Reviews 51944 Published by

Here a roundup of todays reviews and articles:

Actiontec ScreenBeam Mini 2 Review
Amazon Fire HD 7 Tablet (2014) Review
Antec P100
Diamond USB 3.0/2.0 to HDMI/DVI Mini Ultra Dock Review
Enermax Thormax Giant Full Tower Case Review
Garmin Vivosmart review: where fitness band meets smartwatch
Genius Maurus FPS Professional Gaming Mouse Review
Logitech G700s vs. Corsair M95 gaming mice review
Microsoft Lumia 535 Preview
MOA 2014 Final and Surprise Lightning
Mushkin Ventura Ultra USB 3.0 120GB Flash Drive Capsule Review
Noctua NH-D15 Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review
Noctua Redux and industrialPPC Fan Review Round Up
Opel Adam Review
Pisi Linux 1.1 Review
Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 850W Power Supply Review
Toshiba Chromebook 2 Review
Ubuntu 14.10 vs. Scientific Linux 7.0 Trial Benchmarks With A Haswell-EP
Z97 & Z87 Motherboard Charts: 42 Models tested - Update ASUS Z97-Pro Gamer



Actiontec ScreenBeam Mini 2 Review

Recently, Actiontec announced their ScreenBeam Mini 2, their follow-up to their ScreenBeam Wireless Display device. Now in a much smaller package, it was developed to enable users to transmit any application to a HD device with an HDMI connection. The ScreeenBeam Mini 2 utilizes the Intel WiDi specification, a solution to make using Miracast more convenient. Read on to see how the Actiontec ScreenBeam Mini 2 performs.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Amazon Fire HD 7 Tablet (2014) Review

As it does every so often, Amazon recently updated and revamped its line of Fire tablets to include upgraded models and a somewhat simplified naming scheme. The new models abandon the "Kindle" branding and are now simply known as Fire HDX 8.9, Fire HD 7, and Fire HD 6. To flesh out the lineup, Amazon still sells a Fire HDX and a Fire HD Kids Edition, which is really a Fire HD 7 or 6 with a protective case, accidental damage protection, and a collection of pre-loaded apps targeted at a younger audience.

The model we're looking at here is the Fire HD 7 starting at $139. Technically it's a new addition to Amazon's tablet family, though that's by name only -- it replaces the 2013 Kindle Fire HD and is a fourth generation product...

Read full article @ HotHardware.com

Antec P100

The Antec P100 is the compact mid-tower version of the P280, following the same interpretation of a high quality enthusiast chassis. We take the chassis for a spin to see whether it revs up just as nicely as its big brother or ends up being short on horse power.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Diamond USB 3.0/2.0 to HDMI/DVI Mini Ultra Dock Review

With USB 3.0 up and working, the Ultra Dock still gave me rather mixed feelings. It was nice that it no longer appeared "broken," but the performance wasn't quite what I was hoping for. The tablet, as expected, was limited a bit by the Bay Trail CPU in it, but it did quite well considering. Having a full on beast of a machine, the numbers were just sad. The reads and writes were at least better than straight up wireless, which I guess is the real purpose and convinence. It is plenty enough for surfing the Internet and is actually good enough for in-home streaming and gaming; it just won't be as fast as you might expect. Perhaps it's just some bug that needs to be worked out on Diamond's end still, but at least it is all functional upfront.

Read full article @ OCC

Enermax Thormax Giant Full Tower Case Review

If only I would have been able to buy this Enermax Thormax Giant case back in 2007 it would have been my first choice hands down. With all the great list of features like high performance ventilation, super cool Enermax Vegas lighted fans and an abundant amount of space for installing pretty much anything you want to in it there is not much to say that is negative about this case. I have already seen how a dual Processor/quad line of memory sticks fit into this case and Quad SLI video stacked to the gills and the case still looks like it needs more, and while in the features it says that it fits a 360 mm radiator at the top it may do that but it’s actually built perfectly for a 240 or 280 fat radiator with push/pull fans. I have read over and over how this case can take the 360mm radiator and I will mount one just to show whether it does or not. Actually the best way to cool this is with a couple of 240 or 280 at the top and bottom of this case; maybe for the cooler for the video cards down low and the cooling for the processor up top. This is a big case hence the word “giant” in the name but it also is very well decorated with angles and shapes to inspire hundreds of different theme ideas for the Modder or builder that still loves the look of a huge case sitting next to him or her.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Garmin Vivosmart review: where fitness band meets smartwatch

There are fitness trackers and there are smartwatches, but there's only a small number of devices that attempt to be both. The Garmin Vivosmart is one such exception. It's a $170 band that does everything you'd expect a fitness gadget to do: track your steps, calories burned, distance traveled and sleep. In a unique twist, though, it also has an OLED screen showing things like emails, texts, Twitter and Facebook notifications and incoming calls. In essence, it's a full-fledged fitness tracker that also acts like a full-fledged smartwatch. The question is, can it do both jobs well?

Read full article @ Engadget

Genius Maurus FPS Professional Gaming Mouse Review

Hello to all of you Funky Kit members! It has been a while since I have delved into the realm of hardware reviews; but now that I am back from my brief hiatus I am now celebrating my third year of service to Funky Kit and all of its Funky members, so how about it? Let us do a review!

Today we have for you one of the latest releases from the appropriately named Genius company that goes by the name of the Maurus Gaming mouse. If you fall into either category of serious or casual gamer, one thing is certainly clear: you need a functional, comfortable equipment. Well, that's just what were going to test today, so strap in, pop a can of soda and get ready for a look at the Maurus Gaming mouse.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Logitech G700s vs. Corsair M95 gaming mice review

Gaming mice with many buttons are becoming more mainstream. Given their popularity, you probably won't be surprised to learn that updated versions of previously released products are being brought onto the market, as is the case for the Logitech G700s and the Corsair M95 gaming mice. Previously outfitted with a 5700 DPI sensor, they now both sport a new 8200 DPI one. We went looking for differences.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Microsoft Lumia 535 Preview

Yep, nothing special. As expected, Microsoft announced the Lumia 535 today, the first Lumia to use Microsoft rather than Nokia branding. Basically, it's yet another low-end handset with a Lumia 735-like selfie camera, replaceable color covers, and dual-SIM support. Here's a complete run-down of the specs with some notes.

Read full article @ WinSupersite

MOA 2014 Final and Surprise Lightning

On October 18th and 19th 2014 overclockers from all over the world gathered in Taipei Taiwan to compete in the MSI MOA 2014 Grand Final. This event is the columniation of four tough qualifying rounds with a total of $16,000 on the line in cash prizes. Dennis was fortunate enough to attend the grand final, not as a competitor but, as a technical correspondent on the Overclocking TV live Twitch.tv broadcast.

Like past competitions the finalists were tasked with obtaining top scores in three benchmarks and were awarded points for how they placed. This year the benchmarks were SuperPi 32M, Cinebench R15 and 3DMark Firestrike. Along with the Classic Battle the finalists would compete in a secondary “No Limits Battle” allowing them to bench their own hardware for HWBoints. The no limits battle was really interesting since strategy would ultimately determine the winner. Some choose to bench obscure hardware while others tried their luck in competitive categories with lots of competition.

Read full article @ Hardware Asylum

Mushkin Ventura Ultra USB 3.0 120GB Flash Drive Capsule Review

The rise of USB 3.0 as a high speed interface for PCs and the increasing affordability of flash memory has led to some very interesting products. USB flash drives are a dime a dozen, but there is scope for manufacturers to differentiate themselves. We have already looked at the Corsair Flash Voyager GTX, which brought in a Phison controller into the flash driver market. Despite the presence of a USB 3.0 - SATA bridge chip, the unit supported all the important SSD functionalities such as TRIM and overprovisioning. Prior to the Corsairs Voyager GTX introduction, Mushkin actually demonstrated and brought a SSD controller-based USB 3.0 flash drive to the market in the Ventura Ultra series.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Noctua NH-D15 Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review

Thanks to the Core i7-4790K Devil's Canyon's 4.5 GHz top turbo frequency and Core i7-5960X Haswell Extreme‘s eight cores, there doesn’t seem to be anything that a desktop computer can’t handle. However, that kind of performance generates quite a bit of heat. And, if there’s one thing we enthusiasts shouldn’t have to tolerate is an overheating flag ship Intel Core i7 processor.

Noctua has been engineering some impressively clean and efficient CPU coolers designed to manage the hottest processors. Their epic large Noctua NH-D14 cooler boasted dual radiators setting many records. The next natural step was to take that design, couple it with quieter cooling fans and update its physical thermal controlling features. That step is the Noctua NH-D15. It’s a well machined high quality nickle plated aluminum CPU cooler that promises you there’s no CPU that it can’t cool. Let’s put it to the test!

Read full article @ Futurelooks

Noctua Redux and industrialPPC Fan Review Round Up

Today I will be reviewing Noctua's "Redux" and "industrialPPC" line of fans. The most exciting and highly anticipated feature of this new line of fans are the colors. To some enthusiasts, color is a deciding factor when choosing a fan because many cases have a side window to show-off the beautiful hardware. Noctua fans are widely known for their durability and performance and not so much their aesthetics. Now with the new color options to choose from, Noctua has appealed to many of us builders out there that may have sacrificed performance for style. These fans offer the superb performance expected from Noctua and now some style points to boot. The new colors look sharp and even though they are not your coffee and cream color, Noctua has still built a highly distinguished set of fans. The build quality is noticeable from a distance and I am sure that these fans will hold true to Noctua's standard of high quality performance.

The Redux model is a base grey color with a darker shade of grey on the fan blades. There are no rubber mounts on the Redux models. The Redux product line re-issues some of Noctua’s most popular, award-winning models by presenting them in streamlined packages that have been reduced to the essential core: premium quality quiet cooling solutions. All Redux edition products are industry proven, time-tested models that have convinced thousands of customers and helped to found Noctua’s reputation as a first-tier supplier of premium grade low noise cooling equipment. Backed up with a full 6-year manufacturer’s warranty, the Redux product line provides trusted Noctua quality at an accessible price point.

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Opel Adam Review

So, I've written a review of Opel Adam, a city car with a 1.4-liter naturally aspirated engine and five-speed manual gearbox, covering car spec and value, exterior and interior design, look & feel, driving experience, problems, overall impressions, and more. Like Linux, only in real life.

Read full article @ Dedoimedo

Pisi Linux 1.1 Review

Pisi is a desktop Linux distribution forked from the old Pardus, a distribution that was developed by the Turkish National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE), an arm of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK).

Read full article @ LinuxBSDos.com

Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 850W Power Supply Review

I often wonder, when watching the Olympics, why over the years have the awards remained bronze, silver, and gold? There are more precious metals than gold that exist, so why is that still the top prize medal? Why not change with the times and make the top award, say, platinum? A gold award has been given as the top medal received for as long as the Olympics have been in existence, which reminded me of an old saying, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Toshiba Chromebook 2 Review

The golden age of Chromebooks is here. Google's little cloud computing experiment has blossomed into a new segment of affordable and long last laptops. All throughout the year we've seen new, yet very identical Chromebooks. Now after long last last we're start to see some new models that shake up the formula including the sequel to the Toshiba Chromebook.The new 13.3 inch Toshiba Chromebook 2 uses a fanless design made possible with a an Intel Bay Trail processor. Ditching the fan has made the new laptop slimmer and lighter. What's more, it also comes with a 1080p screen to join the ranks of the slowly burgeoning group of full HD Chromebooks, including the 13-inch Samsung Chromebook 2 and Acer Chromebook 13.On paper, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 looks to be an improvement in every way compared to the original, but has this laptop sacrificed anything for a shinier screen?DesignThe Toshiba Chromebook 2 smaller and thinner than its predecessor despite sticking with a 13.3-inch screen.

Read full article @ Techradar

Ubuntu 14.10 vs. Scientific Linux 7.0 Trial Benchmarks With A Haswell-EP

With the new 20-thread Intel Xeon Haswell-EP processor I ran some basic benchmarks comparing Ubuntu 14.10 against the Red Hat Enterprise Linux derived Scientific 7.0

Read full article @ Phoronix

Z97 & Z87 Motherboard Charts: 42 Models tested - Update ASUS Z97-Pro Gamer

In our comparison tables, meanwhile you find benchmark values regarding 42 recent Z97 and Z87 motherboards. Furthermore we do not comment the benchmark values. The idea and also the goal is to present to you a market overview which helps you choose the right motherboard.

Read full article @ ocaholic