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Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

A Look At How The AMD EPYC Linux Performance Has Evolved Over The Past Year
Alphacool Eissturm Gaming Kit Review
AMD StoreMI Tiered Storage Review
ASRock H370M-ITX/ac Motherboard Review
Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB OC Edition Review
Barrow LTYK3-04 Review
Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2018
BlackVue DR900S-2CH Dashcam Review
Budget All-round PC - June 2018
DesignEvo Online Logo Maker Review
FSP CMT520 Review
Intel Core i7-8086K CPU Review
Intel Core i7-8086K Review
LG G7 ThinQ Review
Silicon Power PCIe Gen3x2 P32A80 256GB SSD Review
Streaming & Gaming PC Guide - Everything You Need In 2018



A Look At How The AMD EPYC Linux Performance Has Evolved Over The Past Year

This month marks one year since AMD returned to delivering high-performance server CPUs with the debut of their EPYC 7000 series processor line-up. It's been a triumphant period for AMD with the successes over the past year of their EPYC family. Over the past year, the Linux support has continued to improve with several EPYC/Zen CPU optimizations, ongoing Zen compiler tuning, CPU temperature monitoring support within the k10temp driver, and general improvements to the Linux kernel that have also helped out EPYC. In this article is a comparison of a "2017" Linux software stack as was common last year to the performance now possible if using the bleeding-edge software components. These Linux benchmarks were done with the EPYC 7351P, 7401P, and 7601 processors.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Alphacool Eissturm Gaming Kit Review

So you’ve got yourself a brand spanking new PC on order and you couldn’t be more stoked.  This time you went all out.  The latest high end desktop processor, flagship motherboard, maxed out memory, m.2s galore, and you even managed to snag a pair of 1080 ti’s right out from under a crypto miner’s nose.  But did you consider cooling when you put that parts list together?  That processor has more cores than it knows what to do with and they run hot.  Hot like Hawaii growing further out of the Pacific, hot like the forest outside LA last summer.  For cpu heat like that there is no other long term solution better than a traditional water cooling loop.  And therein lies the problem.  Watercooling is a whole new level of technical parts and perceived dangers.  Luckily manufactures have realized this; enter the kit.  These boxes come complete with all the parts that you need to put together your first loop.  The bonus being that you are guaranteed to have compatible parts and if you choose the right kit you get real quality parts that can be used for years to come as you expand and upgrade.  Today we are taking a look at one of those kits, the Eissturm Gaming Kit from Alphacool.  Alphacool are old pros in the watercooling game hailing from Germany so expectations are high for this 360mm rad equipped loop.  Follow along as we find out just how cool this kit can keep your processor.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

AMD StoreMI Tiered Storage Review

With the release of Ryzen second-generation CPUs and X470 chipsets, AMD unveiled a new hybrid storage solution called StoreMI, that may just put an end to choosing speed or size when it comes to your data storage.

When it comes to storage, there seems to be a constantly sliding scale between capacity, performance, and price. This has become more drastic ever since the introduction of consumer-level Solid State Drives. In capacities up to 2TB, they are beginning to hold enough data to keep most people happy, but at prices few can afford, with SATA drives hovering around $450, and nVME starting at $800. Compare this to 10TB mechanical drives starting as low as $310, or even 4TB drives for under $100.

You can start to see how difficult prioritizing your storage needs can be in the current market.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

ASRock H370M-ITX/ac Motherboard Review

ASRock has been the most active motherboard vendor for mini-ITX options with product offerings for all four chipsets – the H310M-ITX/ac, B360M-ITX/ac, H370M-ITXac, Z370M-ITX/ac and Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac. The subject of this review, the H370M-ITX/ac, is ASRock’s middle option for Intel 8th Generation and mini-ITX.

With a price point of around £100 (US$110) for the H370M-ITX/ac, there are considerable savings to be made against Z370 mini-ITX motherboards from other vendors, such as the ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming (£180/$180) or Gigabyte Z370N-WiFi (£140/$150). Mini-ITX rivals in the H310, B360 and H370 segments are almost entirely absent making ASRock its own main rival, with only ASUS ROG Strix’s H370-I Gaming (£125/$135) and B360-I Gaming (£120/$125) worth a mention.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB OC Edition Review

Asus' take on the Radeon RX Vega 64 shows good build quality, high performance, and attractive looks. But can the ROG Strix card compel gamers to spend big at a time when AMD's flagship needs to sell for less than the GeForce GTX 1080?

Asus did a great job designing a sharp-looking Radeon RX Vega 64 card that performs better than AMD's reference implementation. We would have liked to see the company put a thermal pad between its PCB and backplate, though, to counter high board temperatures under load, along with using slightly higher fan speeds. Regardless, the prices of all Radeon RX Vega 64 models remain a little too high for a recommendation at this time.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Barrow LTYK3-04 Review

Today we look at a water cooler from the Asian company Barrow, which is less popular in Europe. Can it keep up with the local top dogs of well-known brand manufacturers? Are there any disadvantages and how does it overclock? Also this time there is the test including a new OCinside YouTube channel video of the whole system with the Barrow LTYK3-04, Enermax NEOChanger, Intel Core i7-7700K, ASUS ROG Maximus IX Code, ASUS ROG Poseidon GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3600 and Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 in a Lian Li Alpha 550 case.

Read full article @ OCInside.de

Best Graphics Cards for Gaming in 2018

The performance of your graphics card determines the resolution and quality at which you’re able to play games. Picking the right one is key to building a balanced PC, so we review every model in depth to help guide your choice.

Right now, the best balance between performance, pricing, and power comes from Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1070. Of course, if price is no object and you own a 4K monitor, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is our top pick. At the other end of the spectrum, AMD’s Radeon RX 560 stands in as a solid budget-oriented option for great frame rates in eSports titles and serviceable 1080p performance. See below for our full list of graphics card recommendations.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

BlackVue DR900S-2CH Dashcam Review

A while back we were introduced to Pittasoft when we reviewed the BlackVue DR650S-2CH dashcam. Overall we were quite happy with the performance, but there were a few improvements we would have liked to see. When I recently heard the DR900S-2CH was coming out, I jumped on the chance to look at the new and improved device. The biggest improvement on paper is now the primary camera is capable of 4K resolution and the rear is 1080P.

Read full article @ Bigbruin.com

Budget All-round PC - June 2018

The all-round PC is a PC with comprehensive features for around £650 - £750 that can do a little bit of everything. It should have enough speed and capacity to meet your needs for some time. Currently it can run all applications, and you're able to upgrade it with small future investments when you need more power or storage capacity.

Surfing, gaming, business applications, photo and video editing should all be possible on the all-round PC without giving you the feeling that it's lacking in performance.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

DesignEvo Online Logo Maker Review

Several months ago, I was contacted by the DesignEvo marketing team, asking me to review their product. And now that I've made some solid progress through my neverending request and publication queue, we are indeed doing that. DesignEvo is an online logo maker tool, with thousands of high-quality templates available, offering both free and paid services.

In general, the creation of logos is a somewhat niche need, but then, a lot of people like to have business cards, or they may wish to design an icon for their website or online service, and usually, this process involves working with an artist. But some may choose to style their own custom work, and this is where DesignEvo comes in. Let's see what gives.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

FSP CMT520 Review

The FSP CMT520 should not be mistaken for an evolutionary step up from the CMT510. It does not only come with a completely different internal feel, but also a different external look. The changes result in great dual radiator support, better RGB fan compatibility with motherboards, and better storage capabilities.

he FSP CMT520 may carry a similar model number as the CMT510, but is not simply a small evolution of that chassis. Instead, it is a completely different beast offering a totally different design both externally and internally. It combines steel, glass, and plastic to create a more elaborate look and offers much greater dual-radiator support and an upgraded RGB controller for the four included fans.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

Intel Core i7-8086K CPU Review

At Computex this past week, five was the magic number. Usually, it was describing the number of gigahertz certain Intel processors were clocked at during the company's keynote. One of those demos has touched off a firestorm about just how valid it is to demonstrate a 28-core CPU with an extreme overclock and extreme cooling, but the other 5-GHz chip Intel showed is a product you can actually buy today. In exchange for $425 at Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy, the Core i7-8086K is meant to celebrate 40 years of the x86 instruction set architecture. It's also making a little history of its own as Intel's first processor to reach 5 GHz Turbo Boost speeds.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Intel Core i7-8086K Review

Intel announced it, we asked for one, we were told no press samples, so we bought one. This is Intels 40th anniversary of the original x86 microarchitecture with the 8086 processor, and to celebrate they released the Core i7-8086K, based on Coffee Lake with a turbo up to 5.0 GHz. With only 50,000 parts to be sold worldwide, 8086 of which are given away for free in regional sweepstakes, Intel is being bold in trying to limit supply and actively promote its new mainstream headline act. As with most processors, it is all in the binning, and this is truly Intel’s highest performance mainstream processor ever. However buying one of these CPUs for performance might leave a bad taste in your mouth.

 

Read full article @ Anandtech

LG G7 ThinQ Review

LG debuted the G7 ThinQ in early May and certainly turned some heads with the promise of a 1000 nits capable display, an AI-powered camera, and its Boombox Speaker features. On the surface, if you consider some of the salient features consumers are looking for in a modern smartphone, the marketing folks at LG had their ears to the ground, so to speak. The new LG G7 ThinQ checks many of the key feature boxes consumers look for in a handset, and it strikes a nice size balance as well, in a thin-bezel 6.1-inch form factor.

However, what makes true smartphone success is practical usability and how some of those key features translate in terms of overall user experience. We've been living with the G7 ThinQ for the better part of a month now and we wanted to offer a sense of how it performs as a daily driver, as well as our standard analysis and benchmark setup. We'll also have the important benefit of multiple software updates that have been pushed to the phone, from its pre-production state to its full release status as of now. As such, our experiences may differ here versus some of the early reviews that have previously hit the web.

Read full article @ HotHardware

Silicon Power PCIe Gen3x2 P32A80 256GB SSD Review

The NVMe P32A80 SSD solution from Silicon Power is able to provide good performance values for an entry-level solution and is available with capacities of 128, 256 and 512GB. The product comes with a 3-year warranty and for avoiding data transfer slowdowns, it is recommended to have it installed inside a well-ventilated chassis.

The ideal SSD for ultrabooks and laptops that need an upgrade in areas like speed, functionality, and responsiveness. Designed with the latest PCIe Gen 3x2 Interface, this PCIe boasts transfer speeds that rival any M.2 SSD and supports both NVMe 1.2 and Host Memory Buffer (HMB). Need a workhorse SSD you can count on? This is it.

Read full article @ Mad Shrimps

Streaming & Gaming PC Guide - Everything You Need In 2018

That's why today we will be looking at three different gaming setups that can help you on the right path to becoming a hobbyist or full-time streamer. We will be offering guides on three different tier setups, a Low Tier, Mid-Tier and High Tier. All the setups will include a full PC system and also the relevant peripherals to get you going with your streaming hobby or potential career.

Read full article @ Vortez