Here today's reviews and articles, including Desktop CPU Comparison Guide, Installing Nginx With PHP5 (And PHP-FPM) And MySQL Support (LEMP) On Ubuntu 13.04, ADATA XPG 1.0 2x8GB DDR3-1600 C11 Memory Kit Review, Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus Review, and be quiet! Shadow Rock TOPFLOW SR1 Review @ OCC



Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 13.4 @ TechARP

There are so many CPU models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different models or even remember their specifications!

Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various desktop CPUs in the market, as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete.

Currently covering 920 desktop CPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare 19 different specifications for each and every CPU. We hope it will prove to be a useful reference. We will keep this guide updated regularly so do check back for the latest updates!

Read more: Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 13.4 @ TechARP

Installing Nginx With PHP5 (And PHP-FPM) And MySQL Support (LEMP) On Ubuntu 13.04 @ Howtoforge

Nginx (pronounced "engine x") is a free, open-source, high-performance HTTP server. Nginx is known for its stability, rich feature set, simple configuration, and low resource consumption. This tutorial shows how you can install Nginx on an Ubuntu 13.04 server with PHP5 support (through PHP-FPM) and MySQL support (LEMP = Linux + nginx (pronounced "engine x") + MySQL + PHP).

Read more: Installing Nginx With PHP5 (And PHP-FPM) And MySQL Support (LEMP) On Ubuntu 13.04 @ Howtoforge

ASUS Z87-K Motherboard Review @ KitGuru

When Intel launched their new range of Haswell processors at the start of June we reviewed a handful of new Z87 motherboards, including the high end Asus Sabertooth priced around the £200 mark. Not everyone can afford a £200 motherboard, so today we look at the budget Asus Z87-K motherboard priced around the £100 sweet spot. Can an inexpensive Z87 board really keep a discerning enthusiast user happy?

Read more: ASUS Z87-K Motherboard Review @ KitGuru

ADATA XPG 1.0 2x8GB DDR3-1600 C11 Memory Kit Review @ Madshrimps

ADATA have launched a new XPG series of memory kits with frequencies ranging from 1600MHz up to 2133MHz. Different CAS latency variants are also offered and regarding capacities we have both 8GB and 16GB memory kits ready.

Read more: ADATA XPG 1.0 2x8GB DDR3-1600 C11 Memory Kit Review @ Madshrimps

Patriot SuperSonic Mini 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ NikKTech

It's no secret that the most ideal way to carry regular data (and not mission critical ones) is without doubt to own a portable hard drive not only because you can't really find many USB flash drives in the market with capacities exceeding 256GB but also because the ones that are available cost many times over the price of a regular portable hard drive and thus are out of reach for most people. Now as we all know USB flash drives come in various capacities to cover all the possible uses people intend for them but although prices have taken a serious dive for the past years making even 64GB USB flash drives quite affordable size is also a significant factor and for good or bad there aren't that many tiny solutions around at 64GB (even if they were not everyone has use for 64GB). Furthermore there are even less USB 3.0 compatible flash drives in the market that can fit in the "tiny" size category but thanks to Patriot we now have the SuperSonic Mini USB 3.0 Flash Drive line.

Read more: Patriot SuperSonic Mini 16GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ NikKTech

Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus Review @ Vortez

If you’ve investigated the idea of watching TV through your PC in any real capacity in the last twenty years you would undoubtedly have come across the name Hauppauge. Specialising in TV solutions for the PC since 1992, eventually also incorporating external tuning devices with the advent of USB and other similar standards, Hauppauge are perhaps best known for the WinTV range of PCI, PCI-Express and USB TV Tuners. Over time the capabilities of the hardware and software have also greatly increased, incorporating new Digital TV standards and Personal Video Recording (PVR) capability. It’s no exaggeration to say that they’re pretty much the go-to brand for these sorts of solutions.

With the advent of the High Definition video era demand for dedicated PVR solutions, necessary for recording Cable TV, skyrocketed. Around that time a curious thing also occurred: recording gameplay footage almost overnight become in-demand functionality. And not just PC gameplay, but also for games consoles including the XBOX and Playstation 3. It’s in that burgeoning market that Hauppauge released the HD PVR designed specifically as an external interface between a source device (i.e. console etc.) and the PC for hardware-accelerated video capture. Rather than containing on-board storage it simply encoded HD video in an appropriate format and streamed to the PC over USB for recording to a HDD. Later Hauppauge released the HD PVR Gaming Edition which we reviewed in November 2011, a variant with the appropriate cabling and I/O options for connecting XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 consoles straight out of the box.

Read more: Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus Review @ Vortez

Mad Catz R.A.T. M Mobile Gaming Mouse Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Mad Catz really changed the game when they released their R.A.T. series of gaming mice. I always thought that the mice looked cool, but because of their design I doubted that they would be comfortable at all. Well after reviewing Mad Catz M.M.O. 7 mouse, which is based off the R.A.T. design my mind was really blown. Not only was the mouse one of the most comfortable I have ever used it was made of quality materials and worked very well. This year at CES Mad Catz let us know they were making a gaming mouse for mobile users and it is finally here, the R.A.T. M. This mouse is much smaller than your normal mouse, features 10 programmable buttons, a 6400 DPI laser sensor, and Bluetooth Smart technology. If you game on a laptop this may be the perfect mouse for you.

Read more: Mad Catz R.A.T. M Mobile Gaming Mouse Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Be Quiet! PURE POWER L8 500 W @ techPowerUp

Be Quiet! recently revamped their Pure Power line with several new additions. They released six new non-modular units, and we will test the new 500W unit today. It promises a high price/performance ratio along with ultra-quiet and reliable operation.

Read more: Be Quiet! PURE POWER L8 500 W @ techPowerUp

Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Motherboard Review @ HiTech Legion

For video/photo editing builds, mainboards that are capable of fast transfer rates with plenty of storage connectivity options and fast memory support is important. For gaming, users often search for mainboards that have future multi-GPU expansion potential, whether it is Radeon CrossFire or GeForce SLI. For multimedia use, users want a motherboard with excellent audio quality and flexible onboard display features. Those who want an overclocking motherboard want something outfitted with high-quality components and designed with performance-oriented power control options for easy and stable results. Additional features for convenient performance tuning could also come in handy, although each additional feature increases the price further. Thankfully, with the release of Intel’s new Z87 platform, Gigabyte updates their UD3H offering to meet all of these requirements.

The Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H is outfitted with impressive high-end features at a mainstream price. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H utilizes Ultra Durable 5 Plus technology, including the use of 10K solid Japanese capacitors, 2x Copper PCB, gold plated CPU brushes, ESD protection on USB and Ethernet ports with one fuse per port design, as well as International Rectifier PWM controllers and PowIRstage ICs. Unlike other mainstream Z87 mainboards, the Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H has a total of ten USB 3.0 ports for unprecedented connective flexibility and also implements On/Off Charge 2 technology for rapid mobile device charging. Users who want to tune their system performance further will find the quick onboard buttons handy, including voltage read-out points, digital debug display, OC PEG, clear CMOS button, dual BIOS switch, as well as onboard power and reset buttons.

Read more: Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Motherboard Review @ HiTech Legion

SilverStone Tundra TD03 Review @ Vortez

Liquid coolers are fast becoming a popular undertaking for cooling vendors and the latest brand to open up a new product line are SilverStone. Earlier last month, Silverstone announced their new TD02/TD03 – two new products to revive Tundra by way of an all-in-one liquid cooler. Backed by many years of experience in standing out from the crowd, SilverStone are upping the ante with TD02 and TD03 by moving away from traditional design choices, opting for higher quality materials and designs which diversify.

Today we are to look at the TD03, SilverStone’s first 120mm radiator design liquid cooler which comes accompanied by two 120mm cooling fans and styling like no other ALC seen before. There’s been plenty of talk about these new coolers which are joining the Tundra Series since Computex, so we are filled with much anticipation – so let’s begin…

Read more: SilverStone Tundra TD03 Review @ Vortez

Tech21 Impact Snap Case with Cover (Galaxy S3) Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

With some manufacturers we are lucky enough to get a screen protector bundled to enhance the protection offered by scratch resistant glass but its really the bare minimum in terms of device protection. Thats where companies like Tech21 are useful with their range of cases for some of the most popular smartphones. Today we have their Samsung Galaxy S3 Impact Case with cover to look at.

Read more: Tech21 Impact Snap Case with Cover (Galaxy S3) Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

be quiet! Shadow Rock TOPFLOW SR1 Review @ OCC

Running near dead silent, the Shadow Rock TopFlow delivered excellent temperatures for a C-style heat sink that blows airflow down onto the components, keeping the VRM circuit cooling cool. Using four heat pipes passing through the copper base and aluminum fin array it performs about as well as similarly configured tower designs, all while staying dead silent, much like the more capable dual tower Dark Rock Pro 2. Comparing the performance of the Shadow Rock TOPFLOW to a direct competitor, the NH-C14 from Noctua, we see that the four heat pipe be quiet! design is a little less efficient than the six heat pipe design from Noctua. As far as noise goes it's a wash. When you compare the pricing you have to figure out if the extra $30 for the Noctua fits into your budget.

Read more: be quiet! Shadow Rock TOPFLOW SR1 Review @ OCC