Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

ADATA SE730H USB-C Portable SSD Review
Antec P8 Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Apple slashes iPhone 8 orders
ASRock Z370 Taichi
ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Motherboard Review
Best Storage Deals
Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Crucial BX300 240GB SSD Review
Crucial BX300 SSD review – The value for money option?
CRYORIG H7 Quad Lumi RGB CPU Cooler Review
EVGA X299 Micro Motherboard Review
Four Cores for Ultrabooks: Core i7-8550U Review 8th-Gen Intel Core (Kaby Lake-R) for Low-Power Laptops
Intel Core i5-8400 6-Core 6-Thread CPU Review
Intel Core i5-8400 Review 8th-Gen Best Value Chip
Intel Core i7-8700K 6-Core 12-Thread Processor Review
MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO: Unboxed
MSI Z370 PC Pro Review
MSI's Aegis 3 compact gaming PC reviewed
Patriot Spark 256GB SATAIII SSD Review
Razer Ornata Chroma Gaming Keyboard Review
Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750 Gold PSU Review
Toshiba OCZ TR200 480GB Review
Toshiba OCZ TR200 SATA III SSD Review
Toshiba's TR200 480GB SSD reviewed
TtEsports SHOCK PRO RGB Review
Western Digital Red WD100EFAX 10TB Hard Drive Review
Zotac unveils its GTX 1080 Ti ArcticStorm Mini

ADATA SE730H USB-C Portable SSD Review

The portable SSD market seems to push capacity limits up year over year. This year Samsung took a huge step pushing out the 2TB Portable SSD T5 while previous to this SanDisk had the crown with the Extreme 900 at 1.9TB which to this day is still the quickest portable SSD we have ever tested. ADATA has quietly come along releasing a few versions of its portable SSD in the DashDrive family. The SE720 started it off, followed by the SE730, and today we have the refreshed SE730H. The SE730H is available in both 256GB and 512GB capacities while offering two colors - gold and red. This solution features IP68 certifications for dust and water protection, given you have the USB-C cover closed and the drive is not in use. That said, this is a Gen 2 USB 3.1 device and ADATA markets this drive is capable of 500 MB/s read and write. The footprint comes in at 72 x 44mm and 12mm thick, and weight is listed at 33 grams or 1.1 ounces. This solution is compatible with Windows XP through 10 and MacOS 10.6+ and Linux Kernel 2.6+. The MSRP of the ADATA SE730H in the 512GB capacity reaches $259.99 with a three-year warranty.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Antec P8 Mid-Tower Chassis Review

Thanks to our great friends over at Antec I have had the great pleasure of testing their P8 chassis!

Mid-tower chassis has always been my favorite, much because you get the ability to fit everything you want while still maintaining a sleek minimalistic look. There’s plenty of space for radiators, fans, HDDs and what not, but you’ll still be able to avoid that “empty” feeling that many full-tower chassi builds suffer from.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Apple slashes iPhone 8 orders

No one is buying Apple's turkeyApple shares took a tumble after the outfit slashed orders for its iPhone 8 because of poor sales.

Apple lost $23 billion off the tech giant’s market value and stock fell as much as three percent to a near two week low of $155.02.Taiwan’s Economic Daily News said Apple has reportedly asked its suppliers to reduce iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus production by nearly 50 percent in November and December. So much for Christmas sales.This news arrived as the head of Canada’s largest mobile network Rogers Communication in which he said appetite for the latest iPhone had been “anaemic”.Another report in the Wall Street Journal said that the independent cellular connection that Apple has touted as a selling point for its new Apple Watch is no longer available to new customers in China — one of Apple’s key markets.Then there was the news that Consumer Reports, a New York ratings and review non-profit organisation, ranked the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, which were released in March, as the top two devices in terms of performance.The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, launched in September were ranked fourth and fifth, behind an 18-month old Galaxy S7.Bizarrely, the iPhone 8’s launch has spurred interest in the equally dull, but considerably cheaper iPhone 7. The Tame Apple Press is still trying to convince the world that there is nothing wrong at the fruity cargo cult and that all the Apple fanboys who are spurning the iPhone 8 like a rabid dog are saving up their pennies to buy the iPhone X.The logic behind this, though, is not particularly good. The iPhone X starts at more than $1,000 and has very little extra worth owning.
 

Read full article @ Fudzilla

ASRock Z370 Taichi

With yet another platform upon us, we have yet another ASRock Taichi motherboard to play with. The ASRock Z370 Taichi is just like all the other Taichi boards before it, ready to make the most of what Intel's Z370 platform has to offer, and with three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, you can throw in all your HDDs and SSDs, too.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Motherboard Review

ASUS's ROG Rampage VI Extreme is the default king of ASUS's current X299 lineup, and today we have it in the testing lab where we will torture it. The motherboard is unique in more than one way, but it also boasts some redefined hardware and characteristics compared to ASUS's first wave of X299 motherboards. While ASUS's original X299 motherboards are still very well equipped to handle Intel's HCC (up to 18C) parts, Intel even used them for reference scores for the 7980XE, the Rampage VI Extreme features some reworked socket circuitry and improved VRM cooling to better handle the new CPUs. The motherboard actually doesn't even support Kaby Lake-X CPUs, and only supports the new Skylake-X CPUs, and as such is focused on supporting the new CPUs to their maximum. Let's see what ASUS has to offer with the Rampage VI Extreme.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Best Storage Deals

A current listing of the best deals on computer storage devices available today, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and more.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mid-Tower Chassis Review

The chassis in question is a blend of two, where Cooler Master revisits an older series of cases, yet is placing it in with the MasterCase line that has become so popular. For those old enough to remember, Cooler Master had huge success with the HAF Series. All of the cases in this line were designed for High Air Flow, hence the name, but looking back on them today, we can see why Cooler Master chose to blend a couple of designs rather than to rehash something that by today's standards might appear old-school and chunky. However, the main idea is not lost in the latest chassis to visit the lab, yet at the same time, developing this idea within the confines of the MasterCase Series has delivered a chassis which is both practical and sexy all at the same time. As you read this, the MasterCase H500P is publicly launching to the world. Being part of the MasterCase series, we come to expect an angled front bezel, an open interior, a PSU cover, hidden bays, modular parts, and the potential for additional gear to arrive in the Cooler Master Store shortly after its release. What we have includes all of this, yet can take things even further in a few aspects, with us about to look at what we consider to be the best-looking chassis to leave Cooler Master under the MasterCase name. If what we have mentioned has piqued your interest, please continue, as we are sure this chassis will not disappoint. In our opinion, the MasterCase H500P is the best of the line and is something many will end up using.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Crucial BX300 240GB SSD Review

With the BX300, Micron has succeeded to bring to the market an affordable mainstream SSD that is able to deliver sustained performance (unlike TLC-based counterparts) and also uses DRAM cache in order to obtain a speed boost. The Silicon Motion SM2258 comes in a 323-ball TFBGA package and is a 4-channel controller; it comes with quite a bit of data protection and reliability features, while the drive is accompanied by a 3-year limited warranty.

Read full article @ MadShrimps

Crucial BX300 SSD review – The value for money option?

Let’s spend a little time thinking about the past, and especially the Crucial BX series. It all started back in 2015 with the outstanding BX100 SSD, a drive that was affordable and at the same time had zero compromises in build quality, and most importantly in its performance. After a few months came the BX200 SSD. It was the first TLC SSD from Crucial, and continued to be an affordable replacement for your HDD, but the TLC NAND was the limiting factor for write performance.

Now Crucial has released the BX300 SSD, an SATA 2.5″ drive that it comes in three capacities, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB. At the moment it is only available as a 2.5″ SATA drive, but that is not what’s impressive. The new 3D MLC NAND is the part that got me excited, and hopefully it will bring back the glory days of the BX100 SSD, both for performance and pricing.

So let’s move on and start this review by taking a look at the packaging and its contents, followed by some benchmarks.

Read full article @ MyCE

CRYORIG H7 Quad Lumi RGB CPU Cooler Review

I won’t hide the fact that CRYORIG is one of my favourite brand for CPU coolers. It’s mainly because of high quality products and these little differences that matter for enthusiasts. In this year we haven’t seen many new products under the CRYORIG brand but there is one which is worth to mention and we will review it today. It’s the H7 Quad Lumi RGB CPU cooler.

Stay with us to find out how much has to offer this not so big but for sure effective CPU cooler.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

EVGA X299 Micro Motherboard Review

Today, we’ll be taking a quick look at the EVGA X299 Micro motherboard. This is one of the first motherboards on the market that comes in a micro ATX form factor, and features the Intel X299 chipset, which is suitable for all Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors using the LGA2066 socket.

It supports 2-way SLI, 4 x DIMM slots for Quad-Channel (up to 64GB) 3600MHz, M.2 NVMe SSDs, and comes with 3 x PCIE x16 slots.

The EVGA X299 Micro is also packed with other great features such as, 8 x native USB 3.0, 4 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.1 (both A and C-type), 6 x SATA3 ports, onboard Intel gigabit LAN and Wifi, 8 channel HD audio, as well as solid state capacitors and a 8 layer PCB.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Four Cores for Ultrabooks: Core i7-8550U Review 8th-Gen Intel Core (Kaby Lake-R) for Low-Power Laptops

This has been a big year for Intel low-power mobile chips. For generations we’ve put up with sub-10% year-on-year performance improvements, having Intel focusing on better efficiency and longer battery life. However, with AMD hot on Intel’s heels and set to launch their own ultraportable processors in the near future, Intel has decided that the time for incremental improvements is over.
With that, Intel’s low-power mobile chips have finally transitioned from a dual-core to quad-core design for the first time. This has been achieved while keeping within the same 15-watt TDP as previous low-power U-series chips, essentially allowing for a big jump in performance without a corresponding hit to battery life.
Before we discuss the specific changes to Intel’s new processors, let’s talk a bit about the basics, in particular Intel’s confusing product line for 2017.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Intel Core i5-8400 6-Core 6-Thread CPU Review

The new Intel Core i5-8400 Coffee Lake CPU is here at last. Of course, we’re not expecting it to keep up with the 6 core 12 thread performance of the lovely i7-8700K. However, with its own 6 core (non-threaded) design, the i5-8400 looks set to be strong competition for the Ryzen 5 CPUs, at least in terms of price. Can it deliver performance on par with the similar priced Ryzen chips, or even beat them? Let’s find out!

As you may already know, 6 cores are the new 4 for Intel. Sure, they’ve made higher core count CPUs for years now, but not on their main consumer CPUs, and that’s especially true of their i5 series, which have been quad-core seemingly since time began. With a base clock of 2.8 GHz and a Max Turbo of 4.7 GHz, this CPU is already running faster than a Ryzen chip straight out of the box, at least on paper.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Intel Core i5-8400 Review 8th-Gen Best Value Chip

Today we're checking out the most affordable six-core processor ever released, and this time it's not from AMD. With an MSRP of $182, the Core i5-8400 is even more affordable than the $215 Ryzen 5 1600, though it can't be overclocked and lacks HyperThreading, so there aren't 12 threads on tap as with the Ryzen chip.
Intel's six-core solution should nonetheless be ample for gamers and may even be the new go-to solution for budget builders. Those folks would do best to avoid the Z370 chipset considering it's typically more expensive and only enables overclocking for unlocked parts, though there is not much choice as the moment.
As you may realize, AMD was a bit cheeky and somewhat annoying by using B350 and X399 for its Ryzen chipset names. Intel has B250 motherboards as well as those with an X299 chipset, so the move was bound to cause confusion among shoppers.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Intel Core i7-8700K 6-Core 12-Thread Processor Review

Both Intel and AMD have been locking horns over the last few months, something we haven’t seen on a competitive level for years now. We’ve had Ryzen and Threadripper go head to head with Intel’s previous/current gen, as well as their new X299 platform chips like the 18c 16t thread 7980XE. Now Intel is back again, this time with their Coffee Lake Z370 CPUs. These are what I would call mid-to-high-end consumer processors, unlike the more enthusiast and professionally focused X299 platform.

Read full article @ eTeknix

MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO: Unboxed

It wasn't that long ago that news broke on MSI's new GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GAMING X TRIO graphics card, but we didn't know all that much about it. Well, now we do as I've received one of the first samples of it in the world, and it is currently being benchmarked and prepared for review. For now, I thought I would cover the basics of the card before the full review is finished, as well as an unboxing and detailed look at the card itself. It's a new entry into MSI's continuously expanding range of custom GeForce GTX 10 series graphics cards, and I think it looks like one of the best, too. MSI has put a lot of design work into its graphics cards over the years, with it culminating in the pure enthusiast bliss that is the LIGHTNING range of cards.

Read full article @ TweakTown

MSI Z370 PC Pro Review

Proof that an Intel 8th Gen platform needn't break the bank. How often do you see reviews of premium motherboards packed to the gills with features? There's good reason for this from a manufacturer's point of view because, say, selling a Z370-based motherboard for £200 is more profitable than hitting a £100 price point for an entry-level offering.

The astute motherboard maker knows that it shifts real volume lower down the stack, typically with boards that are sold into system integrators who build many of the PCs you see reviewed on HEXUS. This is why it makes sense to look at a mainstream Z370 board on which to sit an 8th Gen Core processor, because not only is it a good fit for SIs, it makes sense when budgets are tight.

MSI is of this thinking, too, and it has pitched us a Z370 board costing £115 yet accommodating pretty much all the features you would want when pricing up a mid-range build. Enter the Z370 PC Pro.

Read full article @ Hexus

MSI's Aegis 3 compact gaming PC reviewed

PC gaming is bigger than ever. Perhaps thanks to big-name PC-exclusive titles like League of Legends as well as PC-exclusive features like mods, kids are asking their parents for gaming PCs instead of gaming consoles. The money spent on PC gaming eclipses that spent on console gaming, too. A discussion of the whys and hows of that matter is a topic best left for another article, though. Instead, we're here to take a look at just the sort of machine a parent might buy a budding PC gamer: MSI's Aegis 3 compact gaming PC.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Patriot Spark 256GB SATAIII SSD Review

SSD drives are already standard in new computers and personally I can’t even think of buying new computer with a standard HDD. In most cases it’s the storage that is causing performance issues in older computers so if you have an HDD while other components seem not so bad then you already have an answer what will be the best to upgrade.

Here with help comes Patriot which is offering couple of inexpensive but well performing SSD. One of them is the Spark. In this review we will show you how much you can expect from 256GB version of Patriot Spark SATAIII SSD.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Razer Ornata Chroma Gaming Keyboard Review

Razer has made a big name for themselves in the gaming scene, producing some of the best mice and keyboards for years, so I was really looking forward to putting this gaming keyboard to the test! Earlier, we’ve tested their Kraken 7.1 v2 gaming headset … and it blew our minds (or rather, our ears!) So, we’re expecting something similar with the Ornata Chroma mecha-membrane gaming keyboard.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Seasonic FOCUS Plus 750 Gold PSU Review

Seasonic's Prime PSUs are its flagships. However, the PSUs that most users will buy belong to the more affordable FOCUS family. The FOCUS Plus 750 Gold is the second highest-capacity model, and it sports a strong value proposition.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Toshiba OCZ TR200 480GB Review

Toshiba back in July released information about their new SSD, the TR200, and as we all understood the TR200 SSD would be replacing the OCZ Trion 150 as a value for money SSD, but this was not the exciting part of the press release. The part that got us all excited was the fact that Toshiba will now be using their brand new 64 layer BiCS TLC NAND. Move on to today and the time has come for Toshiba to release the TR200. Toshiba was kind enough to send me the TR200 480GB SSD to review.

So let’s start this review by looking at the packaging and its contents.

Read full article @ MyCE

Toshiba OCZ TR200 SATA III SSD Review

3D NAND flash has many inherent advantages over 2D (planar) flash that go beyond density alone. 3D NAND flash can be programmed faster than 2D can. Spaces between memory cells on 3D flash are far wider than in 2D NAND flash memory. This makes it possible to improve the programming speed and at the same time reduce power consumption by increasing the amount of data for a single programming sequence. The wider open spaces between cells also decreases cell coupling providing greater reliability and endurance in comparison to 2D NAND flash memory. The TR200 pairs Toshiba's 2-channel TC58 controller with a third generation Toshiba BiCS 3D flash array. BiCS 3D flash will only come in TLC (3-bit) or QLC (4-bit) flavors, there will be no MLC (2-bit) variants. Toshiba is confident that the performance and endurance offered by BiCS 3 is at minimum on par with planar MLC flash. Just as we no longer see new retail SLC flash products brought to market, the day is coming sooner rather than later where we may no longer see new MLC flash products hitting store shelves. Third generation BiCS (BiCS 3) 3D TLC flash products are starting to enter the mainstream market. Toshiba's 64-Layer BiCS 3 TLC flash technology is well refined and set to shake up the market by offering better endurance, higher density, and higher performance TLC flash than is possible from conventional planar (2D) TLC flash technology.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Toshiba's TR200 480GB SSD reviewed

When Toshiba gave us a taste of its 64-layer BiCS 3D flash a few months ago, the technology left a strong impression. The XG5 proved fast enough to compete on even footing with Samsung's NVMe products, bringing a sorely-needed challenge to the 800-pound gorilla of the market. But the XG5 is an OEM drive, not one that's readily available to home builders. At the time, Toshiba dropped tantalizing hints of an upcoming retail drive based on the XG5. Such a drive would be a fitting sequel to last year's excellent OCZ RD400.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

TtEsports SHOCK PRO RGB Review

With the SHOCK PRO RGB TtEsports show that you can still get a good headset even though you don’t have a fat wallet!

As an experienced gamer, I know how important it is to have a decent pair of gaming headset. Having a good quality headset makes all the difference when it comes to gaming … especially when you for more than a few hours. Comfort and good audio is the two most important factors.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Western Digital Red WD100EFAX 10TB Hard Drive Review

"I could not start my computer," my supervisor said with a tone of worry in his voice. "Is there any way to retrieve my data?" "Did you back up your data?" I asked him. "No," he replied. Does that seem like a scenario you can relate to? From my colleague Ben's recent article on the Acronis True Image 2018 to my quest to build the 32TB network attached storage system a few months ago, everyone here at APH Networks -- and I would say, across the internet -- will tell you how important it is to back up your data. My theory is if I ever lost my data, I would pay at least a few hundred dollars to get them all back. But if those few hundred -- or even few thousand dollars -- is not enough to recover my terabytes of data should that ever happen, why not pay that money now and ensure I will never lose my data? Of course, there are many ways to keep your documents and memories safe. External hard drives are economical, while always-on network attached storage systems are faster, more convenient, and considerably more versatile in what it can do. As a fan of the latter, earlier this year, I took a look at Western Digital's Red WD80EFZX 8TB NAS hard drive. Although it delivered as promised in every meaningful metric, it was down a couple of terabytes in capacity compared to the excellent Seagate IronWolf ST10000VN0004 10TB. Well, fear not my friends: The Western Digital Red WD100EFAX 10TB brings the lineup back to the game in the capacity challenge. But will it still deliver in speed, power efficiency, and price? Read on to find out!

Read full article @ APH Networks

Zotac unveils its GTX 1080 Ti ArcticStorm Mini

The world's shortest GTX 1080 Ti
Zotac has unveiled its newest Geforce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, and this time around, it is the shortest GTX 1080 Ti on the market, cooled by a full cover water block.

While it could be the shortest GTX 1080 Ti on the market, measuring at 212mm (8.35-inch), the new Zotac GTX 1080 Ti ArcticStorm Mini still isn't a single-slot card, due to the DVI output port. In order to keep the GP102 as well as the rest of the components well cooled, Zotac used a full cover water block with nickel-plated direct copper contact and 0.3mm micro-channels.
The block also comes with standard G1/4 fittings, an acrylic top, a metal backplate which should help to support the short PCB and white LEDs.
Zotac also included a slight factory-overclock pushing the base GPU clock to 1506MHz and GPU Boost clock to 1620MHz. It still comes with 11GB of 11008MHz-clocked GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit memory interface.
Unfortunately, Zotac did not reveal any details regarding the price or the availability date but those running SFF systems should find the shorter PCB quite appealing.



 

Read full article @ Fudzilla