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Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

ASUS X99 DELUXE (Intel LGA 2011-3)
AZZA ‘Z’ CSAZ-103 Mini-ITX Case Review
Benchmarked - Metro: Last Light Redux
Build your first PC: Step by step video guide
Coolermaster Hyper D92 Heatsink Review
Corsair Carbide 240 AIR Computer Case Review
Dells Venue 8 2014 Tablet Runs Android Powered By Intel
Gainward GTX 970 Phantom previewed
GIGABYTE GA-X99-Gaming G1 WiFi Motherboard Review
Grain Audio PWS.01 Packable Wireless Speaker Review
LEPA LV12 CPU Cooler Review
Motorola Moto G (2014) Review: Still the Budget Phone to Beat
NZXT Kraken G10 Liquid GPU Cooling Bracket Review
Plextor M6e 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD Review
QNAP TS-653 Pro Review
Roccat Tyon Mouse Review
Tesoro Kuven Gaming Headset Review



ASUS X99 DELUXE (Intel LGA 2011-3)

We take our first look at ASUS's LGA 2011-3 products, starting with the ASUS X99 DELUXE. Wrapped in new clothing, the ASUS X99 DELUXE not only has DELUXE looks and DELUXE features, it also has a DELUXE socket for you to place your new Haswell-E CPU into, with an additional 48 pins.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

AZZA ‘Z’ CSAZ-103 Mini-ITX Case Review

Building a gaming computer with a small computer case is known to be a challenge for some PC gamers. It is hard to find the right case that can properly house high end components while at the same time maintaining proper airflow in such a small form factor. Luckily, AZZA has released their new CSAZ-103 mini-ITX case, also known as the “Z”. The AZZA Z is capable of housing graphics cards up to 11 inches, a regular PS2 ATX power supply unit, two 120mm water cooling radiators, and much more. Finishing it off is a black and green exterior with bright green power LED’s and a green 120mm side fan. In such a small form factor case, the AZZA Z can also be used for building a Steambox or for building a generic media center PC. Using the provided vertical stand that comes in the box, the AZZA Z stands vertically just like a normal desktop computer to save desk space for your other person equipment.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Benchmarked - Metro: Last Light Redux

Last month 4A Games released updated versions of the two earlier games in the Metro series, Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux. The games have both been remastered using the latest version of 4A Engine, with updates for the latest generation of console hardware among other things. Fundamentally, that means less for Metro: Last Light than it does for Metro 2033, but there are still some visual changes, and that potentially means performance changes as well.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Build your first PC: Step by step video guide

Building a PC does not need to be difficult or complicated – and it can be hugely rewarding. Today, we are launching our first system building tutorial. A simple step-by-step video that will take the beginner by the hand and lead them down the path to independence and true knowledge. Your guide is our very own engineering guru, Leo Waldock.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Coolermaster Hyper D92 Heatsink Review

The Coolermaster Hyper D92 is a moderately sized CPU cooler which stands 147mm tall and weighs 636 grams. The Hyper D92 ships with not a 120mm... or even 140mm fan, but rather a pair of 92mm fans that spin at 2800-800RPM. The fans move upwards of 15-55CFM according to manufacturer specs. Small 92mm fans may seem terribly risky, but Coolermaster have a trick up their sleeves.

Read full article @ Frostytech

Corsair Carbide 240 AIR Computer Case Review

Corsair has been bombarding the MadShrimps reviewers with loads of new stuff since Computex 2014. Since motherboard brands are including mATX and even mITX boards in their lineup we see more and more of these tiny form factors appear at LAN parties. Portability is a big added bonus if you are a frequent LAN party visitor. Enclosure manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon and are including more frequently mITX cases. One of the biggest drawbacks of these tiny cases is the limited internal airflow, thus the heat buildup and stability of your favorite hardware components are compromised. Corsair has developed a shrinked-down version of their magnificent Carbide 540 AIR. The Carbide 240 AIR is again a two chamber cube, designed for maximum cooling and hardware compatibility, yet this time in a tiny form factor.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Dells Venue 8 2014 Tablet Runs Android Powered By Intel

While the company never found footing in the cutthroat smartphone arena, Dell is still keeping its toe dipped in tablet waters. Around six months after shipping its initial Venue 8 slate, Dell’s latest edition, the Venue 8 3840, is a vast improvement.

The new $179 Venue 8 maintains the same product name as the prior edition, but inside, it’s a different beast. The sub-$200 sector is a challenging one to play in, and it’s becoming tougher to cut through the noise as well. Externally, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the initial Venue 8 and the 2014 edition, but a Merrifield processor from Intel as well as an upgraded display makes this a very compelling offering.

Those two additions alone make this one of the best-spec'ed value-targeted tablets on the market, but as you well know, buying decisions can’t boil down to specifications alone...

Read full article @ HotHardware

Gainward GTX 970 Phantom previewed

Nvidia has released two new graphics cards based on its latest Maxwell GPU architecture. The Geforce GTX 970 and Geforce GTX 980 will replace the outgoing Kepler-based Geforce GTX 780 and Geforce GTX 780Ti.

Although Nvidia showed off GTX 970 referent cards, we don’t expect to see many of them in retail. Nvidia gave its AIB partners the green light to offer custom designs at launch, so we are already seeing GTX 970 cards with factory overclocks and custom coolers.

Gainward is offering two 970-series cards. The first one works at reference clocks and comes with a custom blower cooler. The second one is factory overclocked card and comes with the Phantom cooler, which is supposed to ensure quiet operation at the higher clocks.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

GIGABYTE GA-X99-Gaming G1 WiFi Motherboard Review

The GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 WiFi motherboard is the flagship gaming board from our friends over at GIGABYTE. There isn't much that the X99-Gaming G1 WiFi isn't capable of doing, it's packed with features. While you might expect to pay an arm and a leg for the flagship gaming motherboard from GIGABYTE, it's priced pretty reasonable for an Intel X99 motherboard. As I'm writing this the GIGABYTE X99-Gaming G1 can be purchased for as little as $344.99! Read on to find out how this board performs!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Grain Audio PWS.01 Packable Wireless Speaker Review

There are more portable wireless speaker manufacturers out in the market currently than i can even begin to count but the thing that really matters is that most of them have one thing in common, they don't seem to focus enough in producing high quality and high performance products mainly because the majority of their target audience places low-cost and design above everything else. There are certainly some exceptions to that rule so aside low-cost portable wireless speakers these companies do occasionally release good quality products but still not on par to what some other more "audiophile" oriented companies do. Grain Audio may not have been around for long but they've got a large following around the world simply because they cater to the needs of people who place quality and performance above cost and so it's no surprise that we just had to check out their latest products and the PWS.01 packable wireless speaker is the first to reach our doorstep.

Headquartered in the USA, Grain Audio is the brainchild of three friends with backgrounds in acoustics, design, architecture and marketing. United by their love of music and their desire to hear it the way the artist intended, the Grain Audio team channeled their collective experience in consumer electronics and design to fuel their passion to create premiere audio devices. Realizing their desire to give back via social and environmental initiatives, Grain Audio employs eco-friendly practices and materials (including FSC-certified wood) that minimize the company's carbon footprint.

For the PWS.01 packable wireless speaker Grain Audio followed an entirely different path compared to most other manufacturers since they decided to use solid walnut wood coated with oil for most of the exterior housing. This was not only to improve the quality, looks and feeling of the speaker but also to help produce warmer and more natural sound since solid wood due to its higher density compared to other materials (like for example plastic) doesn't resonate much. As far as specifications go the PWS.01 features Bluetooth v3.0 together with A2DP, aptX and AAC but that's not all since it also makes use of MaxxAudio DSP audio processing tool from Waves, a GRAMMY award winner company. Two 2” proprietary loudspeakers (frequency response of 65Hz-20KHz) and a proprietary passive radiator (with Grain Audios patented bass isolation system) are responsible for delivering audio while a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery pack gives the PWS.01 up to 8 full hours of playtime (at normal volume levels). Unfortunately the PWS.01 doesn't have a speakerphone function but I never expected one from an audiophile targeted product to begin with (besides i can't really say that any of us here uses that function with other portable wireless speakers).

Read full article @ Nikktech

LEPA LV12 CPU Cooler Review

LEPA is a company you may not have heard of. They are a division of Ecomaster and are being supported by Enermax so many of their products are similar. Today we will be taking a look at one of their latest CPU Coolers the LV12. The single tower cooler comes in white or black flavors to match your hardware and features four large copper heatpipes, a 120 mm cooling fan, a louver fin design and H.D.T. (Heatpipe Direct Touch) Technology which means the heatpipes will make direct contact with your CPU. This is LEPA’s first CPU cooler so we will just have to see how well it does. Read on to find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Motorola Moto G (2014) Review: Still the Budget Phone to Beat

The first-generation Moto G was a fantastic Android smartphone that cost just $179 unlocked and outright. It was Motorola’s first major push into the entry-level market under the guidance of Google, and it was quite a successful one. The new 2014 model keeps the same low price point, packs a larger 5-inch display and addresses some of its predecessors shortcomings with a much improved camera and a microSD slot for expandable storage.

Read full article @ Techspot

NZXT Kraken G10 Liquid GPU Cooling Bracket Review

Today we are going to take a look at the NZXT Kraken G10 GPU Water Cooling Bracket. While a ‘bracket’ may not sound particularly exciting, the G10 is an interesting proposition. Essentially, it is a mounting kit which lets you use an existing all-in-one CPU water cooling unit to cool your graphics card.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Plextor M6e 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD Review

Who like to purchase a current Intel Z97, X99, etc. motherboard or get at least information about an update, certainly have discovered that some motherboards are coming with a so-called M.2 socket.
But what exactly is M.2, which devices can you install and how fast is the transfer rate of this M.2 socket ?
These and many other questions will we be explained in this very special review of the Plextor M6e 256GB PX-G256M6e PCIe M.2 2280 SSD and of course also the performance of the new M.2 SSD will be tested in practice.
We are excited !

Read full article @ OcInside.de

QNAP TS-653 Pro Review

Today we are checking out the 6-bay model from the latest NAS series from QNAP. The TS-x53 Pro series is powered by an Intel Bay Trail-D quad-core processor and can be purchased in an 8GB configuration. Designed for mission-critical business applications the TS-x53 Pro series is available in 2, 4, 6 and 8-bay models...

Just two months ago we reviewed the first desktop NAS to feature an Intel Bay Trail-D processor, the QNAP TS-451 which was one of four new TS-x51 models. The Bay-Trail D processor of choice was the Celeron J1800. What made this such an important choice was it allowed QNAP to utilize Intel’s Quick Sync engine, which enables some useful multimedia features for home users.

Read full article @ Legion Hardware

Roccat Tyon Mouse Review

In our Roccat Tyon Review we look at this new mouse and discover that it has fins. Yes, like a shark.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven

Tesoro Kuven Gaming Headset Review

Mythology and historical stories can be a wealth of inspiration to which Tesoro have established a firm association with. We have recently taken a look at the 'bow of Arjuna' and the Wolfslayer from Tesoro and now we take a look at the Helm of Hades, AKA the Kuvén gaming headset.

While unlikely to endow you with invisibility, it does come equipped with 50mm drivers and an edgy and aggressive gamer design that is bold yet stylish. Available in Devil and Angel variants, either will be suitably neutral for the majority of gamers aesthetic preferences.

Read full article @ Vortez