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Here a roundup of the latest reviews and articles:

9 Mac System Preferences You Haven’t Tweaked Yet
Amped Wireless TAP-R2 Touch Screen Wireless Router Review
Asus VivoPC VM62B Review
Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF CPU Cooler Review
be quiet! Dark Rock TF Review
BeQuiet Dark Rock TF Heatsink Review
Corsair Force LS 120 GiB SSD Review
Cougar 500K Gaming Keyboard Review
Deepcool Tristellar
Epson BrightLink Pro 1410Wi Review
Grado Prestige Series SR80e Headphone Review
Hands-on review: Sony Xperia Z3+
Intel Z97 OC-motherboard LN2 review: extreme boards, extreme tests
Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2nd Gen Convertible Review
Noctua NH-D9L D-Type CPU Cooler Review
Overclockers UK Infin8 Nebula Custom Watercooled Gaming PC
Perixx's AX-1200 Gaming Headset Review
Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog Review
SanDisk set to slash SSD prices
The ASUS Zenfone 2 Review
Thermaltake POSEIDON Z FORGED Keyboard Review



9 Mac System Preferences You Haven’t Tweaked Yet

Make your Mac your own, without third party software. Whether youre new to OS X or a longtime user, theres probably something in System Preferences you havent found yet. Here are nine things you might have missed. Weve been digging into the Mac preferences for years, but to this day there are things we havent pointed out yet. To get started, click the Apple icon at top-left , then click System Preferences. Thats right: you dont need to keep the System Preferences icon on your dock anymore (you can even launch it via Spotlight).

Read full article @ MakeUseOf

Amped Wireless TAP-R2 Touch Screen Wireless Router Review

For the past few months, we have had the privilege of evaluating some of the new flagship routers from the major networking manufactures. The common thread to these routers has been their super-fast wireless-AC (802.11ac) speeds and their robust feature set and user interface. Another thing these routers have in common are their relatively expensive price points that each hold. Today, we take a look at the Amped Wireless TAP-R2 Dual-Band AC750 router which brings a feature we have never seen here at Legit Reviews a touch screen! Amped Wireless designed the TAP-R2 with a 3.5" touch screen that allows a user to setup and manage the router with ease and even serves as a digital clock when not in use.

Read full article @ Legit Reviews

Asus VivoPC VM62B Review

Asus VivoPC comes in a number of versions. This model is the VM62B with a Core i3 processor and integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics which puts it in the middle of the pecking order. You can also buy it with a Celeron 2957U (we prefer to avoid Celerons) or Core i5-4210U (gotta love that Turbo) but instead we have Core i3-4030U. You will note the CPU model code shows it is 4th Gen hardware at a time when Intel has rolled out low power 5th Gen and we fully expect to see 6th Gen later this year.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF CPU Cooler Review

We test and review the Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF CPU Cooler review. The cooler is their strongest performer on the block, the flagship product intended to cool down the most gnarly processors. It is extremely cool in performance, and it remains the most silent enthusiast heat-pipe cooler we have ever test, but there is one gripe with this product alright, read all about it in this review.

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!

The Dark Rock TF has a large profile design and offers very high capacity cooling, whilst remaining totally silent. The Dark Rock TFis designed to be a top flow cooler hence TF and as such it can it can handle thermal loads up to 220W. The cooler is made out of two stacked dark nickel-plated heatsinks with a two-fold of the latest revision 135 mm be quiet! Silent Wings fans. A smaller heatsink sits at the bottom and the larger heatsink sits at the top of the cooler. This is one of the most quiet coolers we have ever tested, even with a Core i7 4790K that we'll throw at it. Have a peek below and then we'll head onwards into the review.

Read full article @ Guru3D

be quiet! Dark Rock TF Review

In the arena of the CPU cooler the obvious perquisite is cooling performance but with the plethora of dual-tower CPU coolers that currently populate the market, size can be a concern for those with less space inside their computer chassis and so this paves the way for the top-flow solution. Top-flow CPU coolers are often regarded as “C-type” solutions and offer a low-profile uniform to counter the problem of clearance – today we are to take a look at one such product.

The Dark Rock TF is be quiet’s latest top-flow CPU cooler which seeks to offer the perfect blend of silence and performance. Accompanying this sleek heatsink are two SilentWings 135mm cooling fans which use 6-pole motors to achieve superb airflow and low-noise. Dark Rock TF utilises a dual-heatsink design which in essence should provide us with good results.

Read full article @ Vortez

BeQuiet Dark Rock TF Heatsink Review

On the test bench today we have BeQuiet's Dark Rock TF heatsink - a top-down dual tower heatsink which features a pair of BeQuiet SilentWings fans and stands 130mm tall. The Dark Rock TF heatsink is built around six 6mm diameter heatpipes which link a large primary aluminum fin stack and smaller secondary set of aluminum cooling fins to a chunky copper heatspreader below. The 135mm PWM fans are arranged in a push-pull configuration, exhausting downwards so related motherboard CPU VRM components benefit from the cooling air flow.

Read full article @ FrostyTech

Corsair Force LS 120 GiB SSD Review

Value SSDs at the 120 GiB capacity are very popular nowadays, since they are affordable and have enough space to use them as a fast boot drive, while you can use a standard hard drive as a secondary drive to store your data files. Today, we are testing the Corsair Force LS, a value 120 GiB SSD, and comparing its performance to a very popular 2.5" SATA SSD, the Kingston SSDNow V300 120 GiB SSD.

Read full article @ Hardware Secrets

Cougar 500K Gaming Keyboard Review

We have been checking out Cougar’s gaming keyboards over the past couple of months. We first took a look at the high-end 700K, then moved down to the more minimalistic 600K, and today we will be taking a look at the more entry-level 500K. This keyboard is actually quite a lot like the higher-end 700K, it has the same 6 programmable G-keys, N-key rollover, a 32-bit ARM processor and on-board memory, the FPS palm rest and more. What it does lack is the aluminum design and mechanical key switches. So if you are not a fan of mechanical key switches this could be the keyboard for you. This has to be one of the more fully-featured non-mechanical keyboards that we have seen lately. Let’s jump in and see what this keyboard can do!

Read full article @ ThinkComputers.org

Deepcool Tristellar

In 100 years we will look back at our meager existence and when someone quietly asks the question "how did Skynet get started?", the answer could very well go like this: "Once, there was this chassis, the Tristellar...". Deepcool has created a crazy looking chassis which weighs more empty than most ITX systems as a whole. All this with the goal to be a showcase of design & function at the same time.

Read full article @ techPowerUp

Epson BrightLink Pro 1410Wi Review

The BrightLink series is Epson's full interactive projector line. The series features two models, the BrightLink Pro and the BrightLink Ed. The BrightLink ED is for K-12 education and is a model that requires a connected computer and software to enable the interactivity that separates BrightLink models from standard printers.The BrightLink Pro ($2,999, £1,946.18, AU$3,802.36), on the other hand, is fully autonomous in that it can be interactive without a dedicated computer or software. The BrightLink Pro can turn any surface into a projectable interactive whiteboard. Whether it be a table or a wall, the BrightLink Pro can project a computer that can be virtually written on with a digital pen.Don't want to replace your already existing conference system? The Epson BrightLink Pro is designed so that it can be an extension of your conferencing system. It can do Picture-in-Picture so you can see your meeting but also write on the board for viewers to see as well.

Read full article @ Techradar

Grado Prestige Series SR80e Headphone Review

When a headset has ‘A Higher Level of Listening’ boasted on the front of the box, it sparks interest immediately. What makes this headset, in comparison to the rest, so much better than that of the any other headset? Or at least, how does it provide a higher level of listening? While some may find this to be a simple marketing tactic, others (including ourselves) are dying to know what makes the Grado Prestige Series SR80e so much better than the rest. After undergoing a thorough and rugged series of tests, we have an answer. Let’s find out!

Read full article @ TechnologyX

Hands-on review: Sony Xperia Z3+

Editor's note: We got hands on with a pre-production Sony Xperia Z3+ which wasn't running final software. While the look of the handset won't change, there may be minor cosmetic tweaks before it goes on sale.The Sony Xperia Z4 is here! No, that isn't a typo - I really did mean to type Z4. For this is the Xperia Z4, but as it's the international version of the handset I'm having to call it the Sony Xperia Z3+.Sony Xperia Z3 Plus is a much better name for this handset, as it represents only a very small incremental upgrade from the Xperia Z3 which launched around eight months before.Sony has slightly tweaked the design, upgraded the power and given the front facing camera a bump, while the battery has been reduced in size along with the handset's weight.What the Xperia Z3+ does represent however is a fresh attack on the flagship smartphone market, allowing Sony to stay relevant in a market which now boasts the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9 and LG G4 along with the iPhone 6.The Sony Xperia Z3 Plus release date is set for June 2015, although I'm still waiting to hear how much it'll set you back. Going by the Xperia Z3 though this won't be a cheap handset - one look at its competition tells you pretty much all you need to know.

Read full article @ Techradar

Intel Z97 OC-motherboard LN2 review: extreme boards, extreme tests

ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI all claim that they have the ultimate motherboard for extreme overclockers. We wanted to find out which one actually lives up to this claim and got two members of our Hardware.Info Pro OC team together with a large supply of liquid nitrogen to find out.

The target market of overclockers that actually use extreme cooling like LN2 is pretty small, but this does not stop motherboard manufacturers to try and associate themselves with this group. If a high-end overclocking board is regarded as the best on the market this will have an effect on the amount of mainstream motherboards being sold. All four larger boards manufacturers claim that their motherboards can achieve the best results when overclocking with extreme cooling measures.

This claim is pretty easy to make, as it is very hard to verify if it is true. There is a lot of difference in the overclocking potential of CPU's, and even on Hwbot.org it is difficult to see which board actually gets the best results. There is no one that actually tests the same CPU on different motherboards with extreme cooling to see what board is the best.

Read full article @ Hardware.Info

Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2nd Gen Convertible Review

As the Dell Venue 11 Pro Convertible, the ThinkPad Helix 2-in-1 works on the same principle which means passive cooling, producing absolutely zero noise when operating, which is quite an achievement. The tested model comes equipped with the Intel Core M 5Y10 processor and is paired with 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM and a Samsung 128GB SSD. We are also getting a keyboard dock and a tablet pen along with the Helix which add multiple functionality to the product.

Read full article @ Madshrimps

Noctua NH-D9L D-Type CPU Cooler Review

When building a brand new computer choosing the right components is directly tied to the type of use ment for it so obviously you wouldn't use the same ones you'd use with the office system as you would with the one in your living room. Needless to say the same applies for the CPU cooler since a gaming oriented system would need one with a much higher cooling efficiency compared to that of an office system or even a HTPC. The downside however with really powerful CPU coolers is their massive size so if you wanted to place one inside a mITX/mATX case chances are you'd be out of luck. Well manufacturers know this all too well so for the past 2-3 years many of them have focused a lot in the design of compact CPU coolers with impressive cooling potential (for their size always). Noctua has already released several such models in the market but with their latest NH-D9L D-Type Tower Cooler they seem to be taking things one step further.

Read full article @ NikKTech

Overclockers UK Infin8 Nebula Custom Watercooled Gaming PC

UK etailer Overclockers UK have been selling components for a long time, but they also create a wealth of systems … to suit every bank balance. Today we are taking a look at one of their more expensive systems – the overclocked, watercooled extreme gaming PC called the ‘Infin8 Nebula’. This is based around the 4790k, overclocked to 4.6ghz, alongside not one, but two GTX980’s in SLI which are also watercooled.

Read full article @ KitGuru

Perixx's AX-1200 Gaming Headset Review

Today I will be reviewing the AX 1200 from Perixx. Over the last few weeks I have wrote about one chassis after another. So you can bet, I am definitely ready to write a different review. Especially with it being about a month ago I reviewed my last headset. The review then was over the Siberia Raw Prism from Steel Series. You might be asking yourself why I mention this. Well the Raw Prism is considered one of Steel Series budget friendly headsets and if I can sum up the Ax 1200 in two words, they would definitely be budget friendly.
 
Ive been building computers since my high school days (late 90's and early 2000's). Back then I was quite poor! A lot of the computer hardware I would get were hand me downs or cheaply bought. So as you could guess I was always looking for a deal. Anything that would look the part, but also work fairly well too. The 1200 sure does look the part! Starting with the color scheme, which is an all over black color with red accent that gives the 1200 a sleek and clean look. Perixx's 1200 also looks fairly comfortable with having cushioned padding over both ears and the headband. In my opinion, those two features makes the 1200 worth checking out! I am definitely excited to get started!

Read full article @ FunkyKit

Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog Review

A new twist on their old idea... It would be fair to say that our past experience with Roccat headsets, and their products in general, has been a positive one. Their Kone XTD for example is one of the best mice we have ever tested. A while back we reviewed their Kave XTD headset and found it to be a quality product. Now they have released a new revision and today we test that in our Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog Review.

Read full article @ HardwareHeaven

SanDisk set to slash SSD prices

SanDisk has unveiled its Z400s which look tailor made to kick the HHD market while it is down.

With capacities ranging from 32GB to 256GB it is not so much the storage space but the cost which makes the gear attractive – it is more or less the same as traditional hard disk drives.
The Z400s are targeted at the embedded space but could easily snuggle into the mainstream computing market.
In a press release the company said that with a single architecture, SanDisk is able to provide OEMs with an affordable solution for displacing HDDs in today's cutting edge consumer devices.

Read full article @ Fudzilla

The ASUS Zenfone 2 Review

ASUS is not new to the smartphone market. Since the days of Windows Mobile (not the new Windows Mobile) theyve been selling smartphones. But when it comes to Android devices theyve been primarily focused on tablets. ASUS worked with Google to design and manufacture both generations of the Nexus 7, which was beloved by Android enthusiasts. Their Padfone devices were an attempt to have a smartphone that attached to a tablet shell to make a sort of 2-in-1 smartphone and tablet. But only recently has the company started making a serious push into the Android smartphone space. Their ZenFone line of phones consists of several devices, with the newest being the ZenFone Zoom and the ZenFone 2, the latter being the device Im looking at today. Read on for my full review of the ASUS ZenFone 2.

Read full article @ Anandtech

Thermaltake POSEIDON Z FORGED Keyboard Review

The Thermaltake Poseidon Z Forged is the newest edition to the Poseidon Z family. It comes in with a lot of new features that can be appealing to most gamers. This is the first mechanical keyboard in the Poseidon series to offer programmable macro buttons. In addition to that, Thermaltake is confident that the Poseidon Z Forged will become a long lasting keyboard, so they are offering the same five year warranty as they did with their previous Poseidon mechanical keyboards.

Read full article @ Benchmark Reviews