Reviews 51924 Published by

Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

2018 iPad with Apple Pencil support might replace your iPad Pro
9.7-inch $329 iPad (2018) – Should you buy it?
Acer PE320QK 32" Ultra HD HDR Monitor Review
Asus ROG Strix B360-F Gaming (Intel B360) Review
Asus ZenBook Flip 14 UX461UN Review
Best FreeSync monitors for Xbox One
Brightswitch Review
Cheap Coffee Lake: Three Intel H370 and B360 Motherboards, Tested
Chips down for Intel as Apple plans own processors in future Mac devices
Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mesh White Review
Cougar Phontum Gaming Headset Review
Detective Pikachu Review
Far Cry 5 Review
Gaming PC Guide April 2018
GIGABYTE AERO 15 (Coffee Lake-H) Laptop Review
Gigabyte Aero 15X (8th Gen) Review
Gigabyte Aero 15Xv8 Gaming Notebook Review
Intel B360 vs. Z370 Chipset: Finally an 8th-Gen Budget Platform
Intel Core i9, Coffee Lake and Optane: all about Intel’s newest processors for laptops
Intel Unleashes Salvo Of Coffee Lake Chips With Core i9 Mobile Gaming And U-Series CPUs, 300 Series Chipsets
Lenovo ThinkPad X280 Review
Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 Review
Oculus Rift: The Ultimate Guide
ROCCAT Horde AIMO Keyboard Review
SilverStone Redline Series RL06 PC Case Review
Viotek GN32Q 32-inch Curved 1440p 144Hz Monitor Review



2018 iPad with Apple Pencil support might replace your iPad Pro

Apple is aiming at the educational market with the new 2018 sixth generation iPad, but the addition of Apple Pencil support has generated a lot of commercial interest in the device. It is obviously superior to the popular iPad 2, but will it replace your iPad Pro?

Apple announced the new 2018 iPad, officially called the sixth generation iPad, at its "Field Trip" event. Nearly immediately, the complaints about no Face ID and similar high-end features erupted in social media, with some of it spilling into our forums.

Read full article @ Apple Insider

9.7-inch $329 iPad (2018) – Should you buy it?

Apple entered new territory with last year’s budget model $329 iPad — largely popular for reducing the barrier to entry for first time iPad owners. This time around, the thought of a budget iPad isn’t so crazy, as we’ve had a whole year to marinate on the idea.

Like last years model, the 6th generation 2018 iPad can be a compelling device if it happens to fit your needs. The good news is that its pretty easy to determine where this new iPad may fit in, and whether you should buy it or not. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough inside for the details.

Read full article @ 9to5Mac

Acer PE320QK 32" Ultra HD HDR Monitor Review

Pros seeking an accurate monitor with Ultra HD resolution, HDR10, and DCI-P3 color should consider the PE320QK. Its 32” panel delivers superb image quality that would enhance any video-editing suite.

Lately though, Ultra HD has become a thing. We’ve been seeing 3840x2160 resolution for several years now, but that isn’t enough to support the latest content creation. Monitors need to have extended color and HDR to be considered ready for professional use. The world is still waiting for true Rec.2020 color, but many screens now support the DCI-P3 color spec, which adds significant saturation to Rec.709 and sRGB. Adobe RGB? That’s so yesterday.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Asus ROG Strix B360-F Gaming (Intel B360) Review

More choice for 8th Gen. Let's start off this review by explaining what the B360 chipset is. Up until today, Intel had only one 300-series chipset available for anyone contemplating an 8th Gen Core CPU. That chipset is the fully-featured Z370. Now, however, Intel wants to introduce more flexibility and value into the desktop market by making an additional eight CPUs available - split between regular and low-power - and a further four chipsets to support them. Enter the Q370, H370, H310 and, of course, B360.

Read full article @ Hexus

Asus ZenBook Flip 14 UX461UN Review

Peppy, slim, easy to look at and fun to type on, the $900 Asus ZenBook Flip 14 has a lot going for it. That said, it’s tough to recommend the Flip over our current favorite 2-in-1, the HP Spectre x360, which offers a more powerful CPU, a pair of speedy Thunderbolt 3 ports, and substantially better battery life, all for just $170 extra. Still, bargain hunters looking for a slightly larger display than the Spectre’s 13-inch screen may yet be swayed by the cheaper Flip 14.Asus ZenBook Flip 14 specifications and price
We reviewed the $900 version of the ZenBook Flip 14, which boasts an Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core processor with integrated UHD 620 graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive. If you’ve got more money to burn, there’s a step-up model of the Flip 14 with an i7-8550U CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics chip.

Read full article @ PC World

Best FreeSync monitors for Xbox One

Keep your Xbox One games smoother than ever with these FreeSync monitors. The Xbox Spring Update brings a range of new display features to all Xbox One consoles, including support for Variable Refresh Rates via AMD's FreeSync. Establishing a direct connection with your console, FreeSync monitors can adjust refresh rates on the fly, reducing screen tearing and stuttering for games.

To take advantage of FreeSync for Xbox One, you'll need a compatible monitor. While hundreds of FreeSync displays are on the market, Xbox One consoles are limited to a subset with HDMI support. We've rounded up our top FreeSync monitors for Xbox One across a range of price points.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Brightswitch Review

You can watch YouTube on a light switch, not that you’ll want to.

Read full article @ TechHive

Cheap Coffee Lake: Three Intel H370 and B360 Motherboards, Tested

New mainstream chipsets integrate a couple formerly-pricey features for the first time in three years. We test three boards to find out more!

Today's official rollout of the Intel H370 and B360 chipsets is the starting gun for the debut of a horde of new, more affordable motherboards for 8th Generation Intel® Core™ processors. That's a desktop-hardware development long awaited by PC builders and upgraders, who have been bound, until now, to Z370-chipset-based motherboards and waiting for budget-minded boards for the "Coffee Lake" family of desktop chips.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Chips down for Intel as Apple plans own processors in future Mac devices

Thanks to the iPhone, Apple has been getting very good at silicon and may start using its own processors in Mac computers.

Intel stock fell 9pc yesterday (2 April) as reports emerged that Apple is planning to use its own chips in Mac computers from 2020 onwards. The decision would be a major blow to Intel, Apple’s Mac chip supplier.

Read full article @ SiliconRepublic

Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mesh White Review

The launch of the Cooler Master MasterCase H500P went off the rails, as our man Dominic found in October 2017 (https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/dominic-moass/cooler-master-mastercase-h500p-2017-haf-case-review/) as the case did not breath correctly and also tended to fall apart when you moved it around. Cooler Master knew things weren’t right and in January we saw a revised H500P at CES. (https://www.kitguru.net/channel/ces/damien-cox/ces-cooler-master-bolsters-its-mastercase-and-masterbox-series-of-cases-with-new-models/)

Fast forward a couple of months and here we are with the Cooler Master MasterCase H500P Mesh White. The ‘White’ part is self-explanatory and while the ‘Mesh’ aspect is important it is only part of the story as Cooler Master has changed some significant details of the H500P.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Cougar Phontum Gaming Headset Review

Today we will be covering the Phontum Gaming Headset by Cougar. Ahh the joy of finding a headset. So many choices, so many specs and features to to choose from, what am I supposed to do? Well that is where we come in. We will show you guys all the features and specifications and take all this and give you an opinion of our testing. Now as we all know sound can be a preferred experience, so what do you like? Me, I like deep bass and clear highs with no distortion. Some of you may not like heavy bass. What kind of sound do these Cougar Phontums put out? Well lets not delay this anymore and dive right into it.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Detective Pikachu Review

One thing I’ve always adored about the various Pokémon spin-offs in that they give players an alternative view into the world of Pokémon. Instead of just being a stereotypical trainer, they take you into the shoes of a ranger, photographer, or even into the shoes of an actual Pokémon. Sure, the quality of these games has been a bit hit or miss, but they’re always interesting in their own right. Detective Pikachu is one of the most fascinating spin-offs, however. This is a view of the Pokémon world like you’ve never seen it before.

It feels like the closest the Pokémon games has ever come to mimicking the world we’ve seen in the anime but from the perspective of someone who is not a trainer. Shock! Instead, Tim and his pal Pikachu solve a variety of mysteries together in their city, while working towards finding Tim’s missing father.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Far Cry 5 Review

When I first heard about Far Cry 5 and the possibility to play the entire game as part of a duo, I jumped at the opportunity to review it based on that alone. My partner in crime, Shelassa, and I have spent the better part of the last week playing through FC5 in tandem to see the story and to test out the duo-player mechanics.

Read full article @ MMORPG

Gaming PC Guide April 2018

This computer system is specifically geared towards gaming at WQHD resolution. That means a PC with a high-end graphics card and a processor that is fast enough to support the GPU, but also a fast monitor to display the rendered frames in the best way.

The rest of the configuration needs to be balanced as well. Since many gamers also enjoy overclocking their PC to improve performance, it is also important to choose a motherboard and memory that is suitable for this. Keep in mind that you will pay extra for that overclocking potential.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

GIGABYTE AERO 15 (Coffee Lake-H) Laptop Review

Today we bring you a review of a true Coffee Lake-based 6-core notebook. Back late last year, Intel launched its mobile 8th Generation of processors, but they also told us there would be three different microarchitectures within the 8th Generation family, and today we look at the second.

Today we look at a Coffee Lake-based i7-8750H rather than the typical i7-8550U Kaby Lake-R processors we have seen in notebooks launched since the last holiday season. Now, GIGABYTE has designed this notebook to be a sleek gaming machine. Our model has a GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU, a 144Hz FHD IPS display, and a huge battery. It might be the first time that six core mobile processors have widely proliferated the market, now let's see what they do in a well-packaged notebook from GIGABYTE.

Read full article @ TweakTown

Gigabyte Aero 15X (8th Gen) Review

Slim 15.6in gaming laptop gets a hexa-core makeover. It is an exciting time to be in the market for a new PC. Renewed competition among the major chip manufacturers has resulted in a wave of new CPU releases offering more cores and greater performance than ever before. Many-core desktop processors are now readily available, while ultra-thin laptops have made the transition to a quad-core design, and the last piece of the puzzle, it seems, is mobile high performance. Intel is filling the void today with the launch of a further five 8th Gen Core chips that will bring hexa-core computing to gaming laptops designed to thrill.

Opportunity beckons and a number of key players will be lining up to refresh their wares with the new hardware. One of the first to strike is Gigabyte, whose already tasty Aero 15X has been given the 8th Gen treatment.

Read full article @ Hexus

Gigabyte Aero 15Xv8 Gaming Notebook Review

Reviewing a gaming notebook is always a fun process—how many people get paid to play video games?—but there's extra excitement involved when that notebook has a hot new slice of silicon in it. Like the rest of you, we've been anxiously following rumors of Intel's Coffee Lake processors and waiting to see when they'd make their debut in laptops. The wait is over, though. Thanks to Gigabyte, we've had our hands on one of its Aero 15Xv8 notebooks with an eighth-generation Core mobile chip inside well ahead of the launch of today's fresh batch of Coffee Lake CPUs, and we're ready to share performance results.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Intel B360 vs. Z370 Chipset: Finally an 8th-Gen Budget Platform

Usually when Intel or AMD release a new mainstream CPU family, they do so with a slew of new chipsets. For example, the 7th generation Core series codenamed 'Kaby Lake' hit the ground running with 5 supporting chipsets, 3 of which you’re probably quite familiar with. AMD also released Ryzen with 3 desktop chipsets, the A320, B350 and X370.

But when Intel raced out the 8th-gen Core series 'Coffee Lake' late last year, they did so with a single chipset, the high-end Z370. This meant up until today, the most affordable Intel 300-series motherboard you could get your hands on cost around $110. Now, some six months later Intel is ready to unleash their more budget friendly chipsets which includes the B360. We also have a few H370 boards on hand, but today we’re focusing on the slightly more affordable B360 boards. So when compared to the Z370 boards we already have, what’s missing from these cheaper B360 boards?

Read full article @ TechSpot

Intel Core i9, Coffee Lake and Optane: all about Intel’s newest processors for laptops

Intel announces new Core i9, H-series and U-series Coffee Lake processors and Optane memory to share. All three new types of product are aimed to give Intel what it needs to deliver top-tier performance for every laptop price point, purpose and form factor. Based on Intel’s promises and early hands-on time with several of these 8th-generation and Core i9 laptops, Intel seems well on its way to delivering.

Read full article @ TechRadar

Intel Unleashes Salvo Of Coffee Lake Chips With Core i9 Mobile Gaming And U-Series CPUs, 300 Series Chipsets

Today is a big day for Intel -- the company is announcing a massive update to its processor families with new 8th generation Coffee Lake-based Core SKUs for both mobile and desktop platforms. On the mobile side of the equation, the most interesting processors are no doubt Intel's new six-core Coffee Lake parts, starting with the Core i7-8750H. This processor comes with base/max single-core turbo boost clocks of 2.2GHz and 4.2GHz respectively, while the Core i7-8850H bumps those clocks to 2.6GHz and 4.3GHz respectively. Both processors have six cores (12 threads), a TDP of 45 watts and 9MB of shared Smart Cache.

But the new flagship processor is without question the Intel Core i9-8950HK, which is the first Core i9-branded mobile processor. It retains the 6/12 (core/thread) count of the lower-end parts, but features base and turbo clocks of 2.9GHz and 4.8GHz respectively.

Read full article @ HotHardware

Lenovo ThinkPad X280 Review

Did Lenovo remove too many features from its 12-inch X-series laptop? Lenovo's update cycle to its "X" lineup of ThinkPad laptops, including the X1 Carbon, X1 Yoga, and X1 Tablet, hasn't ignored the X200 series. The ThinkPad X280 I have here is the successor to the X270 (which I also reviewed), and it's still marketed as a more smaller, more mobile business partner.

It's lighter and thinner than the X270, with a less boxy chassis and a few other design changes I can appreciate. However, it's also missing some of the features that I think business folks equate with a solid ThinkPad workhorse. Let's take a closer look in this review.

Read full article @ Windows Central

Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 Review

Noctua’s new NH-L9A-AM4 low-profile heatsink was built specifically for AMD’s AM4 socket and will cool up to a 65W CPU or APU. This diminutive little cooler has just a 114 x 92mm footprint and stands at only 37mm tall with the included Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM fan. That 92mm fan has a max speed of 2500 rpm, yet generates only 23.6db.

Opening this package up reveals the classic Noctua unboxing experience. The presentation makes an already nice product feel that much more premium. In the box we’ve got the backplate with four mounting screws, longer screws for the fan, should you want to replace it with something thicker, a fan voltage reducer for even quieter operation, and a syringe of NT-H1 thermal compound.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Oculus Rift: The Ultimate Guide

Whether you're new to the scene or an experienced Rift guru, you'll find what you're looking for in this ultimate guide!

If you're looking for a company to thank for re-igniting VR as we know it today, direct your attention toward Oculus. From Developer Kit 1 all the way to Consumer Version 1, they've spawned plenty of competitors on their way to your living room, and have been one of the main players in bringing VR to everyone.

Read full article @ Windows Central

ROCCAT Horde AIMO Keyboard Review

ROCCAT's Horde AIMO keyboard introduces a real horde of features, which fits the name. Be it their Membranical switches that combine features from membrane and mechanical switches, innovating AIMO intelligent lighting, or the tuning wheel that can be used for multiple functions easily - it offers something to get everyone interested.

ROCCAT was all about AIMO at CES this year, and if that has you confused then you are not alone. AIMO, which ROCCAT also says to be a "living light", is their patent-pending solution to a more intelligent lighting platform to be used on their peripherals—keyboards, mice, and headsets alike. With a webpage dedicated to it, ROCCAT was making the point about how they were the first to add modern day RGB lighting to peripherals, and now, they wish to take it further. The AIMO system is supposed to be an out-of-the-box lighting solution that adapts to what is ongoing on your display to make sure it does not detract from the user experience. Without an explicit mention of how, and that is where the patent comes in, they certainly had my attention during the demo at the trade show, and today, I have my hands on the first keyboard that is, as ROCCAT puts it, AIMO-enhanced.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

SilverStone Redline Series RL06 PC Case Review

SilverStone has a massive catalogue of products and today, we will be taking a look at one of their cases from the Redline series. The RL06 has a lot to offer, as does SilverStone. From Cases to cooling, accessories, power supplies and more, SilverStone has you covered. Previously, Nauman has looked at a few different fans from their lineup and was quite impressed with them. SilverStone products offer a good balance of performance, quality and aesthetics. SilverStone has been around for going on 15years now and it is easy to see why. With their innovation and sometimes bold designs, SilverStone has made a great name for themselves and are definitely here to stay!

The RL06 on display here today is a lovely budget-friendly chassis. Not budget-friendly in the sense, it’s cheap, but in the sense, it’s affordable and offers good value for money. The RL06 comes in either red or white, giving users the options to go for a great colour-match build. It features plenty of room for an ATX motherboard and the components to fill it. If airflow is of concern to you, SilverStone has you covered. Not only does the RL06 come with a front mesh panel, it also has three pre-installed intake fans to help keep all your components cool!

Read full article @ EnosTech

Viotek GN32Q 32-inch Curved 1440p 144Hz Monitor Review

Viotek is a company you might not have heard of. While they offer a variety of different products, they are really making waves with their gaming monitors. Offering some great specs and features for a lower cost than some of the well-known brands out there. Today we have their GN32Q which is a 32-inch curved VA panel with a 1440p (2560 x 1440) resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, Freesync compatibility, and a very modern design. At only $429.99 this display could be a steal, let’s see if that is the case…

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org