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Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

AMD Readying a 10-core AM4 Processor to Thwart Core i9-9900K?
Cooler Master MasterCase H500M Review
Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB MOBA/MMO Gaming Mouse Review
Customizing Windows 10's Context Menu: Add, Remove Items & More
Deepcool Baronkase Liquid Cooling Case Review
Frozen Synapse 2 Review
Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi Review
HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB 32GB 2933 MHz Review
iOS 12 Review
Litter-Robot III Open Air Review
NZXT HUE 2 Review
Our Destiny 2: Forsaken Review
Patriot Viper RGB 16GB DDR4-3000 Memory Kit Review
SilverStone NJ450-SXL Silent Power Supply Review
Team Group T-Force Vulcan Gaming SODIMM 4x 8 GB DDR4-2666 Review
Ubuntu refuses to reboot - what now?



AMD Readying a 10-core AM4 Processor to Thwart Core i9-9900K?

To sustain its meteoric rise in the stock markets, AMD needs to keep investors convinced it has a competitive edge over Intel, even if it means investing heavily on short-term roadmap changes. According to an Elchapuzas Informatico article, AMD could be working on a new 10-core/20-thread processor for the AM4 platform, to compete with the upcoming Core i9-9900K 8-core/16-thread processor from Intel. The said processor is being labeled "Ryzen 7 2800X" and plastered over CineBench nT screenshots, where due to the sheer weight of its 10 cores, it tops the nT test in comparison to Intel's mainstream-desktop processors, including the Xeon X5650 12-core/24-thread processor.

The Forbes article that cites the Elchapuzas Informatico, however, is skeptical that AMD could make such a short-sighted product investment. It believes that development of a 10-core die on existing "Zen+" architecture could warrant a massive redesign of the CCX (Zen Compute Complex), and AMD would only get an opportunity to do so when working on "Zen 2," which AMD still expects to debut by late-2018 on its EPYC product line. We, however, don't discount the possibility of a 10-core "Zen+" silicon just yet. GlobalFoundries, AMD's principal foundry partner for CPUs, has given up on 7 nm, making the company fall back to TSMC to meet its 7 nm roadmap commitments. TSMC already has a long list of clientele for 7 nm, including high-volume contracts from Apple, Qualcomm, and NVIDIA. This could force AMD to bolster its existing lineup as a contingency for delays in 7 nm volume production.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

Cooler Master MasterCase H500M Review

Packed with premium features and top notch thermal and acoustic performance, there are a number of reasons to choose the Cooler Master MasterCase H500M.

With so many companies vying for your hard earned money, it seems like there isn't a brand out there that doesn't have a premium chassis packed with all the bells and whistles, including tempered glass panels, addressable RGB lighting, USB Type-C ports and water cooling options galore. One such company competing for your attention is Cooler Master with the latest entry in its MasterCase line of chassis.

Read full article @ Tom's Hardware

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB MOBA/MMO Gaming Mouse Review

The Corsair range is packed full of some of the best products in their respective classes. Without a doubt, they have some of the best power supplies, chassis, keyboards, headsets and much more on the market today. With that in mind, they’ve also got some truly amazing gaming mice, and the Scimitar Pro was certainly one of them. However, now it’s been tweaked and updated to be bigger and better than ever. It comes equipped with a powerful 16K DPI optical sensor, extensive RGB customisation, and a dizzying 12 side buttons!

Sure, this mouse isn’t for your daily web browsing office work. It’s tuned for MOBA and MMO gaming. However, with so many buttons, it’s sure to be a boost to all kinds of productivity tasks, simulation gaming and more; assuming you can get used to the extremely dense button configuration. There aren’t many mice on the market quite like this one. There’s the Logitech G600MMO, the Roccat Nyth, and the Naga range that spring to mind. However, it’s a niche market, so there’s not many even from the big name brands.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Customizing Windows 10's Context Menu: Add, Remove Items & More

Left unchecked, it doesn't take long for the Windows context menu to become cluttered, and we bet there's at least one program on your context menus that you never use. Conversely, managing the context menu to work in your advantage can be a rewarding tweak to your operating system.

Read full article @ TechSpot

Deepcool Baronkase Liquid Cooling Case Review

If you've already purchased all the needed hardware components for your new system and you're thinking about which case to house them in then in all likelihood you're also thinking about which AIO Liquid CPU cooler to pair it with. Compared to lets say a decade ago things are actually quite easier today since most cases of all sizes (even mATX/mITX ones) have enough room to accommodate at least one dual-fan AIO model. Still just like with pre-build systems there are some consumers looking for the "easy" way out and to them cases with pre-mounted AIO CPU coolers are far more appealing. Unfortunately to date we haven't seen that many cases with intergrated liquid CPU coolers (whether those are AIO or custom ones) and so when Deepcool announced the availability of their latest Baronkase Liquid Case in the beginning of the year we really had to take a look.

We founded Deepcool with the mission of providing the best and personalized thermal solutions for customers around the world. Deepcool was first established 1996 with its headquarters in Beijing and factory facilities in Shen Zhen that produced coolers and cooling accessories for desktops and servers. In response to rapid advancements in the PC sector Deepcool further expanded into AIO liquid cooling products, chassis, and power supplies. We have built a global distribution network in about seventy countries, allowing end-users to purchase Deepcool products online or at the nearest local storefront. We have gained positive media exposure and coverage, and won awards from renowned professional websites and magazines steadily building a good reputation among general users, gamers, overclockers and modders. We are totally committed towards maintaining user satisfaction by accommodating ever-changing thermal needs while providing the most responsive and comprehensive services in the industry. Our slogan is for you to “Enjoy your cool life!” We adopted the name Deepcool since Deep Blue, a program running on an IBM supercomputer, achieved a stunning victory over Gary Kasparov, then world chess champion, in 1997. This milestone clearly demonstrated that computers have now become the most powerful tool available to the human race, and was the time when we first started our business in computer cooling solutions. We hope our products could be as effective as Deep Blue, and adopted the matching name of Deepcool to help achieve our goal.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Frozen Synapse 2 Review

Frozen Synapse 2 is an almost instantly recommendable game, with some of the most tense, tactical gameplay you can find online. Unfortunately, its single player experience isn’t as much fun as the hugely thrilling multiplayer experience.

Well, that’s not exactly true. The core of the single player is still a lot of fun. While the AI will never prove as formidable as the human brain (unless you crank up the difficulty to insane) the strategic gameplay is still fun and thoughtful. The story mode, however, while ambitious struggles to engage the player. The world map with its buzzy electric city is a great idea, but a few mistakes keep it from being a great distraction between multiplayer turns.

Read full article @ Wccftech

Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi Review

While mini-ITX support on the X470 chipset is sorely lacking, nearly every motherboard manufacturer has something to offer when it comes to the cheaper B450 chipset, and Gigabyte's effort here is the B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi. Immediately we're struck by a much more premium looking board than the AB350N-Gaming WiFi, and indeed it sits under the Aorus brand rather than the more budget-focussed Gaming series.

The board features a fairly lowly 4+2 phase power delivery, and with fewer heatsinks than the B450 Aorus Pro, we're likely looking at a board that will get pretty toasty with an overclocked eight-core Ryzen CPU - more on that later. There are a few other niggles with the specifications too that mean this is likely only going to appeal to low budgets.

Read full article @ Bit-Tech

HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB 32GB 2933 MHz Review

We review new HyperX new Predator DDR4 RGB 32GB 2933 MHz (quad/dual-channel) from HyperX. At 2999 MHz, not the fastest, but this is a 32GB kit that can be tweaked over 3200 MHz easily. It's pretty cool with a new configurable RGB implementation and runs XMP 2.0 memory profiles on Intel platforms as well. Join us as we review not some nice bars of memory, it's fitted with a new style and design as well.

The new RGB series is hip and trendy alright, it increases the price of your average memory kit. Ergo this round HyperX figured, let's just go for a nice 2933 MHz kit. On the Intel platform, the performance hit or benefit will not be that big, while in return you receive a little more RGB bling. And with memory prices still being sky-high that might be a very plausible idea, right? Grab some awesome memory, give it a black PCB and apply a notch of RGB and a cool heat spreader. The memory has Infrared Sync technology, this technology creates a new way to experience RGB lighting. HyperX has designed IR communication channels onto each memory module, allowing multiple modules to sync LED lighting and produce an exceptional color and pattern display, allowing gamers and overclockers to further personalize their gaming visual experience and customize their PCs and system builds. The memory is optimized for Intel’s latest platform and is available as 8GB single modules and in kits of two or four with 16GB and 32GB capacities. It is compatible with lighting control software from a range of motherboard vendors including ASUS Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, and MSI Mystic Light Sync.

Read full article @ The Guru of 3D

iOS 12 Review

Apple's OS focuses on performance and laying the groundwork for future apps. Apple's iOS 12 software update is available today for supported iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, and on the surface, it looks like one of the smallest new iOS releases Apple has pushed out.

This isn't a surprise; Apple said earlier this year that iOS 12 would be more about performance and stability than adding new features. Some major additions that were originally planned—like an overhauled home screen—were reportedly delayed to a later release.

And it's also not a bad thing. Frankly, iOS 11 had some problems. Apple released several small updates in late 2017 and throughout 2018 to fix those problems, all while battling some frustrated customers' perceptions that the company was deliberately making older devices obsolete to encourage new sales as overall smartphone sales slowed their growth industry-wide.

Read full article @ ArsTechnica

Litter-Robot III Open Air Review

My name's Mal, but my friends call me captain. I've got a ship, Serenity, a Litter-Robot III Open Air. Like all savvy captains, I bought my ship refurbished and without an extended warranty. Does that make me bold and dangerous? Maybe.The cat that sold her to me had some photos of what she looked like when he got her. She don't look much like them anymore, but that's just a product of makin' a living.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

NZXT HUE 2 Review

The PC Gaming industry has come a long way from the days of sitting next to a giant, dull, gray box that housed your hardware. We?ve entered an era of pizazz and flair and NZXT has been leading that charge with their RGB options. Fresh from their warehouse we have the brand new NZXT HUE 2 Ambient RGB Lighting Kit, including back-of-the-monitor ambient lighting and under-chassis glow. Read on to find out more.

Read full article @ MMORPG

Our Destiny 2: Forsaken Review

It is a delicately thin line that the Destiny franchise rides. At its heart, Destiny is a first person shooter, yet it has flirted with MMO elements for years. So much so that its community has been torn over what to call it. With the release of Destiny 2: Forsaken, Bungie begins to define the relationship. This is our review of Destiny 2: Forsaken.

Read full article @ MMORPG

Patriot Viper RGB 16GB DDR4-3000 Memory Kit Review

Patriot is entering the RGB memory game with their new Viper RGB DDR4 memory kits. These new kits marry Patriot’s enthusiast-grade and very popular Viper DDR4 memory with customizable RGB LED lighting. Today we are checking out the 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4-3000 white kit (PVR416G300C5KW), but Patriot offers this memory in speeds all the way up to 4133 MHz. On top of being compatible with ASUS Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light, and ASRock Polychrome Sync, Patriot has their own software the customize the RGB lighting as well. Let’s get this kit installed and see what it can do!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

SilverStone NJ450-SXL Silent Power Supply Review

SilverStone Technology Co. has been a pioneer in promoting both fan-less and Small Form Factor power supplies for PC enthusiasts. Now they have combined these two features in the new Nightjar Series 450W silent power supply. The NJ450-SXL power supply is fan-less and comes housed in an extended length SFX chassis.

Most fan-less PC power supplies incorporate an open design to allow airflow in through all sides but the NJ450-SXL is unique in that it uses a closed chassis with thick extruded aluminum sides to dissipate waste heat. The target audience is people who want a silent power supply (no fan noise and any potential high frequency coil whine or other electrical noises are sealed off) in small enclosure. This design could also be of interest to someone who needs a SFX-L power supply for use in a dirty-dusty environment that might quickly choke a standard fan-cooled unit.

Read full article @ PC Perspective

Team Group T-Force Vulcan Gaming SODIMM 4x 8 GB DDR4-2666 Review

If you got a DDR4-supporting laptop, or perhaps a mITX system that requires DDR4 SODIMMs with 2666 MHz support out of the box, you don't have that many options today. Team Group's T-Force Vulcan Gaming Series of DDR4 SODIMMs come ready for that and more.

Read full article @ TechPowerUp

Ubuntu refuses to reboot - what now?

This sounds like a rather obscure title, don't you think? Well, picture this. You have an Ubuntu distro flavor installed, in my case Kubuntu 18.04 Beaver or KDE neon, and you want to reboot. For some odd reason, clicking the right button through the system menu does not do anything. There's no restart happening. OK, so you go for a command line trick.

You open a console window and you type sudo reboot. Only you receive the following error message: Failed to start reboot.target: Transaction is destructive. See system logs and 'systemctl status reboot.target' for details. What. At this point, it seems like a hard boot is the only option. But then, that's not really a solution. Let's investigate.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo