Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including 27 2-bay NAS devices tested, Intel Core i7-4960X Ivy Bridge-E Review, Asrock Z87 Extreme11/ac Review: The Making of a Unique Motherboard, Lian Li Q27 Mini-ITX case, and CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse



27 2-bay NAS devices tested @ Hardware.Info

NAS devices are the all-in-one kitchen appliance, the jack of all trades of the home network. They can do one thing, they can do many things, and often you don't even need all of the features. While it's great to own a £350 top-of-the-line model, it doesn't mean it's the best solution to your needs. For a lot less money you can buy a versatile NAS that stores files, manages your back-ups and lets you share data over your own network and the internet.

Read more: 27 2-bay NAS devices tested @ Hardware.Info

Intel Core i7-4960X Ivy Bridge-E Review @ Vortez

It's been a little over 2 years since we reviewed Intel's Core i7-3960X CPU which blew us away with the stupendous amount of processing power available. Today we get to sample the replacement CPU in the form of the Core i7-4960X, the X signifying that this too is part of the Extreme Edition processor line-up.

The new processors architecture codenamed Ivy-Bridge is the successor to the Sandy-bridge range of CPUs for the ageing X79 chipset which was our only criticism of the 3960X, that and of course the astronomical price tag inherently attached to the Extreme range of CPUs. We are still waiting for an update of X79 which when compared to the Z87 based motherboards specification looks decidedly underwhelming. With X79 we still have no native USB 3.0 and only two native SATA 6.0GBps ports. The Z87 chipset also holds the advantage of having a CPU which is one step ahead of it's bigger brother with CPUs now based on the refreshed Haswell architecture, a step up from Ivy-bridge which forms the basis of today's CPU. It is important not to confuse the two processor lines though because the i7 Ivy-bridge E is a different beast altogether from its socket 1155 brethren.

Read more: Intel Core i7-4960X Ivy Bridge-E Review @ Vortez

Nvidia's Tegra K1 SoC has Denver CPU cores, Kepler graphics @ The Tech Report

In early 2011, during a CES press event, Nvidia revealed its Project Denver CPU initiative. On Sunday evening, at another CES press conference, the company provided a glimpse of the first Denver-based processor: the Tegra K1. This next-generation SoC features dual Denver CPU cores clocked at up to 2.5GHz. The cores were designed by Nvidia, and they're compatible with the 64-bit ARMv8 instruction set. They have a seven-way superscalar pipeline and a hefty 192KB of L1 cache.

Read more: Nvidia's Tegra K1 SoC has Denver CPU cores, Kepler graphics @ The Tech Report

Noctua NH-U14S Review @ OCC

At idle (stock and overclocked), the Noctua NH-U14S was able to deliver temperatures consistent with the highest performing air coolers in this comparison field, which contains coolers costing much more. Looking at the stock load results, the NH-U14S does a fine job of removing the thermal load generated by the hot-running Haswell processor and keeps the temps within two degrees of the liquid cooled AIO (All In One) Nepton 280L. When overclocked, it is only three degress higher than the 280L, and still well below the thermal danger zone. And it is close, very close, to the performance of the much larger D14.

Read more: Noctua NH-U14S Review @ OCC

Asrock Z87 Extreme11/ac Review: The Making of a Unique Motherboard @ The Tech Report

Although Asrock's Z87 Extreme9/ac offers all the motherboard we need at $360, we're happy to see companies catering to enthusiasts who will take things further -- like $200 further. LGA2011 is known for such solutions, including Asus' $500 P9X79-E WAS or Asrock's own $600 X79 Extreme11. With that platform now a few years old, manufacturers are shifting their focus to LGA1150, which arrived this year alongside Haswell and is accompanied by the Z87 chipset, among other Lynx Point-based parts.

Some of you may question Asrock's platform choice anyway because Intel's most powerful desktop CPU (the Core i7-4960X) started shipping a few months ago on LGA2011. While there's no denying that hexa-core, dozen-threaded processor is an enthusiast's dream, at $1,000 that's precisely where it will remain for most. The chip is grossly overpriced and its aging platform doesn't exactly sweeten the deal. For a third of the cost, most folks are better off with the newer Core i7-4770K and LGA1150.

Read more: Asrock Z87 Extreme11/ac Review: The Making of a Unique Motherboard @ The Tech Report

Corsair Force LS 240GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks

With value-oriented SSDs becoming viable options for entry level consumers and enthusiasts alike, manufacturers have been rushing to meet the demand. Corsair have done this by introducing the Force LS which represents a turning point for their venerable Force line.

As many already know, the Force series has garnered solid reputation in both mainstream and enthusiast circles and even on the pages of HWC. This reputation was built upon a simple sounding, but hard to consistently implement philosophy of offering powerful and reliable solid state drives that also were a great value. Over the years Corsair has been able to offer a Force drive for nearly any budget by the simple expedient of pairing the same SandForce controller with different types of NAND. By consistently using this pproach the different performance characteristics of the NAND itself allowed the multiple Force models to differentiate themselves from each other, Corsair’s other non-Force based units and the competition. This is a time tested and proven formula is what’s changing this time around.

Read more: Corsair Force LS 240GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks

Samsung NP915S3G-K01 13.3" Touch Screen Notebook Review @ PC Stats

Samsung's ATIV Book 9-Lite slots in somewhere between mainstream laptop and tablet on steroids, though at first glance it looks unassailably like an Ultrabook. Iside the eminently thin, snow white ATIV Book 9-Lite is a modestly powerful 1.4GHz quad-core AMD 'Kabini' processor, 4GB of DDR3-1066 RAM and a 128GB SSD.

Read more: Samsung NP915S3G-K01 13.3" Touch Screen Notebook Review @ PC Stats

Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Liquid Cooling System Review @ FrostyTech

Coolermaster's Nepton 140XL self contained liquid cooling system uses a 140mm wide heat exchanger designed for two 140mm PWM fans mounted in a push-pull configuration. The fans operate at 2000RPM-800RPM and generate a fair to minimal amount of noise, while moving between 122 - 54CFM of air. The waterblock is connected to the heat exchanger not by tiny little pipes, but via larger diameter, 15.5mm O.D. FEP tubing. Larger diameter tubing means more coolant can circulate through the waterblock compared to models like the Seidon 120V.

Read more: Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Liquid Cooling System Review @ FrostyTech

iStarUSA BPN-2535DE-SA SATA Hot-Swap Drive Cage Review @ TestFreaks

A few days ago I reviewed a hot-swap cage from iStarUSA that allowed you to simply and easily transfer data to and from standard sized hard drives and I liked it very much. Today for review I have another hot-swap cage from iStar called the BPN-2535DE-SA which allows you to fit two notebook or SSD sized drives into the space of a standard hard drive. The cage is hot-swap capable meaning you can just put the drives in and pull them out as you need to, the cage also locks to secure the drives in place and it’s very simple to install and use. Read on…

Read more: iStarUSA BPN-2535DE-SA SATA Hot-Swap Drive Cage Review @ TestFreaks

ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II and Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X Video Card Reviews @ Legit Reviews

The AMD Radeon R9 290x and R9 290 both have great performance when gaming, but the cards run notoriously hot. AMD says that the cards were designed to run at 94C and that there is nothing wrong with running that high, but many enthusiasts think otherwise and have waited for the add-in board partners to come out with custom cards that have aftermarket coolers. Those cards are just now starting to trickle out and we got our hands on the yet to be released ASUS Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II and the Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Tri-X.

Read more: ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II and Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X Video Card Reviews @ Legit Reviews

Mionix NAOS 8200 High Performance Gaming Mouse @ NikKTech

Having medium sized hands has helped me quite a bit through the years since i can use pretty much every gaming mouse out there for both work and pleasure without having to spend much time in order to get used to it. However the same does not apply to some people i know so to get the ideal grip they are always forced to look for the largest possible gaming mice in the market. Unfortunately that's not very easy since most gaming peripheral companies focus in the design and manufacture of medium sized gaming mice aimed at the majority of consumers. Thankfully exceptions always exist and Mionix is perhaps the only gaming peripheral manufacturer that actually makes and has been making one of the largest gaming mice around for quite some time now. We are of course talking about the NAOS and today we will be testing the fastest model currently available the NAOS 8200 High Performance Gaming Mouse.

Read more: Mionix NAOS 8200 High Performance Gaming Mouse @ NikKTech

Lian Li Q27 Mini-ITX case @ Bjorn3D

Small computer cases for mini-ITX motherboards have been extremely popular the last few years. Once these types of systems could only house components with little power but these days you can build pretty competent and powerful systems regardless of the size of the case. The Lian li Q27 is such a case offering support both regular ATX power supplies as well as video cards up to 195 mm and cpu coolers up to 70 mm height. It is a simple but stylish case that comes with USB3.0 support.

Read more: Lian Li Q27 Mini-ITX case @ Bjorn3D

NVIDIA Unveils Tegra K1 192-Core Mobile Processor @ Legit Reviews

NVIDIA today unveiled the revolutionary Tegra® K1 mobile processor, a 192-core super chip featuring the same NVIDIA® Kepler™ architecture that powers the fastest GPU on the planet, the NVIDIA GeForce® GTX™ 780 Ti. For the first time, next-generation PC gaming will now be available on mobile platforms.

Read more: NVIDIA Unveils Tegra K1 192-Core Mobile Processor @ Legit Reviews

Hands-on review: Lenovo Vibe Z @ TechRadar

Before I even begin: No, US, UK and AU readers, you cannot have this. Not yet, at least. (A bit more on that later.) This is the Lenovo Vibe Z, the Chinese ThinkPad maker's latest flagship Android phone, it's first LTE smartphone ever and probably one of the biggest teases of CES 2014.Why? For one, just look at the thing. Housing a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS touch screen, this hyper thin (0.31 inches) handset weighs just 5.12 ounces. For a phone that borders on phablet, it feels as if a 4-inch phone in weight. This is partly why Lenovo went with a polycarbonate plastic shell (in either a silver or titanium black textured finish) rather than metal, a Lenovo representative told me on the show floor.

Read more: Hands-on review: Lenovo Vibe Z @ TechRadar

Cooler Master Hyper 103 Review @ KitGuru

Today we are looking at the Cooler Master Hyper 103. Aimed at users on a restrictive budget, the Hyper 103 sports three 6 mm heat pipes, vents to aid airflow around the heat pipes and a 92 mm PWM fan. Retailing for as little as £9.99, can the Hyper 103 hold its own against other budget coolers such as the Silverstone Argon AR01?

Read more: Cooler Master Hyper 103 Review @ KitGuru

Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset Review @ Benchmark Reviews

The Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset provides a solid performance at a budget price. Benchmark Reviews has tested this headset and the results will allow you decide if the Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset is for you. The headset will undergo player evaluations and technical tests.

Read more: Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset Review @ Benchmark Reviews

CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse @ techPowerUp

CM Storm's new Havoc gaming mouse features the 8200 DPI Avago ADNS-9800 sensor which has proven to be one of the most consistent, high-performance laser sensors out there. That, coupled with plenty of buttons, should make for an interesting combination.

Read more: CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse @ techPowerUp