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Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

ADATA Premier Pro SP920SS 256 GB Solid State Drive Review
AMD Eyefinity 3-panel Mixed Resolution Review
Antec P100 Performance Black Case Review
Computex 2014: HyperX Strikes Back
Deepcool Quanta DQ1250 1250 W
Dimastech Nano Review
HIS R7 260X iCooler 2GB GDDR5 Video Card Review
Linksys X3500 N750 Dual-Band Wireless Modem/Router Review
OWC ThunderBay 4 RAID5 Edition Review
Poweradd Apollo 7200 mAh Solar Battery Charger Review
PowerColor Devil 13 Dual Core R9 290X 8GB Review
PowerColor Devil 13 R9 290X Dual Core Review
Silicon Power Armor A30 1TB External Hard Drive Review
The low-tech VR headset: Google Cardboard
XFX R9 280 Black OC Edition Review



ADATA Premier Pro SP920SS 256 GB Solid State Drive Review

It seems like the solid state drive market is booming right now. Many manufacturers are offering a wide variety of drives and pricing is getting very competitive. ADATA is one such company and today we are checking out one of their latest solid state drive offerings in their Premier Pro SP920SS 256 GB solid state drive. This drive features Marvell’s 88SS9189 controller and Micron’s new 128 Gbit NAND. The 256 GB version of the drive that we are looking at today will have sequential read and write speeds of 560 MB/s and 360 MB/s respectively. Is this the perfect solid state drive for you? Read on as we take a look…

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

AMD Eyefinity 3-panel Mixed Resolution Review

AMD recently added a new feature to their Catalyst 14.6 Beta drivers, you can now mix several monitor resolutions and still create an Eyefinity (multi-screen) gaming setup. Funky stuff as you can now finally put these old dusty monitors on your attic to use, and yeah we just had to check that out ourselves. So we will take two Full HD monitors and combine them with an odd WFHD (2560x1080) resolution monitor to see if AMD's story holds up. The end result we'll show you is something wide, very wide. To be able to actually games on such a massive resolution we will pair the setup with the beastly AMD Radeon R9 295x2 and will show you that multi-monitor experience.

In the past if you wanted to create an Eyefinity setup, your monitors all had to be of the same size and resolution. Back it up even further into the past and the monitors even needed to be of the same series and brand. A lot has changed and now with Catalyst 14.6 Beta this new driver brought a couple of interesting features to all ya gurus including Mantle support for laptops with Enduro configurations, JPEG Ddecoding acceleration and expanded color control capabilities. In this article however we'll talk about Eyefinity setup in 3x1 solely, yes with Catalyst 14.6 AMD brings mixed resolution support to the table.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Antec P100 Performance Black Case Review

The P100 is an entry level computer case in the Antec Performance series of computer cases. Within the Performance series, Antec positions the P100 as a combination of sophistication, silence, and overall coolness. This translates into a relatively sleek looking ATX enclosure with a minimal amounts of visible ventilation, and a brushed metal front door to further reduce any noise from escaping the interior. In this article, we will be dismantling an i7 P79 content creation computer housed in an older E-ATX enclosure and re-packing the system into the Antec P100. Benchmark Reviews will look at the Antec P100 and determine if the case delivers on its promise of silence and cool performance with an attractive price point.

Read full article @ Benchmark Review

Computex 2014: HyperX Strikes Back

MadShrimps has already reported a while back about the plans of the memory giant Kingston. The HyperX brand is focusing hard on getting back a serious piece of the cake to become an even more dominant force than ever; the main focus is on the gaming community, a scene which was doomed by Intel spokesmen not so long ago. However PC gaming is still going strong, while the consoles are taking a plunge. At Computex 2014 Kingston held a massive press event for their HyperX lineup. The press event was held together with a League of Legends clash between two of the main eastern pro gaming teams; meanwhile running at the same location the launch event of the 2014 HOT HyperX OC tour. Finally later that week the present media was kindly invited to visit the Taiwanese Kingston plant.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Deepcool Quanta DQ1250 1250 W

Another high-end Platinum PSU, this time by Deepcool, the DQ Series 1250 W unit uses a high-end platform with incredible performance, Platinum efficiency, and low noise output. Especially the latter is something not often seen in such a strong PSU, so stay tuned if you want to learn more about this product.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Dimastech Nano Review

Dimastech Nano is the smallest benchtest case on two layers available on the market, compatible with mATX and mini-ITX motherboards. Like every product from Dimastech, is available with many colors on the official website and with some accessories. Let's see it in this new review.


Read full article @ ocaholic

HIS R7 260X iCooler 2GB GDDR5 Video Card Review

The second R7 260X video card we are reviewing from HIS is featuring a less complicated cooling system with a single 11-blade fan while the clocks are lower than the OEM version from AMD; this translates to 1000MHz for the GPU and 1250MHz for the memory. Despite the initial values, the card is quite overclockable and is succeeding to get dangerously close to the more expensive model.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Linksys X3500 N750 Dual-Band Wireless Modem/Router Review

The last 6 years or so although I’ve had a good number of routers arrive at my doorstep i can't say the same for ADSL2+ modem/routers since for some reason manufacturers no longer feel that it's necessary to cover that segment of the market. Personally I’ve always liked using modem/routers not only because it really saves space (along with an extra power socket) but also because i believe these work better compared to a standalone router plugged into a modem. Unfortunately as we speak most available modem/routers feature the previous generation 802.11n (750Mbps total) standard which is obviously not nearly as fast as the brand new 802.11ac one (1900Mbps total) so if you happen to want the best possible wireless signal then you could be better off choosing the solution above. For people however who are not ultra-demanding in that area Linksys has released the X3500 dual band wireless-n modem/router which we have been using for a couple of weeks now.

The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem.

Much like most modem/router and router models in the market currently the X3500 by Linksys is a N750 dual-band device that transmits two concurrent signals one of which has a bandwidth of 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band while the other goes up to 450Mbps on the 5GHz band. Of course as we've mentioned in previous reviews the total of both signals is not really usable meaning you can't connect a single device to the X3500 at 750Mbps (in this case). Still being able to use both signals separately with different devices (thus achieving higher speeds in total) can certainly be very useful to some people so we can't really complain. The X3500 also features native IPv6 support, Gigabit WAN port (in case you'd like to connect it with another modem), 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB port used to share storage media like USB flash drives and printers to the local network (can also configure storage media for FTP use). What interests us more of course is the performance of the X3500 so let’s see what Linksys has to offer with the X3500.

Read full article @ NikKTech

OWC ThunderBay 4 RAID5 Edition Review

Capacity, performance and value are three things always being examined by the media professional to increase efficiency and productivity. Similarly, a large chunk of media production and editing still favors the Mac. Our report today examines the newest release of the OWC ThunderBolt 4 external storage device, a device that connects to the newest Mac Pro via dual ThunderBolt 2 cables and allows storage transfer to reach the next level. Our report today will examine the ThunderBay 4 in various configurations utilizing 12TB of Toshiba's finest hard drives, along with four of OWC's own Mercury Electra 6G SSDs.

Read full article @ The SSD Review

Poweradd Apollo 7200 mAh Solar Battery Charger Review

Solar power is everywhere around us, it’s the sun after all, and last I checked there’s few trillion or so years left of life in it so I figure why not take advantage of it? Today for review I’ve got the Apollo Solar USB Charger from Poweradd and it’s basically a large solar panel with a USB port on it to charge your devices while on the go, wherever you go. The Apollo can be charged by the sun obviously, but it can be also charged over a standard USB port if need be. So read on to learn more…

Read full article @ TestFreaks

PowerColor Devil 13 Dual Core R9 290X 8GB Review

At $1500, the Devil 13 is not an inexpensive card, but PowerColor did decide to throw in a pretty interesting bundle of accessories to add value to the package. Everyone I know has heard of Razer products and most have or still use one of the company's gaming mice, keyboards, or headsets. By adding Razer's new 8200 DPI, fully configurable Ouroboros wireless/wired mouse to the package, there is an added $140 value included that you do not get with the R9 295X2. Last but not least, is that PowerColor keeps delivering high end cards that others dare not build because those companies wont step outside the box. By looking at the gaming universe, PowerColor has put together an innovative package that looks and performs good. Hell, it ain't a bad place to be...

Read full article @ OCC

PowerColor Devil 13 R9 290X Dual Core Review

The R9 290X Devil 13 is bound to make some waves in the gaming world, not only due to the fact that it carries on a well-established PowerColor tradition that has seen them launch some of AMD’s most powerful GPUs. You may not remember but back in August of 2012, Hardware Canucks was among the first to report that the HD 7990 would be launched in the guise of PowerColor’s HD 7990 Devil 13. That cards boasted absolutely awesome performance metrics, beating the GTX 690 in numerous benchmarks provided its Turbo Mode was used. Naturally, AMD went on to “officially” launch the HD 7990 but the Devil 13 has always remained in our minds as one of the best custom products launched in the last two years.

Fast forward to a few months ago and AMD rolled out their long-anticipated R9 295X2. Not only did it take NVIDIA completely by surprise but it approached cooling in a new and innovative way (for a reference card that is); instead of sticking to a sometimes-inefficient air based heatsink, AMD incorporated a water cooling setup. As a result, its dual R9 290X cores were able to operate at full speed without the throttling and it demolished everything in its path.

PowerColor’s R9 290X Devil 13 goes back to basics by utilizing virtually the same specifications as the R9 295X2 but backing things up with an infinitely more adaptable fan-based heatsink. Ditching the water cooler wasn’t easy since the Hawaii cores and 8GB memory produce an astonishing amount of heat but the Devil 13 compensates by throwing a massive amount of thermal dissipation power at the problem.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

Silicon Power Armor A30 1TB External Hard Drive Review

Ask me what the most expensive laptop I have seen in my life, and I would answer back with any rugged line of laptops, like the Panasonic Toughbook. When I first spotted them at a local retailer back around 2002, it was the first time I saw a good combination of weight, performance, and -- get this -- an optical drive. Unfortunately, it was also the first time the price of a laptop alone made me take a second glance. At the time, I did not understand why the laptop was so expensive, until I realized what Toughbooks were. Panasonic started the line in 1997 as their line of rugged computers designed to withstand all sorts of extreme environment factors and mishaps, while still being able to fully function as well as any other laptop. Fast forward to today, the same thing is found with other manufacturers like Dell. These computers' price tags are not small either, and come close to the trade-in value of the car I currently drive. The specifications on these machines are generally mediocre at best, yet their prices remain astronomically high. Of course, these are not aimed at the general public, as there are many different industries benefiting from these lines of laptops. On the other hand, you can see durability plus electronics equals an empty wallet, as you really have to pay to keep them protected from the elements and accidents. So as I review the Silicon Power Armor A30 today, an external USB 3.0 hard drive that can withstand drops up to three meters or almost ten feet, I can only wonder if this is a good combination of protection and performance. Were there any compromises Silicon Power had to make to keep it as durable as it is? Can it keep up with the rest of our storage solutions? And even more importantly, how does this compare with the ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 500GB, an external hard drive I evaluated in just the past week? All of these questions, and more, will be answered in today's review.

Read full article @ APH Networks

The low-tech VR headset: Google Cardboard

Yes, that’s right, Cardboard. At the Google I/O developer conference last night the company showed off an app that, with the help of a DIY cardboard cut-out can give you a low-cost VR headset.

Read full article @ Silicon Republic

XFX R9 280 Black OC Edition Review

For many enthusiast gamers, the ‘sweet spot’ price point for a graphics card is around the £200 mark. For this kind of cash you can get a solution capable of powering the latest Direct X 11 games at 1080p, and some even at 1600p. We recently had a look at the excellent MSI R9 280 Gaming Edition and the PNY GTX760 XLR8 cards, both priced around £185 inc vat. We had a lot of readers ask about the XFX R9 280 Black Edition, clocked at 1GHZ and available at a very attractive £179.99 (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-xfx-radeon-r9-280-black-52ghz-gddr5-gpu-1000mhz-1792-streams-dvi-hdmi-mdport) from Scan. Is this a good card to shortlist?

Read full article @ KitGuru