Reviews 51946 Published by

Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

AMD FX 8370 & FX 8370E Review
AMD FX 8370 & FX 8370E Review
AMD FX-8370 and FX-8370E Processors Review
AMD FX-8370 And FX-8370E Reviewed
AMD FX-8370E AM3+ Processor Performance Review
AMD FX-8370E CPU Review: Vishera Down to 95W, Price Cuts for FX
AMD Radeon R9 285 GPU Review: Tonga Arrives
AMD Radeon R9 285 Review
AMD Radeon R9 285 Review: Tonga GPU Makes its Debut
AMD Radeon R9-285 - AMD FX 8370 and 8370E processor review
AMD targeting Intels i5 with new 95-watt E Series line of processors
AMDs FX-8370E processor reviewed
AMDs Radeon R9 285 graphics card reviewed
Asus R9 285 STRIX Review
CORSAIR Graphite 380T Computer Case Review
GIGABYTE R9 285 OC 2GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card Preview
Intel Lands More Graphics Changes For Linux 3.18
Lumia 930 Review: Nokia's best smartphone yet
MSI Radeon R9 285 GAMING OC Video Card Review
MyDigitalSSD Super Cache 2 128GB SATA III M.2 Drive Review
Radeon R9-285 Review
Running AMDs FX-8370 / FX-8370E On Linux
Samsung Chromebook Review
Sapphire R9 285 Dual-X OC 2 GB
Scythe Mugen MAX CPU Cooler Review



AMD FX 8370 & FX 8370E Review

Almost 3 years ago, AMD released the first FX CPUs featuring the Bulldozer architecture; we sadly know how that went. In mid 2012, AMD refreshed the FX line with the new Piledriver architecture. The Piledriver cores provided a better performance level than its predecessor and has been with us since. Then in 2013, AMD finally brought out the big guns with the FX 9590, its fastest out of the box CPUs with a clock speed of 5GHz.

This brings us to 2014 and AMD's release of 3 new FX offerings, the FX 8320, FX 8370E and FX 8370. All three offer 8-cores and lower TDP than the previous 8-core FX chips. AMD is targeting users with 4- and 6-core FX chips with an upgrade to 8 cores, without the need for a new high-end motherboard. The question is... how do these lower TDP 8-core FX chips perform?

This review will try to answer that, so read on!

Read full article @ Neoseeker

AMD FX 8370 & FX 8370E Review

When it came time to overclock the processors, both of these SKUs really delivered more than I was expecting from them, especially from the 3.3GHz-rated FX-8370E. Both chips eagerly approached the 5GHz realm to compete on an almost level field with the pricier FX-9590 and FX 9370. First up was the FX-8370E, a chip I felt was going to be the weak link, but turned out to run at 4.99GHz with 1.5v applied in the BIOS while running the memory at over 2400MHz and hyperlink speeds above 2600MHz. Pretty stout for a supposedly non power-hungry chip. One thing that seemed off was that this chip would never heat up while running through IBT or the AIDA64 stress test. There was movement, but it would just never top 55 °C. On the other hand, the FX-8370 did exceed the 5GHz mark, matching the overclock of the FX-9370 of 5.015GHz with 1.48v set in the BIOS, but showed a bit more temperature scaling with its 125W TDP. Still not enough to throttle during the overclocking phase of the testing, but enough to get close. To get 1.6GHz out of the FX-8370E and just over 1.0GHz out of the FX-8370 shows that you can still have some fun and significantly increase the performance of the latest AMD FX processors.

Read full article @ OCC

AMD FX-8370 and FX-8370E Processors Review

Although you cannot call the new FX-series processors a re-invention, their new sensibly competitive place in the market segment is hard to ignore. AMD did always tout the virtues of upgradeability and these new additions to the FX lines are proof of that commitment to their fan base.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

AMD FX-8370 And FX-8370E Reviewed

It has been more than a year since AMD launched its last major update to the top end FX processor line -- the FX-9590. The company has been quiet in the face of Intel's high-end launches, but today AMD is shipping a new CPU that's aimed at multi-core performance enthusiasts who don't want a furnace sitting on their motherboards, and prefer more modest power consumption and quiet computing.

The new FX-8370, FX-8370E, and FX-8320E are familiar in many ways. These cores are still based on the older Piledriver architecture that debuted in 2012, they can still process two threads per module and four modules total for eight CPU cores, and they still rely on AMD's Socket AM3+.

What's new today is the power envelopes and, in one case, a slight speed bump. More details and information after the jump, as we do the play-by-play.

Read full article @ HotHardware

AMD FX-8370E AM3+ Processor Performance Review

The newest installment of AMD FX CPUs is finally upon us. September 2014 marks the release of the a few new FX CPUs, including the FX-8370, the FX-8370E, and the FX-8320E. Although I, for one, have been anxious to see a new FX CPU lineup using Steamroller cores, the three CPUs released today follow the same pattern as the last two years worth of FX CPU in using Piledriver cores. With the AMD Kaveri APUs showing up at the beginning of 2014 with Steamroller cores, I thought perhaps the FX series wouldn't be far behind. Looks like we will be waiting until next year at least. Today, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the FX-8370 and FX-8370E processors.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

AMD FX-8370E CPU Review: Vishera Down to 95W, Price Cuts for FX

I will be honest, after AMD did not update its FX processor line with the Steamroller architecture, I was not too hopeful for the brand to see anything new in 2014. But since the start of the year the 5 GHz turbo FX-9590 has been rereleased as a consumer part and today AMD is showing it can get four Piledriver modules down to 95W with a few frequency adjustments and cherry picking the dies. This is accompanied with price cuts for the eight-thread FX parts, which AMD is aiming squarely at similarly priced Intel i5 and i3 processors.

Read full article @ Anandtech

AMD Radeon R9 285 GPU Review: Tonga Arrives

Today, AMD is launching a new mainstream graphics card based on another fresh GPU, codenamed Tonga. Typically, when the big GPU manufacturers launch a new high-end product, they pare that GPU down to create more affordable offerings with nearly identical feature sets. But Tonga is not simply a pared down version of Hawaii. AMD has actually updated and improved a couple of functional blocks in the GPU to boost performance and / or power efficiency.

The first product built around the Tonga GPU is the Radeon R9 285. As its name suggests, this card falls into AMD’s current line-up in between the Radeon R9 270X and R9 280X, but there’s more to the story than just that...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

AMD Radeon R9 285 Review

Today AMD is debuting its Tonga architecture with a mid-range GPU dubbed the Radeon R9 285 that is designed to deliver mainstream performance at a competitive price. The "Tonga" GPU is essentially a newer, cheaper to produce version of the tried and true "Tahiti" GPU, with features such as DirectX 12 support and next-gen CrossFire...

The Radeon 200 series has exploded with a multitude of graphics cards this year and today yet another joins the crew. However this one is a little different to most of the 200 series, as it’s not a direct rebadge of a HD 7000 series card.

Read full article @ Legion Hardware

AMD Radeon R9 285 Review: Tonga GPU Makes its Debut

As a mid-range GPU, the R9 285 is meant to deliver mainstream performance at a competitive price. The "Tonga" GPU is essentially a newer, cheaper to produce version of the tried and true "Tahiti" GPU, with features such as DirectX 12 support and next-gen CrossFire. It does have an inferior memory controller, however.

Read full article @ Techspot

AMD Radeon R9-285 - AMD FX 8370 and 8370E processor review

In this review we look at the new AMD Radeon R9 285. Yes this is the new Tonga GPU based product. Tonga should bring the price from high-end gaming towards 249 USD, while (according to AMD) you can game with good image quality settings at WQHD - 2560x1440. Follow us into this review where we'll look at temperatures, noise, performance and go with the latest game titles on the globe.

So as mentioned in the first paragraph, the Radeon R9 285 is based on a the new Tonga GPU. It's still built on the 28nm node from Global Foundries and features bit of a re-design applying the latest architectural improvements. A big focus of the Tonga GPU is actually power efficiency as we'll show you in this review. Tonga retains the basic technologies of the Radeon lineup such as Mantle, TrueAudio and XDMA for CrossFire support. The GPU actually has 2048 shader processors running over 32 compute units with 128 texture memory units.

The initial consumer graphics card based on Tonga now is the Radeon R9 285, it has 1792 activated stream processors making it perform at GeForce GTX 760 and Radeon HD 7970 level performance levels but with better thermals and lower power consumption. Performance wise this product is going to sit in-between the 280 and 280X. Most of the cards will have two 6-pin power PEG (PCI Express Graphics) headers to give the tweaking experience a little more room next to the 4+2 PWM phase power design. Overall a great card to play the latest games with whilst offering a good memory size versus good price versus the Full HD / 1080P monitor resolution.

Read full article @ Guru3D

AMD targeting Intels i5 with new 95-watt E Series line of processors

While rival processor purveyor Intel may have had their day in the sun introducing the latest line of i7 processors at PAX Prime, AMD today announced a class of products for a different sector of the PC audience. Namely, it's called the E-Series and it's going to give budget-conscious PC builders a value option instead of opting for an admittedly more expensive Intel core i5. The AMD FX-8370e and 8320e both stockpile up to eight Piledriver cores on their dies and, with some help from an R9 280x, boast some high results in games like Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare and upcoming Linchdom: Battlemage. Hertz, don't it?Piledriver, it's worth noting, is not actually the latest APU architecture - that honor is reserved for Kaveri. Why didn't AMD make an 8 core Kaveri system instead of pushing for Piledriver? AMD Product Marketing Manager Adam Kozack told us that due to heat and die size constraints it just wouldn't be possible this time around, though it wouldn't be something we here at TechRadar would rule out for this time next year.The 95-watt E-Series processors will come in at just under $200, with the 3.3GHz base speed 8370e retailing for $199 (about £120, AU$213) and the 3.2GHz 8320 going for $147 (about £89, AU$157). Overclockers may be more excited to know that also en route this week is a standard, 125-watt AM3+ socket version of the 8370 that will retail for $199 (about £120, AU$213).The E-Series and 125-watt 8370 aren't the only trick AMD has up its sleeve, though. Last year's top dog, the 4.7GHz FX-9590, is scheduled to drop down to $230 (about £138, AU$245) today as well.Has AMD's pricing structure added unforeseen difficulty to your PC-building plans? Check out our 2013 primer on AMD vs. Intel!

Read full article @ Techradar

AMDs FX-8370E processor reviewed

AMD has just shaken up its FX processor series with price cuts and a trio of new models. The additions are based on the same Vishera silicon as before, but the magic of binning has yielded a faster 125W top-of-the-line part as well as two eight-core offerings with 95W thermal envelopes. We compared one of those 95W offerings, the $200 FX-8370E, against Intel's finest.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

AMDs Radeon R9 285 graphics card reviewed

The Tonga GPU inside the Radeon R9 285 is way more interesting than we were expecting--and that's very good news indeed. Read on to find out why the Radeon R9 285 consistently overachieves.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Asus R9 285 STRIX Review

If you are in the market for a new graphics card – statistically you will be shopping in the sub £200 sector. While the R9 295X2 may grab all the headlines it is priced out of reach for all but the wealthiest of enthusiast gamer. This week AMD release their latest addition to the R9 family – the R9 285. Rather than take a look at a lackluster AMD reference cooled solution, we managed to get our hands on the new Asus R9 285 Strix – which features a very interesting semi passive fan configuration.

Read full article @ KitGuru

CORSAIR Graphite 380T Computer Case Review

During Computex 2014, Corsair have shown their latest additions to their gaming enclosures. Besides the Carbide Air 250, a shrinked version of their popular 540 Air Cube case, Corsair jumped on the ultra portable mITX gaming enclosures band wagon with the new Graphite 380T, a futuristic design with rounded corners, featuring a big carrying handle and designed to support long graphics cards with ease. With the build-in 3 speed fan controller and room for up to five fans this little case could ultimately cool your mini gaming powerhouse. If this hasn't drawn your attention, maybe one of the flashy color schemes will. Time to open the package and show what this case has got in its margin...

Read full article @ Madshrimps

GIGABYTE R9 285 OC 2GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card Preview

Now that the NDA has lifted, we are pleased to have the opportunity to share some "preview" information about GIGABYTE's new Radeon R9 285 Tonga Pro based graphics card. Expect a full fledged review from yours truly in the coming days which will include a full battery of testing and overclocking! Until then, read more and check out some of our own teaser information that we have compiled so far.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Intel Lands More Graphics Changes For Linux 3.18

For the Linux 3.18 kernel Intel has ready some more DRM graphics driver changes beyond the exciting work already sent into drm-next.

Intel already landed in the drm-next tree improved Cherryview support and many other changes while this week another patch series sent in by Intel OTC's Daniel Vetter just landed into drm-next.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Lumia 930 Review: Nokia's best smartphone yet

The Lumia 930 is Nokia’s new flagship and successor to the Lumia 925. You might notice that this handset looks very similar to the Lumia Icon the company released earlier this year exclusively on Verizon, and that’s because it's essentially the international version of the Icon, packing Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box. Hardware-wise you get a large, 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, and Nokia’s signature 20-megapixel PureView camera.

Read full article @ Techspot

MSI Radeon R9 285 GAMING OC Video Card Review

AMD has launched the $249 AMD Radeon R9 285 video card. We dive into this somewhat confusing GPU. We compare it to the GeForce GTX 760 as well as an AMD Radeon R9 280. We'll discuss GCN differences in this new video card that may give it the edge with some feedback from AMD.

Read full article @ HardOCP

MyDigitalSSD Super Cache 2 128GB SATA III M.2 Drive Review

MyDigitalSSD is not a company I had heard of before so when they sent us over their 128GB Super Cache 2 M.2 SSD I had to look them up. What I found is they a company that was started in 2007 with a goal of bringing "the performance and reliability of other bigger name brands without their big name price tags". Read on to see how they perform!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Radeon R9-285 Review

Today AMD allow us to publish results from their new GPU, so lets get on with our R9-285 Review which focuses on the MSI Twin Frozr IV, Overclock Edition.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven

Running AMDs FX-8370 / FX-8370E On Linux

AMD today is rolling out three new FX-Series processors (the FX-8320E, FX-8370E, and FX-8370) while cutting prices on their existing Vishera AM3+ FX processors. AMD sent over the new FX-8370 and FX-8370E CPUs last week to Phoronix (the FX-8320E is still forthcoming) so we are here with the rundown on the Linux performance of these new FX CPUs compared to a wide variety of other Intel and AMD Linux systems with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

AMD's roll-out today of new FX-Series processors (to some dismay) is not about the adoption of a new architecture (Steamroller/Excavator) or any major revamp, but the new CPUs come in at the mid and low-end of the FX spectrum. For all the existing AM3+ CPUs, AMD is slashing prices -- quite noticeably in some cases. For example, the AMD FX-9590 that was reviewed yesterday (thanks to AMD also including the new FX-9590 water cooling retail unit with these other models for review) is being lowered by almost $100 USD. While the FX-9590 is being cut down the most, the lower-end models are seeing between an $11 and $21 price reduction. Before getting any further, here is a table by AMD PR that conveniently shows the new processors and the price changes to the existing models.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Samsung Chromebook Review

According to Samsung, their Chromebook is a new, faster, and easier kind of computer. But why "new"? It looks like a laptop (or, better said, a "netbook"), because of its screen and keyboard size, but its internal hardware makes it more similar to a tablet, with an ARM CPU and flash storage, and running the Google Chrome OS. What makes it different, however, is that it is designed to have its programs and data stored in the "cloud", not locally. Let's take a look at this curious portable computer.

Read full article @ Hardware Secrets

Sapphire R9 285 Dual-X OC 2 GB

Today AMD launches the Radeon R9 285, based on their brand-new Tonga GPU, which replaces Tahiti, promising to be faster and more power efficient. Sapphire's board comes with a custom cooler and is overclocked out of the box for some extra performance.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Scythe Mugen MAX CPU Cooler Review

Scythe is widely known in the PC enthusiast crowd for their CPU coolers, specifically their Mugen line of high-performance air coolers. Scythe is back with a brand new CPU cooler in their Mugen MAX. The Mugen MAX has been redesigned with a new heatsink that should increase performance and they have moved the CPU block to increase compatibility with memory modules. Scythe says that the Mugen MAX belongs in the “XL” CPU cooler market and with dimensions of 145 x 86 x 161 mm it is one of the larger CPU coolers we have seen this year. On top of its size the Mugen MAX features six nickel-plated copper heatpipes and Scythe’s own GlideStream 140 mm cooling fan. Can this cooler compete with some of the other larger CPU coolers that we have tested this year? Read on as we find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org