Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including MSI Z87 Motherboard Roundup, SteelSeries H Wireless @ LanOC Reviews, Titan Master USB Fan Review, Are retail Radeon R9 290X cards slower than press samples?, and Noctua NH-U14S AMD & Intel CPU Air Cooler Review



MSI Z87 Motherboard Roundup: Rockin Haswell @ HotHardware

We've already had a taste of what ASUS and Gigabyte have to offer in the way of Z87 motherboards, and now it's time to give MSI's lineup a spin. MSI's offering of Z87 motherboards has essentially three tiers: the "POWER" series (which includes four XPOWER and MPOWER boards), a trio of gaming boards, and five mainstream boards. The company sent us a motherboard from each area to put through their paces.

The Z87 chipset goes hand-in-hand with Intel's 4th-generation Haswell processors, and we outfitted the three MSI boards--the tiny Z87I, the Z87-G45 Gamer, and the Z87 MPOWER Max overclocker--with an Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5 GHz) CPU to see how the trio performs.

Read more: MSI Z87 Motherboard Roundup: Rockin Haswell @ HotHardware

SteelSeries H Wireless @ LanOC Reviews

Almost every big headset manufacture has introduced their own wireless headset at some point over the past few years. SteelSeries did one specifically for console gamers as well. When I asked at the time they told me that a PC specific model was something they were considering. Well here we are on the brink of a new year and SteelSeries recently announced their H Wireless. While at MLG we had the chance to sit down with them and find out more about the H Wireless and then later take one home with us to put to the test. Let’s see what it’s all about and how it performed!

Read more: SteelSeries H Wireless @ LanOC Reviews

Western Digital My Cloud 2TB Review @ eTeknix

Over the last few years, the concept of cloud storage has been growing rapidly around the globe. As you may imagine, there are a large number of applications for cloud storage, be it for a small set of personal files that are kept on the likes of Dropbox or Google Drive; to the hosting of entire websites on cloud servers, but there is one area where many users see a flaw in this concept – security. Before I get on to the reason why some people are put off the cloud, its worth noting that it has a huge number of advantages. Firstly, when we start at the smaller scale options and look at the likes of Dropbox and Google Drive, there is the obvious advantage that you can access your files wherever you are with ease. I personally use both Dropbox and Google Drive for on the go storage and with the added factor of being able to access both services from my Nexus 4 smart phone, I’ve not go to worry constantly about having to copy files to a flash drive so that I can access them at home. With the cloud, as soon as I save them in the respective online folders, they are almost instantly available at home.

Looking at more of a larger scale, there is cloud web-hosting. Now obviously the internet is online, but for the most part, the website that you are accessing, such as us at eTeknix for example, is stored on a single server in a single data centre. Whilst there is a certain element of redundancy with the likes of RAID10 drives setups in place and of course backups are taken care of, what happens when the data centres link is lost to the outside world? It’s quite simple, the site goes down. Downtime for us is something that we dread and cloud web-hosting is built to solve this conundrum. With cloud hosting, a website is stored on a number of different servers that are located in different data centres – the result of this is near 100% uptime.

Read more: Western Digital My Cloud 2TB Review @ eTeknix

X2 Aurel Headphone Review (X2-HS7006) @ FunkyKit

I already reviewed a couple of headsets but this is the first headphone I see. Now whats the difference between a headset and headphone? Well a headphone has a Microphone build in, retractable, removable, foldable or permanent. Then why do we need headphones if a headset is just a headphone with a mic? Well not all people need microphones, and some headsets have much better sound quality as well, or some people just don't like the look of a microphone sticking out. 
 
Most of the time headsets are being used by traveling people, on the bike, on the bus, on the train,... but also a lot of people use headsets to listen to music or watch movies at home, as headphones are way better then the average cellphone or Ipod speakers. But Also in gaming, where sound is very important there are people who are using headphones, although I do think gamers are mostly using headset for the mic to talk to their clan, friends or other players. There are also people who use headsets and a separate microphone. So headsets are still popular. 

Read more: X2 Aurel Headphone Review (X2-HS7006) @ FunkyKit

HIS R7 250 iCooler Boost Clock 1GB GDDR5 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps

The HIS R7 250 iCooler card is a low-end offering for people on a budget, supports the latest technologies and can deliver decent 3D performances at resolutions up to 1680x1050 (22’’ monitors) while keeping details between low and medium. If needed, the card supports pairing with another identical product for increasing the performances, without using a hardware Crossfire bridge.

Read more: HIS R7 250 iCooler Boost Clock 1GB GDDR5 Video Card Review @ Madshrimps

Exclusive interview with LN2 OC Guru Petri Korhonen @ KitGuru

Two days ago, KitGuru Lab staff cast their eyes over a photo of a brand new product. It looked amazing and seemed to offer a level of flexibility in LN2 cooling that you don’t often see. That product is the EK-SF3D Critical Point. We have been lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with co-creator Petri Korhonen. KitGuru dons the safety gear and begins the questioning.

Read more: Exclusive interview with LN2 OC Guru Petri Korhonen @ KitGuru

Func KB-460 Mechanical keyboard Review @ Guru3D

We test and review the Func KB-460 mechanical keyboard from FUNC. It comes with a some interesting gaming features that should be appealing to you as a gamer. The Func KB-460 is a mechanical keyboard and has been equipped with RED flavored switches (preferred by many). These keys have a long life span and can withstand a severe beating bringing you the stuff you as a gamer like so much. More recently mechanical keyboards have become the norm for gamers though and as such FUNC decided to drop the good old dome based keyboards and pursued the cherry MX switch based keys as well. As such today we'll have a peek at the all new KB-460 keyboard. For their first real 'mechy', it's quite a solid product.

As stated the KB-460 is a mechanical keyboard equipped with RED flavored switches (preferred by many).

We have seen it on several keyboards before already, but the keyboard is equipped with anti-ghosting capability which means multi-key presses at the same time are an option, again something gamers are after. You can press many keys at the same time without the keyboard input coming towards a grinding halt, using my ten fingers simultaneously was not an issue.

Read more: Func KB-460 Mechanical keyboard Review @ Guru3D

Thermaltake Massive 14 Notebook Cooler @ Hardware Asylum

Hardware Asylum has reviewed this fancy dual fan laptop cooler and found it to be "quite nice" even though Intel would lead you to believe that laptops and notebooks are for cavemen

Read more: Thermaltake Massive 14 Notebook Cooler @ Hardware Asylum

Cooler Master Storm Ceres 300 @ PureOverclock

There’s a new audio product on the market. Cooler Master has released the Ceres 300, an upgraded edition of the previously released Ceres 400. The 300 model features 40mm drivers, thick padded ear cushions and an adjustable headband. The 40mm drivers are complimented by a detachable flexible microphone and the headset is compatible with PC’s, mobile devices and gaming consoles. Continue reading to find out if this headset delivers decibels gamers are waiting to hear from.

Read more: Cooler Master Storm Ceres 300 @ PureOverclock

Noctua NH-U12S Review @ OCC

Noctua continues to put together cooling solutions to meet the needs of the enthusiast market by leveraging the engineering behind the company to deliver an excellent product. That design excellence does come at a cost, but that cost is tempered by the long term cooling performance you get in return for your hard-earned dollar! At $69, the NH-U12S is in the upper range of what most people will spend on the cooling solution for their computer. When you look at the performance levels you get by adding a second NF-F12 Focused Flow fan, you certain add to the price, but you also push the performance up another level for your added coin. The bottom line is that cooling performance comes with a price; always has and always will. Comparing the NH-U12S to other top-level heat sinks and taking the thickness of the fin array into account, shows that it performs above its size in all cases. A truly impressive feat at only 45mm thick.

Read more: Noctua NH-U12S Review @ OCC

Ducky 2108S Zero Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Keyboard Review @ eTeknix

Mechanical keyboards are one of those things you either love or hate. While they do reap many benefits such as an improved action, high durability, customisation options, long life switches and more, they also come with some down sides, such as many of them being considerably louder to type on than a membrane keyboard, more expensive, heavier and for the most part we tend to see less bonus features on mechanical keyboards.

Ducky have long been king when it comes to mechanical keyboards, with a range that spans from budget friendly to the extravagantly expensive, or typically £60-200. Sure there will be people out there that prefer other brands and there are plenty of great ones to choose from, but Ducky have one of the best reputations in the business and one of the widest ranges of mechanical keyboard on the market.

Find the right keyboard can be tricky, especially when it come to mechanical as you have to find something that has the features you are looking for, has an option for the type of switch you prefer and of course one that isn’t too expensive. With a price tag of around £99.99, the Ducky 2018S Zero is about on par with most other low to mid range mechanical keyboards, the specifications are nothing too exciting, but MX Brown switches, LED back lighting, n-key rollover and dedicated volume controls are more than enough for most PC users and gamers.

Read more: Ducky 2108S Zero Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Keyboard Review @ eTeknix

Titan Master USB Fan Review @ OCC

For several years I have been using my wife's old desk fan she got during band camp in the 1980's. It was loud, bulky, and horribly inefficient - I am sure it resulted in several pounds of carbon being released into the atmosphere every time I turned it on. But the Titan Master USB Fan firmly plants me in this century. It is whisper quiet, uses little energy, and moves the right amount of air.

Read more: Titan Master USB Fan Review @ OCC

Noontec Zoro HD Fashion Hi-Fi Headphones @ NikKTech

I recall a time when the most impressive portable audio device in my possession was a Philips Waterproof Discman that came bundled with a nice pair of earphones which to me they seemed to perform better than anything i had ever used in the past. Because of that and also because of the price tag that particular Discman had i never actually even thought about finding something better and i left it at that (i still have that Discman in very good condition). That however was roughly 15 years ago so today i always try to find the best headphones and earphones in the market not only because it's what i do obviously but also because i really want to see how much technology can advance until having to change the entire concept behind the how such devices work. Noontec is a company we just learned of almost 2 months ago and since their headphones have won quite a few awards around the world we decided to take a few of them for a ride the first of which is the ZORO HD (High Definition) Fashion Hi-Fi Headphones.

Read more: Noontec Zoro HD Fashion Hi-Fi Headphones @ NikKTech

GeForce GTX 760 SLI vs GTX 780 Ti @ ocaholic

Maybe you're one of the gamers out there who simply can't have enough power coming from the graphics department or maybe you want to assemble a gaming rig with a given budget and you want to get the very maximum out of it. In both cases the following article might be interesting and it might be quite surprising to see how well two GTX 760 in SLI can keep up with the one GTX 780 Ti, since the two mid-range cards in SLI offer an exceptional price/performance ratio.

Read more: GeForce GTX 760 SLI vs GTX 780 Ti @ ocaholic

Are retail Radeon R9 290X cards slower than press samples? @ The Tech Report

Is this really a thing? Are the Radeon R9 290X cards shipping to consumers really slower than the review units sent to the press? Well, let's see what we can find.

Read more: Are retail Radeon R9 290X cards slower than press samples? @ The Tech Report

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs AMD Radeon R9 290X at 4K Ultra HD @ Legit Reviews

We often get asked by readers what the best video card is for gaming on a single 4K display or an NVIDIA Surround or AMD Eyefinity multi-display setup. We addressed this question in October with a look at the just released AMD Radeon R9 290X versus the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 on our Sharp PN-K321 32" 4K Ultra HD Monitor at 3840 x 2160. A ton has changed over the past two months as both NVIDIA launched their new flagship card, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti, and both AMD and NVIDIA have released new drivers that help improve gaming performance.

Read more: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs AMD Radeon R9 290X at 4K Ultra HD @ Legit Reviews

LG 65LA9700 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

The LG LA9700 series of 4K HDTVs deliver plenty of features along with a stunning Ultra HD picture with exquisite detail and reasonably good color accuracy. If you're willing to pay a premium for advanced display technology, you'll like what you see—if you can find 4K content.

Read more: LG 65LA9700 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP 2x 8 GB 1600 MHz C9 @ techPowerUp

We take another look at Crucial's memory products, this time a set of tiny Very Low Profile, Low Voltage DIMMs at a rather standard 1600 MHz. Screened for operation at CAS 9, the Crucial Ballstix Sport VLP kit is for those looking to save a bit on power consumption, or those that have a confined case to build their system in.

Read more: Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP 2x 8 GB 1600 MHz C9 @ techPowerUp

Noctua NH-U14S AMD & Intel CPU Air Cooler Review @ HardOCP

If the previously reviewed Noctua NH-U12S is good, then the NH-U14S must be good +2, right Well it is a bit more than that. We now have more heatpipes, a more dense array of cooling fins obviously giving us more cooling surface area, and we also get the namesake of the NH-U14S; a 140mm x 25mm fan.

Read more: Noctua NH-U14S AMD & Intel CPU Air Cooler Review @ HardOCP

FUNC KB-460 Mechanical Keyboard Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Just over a year ago Func made a second, first impression on the gaming market with the launch of their Surface 1030XL mouse pad. It was a high quality product and they followed that up with the MS-3 gaming mouse in February of this year. There is of course an obvious progression from the launch of a pad then mouse and today we have the result of that on our test bench. The KB-460 is a mechanical keyboard with various functions important to gamers, so let's take a look...

Read more: FUNC KB-460 Mechanical Keyboard Review @ HardwareHeaven.com