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Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles:

AOC I2781FH General-purpose 27-inch IPS display
Corsair M65 PRO RGB FPS Gaming Mouse & MM300 Extended Mouse Pad Review
Corsair SF600
Creative iRoar
Dell XPS 15 Review
Exclusive interview with AMD's Andrej Zdravkovic
First NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 3DMark Benchmarks
Fnatic FLICK G1 Mouse Review
G.Skill's Ripjaws KM780R gaming keyboard reviewed
GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 and GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboards Reviewed
HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard Review
Intel 540s SSD Review (480GB) – SMI Controller With SK Hynix Memory
MSI Z170A Tomahawk Motherboard Review
Nextbook Flexx 10 2 in 1 Review
Philips 258B6QJEB, 272S4LPJCB and BDM3270QP review: 3x WQHD by Philips
PNY CS1311 SSD Review
Step By Step Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) LAMP Server Setup
The Patriot Viper V760 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review
Zalman Z9 Neo White Case Review
ZTE Axon Pro Android Smartphone (Unlocked)



AOC I2781FH General-purpose 27-inch IPS display

AOC’s latest affordably priced 1080p display is about managing the basics well rather than high-end features. It costs just £199, a fair price for a 27-inch IPS display, and it has a nifty looking slim appearance that looks more appealing than most displays in this price range.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Corsair M65 PRO RGB FPS Gaming Mouse & MM300 Extended Mouse Pad Review

Of all of the mice I have used, this one had to be the best for accuracy, the 12,000 DPI setting along with the "Sniper" button allowed me to have the freedom of movement in battle, but tone it down to a lower DPI when I needed to line up the headshots. This is one feature I have never seen on another mouse for real-time DPI change without having to scroll through other DPI modes. This cuts down on the response time, giving you the edge. The macros really blew my mind, as well, allowing not only the mouse keys to be assigned, but keyboard keys as well. You can trigger those macros easily with a mouse button assignment, again making the response times very minimal.

Read full article @ OCC

Corsair SF600

By now if you have been around LanOC on the review side of things as well as our LAN events you will have noticed that I love small form factor builds. I’ve gone on and on about them many times when covering all of the unique components that have been coming out for them. When it comes to feeding your new tiny build with power you used to have just two options. You could build a tiny build and use an adapter to run a laptop power adapter or you could shoe horn in the smallest ATX power supply you could fit. The laptop PSU option was limited in wattage basically eliminating the possibility of a powerful build and going ATX gave you the power but they take up a lot of space. Those of you who have dug into prebuilt PCs have most likely seen some of the FlexATX PSU’s, well SFX is a small standard form factor version of that. Over the past few years Silverstone has been the only option in SFX power supplies with enough power and modular options, but that has changed. Today I’m going to take a peek at the Corsair SF600 and see how it compares.

Read full article @ LanOC Reviews

Creative iRoar

Today we are taking a look at the new Creative Sound Blaster iRoar, a compact portable Bluetooth speaker that’s a real powerhouse! Taking the Roar 2 design to the next level, the iRoar remains compact while delivering even more room-filling audio and a huge twenty hour run time…

Late last year we took a look at Creative’s second version of their renowned Roar portable Bluetooth speaker, the Roar 2. Built inside a more compact and subsequently lighter chassis, the Roar 2 offered the same impressive audio quality as the original model while improving portability.

Read full article @ Legion Hardware

Dell XPS 15 Review

Is this the ultimate 15.6in Windows laptop? Laptop design has evolved beautifully over the course of the past decade. Compare a 2016 machine with one from 2006 and you'll typically find it to be thinner, lighter, faster and far more attractive to look at.

But the push for a sexier profile isn't always a good thing. Thinner, smaller laptops aren't quite as productive, performance can be sacrificed, and you often tend to lose out on something rather important, be it all-day battery life, a well-stocked array of I/O ports or something as simple as an optical drive.

Dell reckons it can overcome some of those challenges and combine the sleek design of a modern machine with the performance and usability you'd expect from something larger. Enter the XPS 15.

Read full article @ Hexus

Exclusive interview with AMD's Andrej Zdravkovic

You may have noticed that Radeon Software Crimson has been gaining a lot of positive momentum since its launch back in November. Radeon Technologies Group mastermind Raja Koduri brought Andrej Zdravkovic back to AMD as a Corporate VP of Software and Platform Engineering. We had an exclusive opportunity to speak to Andrej about the past, the present, and the future – and his design philosophy that is re-energizing Radeon Software and delivering on its promise of great user experience.

Read full article @ KitGuru

First NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 3DMark Benchmarks

I think the most interesting detail about GTX 1080 is the new memory. NVIDIA has finally used 8GB ram for its flagship card. It’s no longer an exclusive to mobile solutions. Additionally, the GDDR5X modules are clocked at 2500 MHz (which is shown as 5000+ MHz in 3DMark). However the effective clock is 10000 MHz, which means the bandwidth is somewhere around 320 GB/s (assuming it’s 256-bit wide).

On the GPU side we have a huge improvement in terms of frequencies. It is said that GTX 1080 can boost up to 1.8 GHz, with base clock around 1.6 GHz. At the time of writing we are not able to confirm the exact reference clock. For such reason I decided to avoid making comparison charts, so this post will essentially tell you what GTX 1080 is capable of and nothing more.

Read full article @ VideoCardz

Fnatic FLICK G1 Mouse Review

London-based Fnatic PTY Ltd is primarily an eSports team company, with sponsored players and their own YouTube channel. But they also offer a few hardware items under the Fnatic Gear imprint. Even casual gamers need a good gaming-oriented mouse, but these can be very expensive. The Fnatic Gear FLICK G1 Optical Mouse offers Omron switches, a Pixart sensor, and a maximum resolution of 5,000 dpi. Fnatic says that their mouse is “eSports inspired”, but the proof is in the pudding…or in this case, the proof is in the testing. Benchmark Reviews takes this mouse on a gaming journey to see how well it fares.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

G.Skill's Ripjaws KM780R gaming keyboard reviewed

Established RAM manufacturer G.Skill is branching into gaming peripherals of late. We've already examined the company's Ripjaws MX780 gaming mouse, and now we're looking at the KM780R gaming keyboard. Join us as we see whether this keyboard has what it takes to be a contender in the crowded gaming peripherals market.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 and GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboards Reviewed

What makes something a gaming product? Is it just a flashy gamer theme or something more? The debate still lives as to whether or not a motherboard can be called a gaming product like mice, headphones, video cards, or computer cases. I would argue it's a true gaming product when it provides tangible features like special USB ports for gaming peripherals, multiple PCI Express slots, high quality audio, or an experience such as an audio amplifier. These features are found on Gigabyte's Gaming G1 series. And, the new G1 Z170 chipset has rekindled the Gaming series with a hot new look and features to match.

Gigabyte graciously sent us two platforms offer features for gamers who want the optimal gaming experience. One is a more mainstream affordable GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 motherboard which offers the right features for the price point and the other is the flagship GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 motherboard designed to offer maximum connectivity and graphics support. Either one of these is exactly what you need to experience gaming this holiday season. Lets have a look!

Read full article @ Futurelooks

HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard Review

As far back as i can remember consumers always had a plethora of basic membrane based keyboards to choose from including many budget oriented models going for as low as USD5/4Euros. Microsoft of course changed all that with the introduction of their natural keyboard line back in the mid 90's but still their prices were nowhere near to what manufacturers ask today for a good mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX switches. This (cost) is also the main reason as to why many people have yet to take their first steps in the mechanical keyboard market. Several brands have recently emerged to offer lower-cost mechanical switches (and to cover the gap in the market since Cherry was unable to keep up with the increasing demand) but to date we haven't seen any really low-cost models using Kailh and Gateron (the two leading brands after Cherry) ones. HAVIT is a Chinese brand which aims to bring affordable yet feature-rich mechanical gaming keyboards to the masses and today we're testing their latest HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard.

Founded in 1998 by Ms. Lee, a lady who loves and respects technology, HAVIT Group provides a tremendous range of consumer electronics with unbeatable value, fashion-forward and trend setting design, but what is never compromised is the quality of our products, which were approved by tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Step by step we have grown from a start-up company to a leading PC & Mobile accessories supplier for customers in over 120 countries worldwide, only to provide products of advanced technology, featuring the best built quality and durability for every intelligent, creative and motivated user. We are all working on something: some of you may be endeavoring to get the best score both in school and in games with your keyboard and mouse combo set; some of you may be engaging in coding a sophisticated program with your mechanical keyboard while chatting with your remote teammates through your webcam; and some of you may be striving to improve your triathlon skills to expand your physical limit with a pair of wireless earphones in your ears… As for us at HAVIT, we are working on making the best equipment to help you reach your goals and make the difference. Learn more at www.prohavit.com.

To keep cost to a minimum HAVIT decided to take an entirely different path compared to most other manufacturers so instead of opting for Kailh or Gateron mechanical switches they chose the new ones made by Outemu. Outemu is not a particularly popular brand among gamers since their mechanical switches haven't been used widely but just like their competition they do offer a very high number of actuations (50 million) and are currently available in Black (linear), Blue (clicky), Brown (tactile), and Red (linear). The HAVIT HV-KB366L RGB Backlit Mechanical Keyboard uses the blue switches (actuation force of 80g) which as clearly stated by the product name also feature support for full RGB (16.8 million colors) illumination. The keyboard also features an aluminum enclosure, supports anti-ghosting for all 104 keys and has a total of 4 brightness levels for the keys with five different modes (off, single static, breathing, static marquee, moving marquee). Are all these enough to take on the big boys? Let’s find out.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Intel 540s SSD Review (480GB) – SMI Controller With SK Hynix Memory

As the SSD industry continues to grow, manufactures try to maintain their consumer presence with more value oriented consumer products. Such is the case with Intel’s latest step into the TLC segment by introducing their newest 540s SATA 3 SSD a few weeks back. The Intel 540s Series is their first SSD to feature 16nm TLC NAND and first 5 series drive to deliver up to 1TB of capacity.

Much more interesting though is the fact that Intel has sought out 3rd party manufacturers for both controller and NAND flash memory, relying on more value conscious parts than their own. The TLC NAND is sourced from SK Hynix while the controller is from Silicon Motion. The controller moved to Silicon Motion is a given as SandForce was bought out by Seagate but why Intel would not be relying on their own fabs for memory is more than a bit curious.

Read full article @ The SSD Review

MSI Z170A Tomahawk Motherboard Review

MSI has delivered a bold and uniquely styled range of gaming motherboards for the Z170 platform since it’s launch, the XPower Gaming Titanium and Gaming M7 are two excellent examples that we’ve tested here at KitGuru. Yet those motherboards are relatively expensive for any buyer looking for an affordable entry into the Skylake platform – that’s where MSI’s Z170A Tomahawk comes into play with a more affordable price of around £100.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Nextbook Flexx 10 2 in 1 Review

Every now and then I am surprised by a products offers, almost always in relation to its price. The emotion is usually shock and bad, but sometimes its a good surprise. The Nextbook Flexx 10 I am happy to say is a great offering and the pricetag is a welcome surprise. This little 2 in 1 laptop and tablet has a lot to offer especially given its sub $100 price tag. It's perfect for the home user or professional on the go that wants a simple to use tablet and laptop running the latest OS with support for full applications in a small portable form factor.

Read full article @ TechwareLabs.com

Philips 258B6QJEB, 272S4LPJCB and BDM3270QP review: 3x WQHD by Philips

Those who still have a full HD screen standing in front of them – which according to our surveys is still the majority of our readers – must by now feel an itch for the more and more available WQHD screens. The choices for the 70% expanded work area screens grow and become more and more affordable. Philips have sent us the 258B6QJEB, 272ALPJCB and the BDM3270QP, a 25” screen with its 27” and 32” siblings, all at 2560x1440 resolution. Something for each and every one!

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

PNY CS1311 SSD Review

The CS1311 we're testing today employs Toshiba's 15nm TLC NAND for more value-oriented shoppers. PNY's PS3110-S10-powered drive uses Phison's latest firmware with the new direct-to-die sequential write algorithm to increase performance.

Read full article @ Toms Hardware

Step By Step Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) LAMP Server Setup

In around 15 minutes, the time it takes to install Ubuntu Server Edition, you can have a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) server up and ready to go. This feature, exclusive to Ubuntu Server Edition, is available at the time of installation.

Read full article @ Ubuntu Geek

The Patriot Viper V760 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

Today we are having a look at the Viper V760, a mechanical keyboard from Patriot’s new gaming peripheral line. The Viper V760 is boasting full programmability, RGB lighting and an aluminum chassis with a price tag of just $100.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Zalman Z9 Neo White Case Review

Zalman has been a little quiet lately. There have been no real major releases from them in a while, but today we have one of their new products in the Z9 Neo PC Case. This case fits in the budget category as it is only $68.50 at our favorite online retailer. Unlike many other budget cases the Z9 Neo has a lot to offer. For starters it ships with 5 included fans, has room for long graphics cards, liquid cooling options, a full power supply cover, room for up to six hard drives, and a nice side panel window to show off all of your hardware inside. Zalman sent us over the white version to check out today. Check out the last page of this review to see how you can win one of these cases for yourself! Let’s jump in and see what the Z9 Neo is all about.

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

ZTE Axon Pro Android Smartphone (Unlocked)

For the last couple of years, ZTE has been quietly working its way into the Canadian market. With smartphones like the Grand X Plus and Grand X 2, they've been focusing most of their energies on the providing consumers with an "affordable premium" experience. That's what the Grand X line was really all about: giving users phones that were very capable for very few dollars. The ZTE Axon Pro is an entirely different kind of beast, because its spec sheet puts it toe-to-toe against the most premium of flagships available today.

Read full article @ MEGATech