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Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

eVGA GeForce GTX 750 Maxwell On Ubuntu Linux
Exclusive interview with Peter Hirschfeld from Wavemaster
February 2014 System Guide
Gigabyte Brix Pro Review – GB-BXi7-4770R
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti WindForce
How We Test PSUs
iolo Technologies System Mechanic PC Tune-Up Software Quick Look
Netgear R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 review: the new boss?
PowerColor LCS R9 290X Watercooled Review
Rig of the Month - February 2014
Sandberg Solar PowerBank 6000 mAh
Seasonic S12G 650W Power Supply Review
SteelSeries Siberia Elite Review
TP-Link 8-port Power over Ethernet Gigabit Switches Review



eVGA GeForce GTX 750 Maxwell On Ubuntu Linux

After last week delivering the first NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti "Maxwell" Linux review, today at Phoronix we're looking at the GeForce GTX 750 (non-Ti) under Ubuntu Linux using an eVGA GTX 750 1GB model.

Aside from the launch-day review of the GeForce GTX 750 Ti, on Phoronix over the past week we also published more NVIDIA Maxwell Linux benchmarks and then a lengthy look at NVIDIA's mid-range Linux graphics performance going from the GeForce GTX 750 Ti to as far back as the GeForce 6600GT. In that long article, not only was the raw OpenGL performance looked at from the 6600GT to GTX 750 Ti but also the power efficiency, performance-per-Watt, and thermal data. Being curious how the GTX 750 graphics processor performs, I decided to pick up an eVGA GeForce GTX 750 graphics card for a look at Phoronix.

Read full article @ Phoronix

Exclusive interview with Peter Hirschfeld from Wavemaster

Products designed in Germany always seem to carry a certain reputation. Sure, the Italians have fashion and the Japanese simplicity, but overall the reputation for technical quality seems to land in central Europe. Wavemaster has taken its European audio product designs and had them manufactured in the far east.

Speaking exclusively to KitGuru, managing director Peter Hirschfeld explains more about this fusion of cultures and benefits.

Read full article @ KitGuru

February 2014 System Guide

We've reworked our famous TR System Guide with a new, component-centric format, which tells readers not just which components to choose, but also how to choose them.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Gigabyte Brix Pro Review – GB-BXi7-4770R

We first saw the Gigabyte Brix Pro Ultra Compact PC Kit in September 2013 at the Intel Developer Forum and instantly fell in love with the pint-sized system due to the hardware inside. Gigabyte managed to fit the Intel Core i7-4770R 3.9GHz quad-core processor along with Intel’s powerful new Iris Pro 5200 integrated graphics in a form factor that is just 62 x 111.4 x 114.4 mm or 0.79 Liters in size. We recently got our hands on the Gigabyte Brix Pro GB-BXi7-4770R, which is the flagship model that runs $649.99 plus shipping if you are lucky and can find a retailer that isn’t out of stock at the moment...

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti WindForce

Maxwell GPU + Big Heatpipe = Awesome Cooling. Nvidia's launch of the new-and-improved Maxwell architecture has merely whet our appetites. Sure, the initial GeForce GTX 750 Ti is a great choice for anyone in the market for a mainstream graphics card, but what we really want to see is a dozen or so Maxwell SM units allied to a wide memory bus and, say, 6GB of GDDR5 for good measure.

That will have to wait, but for now, we can enjoy a wide array of GTX 750 Ti partner cards. Just days after launch, there's already a smorgasbord of designs available at multiple price points, and better still, there's plenty of stock availability, too. This is a graphics-card launch done right.

Asus's OC and Palit's StormX Dual have already been put under the spotlight, so today we're turning our attention to another usual suspect in the form of Gigabyte's GTX 750 Ti WindForce, priced from around £115.

Read full article @ Hexus

How We Test PSUs

After a lengthy hiatus, we're back with a new PSU and case reviewer. As we kick off our revised power supply testing and reviews, we wanted to cover the fundamentals of how we test and what to expect. Some of this is still a work in progress, as we have not gathered all of the equipment we would like to have, and as we move forward we will periodically provide updates to our PSU testing procedures. And with that out of the way, let's discuss how we're going to go about testing power supplies.

Effective testing of a power supply requires far more than just connecting it to a PC and using a $10 multimeter to check the voltage rails. At the very least, it requires specialized (and very expensive) equipment. At this point, most people that actually know a few things about PSUs would say, "Yes, OK, you need an adjustable load and an oscilloscope." While it's true you need those items, you can't simply grab any old adjustable load and oscilloscope. What you really need is very precise, programmable electronic loads with transient testing built-in and an oscilloscope that should comply with exact specifications, among other meters and equipment. Then of course you need to know what you are doing, as it's not simply a matter of connecting a PSU to the equipment and pressing a few buttons; there are exact loading and testing procedures, described in technical papers and guides, that need to be followed.

Read full article @ Anandtech

iolo Technologies System Mechanic PC Tune-Up Software Quick Look

PC maintenance is one of the most overlooked aspects of owning and using a Windows-based computer system. Just like any other "machine", your PC requires regular and periodic maintenance in order to keep it performing at its optimum levels, and to extend its useful life. Microsoft has incorporated quite a number of diagnostic and maintenance tools into modern Windows operating systems such as Windows 7 and Windows 8, however accessing many of these can be a tad difficult for less experienced users. By utilizing a third-party software solution, you can simplify the ability to utilize these tools to repair, optimize and protect your PC. Iolo Technologies' System Mechanic PC Tune-Up software can do exactly this, and much more.

Read full article @ TechnologyX

Netgear R7000 Nighthawk AC1900 review: the new boss?

The first 802.11ac router we tested was the Netgear R6300, back in the summer of 2012, but it has been relatively quiet at Netgear regarding 802.11ac since then. Although new models appeared with the R6200 and R6250, these were positioned lower than the R6300. As such, the R6300 has served as the flagship model for around 1.5 years. Now, however, there is the R7000, which carries the name Nighthawk ... and we’ve tested it.

The fact that the R6300 maintained its status as flagship model is not too difficult to explain. Even though the developments surrounding 802.11ac appear to proceed quickly, in practice this isn’t so much the case. We’ve only really seen devices featuring largely the same Broadcom chipset. It wasn’t until the TP-Link Archer C7 was brought onto the market that we saw Qualcomm have a go. That router did have a number of teething problems though. Whether TP-Link or Qualcomm was to blame is unknown, but the fact remains that the Archer C7’s initial performance wasn’t very good.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

PowerColor LCS R9 290X Watercooled Review

With their R9 290X LCS PowerColor have an enthusiast grade graphics card in their portfolio, which features a full-cover water cooler from EK Water Blocks. Since the R9 290X almost needs a power plant for a PSU, there es quite some heat being generated and the reference aircooler really struggles. Other then that the power design is also running very hot and a water cooler is basically the only reasonable approch to handle the massive heat. Apart from a water cooler there is also a factory overclocking on the GPU as well as on the memory and the over all package sounds rather compelling.

Read full article @ ocaholic

Rig of the Month - February 2014

We just adore hardware. And sometimes some you guys really make a PC that really stands out. We ask you to answer a few simple questions and send in photo's of your rig. Each month we'll have a look at the entries and perhaps pick you and post your PC with photo's and everything here at Guru3D.com Here you can find out what you need to do and win a great prize brought to you with the courtesy of OCZ Technology.

Read full article @ Guru3D

Sandberg Solar PowerBank 6000 mAh

I may not be much of a camping person especially not in the woods like some people i know but i do like spending much time on the beach and on the mountain so to avoid any unpleasant circumstances i always like to carry a portable battery pack along with me (actually i have two one in my backpack and one in the car just in case) but the bad thing with such devices is that you need to recharge them every now and then to ensure that they have some battery juice left in them in case you need it. Luckily manufactures came up with a somewhat brilliant solution to that issue and so there are currently quite a few portable battery pack models in the market that also feature a solar panel at the top which can be recharged by using the energy from the sun if the battery happens to be empty. Sandberg has been manufacturing interesting gadgets for quite some time now and since they just launched their very first 6000mAh solar PowerBank we decided to check it out.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Seasonic S12G 650W Power Supply Review

It has been 16 months since our last power supply review, but the long wait is finally over. We have a new PSU and cases editor, and this is the first of many new PSU reviews to come. The first PSU to hit our new testing lab is the S12G 650W from Seasonic. Seasonic is a company that hardly requires any introduction; they are one of the oldest and most reputable computer PSU designers, manufacturers and retailers. Read on to see how their S12G performs in our updated testing suite.

Read full article @ Anandtech

SteelSeries Siberia Elite Review

SteelSeries need little introduction since diving head first into the realm of eSports and much of their early success can be attributed to the revolutionary design of the Siberia headset, which was released way back in 2004. After various additions as well as a refresh to the Siberia line up, SteelSeries go all out to bring a premium gaming headset to mark the 10th anniversary. Loaded with specially crafted 50mm drivers, top quality materials and customisable LEDs with 16.8 million colours, there is a lot to take in. Shipping with a USB sound card to work alongside the SteelSeries Engine 3, there is a huge amount of flexibility to be had with the Siberia Elite. Let's take a closer look before we put it to the test.

Read full article @ Vortez

TP-Link 8-port Power over Ethernet Gigabit Switches Review

Today we take a look at two products from TP-Link, the aptly named TL-SG1008P and TL-SG1008PE. Both are 8-Port gigabit network switches featuring Power over Ethernet capabilities. The 'P' version has 4 of the available 8 ports with PoE capability in a desktop form-factor, while the PE version has PoE functionality on all 8 ports and a larger Rackmount form factor with the option to be used as a standalone unit as well.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven.com