Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

4K Gaming PC - February 2016
Asus Zenbook UX303 Review
BQ Aquaris X5 hands-on review
Chuwi Hi10 Windows Tablet Review
Corsair Carbide 400C Case Review
Corsair Void review: Stereo, USB and Wireless
Cougar 450K Gaming Keyboard Review
Deepcool Dukase Midi Tower Review
DeepCool Genome review - ATX Chassis with built in Liquid Cooling
Dremel 3D Idea Builder Review
EKWB EK-XLC Predator 360 All-In-One CPU Liquid Cooling Unit Review
Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini-ITX Case Review
Guide to HEVC/H.265 Encoding and Playback: A better, more efficient format
Huawei Mate 8 Review: Examining ARM's Cortex A72 And HiSilicon's Kirin 950
IOGear Kaliber Gaming Saga Surround Sound Gaming Headphones Review
QNAP TS-453A 4-bay NAS
Robotic vacuums: a PC enthusiast's primer
Samsung 750 EVO SSD Review (120GB/250GB)
SilverStone Strider Platinum ST75F-PT 750W Power Supply Review
StarTech Standalone Hard Drive Eraser And USB 3.0 Dock Capsule Review
Thermaltake Core P5 Review
Vulkan 1.0 Released: What You Need To Know About This Cross-Platform, High-Performance Graphics API

4K Gaming PC - February 2016

After a few years in which little happened in the area of PC displays, the 4K revolution is finally taking place. Graphics cards have to render four times as many pixels to drive a 4K display, while the game textures are only getting more detailed. In short: you need real horse power to game in 4K.

A fast processor and especially a graphics card is a must. For now, you even need a couple of the latter. However, the rest of the configuration needs to be balanced as well. Since many gamers prefer to overclock their PC to improve performance, it is important to choose a motherboard that is suitable for this.

Having the right accessories is equally important. The goal of our 4K Gaming PC is to be able to run virtually all new PC titles on the highest settings. That means high graphics quality settings, a good frame rate, and surround sound. And let’s not forget a good gaming mouse and a decent keyboard with features to enhance your PC gaming experience. Besides that, a nice gaming monitor will also help bring your gaming experience to the next level.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Asus Zenbook UX303 Review

It can be hard to keep up with the obscure naming conventions of laptops and Asus is certainly guilty of causing confusion with its range of Ultrabooks. The Zenbook series has more abstruse conventions than most, covering a multitude of models that vary in both mild and huge ways beneath their similar shells and identikit names, and the UX models are even more bewildering.So the UX305 prefix seems to mean that the Ultrabook has a matte non-touch display, a few mini-ports, less thickness, less weight, and a better battery life than the UX303 range. Though that sounds like a lot of difference, it doesn't look that much in the flesh – or rather the aluminium. Differentiating the UX303s further, some of them come with touchscreens (UX303LA), though this test model (UX303UA) doesn't.

Read full article @ Techradar

BQ Aquaris X5 hands-on review

CyanogenOS handset offers decent specs but is unlikely to take the UK by storm

Read full article @ The Inquirer

Chuwi Hi10 Windows Tablet Review

There was a time, not so long ago, when sourcing consumer electronics straight from China was a fraught endeavour. You could end up with barely usable products that would fail even the most basic of user testing. But thanks to the rise of online retailers from China which ship directly to customers worldwide for free, the last two years have seen a flurry of new Chinese players flood the market with a seemingly endless stream of products.

Read full article @ Techradar

Corsair Carbide 400C Case Review

Back in December we reviewed the Corsair Carbide 600C, which took a stab at innovation with its inverted design. While that choice was divisive, many of you praised the exterior looks of the case and wondered about a version with a standard layout. Now we have the Carbide 400C, which looks to answer that call.

At $99, the 400C fits in well with Corsair's existing catalogue of cases. It's smaller and thinner than its 600C sibling, thanks in part to the omission of 5.25-inch bays and one less PCI slot. Yet it fits in with the lineup through the consistent design, with a solid metal front panel featuring a small Corsair logo in the bottom corner and a large acrylic side panel that can be removed.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

Corsair Void review: Stereo, USB and Wireless

Corsair has been active for a while now in the field of gaming peripherals and has already been very successful mostly with their keyboards. The same can't be said for their headset, but Corsair would not be Corsair if they gave up. On the contrary, recently Corsair introduced their Void headsets, in no less than four different versions. We received three of them to test.

The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at the Void headsets, is that they all use the same base design. The simplest 'Stereo' version has the same drivers, headband and finish as the most luxurious 'Wireless SE' model. Corsair brags about the construction of the headsets, and we can already tell you that it's justified. There's nothing wrong with the design of these headsets. The Void Stereo is already available for 60 pounds - not very cheap, but definitely not very expensive in comparison to what's common in the headphone market. You get the same quality as with the wireless Void Wireless, which is about 30 pounds more expensive.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Cougar 450K Gaming Keyboard Review

Cougar has really impressed us with their line of gaming peripherals. We’ve already taken a look at the high-end 700K, 600K, and 500K gaming keyboard from Cougar. I actually still use the 600K as my main keyboard on my desktop. Today we will be taking a look at a very budget friendly ($59) keyboard in Cougar’s 450K. This gaming keyboard features Cougar’s own hybrid mechanical switches, which are designed to give you the same tactile feedback as mechanical switches, but with enhanced durability. The keyboard also features 3-color backlighting, 10 programmable keys, a splash-proof design and much more! Is this the gaming gaming keyboard you are looking for? Read on as we find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Deepcool Dukase Midi Tower Review

This may not interest each and every one of you reading these lines but i had a somewhat lengthy conversation with a person i occasionally work with the other day the topic of which was PC cases. We started talking about the various challenges a company has when starting the design and manufacture of a PC case and whether or not build quality has dropped over the years and has basically become something "extra" for consumers to expect. Well construction quality may not be a topic that we can cover in one of our reviews but although we indeed don't see many manufacturers releasing models with tank-like build quality (short of speak) like they did in the past (then again they didn't know what aluminum was back then) we do see many models focused in design and features one of which seems to be the brand new Dukase midi tower from our friends over at Deepcool.

Deepcool was founded with the mission of providing the best performance & humanized thermal solutions for worldwide customers. Deepcool design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality products, covering desktop cooling solutions, laptop cooling solutions, server cooling solutions, embedded cooling solutions, and other thermal components. Our goal is to maintain customer satisfaction by serving our customer’s ever-changing thermal needs and providing the quickest and most comprehensive service available. As our slogan goes, we wish you all “Enjoy your cool life”!

It takes just one look to see that with their latest Dukase the people over at Deepcool aim at consumers looking for an affordable good looking and rather small midi tower with a good amount of features. The Dukase supports ATX, micro ATX and mini ITX mainboards and from top to bottom it features an easy removable panel, LED strip mounting slots, 3-way fan controller, mounts for two 120/140mm fans at the top (or a 240/280mm radiator as long as it does not exceed 310mm in length), rear 120mm exhaust fan, two 5.25" optical bays, trays for three 3.25" and three 2.5" drives, room for two 120mm fans at the front (or a 240mm radiator), mounts for water pumps and tanks and enough space for up to 390mm graphics cards and 170mm tall CPU coolers. Not many things one can ask from a midi tower right?

Read full article @ NikKTech

DeepCool Genome review - ATX Chassis with built in Liquid Cooling

We review a product that is a bit different alright, the Genome Chassis from DeepCool, a product series that not only has out of the ordinary aesthetics, it's factory fitted with a 360mm triple fan based liquid cooling solution as well. The chassis oozes ease of use with its scientific looks. Does the chassis life up to the reputation that DeepCool created with the TriStellar series ? Below first a quick overview of some of the specs and features

Extreme liquid cooling solution, including an ATX PC case and integrated liquid cooling system;
360mm radiator, 3 PWM LED fans, reservoir and helix are pre-installed;
Innovative structure with separated functional areas provides extended support;
Cable management support for better cooling and tidy arrangement of cables;
Controllable breathing lighting around the reservoir;
Extra space reserved for water cooling system;
unique shape of top panel for better cooling effect;
Extra slots for vertical GPU installation(PCI-E extension cable is not included);
Bigger cutout for easier CPU cooler installation;
USB3.0 x2;
With rubber buffer and dust filter for PSU;
Side window for better view;

Read full article @ Guru3D

Dremel 3D Idea Builder Review

Is 3D printing ready for consumers? Dremel, a brand synonymous with rotary tools, makes a great case for it with their $999 3D Idea Builder. The 3D Idea Builder targets DIY consumers and creative types with its easy 3D build process, simplified setup, and easy-to-use software. It also offers Linux, Mac, and Windows compatibility. But is it worth $1,000?

Read full article @ MakeUseOf

EKWB EK-XLC Predator 360 All-In-One CPU Liquid Cooling Unit Review

All in one water (AIO) cooling units are designed for consumers that want water cooling without the hassle of assembling a custom loop, filling, bleeding and maintenance. The AIO units offer a simple installation that is similar to an air cooler but, the cooling performance similar to a custom loop.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Fractal Design Define Nano S Mini-ITX Case Review

Fractal Design's Define Nano S offers the same look and feel as its larger counterpart, but can it still deliver when it comes to performance?

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Guide to HEVC/H.265 Encoding and Playback: A better, more efficient format

HEVC’s main advantage over H.264 is that it offers roughly double the compression ratio for the same quality. This means that a video file encoded with HEVC can occupy half the space of its H.264 equivalent with no noticeable change in quality, or the same amount of space with improved quality.

Read full article @ Techspot

Huawei Mate 8 Review: Examining ARM's Cortex A72 And HiSilicon's Kirin 950

Huawei may not be a household name here in the US, nor does the brand name roll off the tongue easily for many Americans, but you might be surprised to learn that the Chinese networking and telecommunications manufacturer is the 3rd largest smartphone supplier in the world, behind Apple and Samsung. Much of that global market share comes from China, but the company has been making significant inroads here in the US with devices like Google's Nexus 6P, which is a Huawei private labeled device.

Further, like Samsung and Apple, Huawei has access to significant manufacturing capabilities, including their own semiconductor design house called HiSilicon, which is a wholly owned subsidiary. In fact, what's unique about the product we'll be looking at today is that Huawei and HiSilicon are the first manufactures to build an SoC based on ARM Cortex-A72 technology, which is ARM's highest performance 64-bit processor core...

Read full article @ HotHardware

IOGear Kaliber Gaming Saga Surround Sound Gaming Headphones Review

What takes away from the headphones are the quirks though, and unfortunately they outweigh the pros. The pulsing hiss noise is just too much for me and actually angered me at points to where I had to stop using the headset. I don't know what to contribute that to, but it happens even when I am not plugged into any devices, so it is certainly with the headset itself. Also, the lack of a 3.5mm splitter or adapter will make this headset unusable in its full capacity for a lot of people. I was only able to use it on my Mac computers and consoles without buying an adapter, which should not be needed for a $100 headset. Finally, the short cable really was a deal breaker, as I keep my towers on my floor and had to adjust them to do the review. It was very cumbersome. All in all, as much as I wanted to like these Saga headphones, if I were in the market for a new headset, I would have to pass on this one.

Read full article @ OCC

QNAP TS-453A 4-bay NAS

The TS-453A is a multimedia-specific NAS server capable of 4K video playback. This unit comes with not only one, but two HDMI ports, which allows it to be connected to two monitors or TVs.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Robotic vacuums: a PC enthusiast's primer

Why bother with the drudgery of vacuuming your own floors when you can make a robot do it? We examine the ups and downs of robot vacuum ownership and offer advice on getting the most out of your bot.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Samsung 750 EVO SSD Review (120GB/250GB)

Once every so often we get to look at a solid state drive that stands out from the crowd. A recent out stander to the storage scene was the Intel 750 NVMe PCIe SSD that we have grown to love. What if, you're just entering the storage industry, or even less yet, just purchasing your first prebuilt PC or bare bones kit, and want it to include an SSD? Samsung has the answer, the Samsung 750 EVO SSD!

Read full article @ The SSD Review

SilverStone Strider Platinum ST75F-PT 750W Power Supply Review

Can you make so many incremental updates, you no longer have the original thing? About four years ago, I built a server for use in my house with an Intel Core-i5 2405S, Noctua NH-D14, Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2 2x4GB, two Kingston SSDNow V+200 120GB in RAID 1, Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB, FSP AURUM CM Gold 650W, and Fractal Design Define R4. Over the years, I have done many incremental updates on the system using spare parts kicking around. Parts like the RAM, heatsink, power supply, and hard drive have been changed multiple times, and at the time of writing this review, it features an Intel Core i7-3770K, Noctua NH-U14S, Kingston HyperX Beast KHX21C11T3K2/16X 4x8GB, Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD V.5 ST8000NM0055 8TB, Fractal Design Define S, and the SilverStone Strider Platinum ST75F-PT 750W we are reviewing today. In other words, besides the motherboard and the pair of SSDs, literally every component has been swapped out. Can one say this is an entirely different system? On one hand, the majority of the components have been changed, so 'yes' is a good answer. On the other hand, the operating system has never been reinstalled or reactivated, so one could argue 'no' as well. Whatever your take is, there is only one thing I know: The server we have today has been significantly improved from the one back in 2012. Last year, I took apart a SilverStone Strider Gold S ST75F-GS V2.0 750W power supply, which, according to its name, is an updated version of the ST75F-GS, albeit with an entirely different OEM. Today, we will take a look at the Strider Platinum ST75F-PT 750W, which, based on its name, is a different model. With new features like an 80 Plus Platinum certification and hybrid semi-fanless operation, how much has been changed over the ST75F-GS V2.0, and will it be the same compact PSU we have come to know with a whole new take? Read on to find out!

Read full article @ APH Networks

StarTech Standalone Hard Drive Eraser And USB 3.0 Dock Capsule Review

When StarTech.com first offered up their USB 3.0 Standalone Eraser Dock for review, it took me a little while to really figure what it was for. The name is long and a bit confusing, but thats because this device fulfills two mostly separate roles. In one mode, its a normal USB to SATA drive dock that allows for easy access to bare 2.5" or 3.5" drives. The rest of the time, its a specialized standalone gadget for securely erasing and overwriting drives.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Thermaltake Core P5 Review

The Core P5 is a rather special computer case. If you wish to, then you can mount this thing to the wall. Apart from that you can put it vertically or horizontally on your desk, which in then end meas you have a lot of freedom of choice. Apart from that there is plenty of space for high-end watercooling gear, allowing you to build a great looking rig.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Vulkan 1.0 Released: What You Need To Know About This Cross-Platform, High-Performance Graphics API

Today's the day! It's Vulkan day! After the better part of two years of hard work, Vulkan 1.0 is ready to meet the world! Today The Khronos Group is announcing the release of Vulkan 1.0 with an embargo that just expired. This hard-launch today is met by the public release of the first conformant driver. The first Vulkan-powered game is also in public beta as of today, but the Linux situation as of today isn't entirely exciting for end-users/gamers as most vendors are still baking their Linux support with Windows generally taking priority. However, even ignoring operating system differences, you need to make sure your expectations are realistic before trying to fire up a Vulkan game while giving developers time to learn and design for this new graphics API.

This first Vulkan 1.0 article today on Phoronix is recapping the briefing I had last week with The Khronos Group and since then with the various IHVs, game developers, and others regarding Vulkan Linux support. I've also been trying out Vulkan on some of my systems, exploring some Vulkan code, and more. This article just covers the highlights while I will have several other Vulkan Linux driver articles out in the days ahead, so be sure to check them all out. Also, if there are any details not covered in these articles today on Phoronix, on Thursday is when Khronos is hosting the Vulkan webinar with more information.

Read full article @ Phoronix