Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

ASUS DSL-AC68U Review
Asus Open Overclocking Cup 2014
Best Windows Phones: Holiday 2014
CentOS 7 - The perfect desktop, second guide
Colorful iGame GTX 970 4096 MB
Corsair Gaming H2100 wireless headset Review
Dragon Age: Inquisition Reviewed And Benchmarked
ECS Z97I-DRONE Mini-ITX Motherboard Review
EVGA SuperNova P2 1200 PSU Review
GIGABYTE Server MD60-SC0 Motherboard Review: Haswell-EP with QSFP
How to configure a syslog server with rsyslog on Linux
How to Install BIRT Viewer Runtime for Apache Tomcat in Linux
It's Time to Reinvent the Digital Pen
Mac mini 2014 Review
MSI B85M ECO Micro ATX Motherboard Review
Nexus 6 Review
NZXT H440 Razer Edition Mid-Tower Case Review
PSU Buyer's Guide: Holiday 2014
Raijintek METIS Review
Rosewill RGB80
Synology DiskStation DS215j
Tesoro Durandal G1NL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
Thermaltake Versa H34 Mid Tower Case Review
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS To Ubuntu 14.10 Offers Some Performance Improvements
Use GRUB-Customizer to give GRUB a prettier face on Linux Mint 17.1
Western Digital My Passport Wireless Review
Windows 10 Build 9888 Leaks
Z97 & Z87 Motherboard Charts: 43 Models tested - Update ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark-S

ASUS DSL-AC68U Review

A high-performance AC router with a built-in modem. The rapid adoption of the 802.11ac standard amongst high-end mobile devices is creating a need for high-performance routers to service that extra potential. After all, what's the point of having an AC-capable device, such as a flagship smartphone, tablet or ultrabook, if the router can only supply it with N speeds? That's where today's showpiece, the ASUS DSL-AC68U router, comes into play.

Those with a sharp memory will remember that late last year we examined the ASUS RT-AC68U and the DSL version is effectively the same router but with a notable difference; built into the design is a fully-fledged ADSL(2+) and VDSL modem. For UK-based readers this means the ability to ditch BT modem boxes and opt for an all-in-one solution. That aside it still retains the same core specification as its predecessor, though it has since been superceded by the rather monstrous RT-AC87U.

The DSL-AC68U deploys three external antennae boasting up to 1.3Gbps on the 5GHz AC band and up to 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz N band with the use of TurboQAM acceleration. For wired devices there are four gigabit LAN ports and for easy file-sharing a USB 3.0 port is present on the router to which USB flash drives and hard drives can be plugged into. Interestingly, the USB port can also be used for sharing a 3/4G signal from a dongle.

Read full article @ Hexus

Asus Open Overclocking Cup 2014

The ASUS Open Overclocking CUP, in short AOOC 2014, is the event to host the clash between Europe's fastest overclockers. After going through three online qualifying stages 16 overclockers received their ticket to participate in the grand final. Event location is the immaculate Moscow Cyber Stadium; yes you guessed it located in the heart of the Russian Capital city. Madshrimps was invited in assisting the highly motivated Overclocking.TV crew in their shout cast.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Best Windows Phones: Holiday 2014

The end of 2014 is quickly approaching, so this is a great time to look back at the year that was in Windows Phone, and give our recommendation on the best Windows Phones for various price ranges. 2014 saw some change in the Windows Phone market, with the dominant player Nokia being purchased by Microsoft earlier this year. Microsoft also made some changes to the platform to make it easier to build a Windows Phone from scratch with the Qualcomm reference platform, and they changed the hardware requirements of the software to allow device makers to port their Android based smartphones over to Microsoft’s platform.

Read full article @ Anandtech

CentOS 7 - The perfect desktop, second guide

While we wait for the best distro of 2014 poll results, here's a second extremely enthusiastic guide and amazing screenshot gallery on how to transform CentOS 7 into a perfect desktop, covering Nvidia proprietary graphics drivers installation, printing to Samba shares, NTFS filesystem support, Microsoft fonts, mouse and touchpad tweaks, additional software like Thunderbird, Amarok, GParted, Grsync, and more. Have fun.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

Colorful iGame GTX 970 4096 MB

With a base clock of 1203 MHz, Colorful's iGame GTX 970 is one of the highest clocked GTX 970 cards available on the market. Its triple-fan, dual-slot cooler achieves excellent temperatures and also contributes to overclocking potential, which is higher than any other GTX 970 we tested so far.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Corsair Gaming H2100 wireless headset Review

We review the new Corsair Gaming H2100 wireless headset. The H2100 is a follow-up model to the Vengeance series and works through a USB transmitter powered Dolby headset. One charge will get you 9 hours of wireless headset gaming over two quality Neodyne 50mm drivers. These surround sound headphones offer 16-bit/48 KHz playback and come with Dolby Pro Logic IIx certification and a new color theme, black is back. Over the years Corsair has moved from being a memory company towards a much more diverse entity targeted at gamers. Memory, SSDs, power supplies, chassis', keyboards, mouses, cooling and sure, audio products as well. On the audio front Corsair now has moved products to their professional gaming line called 'Corsair gaming'. Being all wireless and with nice big Neodyne 50mm drivers this headset connects wireless to your USB port with the help of a receiver and transmitter USB dongle. Being tied to USB means you'll be tied to a chip that is supported, we think that Corsair uses a C-Media chip which has support for Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows X. Windows 8.1 is obviously supported as well, you will need to download the latest driver for the full software suite which allows you to tweak audio to your audiophile preference. The new model name is the Gaming H2100 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset which proclaims to be a 7.1 surround wireless gaming headset that brings in realistic multi-channel-like gaming audio. The battery charge can bring you the comfort of 9 to 10 hours of usage. Next to that, the drivers used in combination with a software suite produce audio at a level that makes the H2100 really great to listen to.

As mentioned above, the H2100 works through a USB transmitter (surround-sound headset) and comes with nice big 50mm drivers and revised USB drivers that include surround sound, capable of offering 16-bit/48 KHz playback. The product will carry a 2 year warranty ensuring that the Corsair Gaming H 2100 will love you long time. Anyway, let's read on-wards and find out how the new wireless Corsair Gaming H2100 headset works and sounds. But have a peek at that new look, and then hit the next page please.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Dragon Age: Inquisition Reviewed And Benchmarked

One of Dragon Age: Origins most prized features was the intricate, genuinely different backstories that each of the races and social classes came from -- if you started DAO as a Mage, your first few hours of play were completely different then if you chose a Dalish Elf, Dwarf, or Human Noble. The game adroitly modeled both racism and prejudice -- Dwarf Nobles treat the common folk as though they're nonexistent, and Mages of any race are kept under tight control, for fear they will unleash havoc or fall prey to the demonic forces that lurk within the spirit world.

The sequel, Dragon Age II, was a vastly different game. Instead of a sprawling epic, BioWare focused its storytelling on the events within the city of Kirkwall. With Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare promised to return to the elements that made the series great, keep the excellent storytelling that was present in both predecessors, and offer a vast epic that would appeal to all players. And here's the amazing thing: They actually pulled it off...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

ECS Z97I-DRONE Mini-ITX Motherboard Review

ECS does not disappoint with the release of the cheap ECS Z97I-Drone which allows installation of a powerful Haswell processor which can be paired with RAM up to 16GB and eventually a potent VGA card inside the provided PCI Express x16 slot; be warned however that using a beefy CPU cooler will likely cover the PCI-Express slot completely so we would recommend either sticking with the stock Intel cooler or adopting an all-in-one water cooling solution, which is so accessible these days.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

EVGA SuperNova P2 1200 PSU Review

EVGA have earned a fantastic reputation over the years for their selected range of motherboards and graphics cards. Today we look at one of their high end power supplies – the SuperNova 1200 P2. This is a creation with OEM partner, Super Flower. The EVGA SuperNova 1200 P2 supply is full modular, 80 Plus Platinum certified and can be driven in a semi passive mode. The warranty is certainly exhibiting a confidence in the product that EVGA wish to pass onto the customer – ten years is not to be sniffed at.

Read full article @ KitGuru

GIGABYTE Server MD60-SC0 Motherboard Review: Haswell-EP with QSFP

Ever since GIGABYTE's Server team and I first started discussing reviews, it was interesting to see what a purely B2B (business to business) unit could do. Since then, GIGABYTE Server has expanded, catering to both the B2B and B2C (customer) markets and selling direct to end users. With the release of Haswell-EP we reported on their large launch at the time and they sent us the MD60-SC0 for review.

Read full article @ Anandtech

How to configure a syslog server with rsyslog on Linux

A syslog server represents a central log monitoring point on a network, to which all kinds of devices including Linux or Windows servers, routers, switches or any other hosts can send their logs over network. By setting up a syslog server, you can filter and consolidate logs from different hosts and devices into a single location, so that you can view and archive important log messages more easily.

On most Linux distributions, rsyslog is the standard syslog daemon that comes pre-installed. Configured in a client/server architecture, rsyslog can play both roles; as a syslog server rsyslog can gather logs from other devices, and as a syslog client, rsyslog can transmit its internal logs to a remote syslog server.

Read full article @ Xmodulo

How to Install BIRT Viewer Runtime for Apache Tomcat in Linux

BIRT is an open source reporting engine that is based on Java technology. This is one of Eclipse top level project. The following are two major components of BIRT: BIRT Report Designer You can design rich reports using this designer UI from Eclipse. The report design is stored in an XML format.

Read full article @ The Geek Stuff

It's Time to Reinvent the Digital Pen

For the pen to ever have mainstream adoption, it should be used consistently no matter where you are, like the mouse or keyboard. Ideally, you should be able to write, draw and mark-up with the pen everywhere. The pen doesn't ever need to be a mouse replacement.

Read full article @ Techspot

Mac mini 2014 Review

First launched in 2005, Apple's Mac mini has never received the same design plaudits as the MacBook Air, but it has been almost as influential upon the competition. The titular computer's square shape, minimal appearance and compact nature can be seen in devices such as Intel's NUC, Samsung's Chromebox and, more recently, Sky's Now TV box.Even so, it's fair to say that the Mac mini probably hasn't received as much love as Apple's other products over the years. It's a safe bet; consistent and dependable, evolving quietly in the background without requiring headline-grabbing specs - like the iMac 5K's dazzling display, or the iPad Air 2's impossibly thin dimensions - to stand out from the crowd.It comes as little surprise, then, to find that Apple's new Mac mini is indistinguishable from its predecessor, the Late 2012 Mac mini. They may look the same on the outside, but under the hood, the changes are numerous, with the most significant being the switch from Intel's Ivy Bridge chip to Haswell.

Read full article @ Techradar

MSI B85M ECO Micro ATX Motherboard Review

For a long time, it appeared that we were living in a generation where it was better to have more, than use something efficiently. We saw this in automobiles, more people were driving large SUVs than smaller more efficient compact cars. However, in recent times, with gasoline prices seeming to be on the constant rise, more electric cars, hybrids, and cars focused on ECO features have started emerging into the market. Does this show that there is a change not only in the economy, but in the way that our energy resources are being evaluated? In terms of efficiency, electric cars and gasoline cars cannot be compared, and while electric cars may not have the ability to travel the longer distances that gasoline cars can, they are less harmful to the environment, as well as to our wallets. In today’s computing world, we are seeing the same trend. Components are becoming more efficient, yet still being able to outperform their predecessors. An excellent example of an extremely efficient ECO product is the MSI B85M ECO Micro ATX motherboard. ECO, oh great that means I am going to lose performance; not with the MSI B85M ECO Micro ATX Motherboard. They utilize an optimized PCB, to retain 100% performance while still yielding 40% power saving. This motherboard also supports all Intel Socket 1150 CPUs, and is optimized for Intel S and T series power efficient CPUs. It supports 32GB of DDR3 ram up to 1600MHZ in dual channel, USB 3.0 plus SATA 6GB/s, Intel Gigabit LAN, and 4K UHD. The Military Class 4 components, paired with the Guard-Pro, and Click BIOS 4, give you the stability, reliability, and flexibility you need in your motherboard. The MSI B85M is also TUV certified, has an onboard ECO button, as well as MSI’s ECO Center Pro software, to optimize the ECO functionality of this motherboard. MSI has also offered the Intel Small Business Advantage functionality, as well as DVI, VGA, and HDMI video output, plus flexible 8 channel audio output with jack sensing, utilizing the ALC887 Realtek integrated chip.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Nexus 6 Review

A giant phablet with the chops to make it big in business. The Nexus 6 is the most expensive Google phone to date. However, featuring an unskinned version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, a powerful Qualcomm processor, dazzlingly bright and sharp display and above average camera, the Nexus 6 justifies the hefty upfront cost.

Read full article @ V3

NZXT H440 Razer Edition Mid-Tower Case Review

NZXT has a long history of making high quality cases and power supplies. While Razer is probably best known for their mice, headphones, and keyboards. As with most companies that specialize in a few products, they are starting to branch out into other products. Razer started with gaming systems, then into the wearables market with the Nabu. Now, Razer has partnered with NZXT to do a custom edition of NZXTs H440.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

PSU Buyer's Guide: Holiday 2014

In this Holiday Buyers Guide, we will be evaluating and recommending desktop PC power supply units. We should clarify that the selection of a PSU is based on parameters both objective (e.g. wattage, performance) and subjective (e.g. design, modular cables). That makes it very difficult to limit the selection of a PSU to just one per possible target class. We will be recommending at least two options for each market, based on objective parameters and our subjective opinion.

Before we get to the power supplies, we want to dispell a common misconception among users – that a high wattage PSU will be better. That is not necessarily the case, because all switching PSUs are designed so as to deliver their maximum efficiency at about half-load (50% of their rated maximum capacity). Their performance will reduce not only at higher but at lower loads as well. As a matter of fact, the efficiency of any switching PSU typically plummets if the load is too low (usually below 15% of the units rated capacity). You should remember that the advertised performance of a PSU is within the nominal load range (20% to 100% of its rated capacity) and the manufacturer is not obliged to include information on how much the performance degrades at sub-20% load conditions. Therefore, the selection of a severely oversized PSU is both economically and practically senseless.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Raijintek METIS Review

Last year saw newcomers Raijintek enter the IT industry with a range of CPU coolers to keep budding enthusiasts entertained. Amongst the variety of different coolers Raijintek has introduced, came a surprising set of price-tags too – this brand is all about bang for buck and today’s review sample takes us to observing the brand’s efforts in designing their very first computer case.

Metis is an aluminium computer case which is primarily designed for Mini-ITX configurations. This computer chassis is super-compact, lightweight and comes in a variety of different colours. With such a low-cost offering, has Raijintek cut any corners? Let’s find out!

Read full article @ Vortez

Rosewill RGB80

With RGB mechanical keyboards being the latest bandwagon that most manufactures are jumping on I have been keeping an eye out for RGB keyboards that are a little different. One that stood out to me was the RGB80 from Rosewill. Rosewill’s history in the mechanical keyboard market is actually better than you might think. They have had good boards are great prices. The RGB80 is of course an RGB keyboard but unlike the others it is only available in a TKL (TenKeyLess) version. The LAN attendee in me is reminded each time I see or use a TKL keyboard that they help same room at and when packing for LANs. Will the RGB80 be the next big LAN keyboard? Let’s find out.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Synology DiskStation DS215j

Today we are taking a look at the brand new Synology DiskStation DS215j. This new 2-bay NAS is designed for home users on a budget, but don’t let that fool you, the DS215j packs a punch. Armed with a dual-core processor with Floating-Point Unit (FPU), the DS215j provides plenty of power for multi-tasking and multi-media applications...

Some of the most exciting Synology products that we have reviewed have been budget models such as the DS414j and DS213j. These models were great because they ran the same DSM software as the $1000+ models and could use many of the same features/applications.

Read full article @ Legion Hardware

Tesoro Durandal G1NL Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Today we are going to look at a mechanical gaming keyboard from a company called Tesoro, the Durandal G1NL. Tesoro are looking to compete with the more established players in the market such as Corsair and Razer who are very popular among the gaming audience. We are excited to see what the Tesoro’s Durandal G1 NL has to offer.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Thermaltake Versa H34 Mid Tower Case Review

It’s not often that an inexpensive case comes along that I am very impressed with, but the Thermaltake Versa H34 CA-1C9-00M1WN-00 is one of those times. Sure, it’s made of thinner steel than some other more expensive chassis but you can’t beat what you actually get from this case. It’s just built right and it’s built for builders. The plastic front looks good and lots of the right ventilation in the right places and even the Thermaltake Logo at the bottom is classy too. There is a very minimalistic quality to it, but not so minimal that it won’t do what you want because it will do more than you think. This case can really do a lot.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS To Ubuntu 14.10 Offers Some Performance Improvements

Curious how the CPU performance of Ubuntu Linux has evolved from the 12.04 LTS release compared to 14.04 LTS and then the latest 14.10 release? Here's some benchmarks...

Read full article @ Phoronix

Use GRUB-Customizer to give GRUB a prettier face on Linux Mint 17.1

Ive been playing with the Cinnamon edition of Linux Mint 17.1 since it was released, and Ive just gotta say that its the best desktop distribution released this year. Cinnamon is slowly but surely carving out a place at the top of the list of free software desktop environments.

Read full article @ LinuxBSDos.com

Western Digital My Passport Wireless Review

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have taken off in a big way. However, internal storage has remained at a premium. Over the last few years, many companies have tried to address this opportunity by marketing wireless storage peripherals coupled with mobile apps. Western Digital has entered into the market relatively late with the My Passport Wireless product line. Read on for our review of the 2 TB variant to see how Western Digital has managed to differentiate its offering.

 

Read full article @ Anandtech

Windows 10 Build 9888 Leaks

Here's what's new, it's not much. It's always exciting when a build of a pre-release version of Windows leaks out of Redmond. And so it is with Windows 10 build 9888, a post-Windows Technical Preview build of Microsoft's next desktop OS. Cautiously installing it in a virtual machine—yeah, I'm still a bit burned by build 9879—what I see, unfortunately, is not a heck of a lot of difference. This is no Consumer Preview build.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

Z97 & Z87 Motherboard Charts: 43 Models tested - Update ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark-S

In our comparison tables, meanwhile you find benchmark values regarding 43 recent Z97 and Z87 motherboards. Furthermore we do not comment the benchmark values. The idea and also the goal is to present to you a market overview which helps you choose the right motherboard.

Read full article @ ocaholic