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Seriously short on power? LEPA has a 1600W solution for you

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 18, 2012 - 08:00 PM |
Tagged: kilowatt, lepa, G Series 1600W, 80 Plus Gold

If you have quad SLI/Crossfire, dual CPUs and dozens of hard drives you might find yourself in a position where a 1600W PSU is something you actually need.  That is where the LEPA 1600W PSU come in, with 10 eight pin PCIe connectors and 14 SATA connectors as well as numerous molex connectors for your fans.  [H]ard|OCP's testing showed that this PSU did deserve it's 80 PLUS Gold rating and more importantly it provided solid power.  It sports a decent price, in fact it is almost the same price as several PSUs which are rated at 250W lower.  There was something about the unit which kept it from earning a Gold Award but you will have to read the full review to see why [H] decided on Silver for this PSU.

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"LEPA is an Ecomaster company and Ecomaster distributes Enermax products and has Enermax design the LEPA PSU line. So what are our expectations from the current ultimate desktop PSU packing a whopping 1600 watts? Should it be better than a four year old 1600 watt power supplies on the market?"

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Source: [H]ard|OCP

MSI's mid range enclosure, the Ravager

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 13, 2012 - 06:26 PM |
Tagged: msi, ravager

MSI's second case has hit the market, a mid-tower case called the Ravager which comes with a $100 price tag.  On the exterior, apart from a nice paint job and window you will find two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports as well as audio ports and the HDD LED.  The blue interior is quite striking, even before any parts are installed and tool-less quick mounts for the six 3.5" and three 5.25" hard drives are well appreciated though some 2.5" adapters would be a nice touch for SSD users.  Techware Labs really liked this case; it is good to see MSI's quality extend into new markets.

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"MSI has sent us the new Ravager mid tower case. If the black with blue claw marks on the sides doesn't get your attention, the price will at just $99 MSRP at the time of this review. The blue color scheme continues inside with most of the motherboard mounting plate, HDD trays and quick-release clips for the 5.25” drive bays. The Ravager comes with many features that can be expanded upon and upgraded easily so the consumer can not only purchase the case at a great price but is able to customize case with what he/she wants. Lets' dive into what the Ravager has to offer..."

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Source: Techware Labs

Video Perspective: Corsair Obsidian 550D Case Review

Author:
Date: June 11, 2012
Subject: Cases and Cooling
Manufacturer: Corsair
Tagged: video, obsidian, corsair, 550d

A case for quiet and for performance

In recent years, some of my favorite cases have come from Corsair - a statement that not too long ago I would have never thought I'd be making.  Since the company's rapid expansion into nearly all things enthusiast computing, the Corsair Obsidian line of chassis have helped move along a pretty stagnant industry and foster innovation and change. 

Today we are going to be looking at the new Corsair Obsidian 550D, a case that claims to master both noise reduction and sound isolation as well as offering flexibility for some intense cooling capability. 

Check out our video review below!

Overall we found the 550D to be a great case for the money and the ability to run it in both a quiet and a cooling mode will allow users to swap components and PC designs without having to buy another case at the same time.

The Corsair Obsidian 550D is available at Newegg.com for $139!

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You can catch more images after the break!

SilverStone SST-HE02 giant passive CPU cooler

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | June 11, 2012 - 06:29 PM |
Tagged: Silverstone, SST-HE02, passive cooling

Olivier of FanlessTech notified us of a recent SilverStone passive CPU cooler. If you would prefer to jam your case with a giant piece of metal than hear a fan whine -- you should read on. I must say, this gets me interested.

I hope this will continue to be a trend of not needing to trade-off between performance and silence.

It is becoming very difficult to find passive cooling systems for PC parts and it becomes even more difficult if you actually want a good PC when all is said and done. The latest cooler from SilverStone will support CPUs up to 95W which is well over what is required for even the higher-end 77W Ivy Bridge processors.

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If only there would be options like this for a GTX 680 or similar GPU.

It is a shame that passive power supplies seem to have not crept too far past 500W and that GPU coolers have been getting substantially less and less passive over time. But I guess someone needs to break the ice and I am glad that you will at least have an option for passively cooling higher-end CPUs and maybe we will see that trickle into other high-end PC markets.

The SST-HE02 is expected to cost $70 and will be available late in Q3 of this year.

Source: FanlessTech

A small case with big features from Silverstone

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 5, 2012 - 07:23 PM |
Tagged: Silverstone, Temjin TJ08-E Evolution, SFF, MicroATX

Silverstone's Temjin TJ08-E Evolution is a strange beast, with a 180mm fan and the ability to house full sized graphics cards but it is built for microATX boards.  That does make it perfect for some SandyBridge/SBE boards with multiple 16x PCIe slots that are of microATX design.  There is a fan controller, a removable motherboard tray and quite a few other handy features all of which netted a Recommendation from The Tech Report.  If you need a LAN box or just want a PC in a smaller case then you really should check this one out.

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"With an 180-mm intake fan and room for high-end video cards, Silverstone's Temjin TJ08-E Evolution looks well-equipped to take on mid-tower cases. Except it's a Micro ATX mini-tower. We take a closer look to see if size really matters."

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Source: The Tech Report

Rosewill Premieres a Full Line of Gaming Weaponry

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling, Shows and Expos | June 5, 2012 - 12:09 AM |
Tagged: rosewill, computex, computex 2012, Fortress, Tachyon, SilentNight, Hercules, Throne

Rosewill is up to quite a bit at this years Computex with quite a few different products to house or interface with your computer. Starting with the largest of their new lineup; who wouldn't want another full sized Throne in their house? 

THRONE 3.jpg

Nine hard drive bays with four fans passing air over them, ten expansion bays to handle even the Wonder Twin Dream System with handy grommets for watercooling or wire management the interior of your case will look snazzy.  A bottom mounted PSU and top mounted large exhaust fan does make air cooling an extreme system possible for any hydrophobics out there.  Those preferring a good looking exterior will like the LEDs.

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Speaking of PSUs, they are showing off an 80Plus Platinum Certified tro at Computex with the Fortress, Tachyon and SilentNight with the 1600W Hercules standing tall above them. 

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They have two mechanical keyboards on display as well, though they do not specify which type they have used, the Limited Edition Elite Ivory RK-9000 series and the backlit RK-9100.  That doesn't cover all the releases they have (though it does their pictures), as they have the RSV-L4500 server chassis with up to 15 3.5" drives and eight 120mm fans, the RMX-N360RT wireless router for beginning network techs as well as experienced ones and a dual Xeon Super System named after a cult classic, which may be the only way to lay your hands on four GTX680's, the Red Dawn.

RK-9100 LED image 3.jpg

 

Source: Rosewill

Corsair announces AX1200i DSP-based fully modular power supply

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 4, 2012 - 06:01 PM |
Tagged: power supply, corsair, computex, ax1200i

As Computex continues into its first full day over in Taiwan, Corsair has a few things to show you, starting with a new high-end power supply called the AX1200i, a completely digitally-controlled unit.

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The new AX1200i is rated at 80 PLUS Platinum levels of efficiency thanks in part to the digital power control technology to provide stable voltages, low ripple and low noise levels.  A new circuit board layout and reduced component count also aid in the ability for this Corsair unit to hit efficiency as high as 92% and to operate in a fanless, silent mode up to 40% utilization.

"Corsair has earned a reputation as one of world’s best providers of enthusiast PSUs, and with the AX1200i, we have raised the technology and performance bar far above anything the market has seen,” said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager of the Components Business Unit at Corsair. “By designing the first DSP-based enthusiast PSU and integrating our unique Corsair Link technology, we can offer enthusiasts a PSU with a matchless combination of performance and customizable features.”

AX1200i’s DSP-based design, combined with Corsair Link technology, provides enthusiasts with unprecedented control over the features and performance characteristics of their PSU. This includes real-time monitoring of temperature, current draw, and power efficiency, as well as the ability to adjust the speed of the internal 140mm fan. These features also allow for a unique level of customization, such as the ability to switch from the default single +12V rail configuration to a tailored “multi-rail” mode, with the ability to set over current protection set-points on a per-rail basis.

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The new Corsair AX1200i power supply will be available in August and will ship with a 7-year warranty.  Pricing is unknown.

Source: Corsair

XFX's pricey Platinum ProSeries PSU performs perfectly

Subject: Cases and Cooling | June 1, 2012 - 02:40 PM |
Tagged: xfx, ProSeries 1000W, modular psu, kilowatt, PSU, 80 Plus Platinum

With a half dozen modified 8-pin PCI-Express connectors, 8 Molex connectors, and 11 SATA connectors the XFX ProSeries 1000W PSU will handle the needs of a powerful system.  The interior components are very similar to the Seasonic Platinum 1000W which is one of [H]ard|OCP's favourites.  As with the Seasonic, the XFX PSU carries an 80 Plus Platinum rating which testing proved to be essentially accurate as [H] was not going to quibble about a 0.6% difference on their review model.  You have to pay a bit more for this PSU but if you want to pick up a model that won [H]'s Editor's Choice and Gold Award then this PSU is a sure bet.

H_XFX1000W.jpg

"XFX has a tremendously impressive track record here at HardOCP when it comes to enthusiast class PSUs. To date, four XFX PSU reviews, three Gold and one Silver Editor’s Choice Awards. Its new 1KW ProSeries PSU features no wires! No not like that, but rather on the inside. Let’s see if SolidLink Technology is award worthy."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source: [H]ard|OCP

The Ice Wind Pro is a breeze to install

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 24, 2012 - 01:57 PM |
Tagged: Deepcool, Ice Wind Pro, heatsink

One neglected feature of heatsinks has always been the ease of installation, which has become much worse now that many heatsinks are so heavy they require a backplate to prevent its weight from damaging your socket or motherboard.  For those who would prefer a heatsink that can be installed without needed to access the back of the motherboard, or even removing the board from its case, DeepCool's Ice Wind Pro might be a good choice.  At 650g it is light compared to many other models and the handy bracket offers more than enough support for that weight.  Of course there are some downsides to such a light cooler, check out how well it could cool a CPU over at Overclockers Club.

OCC_deepcool.jpg

"The thing that impressed me the most about this cooler, believe it or not, was its installation process. The 100% tool-free, in-case, no-rear-access-required installation went through like a breeze. It took only minutes to go from having no cooler to having this one installed. It's the first of its kind that is done this way and I hope other manufacturers take a step for lighter-end coolers that can get away without a heavy-duty mounting mechanism. The cooler's build quality is top notch, which follows in the steps of previous DEEPCOOL heat sinks that I have had the opportunity to review."

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Source: Overclockers Club

VIA unveils the APC $49 Android PC

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling, Systems | May 22, 2012 - 05:22 PM |
Tagged: VIA, htpc, APC

VIA tops Gingerbread with a banana for some reason. They also unveil a $49 system powered by Android 2.3 which has been customized for mouse and keyboard support. The system draws between 4 and 13.5 watts (idle and load respectively) and can be mounted into any standard Mini-ITX or microATX chassis as well as chassis for the new Neo-ITX standard.

I guess VIA wants to be more than just Android-in-law to HTC.

It seems as though the low powered computing market is continuing to be eaten by ARM with devices such as VIA’s just announced APC Android PC. The APC seems to be aimed at the home theatre and enthusiast markets. VIA also hopes that the low price point will introduce more people to computing.

apc-via.jpg

Apparently VIA prefers bananas to Apples.

The APC is powered by an 800MHz VIA ARM11 system-on-a-chip with 512 MB of DDR3 RAM. 2GB of flash memory is embedded on the device which can be expanded by a microSD card slot. It may also be possible to install extra memory through one of the four USB2.0 ports on the device although that is not explicitly stated in the press release. Display output will be limited to 720p. Power usage will vary between 4 and 13.5 watts depending on load.

VIA is also promoting the device for its Neo-ITX form factor. The APC is 17cm x 8.5cm in dimensions -- which is just under 6 3/4” by 3 3/8” for you non-Metrics -- and can mount in Mini-ITX or microATX cases. It apparently is also smaller than a banana.

The APC is expected to ship this July for $49.

Source: VIA

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