Home » Subject
Cases

Cooler Master HAF XM Mid-Tower Enclosure Review

Author:
Date: August 18, 2012
Subject: Cases and Cooling
Manufacturer: Cooler Master
Tagged: Mid-Tower Case, High Air Flow, HAF XM, cooler master

Introduction and Features

2-20th.png

  
Cooler Master is a well know name among PC enthusiasts and they are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary!  In addition to a full line of PC enclosures, Cooler Master offers power supplies, coolers, and numerous accessories for mobile computing, notebooks, servers, and gaming. In this review we will be taking a detailed look at the new Cooler Master HAF XM enclosure, which is a very interesting mid-tower version of their popular HAF X series full-tower enclosure.

3-HAF-XM-Banner.jpg

Here is what Cooler Master has to say about the new HAF XM enclosure: “The pure essence of the HAF X packed into a mid-tower size. The HAF XM supports up to four huge 200mm fans (Top x 2, Front, and Side), a large 140mm rear exhaust fan, and ample space for even the most demanding system builds. Liquid cooling support, an easy-access 90 degree rotated latched side panel, front HDD and SSD X-Docks, USB 3.0, and support for a hidden 2.5” HDD/SSD behind the motherboard tray make the HAF XM the ultimate setup for those that want enthusiast-grade features in a mid-tower package.”

Continue reading our review of the Cooler Master HAF XM chassis!!

Out of the Casino and Lepa through the Vortex to ... get to tha Choppa!

Subject: Cases and Cooling | August 17, 2012 - 07:09 PM |
Tagged: lepa, vortex, casino, chopper, air cooling, 120mm

Lepa has released three new 120mm fans, the plain looking Vortex designed for those who simply like good cooling, the flashy Casino with 18 blue LEDs for those preferring to show off and the low speed Chopper which has a pair of red and blue LEDs for those wishing to create various moods in their case.  All performed quite well in Hi Tech Legion's testing, beating the stock fans the NZXT Switch 810 case came with.  Read on to see which one would best suit your needs.

htl_lepa.png

"The Lepa Vortex 120mm fan, Casino 120mm fan, and Chopper 120mm fan are designed to maximize cooling while maintaining silent operation. The Vortex is designed without LED lighting for those who want a simple fan. The Casino 120mm fan has 18 blue LEDs installed in it creating a spiral lighting effect with various modes including the ability to turn off the LEDs. The Chopper is a low speed fixed RPM fan that has 2 LEDs (in blue or red depending on model) to create a dynamic cycling lighting effect."

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

CASES & COOLING

Source: Hi Tech Legion

Get Platinum power for about $100

Subject: Cases and Cooling | August 17, 2012 - 06:11 PM |
Tagged: PSU, antec, 80plus platinum, Earthwatts Platinum 650W

At $120 on NewEgg, the Antec Earthwatts Platinum is not a bad choice for those looking for power and efficiency.  Although it is SLI rated, with only two 6+2 PCIe power connectors you will need to rely on molex adapters to run two cards and at 650W they will not be current flagship models.  Legit Reviews saw some questionable results while testing but for a PSU of this price, especially such a quiet and efficient one, it comes with a recommendation to stop worrying and pick it up.

LR_earthwatt.jpg

"When it comes to performance, besides its high electrical efficiency which is expect from an 80Plus Platinum unit. The Earthwatts Platinum 650W PSU also excels in acoustics, with the unit running entirely silent across the entire nominal load range. The high efficiency also allows it to operate at fairly low temperatures as little energy is wasted as heat. Even though most hardcore enthusiasts would find this unit's electrical performance mediocre, we believe that the ripple suppression and voltage regulation of the Earthwatts Platinum 650W unit is more than acceptable for a sub-$100 product..."

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

CASES & COOLING

Source: Legit Reviews

Thermaltake Dr. Power II Universal ATX PSU Tester

Author:
Date: August 10, 2012
Subject: Cases and Cooling
Manufacturer: Thermaltake
Tagged: thermaltake, Power Supply Tester, Dr. Power II, ATX PSU Tester

Introduction, Features and Specifications

2-Dr-Power-Banner.jpg

Thermaltake is a well known name among PC enthusiasts. They offer a full line of PC enclosures, power supplies, cooling equipment and accessories. Today we are taking a detailed look at Thermaltake's Dr. Power II Universal ATX Power Supply Tester.  This is a second generation device that can come in very handy when you're trying to diagnose problems with your PC. A faulty or failing PSU can cause all kinds of problems (failure to startup, spontaneous re-boots, instability, etc.) and it can sometimes be difficult to know just what the source of the problem is. The Dr. Power II PSU Tester offers a quick and easy to use diagnostic tool to help confirm or rule out a bad power supply unit. 

3-Dr-Power-II.jpg

Thermaltake Dr. Power II Universal ATX PSU Tester Key Features:

• Designed from the ground up to support every ATX power supply available today, up to ATX12V v2.3
• Oversized LCD panel that accurately shows the value of each specific power rail, within one-tenth of a volt
• Accurate voltage indications for +12V, +5V, +3.3V, -12V, and +5VSB
• Built-in output connectors diagnostic system
• Low-voltage, high-voltage, no voltage, and PG alarm systems
• Easily troubleshoots system failure due to unstable power supply
• Built-in alarm system can notify user when the power supply demonstrates abnormal characteristics

Here is what Thermaltake has to say about their new Dr. Power II Universal ATX Power Supply Tester: "Dr. Power II is a fully automated power supply tester that enables users to easily and quickly determine if a power supply is defective or not; cutting overall troubleshooting time considerably. The oversized, easy-to-read LCD display and audible alarm helps users determine the exact cause of the failure, if there is one. An indispensible tool for any PC enthusiast or gamer!"

Continue reading our review of the Thermaltake Dr. Power II PSU Tester!!

PC Perspective Hardware Workshop 2012 @ Quakecon 2012 in Dallas, TX

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Cases and Cooling, Processors, Memory, Systems, Storage, Mobile, Shows and Expos | August 9, 2012 - 10:30 PM |
Tagged: video, workshop, streaming, quakecon, prizes, live, giveaways

It is that time of year again: another installment of the PC Perspective Hardware Workshop!  Once again we will be presenting on the main stage at Quakecon 2012 being held in Dallas, TX August 2-5th.  

workshop_logo.png

Main Stage - Quakecon 2012

Saturday, August 4th, 2pm CT

Our thanks go out to the organizers of Quakecon for allowing us and our partners to put together a show that we are proud of every year.  We love giving back to the community of enthusiasts and gamers that drive us to do what we do!  Get ready for 2 hours of prizes, games and raffles and the chances are pretty good that you'll take something out with you - really, they are pretty good!

Our thanks for this year's workshop logo goes to John Pastor!!

Our primary partners at the event are those that threw in for our ability to host the workshop at Quakecon and for the hundreds of shirts we have ready to toss out!  Our thanks to NVIDIA, MSI Computer and Corsair!!

 

nvidia_logo_small.png

msi_logo_small.png

corsair_logo_small.png

Live Streaming

If you can't make it to the workshop - don't worry!  You can still watch the workshop live on our page right here as we stream it over one of several online services.  Just remember this URL: http://pcper.com/workshop and you will find your way!

Case Mod Competition

Along with the Hardware Workshop, PC Perspective is working with Modders Inc on the annual case mod contest!  There are two categories for the competition: "Scratch Built" and "In the Box" that will allow those that build their computer enclosures from the ground up to compete separately from those that heavily modify their existing cases and systems.

For more details, be sure to check out the on going thread at the Modders Inc Forums!

Prize List (will continue to grow!)

Continue reading to see the list of prizes for the workshop!!!

Source: PCPer

Corsair's Obsidian 550D is great for fans

Subject: Cases and Cooling | August 9, 2012 - 04:11 PM |
Tagged: corsair, Obsidian 550D

Corsair's new mid-sized Obsidian 550D is a good home for any mATX or ATX build and is deep enough to use enthusiast heatsinks and long enough to fit almost any graphics card.  A pair of 200mm fans and a single 120mm provide good airflow without creating an excessive amount of noise. [H]ard|OCP really liked this case even though they encountered difficulties installing either of Corsair's self-contained watercoolers.  For those looking for a decent aircooled case this is a good deal; watercooler users and modders might want to look elsewhere.

H_obsidian.jpg

"Corsair was once synonymous with only quality RAM. Today we find Corsair’s diversification of its product line tremendously successful. Its focus and execution with the desktop PC enthusiast has lead to a great PSUs, SSDs, and cases to house all your high end equipment. Its Obsidian 550D case is another great product."

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

CASES & COOLING

Source: [H]ard|OCP

The pensive supply unit decides if it will give you power ... and tells you about it

Subject: Cases and Cooling | August 7, 2012 - 07:52 PM |
Tagged: corsair, Professional Series AX1200i, PSU, modular psu, kilowatt

The reason that Corsair's new Professional Series AX1200i is called a digital power supply is due to the presence of a digital signal processor inside the PSU.  The advantages are likely to due with the reduced complexity of the internal design than due to the DSP being a miracle, however there is more to it than just smooth voltages.  With the USB Corsair Link interface you can use the bundled software to monitor the three main voltage rails, the 24-pin connector's 12V line, the AC voltage at the wall socket and there are current trackers for all of the PCIe power connectors as well.  If you obsess over power management and happen to need more than a kilowatt of power, check out Corsair's latest offering at The Tech Report.

TR_monitoring.jpg

"Corsair's new Professional Series AX1200i uses digital circuitry to convert AC to DC power. We take a quick look at the PSU and the software enabled by its DSP."

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

CASES & COOLING

Source: The Tech Report

Gigabyte Unveils GA-H77N-WIFI Mini-ITX Motherboard

Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Cases and Cooling, Processors, Chipsets, Memory, Displays | August 7, 2012 - 10:07 AM |
Tagged: Z77, motherboard, mini-itx, Intel, gigabyte, ga-h77n-wifi

During a European roadshow, Gigabyte showed off a new Mini-ITX form factor motherboard for the first time. Called the GA-H77N-WIFI, the motherboard is well suited for home theater and home server tasks. Based on the H77 chipset, it is compatible with the latest Intel Core i3 (coming soon), i5, and i7 "Ivy Bridge" processors. The board goes for an all-black PCB with minimal heatsinks on the VRMs, and the form factor is the same size as the motherboard that Ryan recently used in his Mini-ITX HTPC build.

ga_h77n_wifi.jpg

The GA-H77N-WIFI features a LGA 1155 processor socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots, PCI Express slot, two SATA 3Gbps ports, two SATA 6Gbps ports, and an internal USB 3.0 header. There are also two Realtek Ethernet controller chips and a Realtek audio chip.

Rear IO on the Mini-ITX motherboard includes:
  • 1 PS/2 port
  • 2 USB 3.0 ports
  • 2 HDMI ports
  • 1 DVI port
  • 2 Antenna connectors (WIFI)
  • 4 USB 2.0 ports
  • 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports
  • 1 Optical S/PDIF port
  • 5 Analog audio jacks

The dual Gigabit Ethernet ports are interesting. It could easily be loaded with open source routing software and turned into router/firewall/Wi-Fi access point. To really take advantage of the Ivy Bridge support, you could put together a nice media server and HTPC recording/streaming box (using something like SiliconDust's HDHomeRun networked tuners or Ceton's USB tuner since this board is very scarce in the way of PCI-E slots). What would you do with this Mini-ITX Gigabyte board?

Unfortunately, there is no word yet on pricing or availability, but the motherboard is likely coming soon. You can find more information on the motherboard over at tonymacx86, who managed to snag get some photos of the board.

Source: Tony Mac X86

In this case XION's pricing might be a bit high

Subject: Cases and Cooling | August 1, 2012 - 01:19 PM |
Tagged: XION, XON-980

On the face of it, the XION XON-90 looks like a good case, featuring mesh on much of its exterior for airflow, audio, USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports on the front panel, a protected top mount fan and what seems to be a fan controller.  Once they started using it, Overclockers Club were less than impressed with the features.  The fan controller has two settings, one with the fans powered the other completely shuts down all fans connected to the controller so it is not recommended you put the CPU fan on the controller.  There were also other components which OCC felt to be of cheap design, which made them recommend you to avoid this case at its current price, but would recommend it if it was sold in the $50-$60 range.

7.jpg

"To be perfectly honest for the asking price this case leaves a lot to be desired. There's nothing to really redeem the faults I encountered when examining this case. The cooling fans, for the noise they make, should keep things cooler especially in a smaller mid-tower case. The fan controller, if you can really call it that, is one of the most useless things I've ever seen included on a case and it's downright dangerous to have something like this without even a mention of it shutting fans completely off in the installation guide. If this case was coming to market at the $59.99 level or below I could understand the kind of manufacturing shortcuts that produce a case of this caliber, but at the $89.99 price point it just doesn't even have a horse in the race. If you're looking to build a new machine please look elsewhere unless you want to be disappointed like I was."

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

CASES & COOLING

Source: Overclockers Club

Scythe Unveils ACB-TYPE3 Open-Air Acrylic ATX Chassis

Subject: Cases and Cooling | July 31, 2012 - 05:29 AM |
Tagged: scythe, open bench, open air case, atx case, acyrilic case

Scythe, a PC enthusiast hardware company popular for its line of fans and processor heatsinks will soon be launching a new open air case. The ACB-TYPE3 is a clear acrylic case that forgoes side panels for an open bench design.

ACB-TYPE3_c.JPG

The case weighs in at under 6 pounds, the case is constructed of 5mm acrylic and can accommodate ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. Additionally, it features three 5.25” drive bays, three 3.5” hard drive bays, and two 2.5” drive bays suitable for storing SSDs (solid state drives).
Another cool feature is that the open air case can hold tower coolers up to 190mm, which is not quite big enough for the 100W passive TwinBlock cooler but will be good enough for most any other high-end air cooler.

According to FanlessTech, the Scythe acrylic case will be available for purchase soon, and will cost around $85. It certainly seems like a neat option for benchmarking test beds and enthusiast’s that like to show off their computer hardware (nothing wrong with that!). You can find more photos over at the Fanless Tech website.

Source: Fanless Tech

PC Perspective
Upcoming Events
  • 5/29 @ 7:00pm PDT / 10:00pm EDT
    PC Perspective Podcast
  • 5/30 @ 6:00pm PDT / 9:00pm EDT
    This Week in Computer Hardware