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 .:Latest Topics |
:: PC Perspective . Case and Cooling
Nexus RX-5300 530W Modular Power Supply ReviewCase and Cooling - Jan 29, 2010 | 12:00 PM Virtually silent! If you are looking for a very quiet mid-power PSU with good voltage regulation, good efficiency, high-end video card support and modular cables; the Nexus RX-5300 deserves a very close look. 
Zalman MS1000-HS2 Mid-Tower ATX Case ReviewCase and Cooling - Jan 28, 2010 | 12:00 AM Zalman has been building high-end PC cases for several years now and their newest MS1000-HS2 is their new flagship mid-tower enclosure that features two hot swappable SATA storage bays, a sleek, windowless design, and a custom cooling solution. This $175 beast also has sound dampening features and a full steel chassis that is very sturdy. Let's dive right into all the features the MS1000-MS2 has to offer enthusiasts and PC builders. 
Kingwin Lazer Series 1,000W Power Supply ReviewCase and Cooling - Dec 30, 2009 | 02:00 PM The Kingwin LZ-1000 power supply with Crystal Cube modular connectors offers plenty of power with lots of bling at an affordable price, which all adds up to a potentially good value. Read the full review to find out!
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Bjorn3D | Subject: Case and Cooling
There are a pair of Zalman heatsinks up for review at Bjorn3D, the 920g Zalman CNPS10X Extreme and the 700g Zalman CNPS10X Flex. Both are based on five u-shaped heatpipes, the Flex being slightly smaller but with support for a dual fan configuration for better cooling and the Extreme comes with a handy PWM Mate
so you can change its fans speed without difficulties. Check out how well they keep the heat down on an AMD Athlon II X4 620
in their full review.
"The first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear that name is 'CPU heatsinks'. Since 1999, Zalman has been providing great products designed to keep PC components cool, especially CPUs. The Zalman CNPS10X Extreme and CNPS10X Flex continue the Zalman tradition of providing great cooling components for CPUs. While the Flex allows you the flexibility to choose your fan setup, the Extreme provides a controllable PWM fan for immediate installation. It seems the days of bland CPU coolers are gone. They have all been replaced with engineering masterpieces designed to pull as much heat away from the CPU as possible. From installation to benchmarking, we put the Zalman CNPS10X Flex and Extreme to the test." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Overclockers HQ | Subject: Case and Cooling
Join OverclockersHQ as they take you through a detailed example of a Core i5 based system. As opposed to pages of benchmarks they start with a step through of every component of the build, its features and the reasons they picked it. They start with the case, as it is important to make sure all of your components will fit and be comfortable inside. The next portion covers the motherboard as well as the RAM choice and the most recent features a rather large cooler that implies some overclocking in the future for some poor unsuspecting CPU.
"We will be doing a featured build around the new Clarkdale i5 – 661 CPU from Intel. I decided to go with the Cooler Master CM 690 II for the chassis of choice for this new build. The reason being is that the Clarkdale chips are great for media and Gaming and I figured the black with blue LED that the Cooler Master CM 690 II sports is a great choice. Not only do you get a sleek looking gaming rig but with a flip of the switch you get a beautiful media case without the bright blue LED’s." Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Hardware Secrets | Subject: Case and Cooling
When you run across a 750W power supply for $120, even if it is from Cooler Master you ought to think before you buy. The Cooler Master GX 750W seems great, with an 80+ rating, 4 PCIe plugs for your graphics and a slew of SATA power connectors and a 120mm fan to keep it relatively cool. Then you see the results that Hardware Secrets found in their testing; noise on the +3.3 V and +5V outputs caused them to head way out of spec at a 600W
power draw. As a 450W-500W PSU, it is solid but asking more from it could endanger some of your components.
"GX is the new mainstream power supply series from Cooler Master that is arriving on the market today, so far featuring 550 W, 650 W and 750 W models. Let's see if the 750 W model is a good buy." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Hardware Canucks | Subject: Case and Cooling
The Corsair Dominator GTX2 PC3-18000 CL8
DDR3 memory kit is flexible thanks to having 2 different stock speeds and timings. For the AMD user, DDR3-1900 @ 6-6-6-18
will be the base speed and for the Intel user the more impressive DDR3-2250 @ 8-8-8-24. Hardware Canucks took advantage of the variable timings available to see just how many ways they could tweak the memory by tightening the timings on an Intel P55 machine and an X58 system as well. There is LN2 involved and some serious benchmark results.
"In the world of extreme overclocking, the best of the best are always looking for the next big thing which will allow them to push their systems to new heights. Corsair has recently introduced a new line of modules which are the epitome of their current Dominator series. Dubbed the GTX2, these are geared to be the best of the best and we see how they perform when pushed to the absolute limits." Here are some more Memory articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: techPowerUp! | Subject: Case and Cooling
Mountain Mods Ascension Crystal Ship is a Create Your Own Case, a part of their new program that lets you spec out a case before you buy. At 24" x 18" x 18", the version that techPowerUp picked will happily hold a full system and a complete water cooling setup and still leave you plenty of room. A mixed construction of aluminium and acrylic ensures both a strong case and a really sharp look. The case is on the expensive side for many, but if you are looking for something unique and useful you should check this review out.
"The Mountain Mods "Ascension Create Your Own" Series cases promise to be the ultimate customizable case for the PC enthusiast. The new Crystal Ship version offers acrylic panels to show off your PC's inner workings. The optional new XL-ATX motherboard tray can easily house the new ten slot enthusiast motherboards. Just how customizable is it and what new options is MountainMods offering?" Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Case and Cooling
The kilowatt PSU market, which didn't even exist until very recently is getting quite crowded and unfortunately a lot of that crowd is really not good at their jobs. ABS has entered the fray with the humbly named ABS Majesty MJ1100-M 1100W PSU, with a claimed 87% efficiency. It has six 6+2pin PCI-E 2.0 and twelve 5-Pin SATA connectors which ought to keep most enthusiasts happy especially with 996W on the 12V line. [H]ard|OCP has seen a pair of units from ABS previously so they had some preconceptions about this PSU, some of which were right and others that were not. Overall they decided that if you consider it an 800W PSU then it does a stellar job.
"ABS has a long history in the do-it-yourself computer components market. ABS was the company that spawned the creation of Newegg. ABS has had its own computer power supply line for some time, but overall the products have been weak. Is the latest ABS Majesty true royalty at 1100 watts, or another PSU court jester?" Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
Steve Grever has just finished up a review of the Zalman MS1000-HS2 Mid-Tower a mid-tower case that will set you back about $175. Preinstalled are two 120mm fans and one 92mm fan space left to double that amount, or mount a radiator if you choose watercooling. There are extra features like sound dampening panels, dust filters, spring loaded removable HDD covers and tool-less installation. It does not have a removable motherboard tray but with a nice hole cut in the back to allow easy access to the back plate of your heatsink it really doesn't need one. Overall it is a very functional, if not particularly flashy case which you should definitely
take a peek at.
"The case itself is beautifully designed and goes away from many modern PC case designs that include tons of windows, LED fans, LED lights, and other flashy features. I actually prefer a case like the MS1000-HS2 that puts performance and functionality over flashy and cheap design elements. The included sound dampening material was definitely a bonus, but it would have been better to have all the interior walls covered in this material to make the case more silent." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Legit Reviews | Subject: Case and Cooling
Now, you might not have liquid Nitrogen just kicking around the house, but if you did; would it not be nice to be able to use it for overclocking? While many competitive overclockers make their own pots for the LN to sit in, getting hold of a CNC machine is often even less likely than having a big tub of LN. That has opened up a market for prebuilt pots, just as watercooling has switched from homebrewed solutions to the premade systems like those from Danger Den. The Koolance CPU-LN2 Rev2 Liquid Nitrogen Pot is being examined at Legit Reviews, drop by for a look at some heavy overclocking and extreme cooling.
"Liquid nitrogen performance on the Koolance CPU-LN2 Rev2 Pot is so far improved that it is surprising the Rev1 and Rev2 came from the same company. The rather radical change in design is responsible for this excellent LN2 performance and with a few more tweaks will really fly with heavy loads. Intel's upcoming Gulftown hex-core processors have already been shown to run hotter than current Bloomfield quad-core processors but I feel the CPU-LN2 Rev2 will easily handle the upcoming Intel six-core Gulftown processors..." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Case and Cooling
Ultra's new line, the Ultra X4 adds an additional X to the name and two new PSUs to their product line up. The X4 850W and 1050W do not seem to be available yet but you should keep your eyes open for them so you can avoid them. [H]ard|OCP was not overly impressed with the quality of power they delivered, though they did manage to stay in spec and pass their tests. The problems lie in the efficiency, which is nowhere near the 80+ Silver rating they claim as well as the build quality. They are certainly not the worst choice out there but there are definitely better choices out there.
"Ultra is a polarizing name in the PSU game. It has created great PSUs and others that are just short
of being fire hazards. So where does it land today with a pair of new PSUs that Ultra says are "whole
new approach" to computer power supplies?"
Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Case and Cooling
Instead of focusing solely on the kilowatt level of PSUs, it is worth keeping an eye on the 500W neighbourhood. Seriously, unless you are planning on at least 2 graphics cards and a 10 disk RAID you do not need that cool 1250W PSU. By pegging the proper PSU, your system will produce less heat and noise and your power bill will drop. Just make sure that you don't underpower your system. A perfect example is the Thermaltake Litepower 450W which is up for review at [H]ard|OCP. A 5 year warranty on what is really a very basic PSU is a great thing and speaks towards Thermaltake's belief in the PSU. It does only have a single 6 pin PCIe connector and no cable sleeving but it is the only sub-500W PSU to pass [H]'s torture testing!
"Thermaltake today brings us its lowest power hardware enthusiast PSU ever. Known for Gold Editor's Choice award winners in the 1200 watt range, we get to see what Thermaltake brings to the table on the low end and if it carries a value that enthusiast users should be checking out for that next low-end build." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Hardware Secrets | Subject: Case and Cooling
The 3R System iCEAGE Prima Boss CPU cooler may be fairly new to the market but that hasn't stopped their development. The new iCEAGE Prima Boss II hasn't hit the North American market quite yet, but when it does you should pay attention to it. Hardware Secrets was impressed with the performance of the original, so they were even more impressed when they saw that the second iteration did better at lowering temperatures by 4C. It turns out that the secondary heatsink on the base is for more that just aesthetics.
"This time we tested a new cooler from 3R System: iCEAGE Prima Boss II, new version of iCEAGE Prima Boss we reviewed recently. But will it perform better than its older brother? Check it out!" Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Pro-clockers.com | Subject: Case and Cooling
Thermaltake's new line up of power supplies are all called TR2 RX and are available in a wide spread of wattages. At Pro-clockers they have taken a look at the 750W model, showing off the clean design and some of the key features that this design encompasses. They also take a look at the voltages provided at idle and at load, which you can see right here.
"Thermaltake being one of the leaders in power supply production has once again sent us one of their prized power units. The TR2 RX is aimed at the mainstream segment, for people that are looking for efficiency, decent amount of power and reliability. The TR2 has all that. It is rated 86%, anywhere from 600 to 750 watts and has a great warranty which last five years from date of purchase. We will be taking a look at the 750 watt which has support for dual GPU no matter the card has two 6-pin or 8-pin connectors. We have it here." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Steve Grever | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
We stopped by Thermaltake's suite this week at the Consumer Electronics Show and saw two test benches on showcases the read/write speeds of their new BlacX Duet dual hard drive docking station that includes USB 3.0 support. They were using Patriot 128GB SSDs and getting phenomenal speeds through USB 3.0 versus USB 2.0.
Their new line of heatsinks was pretty modest, but included the new SpinQ VT, which is 6.26 inches high and supports both LGA 1156 and 1366. Their new ISGC-V320 graphics card cooler was also impressive and compatible with both NVIDIA and ATI video cards including the GTX 285 and 5870.
This keyboard was also pretty interesting and includes a small fan in the top left-hand corner of the board. It definitely had a gamer-feel to it and the glowing Thermaltake logo on the wrist rest was pretty stunning. More to follow on this product as we get more details from Thermaltake.
Thermaltake also had five new power supplies on display, including the TR2 RX 1200 watt PSU that has three eight-pin CPU power connectors and three six-pin PCI-e connectors. A new addition to their Toughpower series is the Toughpower XT 875W that eight SATA connectors, two six-pin PCI-e connectors, two eight-pin CPU power connectors, and an 87 percent power efficiency rating. All of Thermaltake's powers supplies also have a five-year warranty, which is great for enthusiasts who push their PSUs for maximum performance.
The V5 Black Edition is a mid-tower solution that includes a black powder coating on the chassis, a strong case handle for transporting it to LAN parties, nine drive bays, and a swappable 3.5" drive bay. It also includes a 200mm fan on top and a 120mm fan at the rear of the case.
Thermaltake also gave us a peek at their new Luxa2 mobile device holders that included popular devices like the Amazon Kindle DX pictured above. The best part about these holders are how they actually secure devices without using any sticky material or mounting kits called Stiction. Stiction is basically static friction. It works when two solid objects are pressed against each other and require some threshold of force parallel to the surface of contact in order to overcome static cohesion. They come in an assortment of different styles and colors, which should cater to many different types of consumer's individual styles and personalities.
Another neat case was the Thermaltake Element V NVIDIA edition. This is basically a standard Element V case, but includes the NVIDIA logo on the front and their trademark green color on the storage bay clips and around the front panel ports. This case is also unique in that it has a custom cooling system for your rig's graphics cards. Looks pretty snazzy to me.
Lastly, a new member of the Element series is the Element Q mini-ITX case that includes a 200W SFX power supply. Overall, the entire Thermaltake line looks pretty promising for 2010 and I'm sure we'll see more products from them launched throughout the year.
Steve Grever | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
The folks at Inwin had several new gaming and mainstream PC enclosures on hand at their booth this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, but none of these cases drew me in faster than this micro ATX case called the Concept. Aside from the case's rugged aesthetics, if you look closely you'll see a full-size ATI Radeon 5870 graphics card in this bad boy. This card measures a whopping
10.75 inches, which means the Concept can handle any size graphics card currently available. Some other specs on this case include support for one 5.25" optical device, one external 3.5" device, and three internal 3.5" hard drives. There's also mounting holes for one solid state drive. This box will definitely be on my wish list when my birthday rolls around and I'm sure many other LAN gamers would love to lug around the Concept to their next LAN party.
While the paint isn't standard when consumers go to purchase it, the Maelstrom has a full tower, bullet-riddled chassis with 11 drive bays and a screwless design for easy installation. This case also supports water cooling kits, which is definitely alot more popular in mainstream users and gamers alike. The front ports include support for four USB 2.0 devices, two eSATA devices, one firewire device, and high definition audio.
This full tower Ironclad PC case completely reminded me of Battlefield 2142 with its unique color scheme and oversized textures and lettering. This beast includes 12 available drive bays and a tool-less design for installing new PCI cards into your rig. It also has six internal 3.5" bays, one 2.5" bay, and support for E-ATX, ATX, and micro ATX motherboard configurations. In-Win also focused on providing an advanced noise insulation to help reduce sound and noise coming from the system.
Steve Grever | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
Antec introduced the PC Perspective team to their new line of Dark Fleet series PC cases and high efficiency power supplies during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
Created for gamers and PC enthusiasts, the LanBoy Air is a modular, portable open air mid tower case with a completely original design. The LanBoy Air’s versatile framework allows for extensive air ventilation and is able to handle the latest cooling demands of gamers, professional users and system builders. The case is equipped with up to 15 fan slots and sports honeycomb mesh panels for optimal cooling. The enclosure is cooled by five fans (two front adjustable speed 120mm blue LED fans, two 120mm TriCool blue LED fans and one rear 120mm TriCool three-speed blue LED fan) and has room for up to seven optional 120mm fans to cool hard drives and graphics cards.The LanBoy Air features nine interchangeable drive bays (six internal 3.5” HDD bays and three external 5.25” HDD bays), eight expansion slots to support 3-way SLI configurations, exchangeable motherboard and power supply locations and supports mini-ITX, microATX and standard ATX motherboards.
The DF-30 features a military-style front bezel and a 2.5” hot-swap SATA drive bay on the top of the case. The entire front bezel isn't your standard plastic "snap on" design, but has three doors that house three 120mm fans with individual fan controllers to adjust fan speeds and reduce noise. Antec included five 120mm fans with the DF30, but the entire case can house seven 120mm fans. The entire chassis has been painted with a matte black finish, which goes well with the honeycomb fan filters and tough-looking plastic exterior.
The DF-85 has a similar design to the DF30, but it goes a bit further because of its full tower chassis design. This case has 14 drive bays and one 2.5" hot-swap SATA drive bay. The side panels are lockable and there are two two 140mm fans at the top of the case, two 120mm fans mounted to the back, and three 120mm fans mounted on the front panel of the case that include speed control knobs.
The SG-1200 joins the Signature series as a quality, efficient and robust power supply option designed to meet the demanding requirements of PC enthusiasts. The 1200 watt model is the first Antec power supply to achieve 80 PLUS Gold certification. Additionally, Antec claims the SG-1200 is at least 87 percent efficient on a wide range of operating loads. The advanced design of the SG-1200 features eight dedicated +12V output circuits to divide power evenly throughout the system. This power supply features over current protection (OCP) on all rails for greater system protection.
Steve Grever | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
Our friends at EVGA hosted select members of the media to view their latest line of Classified series motherboards, video cards, and a few unique products that should appeal to overclockers and business-minded consumers.
We got a sneak peek at a new dual processor LGA 1366 board under EVGA's Classified series that was massive. The part number on the board is 270-GT-W555. Some of the specs we uncovered on this board included a three phase PWM for each set of memory slots per CPU, dual NF200 chips for Quad SLI, ICH10R, and high quality solid state capacitors, chokes, and PCB. This board could go for around $500 and EVGA suggested that it will be available in April.
EVGA's first LGA 1156 motherboard that includes Intel's new H57 Express chipset is plainly named the H57. This board boasts eight SATA 3GB/s headers, 14 USB 2.0 ports, and one of the first boards we've seen with an onboard DisplayPort. It also includes one PCI-E x16 slot, one PCI-E x4 slot, and two PCI-E x1 slots. Lastly, EVGA also included RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5, and JBOD support. Sadly, we didn't notice support for USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s on this board.
One product that caught our eye was the EVGA EVBot overclocking device. The EVBot can adjust voltages and CPU clock frequencies in real time as well as monitor temperatures, voltages, and frequencies. It also can control up to four devices, but is only compatible with select EVGA products currently. It retails for $79.99, which is a little steep but definitely worth the investment for tweakers and overclocking junkies.
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Legit Reviews | Subject: Case and Cooling
CoolerMaster has a new low cost case on the market, which comes in two flavours, the CM690 II Standard for about $80 and the Advanced for about $100. The differences between the two are the inclusion of a VGA card support bracket, SSD adapter, and SATA hard drive dock in the Advanced version. There are a total of 10 possible fans that can be installed, from an 80mm fan positioned near the graphics card to the pair of 140mm fans providing the main source of airflow. At 214.5 x 511.8 x 528.8mm you shouldn't have to worry too much about heatsink compatibility, though you might consider it heavy as it is over 20lbs empty. Legit Reviews ahas the goods if you are shopping for a new full tower.
"Overall, I really like the Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced PC gaming case. It is very easy to work in and on. The ability to remove items from the case that are not needed or to make room for things like dual radiators without cutting up a perfectly good case is a really big plus. The ability to use multiple 120mm or 140mm fans, and combinations thereof, to cool the case is a big plus. I also really liked the overall look of the case. It has simple lines and not an in your face aggressive design, but more blending in and not look out of place in my living room." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Steve Grever | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
Today we made our way to the new Aria Resort and Casino to check out OCZ Technology's latest power supplies and solid state drives. Allyn will go into more detail about the SSDs, but I got some background info on new Fatal1ty and PC Power and Cooling power supplies.
The Fatal1ty brand is alive and well and OCZ kicked off the new year with the Fatal1ty 750W power supply. This single rail PSU includes a rock solid 85 percent efficiency rating and Japanese-made solid state primary capacitors. It also includes a ball-bearing 135mm red LED fan and will retail for around $79 in the first quarter of 2010.
OCZ also unveiled the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK II 950W power supply. This beast boosts an 85 percent efficiency rating and included three PCI-Express power connectors for triple SLI or CrossfireX graphics configurations. This single rail PSU comes in two flavors - the "Bronze" versions that come in 500W and 650W and the "Silver" models that are made in 750W and 950W solutions. Retail prices were not available for this product, but it should be available in the first quarter of this year. For all PC Perspective's CES 2010 coverage, news and articles, please visit: www.pcper.com/ces
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Cooler Master | Subject: Case and Cooling
Cooler Master’s CM 690 quickly became a top-selling mid tower chassis due to its sleek design, full tower like features and exceptional value. Today, we have raised the bar again, with the new CM 690 II. The new version enhances the original CM 690 killer features with a seductive all-black interior, added capacity, superior cooling system and user-friendly design. Full Tower Like Capacity
Superior Cooling System
User-friendly Design
CM 690 II Advanced Edition Features
CM 690 II Availability
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Hardware Secrets | Subject: Case and Cooling
Third party CPU coolers tend to be aimed towards the overclocker, offering better cooling at the price of size and noise. That is why some of the top end coolers weigh about 1kg and can be heard clearly over a vacuum cleaner. The Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 Pro CPU
is for a different breed of users. It offers the same cooling performance as the stock AMD heatsink but does so much more quietly. If that is the type of system builder that you are, drop by Hardware Secrets to see it in action.
"Today we are going to test Alpine 64 Pro, a low-cost CPU cooler for AMD processors from Arctic Cooling. This cooler features a traditional design, with a 92-mm fan and no heatpipes. But how about its performance? Let's check it out!" Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
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