Triathlor? Seriously Enermax?

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 25, 2013 - 06:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, modular psu, enermax, TriAthlor, 650W

Platimax, Triathlor and NAXN; perhaps Enermax is not gifted at picking names for their PSUs but for the most part they are known for creating solid PSUs which do the job they are intended to.  Setting aside the name, this 650W mostly modular PSU has four 12V rails that combine to a peak of 54A, 648W which is certainly enough to power a modest multi-GPU system.  [H]ard|OCP put it through their own special brand of torture and were pleased with the results, a pass on all of their testing albeit results which trail the competitions offerings.  That keeps this PSU in the running as far as performance but at a current cost of $120 and perhaps higher in the future, it is hard to recommend this PSU over ones that do not cost as much and provide power of a quality at least equal to if not better than the Triathlor.

"Today we bring you an "athletic" power supply from Enermax that weighs in at 650 watts. The new Triathlor series sports plenty of features that enthusiasts will like including Silent Cooling, Flexible Cable Management, is marketed as being Rock Stable at All Loads. Enermax ads that, "The Triathlor FC is not a blinky poser."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

• Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M 600 W @ techPowerUp
• Enermax Platimax 1350w Modular Power Supply @ FunkyKit
• Rosewill SilentNight 500-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 750W Power Supply Review @Hi Tech Legion
• Rosewill Fortress 750-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Enermax Triathlor FC 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze @ Tweaktown
• Corsair AX1200 Fully-Modular 1200W Power Supply Review @ ModSynergy
• Corsair AX and AXi Series Power Supplies Review: Small Letter Big Difference @ X-bit Labs
• Cooler Master V Series 1000 W @ techPowerUp
• Antec Mobile Products A.M.P. Mobile Power Roundup @ eTeknix

Corsair Goes Small with Obsidian Series 350D Micro ATX PC Case

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 25, 2013 - 02:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: SFF, Obsidian Series 350D, obsidian, corsair

Fremont, California — April 25, 2013 — Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components, today announced the Obsidian Series 350D High Performance Micro ATX PC case. Available with a solid or windowed side panel, the Obsidian Series 350D brings unprecedented expansion and cooling options to smaller, more portable, high-performance PCs.

Like larger cases in the premium Obsidian Series line, the Obsidian Series 350D sports a clean, black, brushed-aluminum styling. The case is also designed for fast and neat builds with tool-free access and drive installation as well as an innovative cable routing system.

The Obsidian Series 350D case supports both Micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards and has plenty of interior space for liquid CPU cooling, dual 3.5” hard drives, dual 2.5” SSDs, dual 5.25” drives, and dual full-length graphics cards. It also has five expansion slots and five fan mounting points with room for two 240mm radiators. The front panel provides convenient access to USB 3.0 and audio connectors.

“The Obsidian 350D’s versatile expansion options give builders the ability to pack a lot of performance into a smaller form factor,” said Thi La, Senior VP & GM of Memory and Enthusiast Component Products at Corsair. “Its stylish, compact design makes it a perfect high-performance PC case for smaller living spaces or for gaming LAN parties.”

The MSRP is $109.99.

Do you dare put Super Pipes in Corsair's Super Tower

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 23, 2013 - 08:00 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: corsair, obsidian, Obsidian 990D, super tower

If you are looking for a housing for a super system, Corsair's monumental new Obsidian 900D, aka Super Tower, might be for you.  The midget in the picture below is the 200R mid-tower, cowering in front of the 40lb, 27.3"H x 10"W x 25.6"L 900D.  Triple TITANS and terabytes of storage are nothing to this case, it will swallow them and leave plenty of elbow room for you to tweak a fully installed system.  You really have to read [H]ard|OCP's full review to understand just how many features have been added to this case; certainly enough to win it a Gold Award.

"Corsair is finally pulling back the review embargo sheets on its new "Super Tower" 900D PC case. Details and pictures have been leaking out for months, but now we finally get to see if all the hype is justified. If you are wondering what a "super tower" is, well let's just say there will be a lot of desks that the 900D will not fit under."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

• Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Enermax Ostrog Giant Mid-Tower @ Tweaktown
• Thermaltake Chaser A31 @ FunkyKit
• Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Lian Li PC-7HX @ eTeknix
• Corsair Obsidian 900D 'Godzilla' Full Tower PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews
• Iron Man Helment Case Mod @ Modders-Inc
• Thermaltake A31 Chassis @ eTeknix
• InWin GT1 Mid-Tower Chassis @ Tweaktown
• NZXT Phantom 630 @ Modders-Inc
• Cooler Master Storm Power-RX @ LanOC Reviews
• Thermaltake A 41 Chaser Chassis @ eTeknix
• Case Smithing: Personalized Acrylic Etching and Engraving @ Tweaktown
• Fractal Design Define Mini Case Review @ AnandTech
• Affordable Gaming Cases: Corsair Carbide 200R and Thermaltake Chaser A41 @ X-Bit Labs
• SilverStone AP123 120mm Case Fan @ eTeknix
• Antec Kuhler H2O 1220 Liquid CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Antec Kuhler 1220 H20 Watercooling kit @ Rbmods
• Swiftech H220 Liquid CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Cooler Master Eisberg Prestige 240L @ Kitguru
• Noctua NH-U12S CPU cooler @ Hardwareoverclock
• Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Thermaltake NiC C5 Untouchable Cool CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• Thermaltake NiC C5 Untouchable CPU Cooler Review @ NikKTech
• Scythe ASHURA CPU Cooler Review @ Madshrimps
• GELID Solutions The Black Edition @ techPowerUp

NZXT's New "Grid" Hub Can Consolidate Up To 10 Case Fans

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 19, 2013 - 08:46 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: nzxt, case fan, fan controller, fan hub, cooling, grid

NZXT has announced that it is making its Grid fan hub available to the masses. No longer only available with certain NZXT cases, the Grid fan hub takes a single Molex power cable and provides 3-pin power outputs for up to ten fans.

The NZXT kit will come with the Grid hub, a 200mm long Molex power adapter, a single 200mm long (3-pin) female-to-female adapter cable, and two 200mm (3-pin) fan extension cables. NZXT is also including five black cable ties to assist with cable management.

Unfortunately, the Grid does not provide functionality to allow adjustable fan speeds. All fans connected to the Grid hub will run at 100% unless other means (such as resistors) are used inline to slow them down. If you only care for speed, and are in a situation where your motherboard does not support enough fan headers but you cannot justify a full fan controller the Grid might be for you. For the price, it is serviceable in that regard.

Speaking of pricing, the Grid fan hub will be available soon with a MSRP of $11.99. More information is available on NZXT's product page.

Is the Grid something that you could see yourself using?

Lian-Li Launching Two New Mini-ITX Cases In May

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 19, 2013 - 07:03 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: PC-Q28, PC-Q27, mini-itx, Lian Li, aluminum case

PC Chassis manufacturer Lian-Li has launched two new mini-ITX cases that will be available next month. The PC-Q27 and PC-Q28 are both brushed aluminum cases that accommodate a single graphics card, a mini-ITX motherboard, at least one case fan, and several hard drives.

The PC-Q27 is the smallest of the two cases at 7.8” x 11.8” x 9.4.” The case is constructed of aluminum and the outside features a black or silver brushed aluminum finish. The front of the case features a single 5.25” optical drive bay, a LED-lit power button, and two USB 3.0 ports on the right side of the case. Internally, the PC-Q27 case uses Lian-Li’s rail motherboard mounting system for mini-ITX boards. It can host a single graphics card up to 195mm in length, two 3.5” hard drives, and one 5.25” drive. The case is cooled by a single 120mm bottom-mounted fan when the hard disk drive bay is removed. To facilitate airflow, the case has vents along the bottom and rear of the case. The case is held up by case feet to allow the fan to pull in cool air.

Meanwhile, the PC-Q28 is a bit larger and wider at 8.9” x 12” x 13.5.” IT also comes in a silver or black brushed aluminum design. This case is the successor to Lian-Li’s PC-Q18. It can hold a mini-ITX motherboard, a single GPU up to 290mm in length, and up to seven 3.5” hard drives. The mini-ITX case features two removable hard drive cages and two fans. There is a single 140mm fan located on the bottom of the case that acts as an intake (and includes a dust filter to keep the case internals clean), and one 120mm exhaust fan on the top of the case. The outside of the case features four case feet to lift the case off the ground, rounded corners, and a simple front panel that host a power button and 5.25” drive bay. The right side of the case hosts two USB 3.0 ports and two analog HD audio jacks.

Both of Lian-Li’s new mini-ITX cases will be available sometime in May. The smaller PC-Q27 has an MSRP of $78.99 while the PC-Q28 will cost $118.99.

Read more about the Mini-ITX form factor at PC Perspective!

The upper echelon of the Seasonic X-Series, 850W of solid power

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 15, 2013 - 06:54 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: seasonic, Seasonic X-Series, 850W, PSU, modular psu

One drawback to impressing [H]ard|OCP with the quality of one of your PSUs is that the bar is now set that much higher for the next model they review.  Seasonic is one such company that has a great reputation that they have to live up to with their new X-850 PSU.  The half dozen PCIe 6+2 power plugs are a good start, as is being able to provide up to 99% of total power to the four 12V rails and the fully modular cabling is always appreciated.  The real question is how it fared on the test bench, so go find out if it just makes it or if it passes the torture test with flying colours.

Seasonic is a long time favorite of HardOCP editors as you will find a Seasonic PSU in many builds we have done over the years. Today Seasonic pushes its X-Series forward just a bit more building its first gold efficiency rated fully modular enthusiast power supply. But will it blend?"

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

• Silverstone Strider Essential ST50F-ES 500 W @ techPowerUp
• Corsair CX430M Modular Power Supply Review - What $25 Can Buy @ Legit Reviews
• Corsair Builder Series Modular CX600M @ Kitguru
• Fractal Design Newton R3 1000 Watt 80-PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• In Win Commander III 700W Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Enermax NAXN ADV 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze Power Supply @ Tweaktown
• Compact Power: Review of Five Low-Profile PSUs from Seasonic and Enhance @ X-bit Labs
• Fractal Design Integra R2 650W Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• CyberPower PR1500ELCDRTXL2U Professional Rackmount Series UPS Review @ NikKTech

Cooler Master's super-sized Storm Stryker case

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 12, 2013 - 02:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: cooler master, Storm Stryker, XL-ATX

If you need a case with space consider this member of the Storm family, the CM Storm Stryker XL-ATX case.  At 250x605x578mm (9.8x23.8x22.8") it will not fit under every desk but will hold a significant amount of hardware, you can fit up to 13 drives depending on the configuration of the HDD cages and it sports 9 add-in card slots on the back.  With fans on both the top and the bottom of the case, you could easily attach a radiator to the case or make do with great airflow if you do not desire to watercool.  Modders Inc was not only impressed by the brilliant white finish, they could not find a single bad thing to say about this case.

"The modular hard drive case setup was a great bonus to find when diving further into the case. These features, plus the fan controller, cable grip holder, and all the included fans that provide a constant flow of cooling air through the case really makes the CM Storm Stryker a well desired case."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

• CM Storm Scout II Advanced Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Cougar Spike Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced Review @ Hardware Canucks
• CaseLabs Merlin SM8 Full-Tower Customizable Chassis @ Tweaktown
• Fractal Design Define R2 XL Chassis @ eTeknix
• Cougar Challenger Midi Tower Review @ NikKTech
• In Win G7 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Cooler Master Centurion 6 @ techPowerUp
• Antec GX700 Case @ Kitguru
• NZXT Phantom 630 @ Hardware.info

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• NZXT Kraken X60 280mm AIO CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• NZXT Kraken X40 140mm AIO CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• Corsair Hydro Series H110 @ techPowerUp
• Cooler Master Seidon 120 XL Watercooler Review @ Ninjalane
• Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler @ eTeknix

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• Aerocool Shark 120mm Evil Black Edition Orange LED Fan @ eTeknix
• Noctua NF-S12A FLX, ULN and PWM Case Fan @ eTeknix
• Noctua 140mm/150mm Case Fan Roundup Review @ OCC
• SilverStone NT06-PRO CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Evercool Venti (HPQ 12025) CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• SilverStone Nitrogon NT06-PRO C-Style CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• Thermalright AXP-100 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets