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Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

Apple Watch Review, Is It Hot Hardware?
ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Intel LGA 2011-3 Motherboard Review
ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Motherboard
ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Wireless Router Review
Asus' Z97-P motheboard reviewed
Be Quiet! Shadow Rock LP CPU Cooler Review
Crucial Ballistix Elite 2666MHz Quad Channel DDR4 Memory Kit Review
Crucial DDR4 2133 MHz 32 GB (4x 8 GB)
Crucial DDR4 2133 MHz 32 GB (4x 8 GB)
Intel Compute Stick Review
Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB Solid State Drive Review
Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD Review
Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD Upgrade Bundle Review
Kingston HyperX Savage SSD Review
Meizu MX4 32GB Smartphone Review
Samsung Releases Second 840 EVO Performance Fix
Skylake-S top CPU is Core i7 6700K
Thecus N4310 Review



Apple Watch Review, Is It Hot Hardware?

Apple's first entrant into the smartwatch world has arrived, and with more fanfare than any of the rivals that have shipped before it. From a technology standpoint, Apple didn't reinvent the wheel, but it certainly has a way with marketing and its legion of fans cannot be ignored. The Apple Watch isn't the smartwatch that no one else could build, but it is the first to operate seamlessly with the iPhone -- a fairly big deal in a market saturated with them.

Apple's rivals are watching to see how it'll fare in the world of wearables. And you... well, you're probably here to see if the Apple Watch is worth the investment.

Read full article @ HotHardware

ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Intel LGA 2011-3 Motherboard Review

There is again a new X99 motherboard OC review here at OCinside.de - now even in the micro ATX format. It is already amazing to see the features of Z97 mATX or ITX motherboards, but ASRock outdid itself once again with this ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Intel LGA2011-3 X99 micro ATX motherboard. Like the previously tested X99 Extreme4, this X99M killer will be available soon additionally with an USB 3.1 interface card. Let us evaluate the currently available version first.

Read full article @ OcInside.de

ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Motherboard

The FM2A88X-ITX+ is a socket FM2+ Mini-ITX motherboard from ASRock, based on the most high-end chipset for this platform, the A88X. It is targeted to the FM2+ "Kaveri" APUs, like the A10-7800 (which we tested recently), but it is also compatible with socket FM2, second-generation APUs from AMD. Let's see what this small motherboard has to offer.

Read full article @ Hardware Secrets

ASUS RT-AC3200 Tri-Band Wireless Router Review

As part of their Extreme Series, ASUS has released their RT-AC3200 Tri-Band 802.11ac router that features one of the fastest data rate combinations of any router on the market today. With a theoretical top speed of 3200 Mbps, the ASUS RT-AC3200 uses two 802.11ac networks (5.0 GHz and 2.4 GHz) with three transmitters a piece for a 3x3 antenna configuration. What all of this means is that if you have network with a bunch of different wireless clients and users, this is a router that is designed for you if you can afford to spend $294.99!

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Asus' Z97-P motheboard reviewed

Asus' entry-level Z97 board is the Z97-P. Does the P in the model name signify that all it can hope for is a passing grade compared to its straight-As brother, the Z97-A? Read on to find out.

Read full article @ The Tech Report

Be Quiet! Shadow Rock LP CPU Cooler Review

We test and review the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock LP CPU Cooler. The cooler might not be the strongest performer on the block, but it is low profile and intended for small form factors. These small puppies can be used with any motherboard but focus on Micro ATX and Mini ITX. They are small, deadly silent but do pack enough punch to cool even a Core i7 4790K, albeit it's not an easy job for this one.

You know, there really aren't any bad performing coolers being produced anymore. For every segment and budget you can find something you need. The market stabilized and within the entire range and scope of heatpipe based coolers there's a certain comfort zone with a corresponding product available. As a result, most of the coolers available on the market are all adequate at the very least. There are always exceptions to this, there's a handful of manufacturers out there that offer the really interesting stuff, the kit and gear that really stand out from the cooling crowd, the hardware you and me crave and need so badly... that is in the enthusiast domain of gaming hardware. And that's where we need to make a stop at Be Quiet! as they tick boxes man!

Read full article @ Guru3D

Crucial Ballistix Elite 2666MHz Quad Channel DDR4 Memory Kit Review

Memory, no matter how you look at it, you need it. Starting life as super slow DDR modules, it has come a long way from the simple 600MHz speeds, now exceeding 3000MHz in most higher end consumer kits. Module sizes have also come a very long way, back in the day with 128MB, yes Megabyte, to now 4GB modules as the standard with 8GB becoming the norm very soon.

The kit we have in today is the Crucial Ballistix Elite DDR4 2666MHz. This is currently the highest clocked memory modules that Crucial produce, which is lower than what the likes of Corsair and G-Skill offer, but let’s see if this Elite 2666MHz kit has what it takes to compete with the big boys.

Read full article @ eTeknix

Crucial DDR4 2133 MHz 32 GB (4x 8 GB)

It might seems hard to believe, but it has been several months since consumer DDR4 products first appeared on the market. Yet for me, those products have been around for a fair bit longer than they have been in stores. The company to first have samples widely available for testing was none other than Micron. Crucial is Micron's consumer-focused division … Read more.

Read full article @ Modders-Inc

Crucial DDR4 2133 MHz 32 GB (4x 8 GB)

Crucial is a name most of us know well. From memory to SSDs, Crucial has been a major player in the memory market for many years. Now that DDR4 is on the market, we turn to Crucial to get a look at what DDR4 has to offer.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Intel Compute Stick Review

Intel's Compute Stick will certainly go down in history as the first complete personal computer that the Santa Clara company, better known for manufacturing processors, has shipped to end users. The firm has been dabbling with barebones kits and DIY products (like its NUCs) for ages, but this is the first time I can remember it shipping something that can be used out of the box (without having to add an OS, memory and storage). It will, as many other experts have commented, send waves across the entire technology industry.Intel is not the first big name in tech to come up with such a device. Dell's Wyse Cloud Connect used an ARM processor and Android instead of an Intel one and Windows (the Compute Stick is also available with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, as well). Over the last 24 months, we've seen a flurry of these HDMI-connected Android/ARM-based dongles grow in popularity in South East Asia with prices plummeting to about £20 (around $32, AU$40).

Read full article @ Techradar

Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB Solid State Drive Review

Kingston now has a full line of solid state drives to offer to consumers. We have already taken a look at their HyperX Predator PCI-Express solid state drive on the high end and they have their HyperX Fury, which is more entry level. Filling in the mid-range is the HyperX Savage, which effectively replaces the HyperX 3K solid state drive. The drive is powered by the Phison PS3110-S10 quad core, eight-channel controller that is the same controller that we saw on Corsair’s Neutron XT drive. The drive is also Kingston’s fastest SATA-based solid state drive with sequential read and write speeds of 560 MB/s and 530 MB/s respectively. Will this be the solid state drive to get in 2015? Read on as we find out!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD Review

With both their enthusiast and entry level models recently refreshed it comes as little surprise to see Kingston round out their new lean and mean lineup with a more mainstream orientated option. That option is new new HyerX Savage. In fact it is safe to say that their mainstream refresh was long overdue as their mid-tier models were flagging in both comparable performance and sales. What was not expected was the controller that Kingston has opted for.

In previous years Kingston opted for a wide variety of controllers ranging from Intel to SandForce and everything in between. The one thing all their new models had in common however was a relatively conservative controller selection as they avoided suppliers who didn't didn't have a proven track record. After the HyperX Predator and its ground breaking AltaPlus controller surprised everyone, Kingston has now turned to Phison for their Savage series.

Read full article @ Hardware Canucks

Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD Upgrade Bundle Review

It wasn’t until the other day that I actually realized, I was barely paying attention to differences between SATA II and SATA III SSDs. I rarely benchmark any of the first generation drives, there is no sense, because the differences between the then and now are numerically miles apart. On the other hand without numerical statistics the user experience is relatively unnoticeable, or is it? I normally use SSDs in my test benches, it doesn’t matter if they are SATA II or SATA III, as long as they work and I can perform my scheduled tasks. Last week one of my older SATA III SSDs bit the dust and having scheduled a live benchmarking webcast I needed to format and get another ready in four hours by luck of the draw it happened to be one of my first SATA II SSDs. The nature of webcast was to benchmark a new video game head to head. While getting everything ready I noticed that the system with the SATA II SSD was lagging behind every time I started the game. It seemed like an eternity but actually it was only eight seconds. So much for user experience, head to head the difference is noticeable.

Read full article @ HiTech Legion

Kingston HyperX Savage SSD Review

HyperX, a division of Kingston, had been making headlines. It began with their Predator PCIe M.2 SSD, which fetched data at more than 1400 MB/s. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the HyperX Savage SSD, designed for performance enthusiasts and replaces the HyperX 3K solid state drive. HyperX Savage utilizes a quad-core eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 storage controller capable of 560 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write speeds. The 240GB HyperX Savage SSD Upgrade Bundle Kit received for testing (SHSS3B7A/240G) will be tested against the fastest solid state drives available for the SATA interface.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews

Meizu MX4 32GB Smartphone Review

MEIZU MX4 is quite an unique smartphone, which is available in 16GB and 32GB versions at Fastcardtech and incorporates a high-performance 20.7MP sensor from Sony, the MediaTek MT6595 big.LITTLE SoC with eight cores, is paired with 2GB of RAM and runs the latest version of Flyme operating system, based on Android 4.4.2.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Samsung Releases Second 840 EVO Performance Fix

If nothing else, the odyssey of Samsung’s 840 EVO has not been lacking in excitement. After initially launching in 2013 to great fanfare as an excellent, strong-performing low-cost drive, over the long run performance regressions began to occur in deployed drives that saw the read performance of old data significantly drop. At the heart of the issue was the drive’s relatively uncommon 19nm TLC NAND, which given the combination of small feature size and tighter requirements of TLC, eventually resulted in the drive having to slow down and re-read cells to properly read the charge-decayed cells.

Aiming to fix the issue, in 2014 Samsung released a performance restoration tool and firmware update for the 840 EVO. The combination of the tool and firmware would update the drive to better handle decayed cells and reduce the need to re-read them, meanwhile the restoration tool would refresh the drive’s data by re-writing all of the data to fresh cells. The idea being that fresh data in combination with the newer firmware would prevent the drive’s performance from decaying again.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Skylake-S top CPU is Core i7 6700K

There will be some Broadwell-based desktop processors, but the real successor of Intel's Core i7 4790K is going to end up with the Core i7 6700K brand name. The Core i7 6700K is clocked at 4.0GHz and with Turbo Boost it can reach 4.2GHz. It has 8MB cache, four cores and eight threads. The interesting part is support for DDR4 2133MHz or DDR3L 1600M. This should bring more bandwidth to the platform.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

Thecus N4310 Review

When we reviewed the little brother to the N4310 last year, the N2310, we were impressed. Not least because of the price because for little more than £100, Thecus had supplied us with a no-nonsense 2-bay NAS. Today we set our sights on the 4-bay version to see what, if any, improvements have been made other than the obvious extra 2 bays to house your storage. On the face of it, an extra £100 is a lot to pay for simply adding a further two bays so it will be interesting to see the performance difference between the two devices and any additional features the bigger NAS possesses.

Read full article @ Vortez