tough, rugged phone. That's a good thing, if you're wondering. The Sony Xperia M2 Aqua also sees Sony's waterproofing make its way a bit further down the price scale. It's no longer reserved for phones that cost almost as much as your first car. This is the water resistant version of the Sony Xperia M2, a fairly low-cost 4G phone that we thought was pretty good at review. The Aqua doesn't solve any of that phone's core issues, and as the waterproofing adds a bit to the cost, it is a slight missed opportunity. However, it's still a solid, sturdy phone and one of the cheaper water resistant mobiles.As well as offering waterproofing and 4G for a good deal less cash than something like the Xperia Z2, the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua has the sort of stature that seems pretty high-end. You get a 4.8-inch screen, and a design that has a lot in common with Sony's more expensive phones.

Read full article @ Techradar

Super Flower Leadex Gold 650w PSU Review

While we would all love to have a PSU with massive wattage, the reality is that for most people anything in the 600-800w range is more than adequate. Today we cover one such model in our Super Flower Leadex Gold 650w PSU Review.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven

The iOS 8 Review

Another year has passed and like clockwork Apple has released a new iPhone and a new version of iOS to accompany it. Our reviews of both new iPhones will be coming soon, with a look at new iOS features specific to those devices like ApplePay, but with iOS 8 rolling out today to millions of existing iOS users across the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, it's worth taking a look at what Apple is bringing to the users that are already in the iOS ecosystem. The eighth iteration of Apple's mobile operating system brings some new features, and while on the surface it may appear quite similar to iOS 7, under the hood the changes are quite significant. If iOS 7 was the biggest update for users in the seven years since the iPhone and iOS first appeared, then iOS 8 is the biggest update for developers since the launch of iOS 2.0 and the App Store. Read on for our full review.

Read full article @ Anandtech

The New Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen) Review

While I talked about Motorola’s issues in the launch article for the new Moto X, it’s well worth repeating. Motorola has been through a lot these past few years. Once the iconic symbol of Android with their Droid smartphones, Motorola had lost its way. It wasn’t unusual to see one phone launch after the other, with no real regard for strategy, and no real cohesive message to tie all of their devices together. If anything, there was a point where Motorola had become an ODM for network operators in the US, with no real international presence. After Google acquired it in 2012, we saw the launch of the Moto X in 2013. The amount of hype that I saw online before the announcement of the Moto X was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Unfortunately, the device that launched didn’t quite fit with the hype. The Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset was decidedly mid-range by the time it launched. The display was good for the time, but AMOLED wasn’t quite the imminent LCD replacement that it is today. The camera was also rather unfortunate at launch. For better or worse, the Moto X was a phone with the right size and shape, but a lot of hardware choices that aged poorly. This leads us to the new Moto X. On the surface, this phone corrects a lot of issues that were present in the original Moto X. The new Moto X brings an SoC that is up to par with its competition, a new camera with a Sony sensor, and an improved AMOLED panel. To find out how it performs, read on for the full review.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Zotac ZBox Sphere Oi520 Series Review

Today, we live in a post-modern, multi-cultural world where traditional norms have been turned upside down. Half-Cantonese, with an Italian name and heavy Welsh accent? Unlikely to even turn heads. So what's the problem when something called a box is actually a sphere?Nothing really. Despite the name of Zotac's seeming never-ending run of ZBox mini computers, they're probably better known for selling small PCs than for straight edges. The company has a fairly hefty line-up of different models, and while the earlier designs borrowed their looks from the tried-and-tested net-top form factor, Zotac has shown that it's not afraid to experiment.We've had horizontal models, and the ZBox Nano as well, which shrinks its dimensions down to rival those of Intel's tiny NUC mini computer. So it's not too hard to see why they've come up with the ZBox Sphere mini PC, which is almost (but not quite) shaped like an orb. While the top is a perfect sphere, the base is flat, in order for it to sit flat on a desk or under the television, with the ports conveniently positioned on another flat section at the rear.Tech specPowering the ZBox Sphere is a dual-core Intel Core i5-4200U processor, an Intel HD4400 integrated GPU, and 4GB of DDR3 memory, with another memory slot for expansion if you want. This specification roughly matches mid-range Ultrabooks.

Read full article @ Techradar

ZOWIE FK1 Competitive Gaming Mouse Review

Last week we mentioned the latest game by Bungie called Destiny which finally hit consoles after a somewhat long beta period but we failed to mention that the PC version (if it ever comes to fruition) is not available yet. So i just wanted to clarify this cause some of you were confused and thought that we received a PC copy although we actually got a PS4 copy. I'm not really into consoles (others are however) however so i continue to test all gaming peripherals with the latest PC titles including the Star Citizen Beta, The Crew Beta, Planetside 2 and Dead Rising 3 (although this game is great it does like crashing to desktop very frequently). Currently i spend all my free time testing gaming mice and headsets (since i can do both at the same time thus it saves me a bit of time) and today i finally finished testing the latest gaming mouse by ZOWIE GEAR called the FK1.

ZOWIE GEAR is an innovative manufacturer of competitive gaming gear, founded late 2008 with a mission to develop the best competitive gaming gear available. We are not limited by shareholders telling us what we can or cannot do. We are a free-minded company consisting of experienced and creative individuals, united in ZOWIE on a common ground; our passion for gaming. No boundaries. No compromises. Just gaming. ZOWIE GEAR has no ambition to become the biggest manufacturer of competitive gaming gear. We just want to be the best. If we can develop products that will increase a gamers performance by just 1%, we will do it. This is our mentality. It's not just a game. This is ZOWIE GEAR. Strive for Perfection.

The FK1 is actually an all-around improved version of the older FK model featuring a larger shape (roughly 1mm taller, 4mm longer and 3mm wider) and the latest ADNS-3310 IR-LED optical sensor by Avago which offers the same zero hardware mouse acceleration feature we liked so much in the past from other similar solutions. Of course ZOWIE GEAR being a brand that caters to the needs of serious and professional E-Sport gamers (not fond of software control panels either) they limited the speed of the sensor to 3200DPI (400/800/1600/3200) but knowing a thing or two about their products this shouldn't matter much. ZOWIE GEAR didn't stop there however so they also improved the LOD (lift-off-distance) feature of the unit by reducing it to 1.5~1.8mm something which should appeal quite a bit to gamers (not so much to casual users). That being said I’m curious to see what ZOWIE GEAR has done with the latest FK1 so let's not spend any more time here.

Read full article @ NikKTech

ZTE Grand X Smartphone Reviewed

So, Apple has its fanboys in a dizzy with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Samsung fans might like the originality of the Galaxy Note Edge. But what about ZTE? The Chinese company isn’t particularly well known in our neck of woods, but they’re ready to get knee-deep in maple syrup and poutine with the launch of the ZTE Grand X. While they have released a few other products here, the Grand X is their first smartphone to be sold through a major carrier in Canada.

Read full article @ MEGATechNews