Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

Courtesy of Thermaltake

As the newest member of Thermaltake's Armor Revo case line, the Armor Revo Gene mid-tower case features sleek looks and exudes the humble power that only the war-worn warrior's know. We decided to put the Armor Revo Gene to the test to see how well the case works under a variety of circumstances. At a base price of $129.99, the Armor Revo Gene seems to be a well priced steal for the features designed into it.

Courtesy of Thermaltake

Courtesy of Thermaltake

The Armor Revo Gene features a flat-black, scratch-resistant coating on all surfaces, giving it a sleek and uniformly menacing look. The case's right panel contains a window in it upper half to show off your case innards, bisected by a grilled space for up to a 200mm side fan to help cool your PCI-Express cards. A wing-shaped aluminum front bezel helps to direct air through the front of the case in an optimal manner.

Continue reading our review of the Thermaltake Armor Revo Gene Mid-Tower Case!!

Introduction and Features

Seasonic has built a stellar reputation for themselves producing some of the best PC power supplies on the market. Over the years, Seasonic has been the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) of choice for companies like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, and XFX to name just a few. But Seasonic also markets power supplies under their own brand name. The Platinum 660W/760W/860W Series is Seasonic's newest flagship line for the retail market. We will be taking a detailed look at the Platinum 660W model in this review. All of the PSUs in the Platinum Series are based on Seasonic's X-Series, which has brought several major advancements to the standard PC power supply platform since its introduction over three years ago.

• Proprietary circuit design delivers High efficiency (80Plus Platinum certified)
• Full modular DC Connector Module features integrated VRMs (3.3V and 5V)
• Hybrid Silent Fan Control (3 modes of operation: Fanless, Silent and Cooling)
• High-quality Sanyo Denki SanAce120 dual ball bearing fan with PWM
• High-reliability 105°C grade A capacitors and solid polymer capacitors

Seasonic Platinum 660W Power Supply

The Platinum 660W, 760W and 860W are top performers and highly efficient power supplies that at lower loads can operate silently in semi-fanless mode.

80Plus Platinum The Platinum Series 660W, 760W, and 860W power supplies are certified in accordance to the 80PLUS organization's highest standard, offering the newest technology and innovation for performance and energy savings with up to 92% efficiency and a true power factor of greater than 0.9 PF.

Full Modular Design (DC to DC) Carried over from the Seasonic X-Series power supplies, the new Platinum Series features an integrated DC connector panel with onboard VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) that enables not only near perfect DC-to-DC conversion with reduction of current loss/impedance and increase of efficiency but also a fully modular DC cabling that enables maximum flexibility of integration and forward compatibility.

Continue reading our review of the Seasonic Platinum Series 660 watt power supply!!

Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

Hydro Series™ H80i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Courtesy of Corsair

The Corsair Hydro Series™ H80i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler is the middle tier cooler in Corsair's latest revision of the series. We decided to take the cooler apart to see what makes it tick and share insight on the components used in designing this award winning cooler.

The Hydro Series™ H80i cooling system consists of an aluminum-based 120mm x 120mm x 38mm radiator capable of supporting two 120mm x 120mm fans, attached to a CPU copper-based cooling assembly via 3/8 inch rubber hoses. The CPU cooler contains embedded magnets to better hold the CPU clip to the body of the cooling assembly. The CPU cooler also includes an integrated LED in the top of the assembly as well as Corsair Link™ connection ports and fan connection ports. The cooling hoses are attached to the CPU assembly by rotating nozzles, capable of an almost full 360 degrees of rotation.

CPU cooler assembly breakdown
Courtesy of CoolIT Systems

Corsair partnered with CoolIT Systems in the design and implementation of the H80i. While the CPU cooler assembly pictured is not exactly like the H80i, the CoolIT Systems designed ECO II is close enough to the H80i in design for comparison purposes. Notice how the top cap and cold plate sandwich the pump assembly in place with the pump and electronics sitting in an upper chamber and the barbs feeding into or fed from a lower chamber.

Technical Specifications (taken from the Corsair and CoolIT Systems websites)

Continue reading our deconstruction of the Corsair Hydro Series H80i Cooler!!

Quick look at a low cost Carbide

Corsair continues its push into the case markets with yet another option, the Carbide 200R, bringing the price of entry down to sub-$50.  Currently selling on Newegg.com for $45 with a coupon code, check out this quick video walkthrough of the latest case from Corsair!

After spending a bit more time with the case I can tell that for the price, the 200R is a pretty solid option.  I am not a fan of the 2.5-in drive arrangement that puts the power and data cables out into the case rather than towards the back (like the 3.5-in drives have) just from a cleanliness point of view, but that's somewhat minor.  Also worth noting is that even though we have a $50, and very light chassis, there aren't any sharp edges to cut you; Corsair did a good job rounding off the edges and having the metal fold back for a safe environment. 

There are a TON of case options in the price range so it might be hard for the Carbide 200R to stand out with a simple Newegg/Amazon search, but I think the Corsair brand will help sift it to the top.

Introduction and Features

After a four year hiatus, SilverStone's top of the line power supply series, Zeus, has returned. The all new Zeus ZM1350 was designed for elite IT professionals, PC power users, and overclockers and retains excellent characteristics from its predecessors with a continuous output capacity of 1350W (1500W peak) rated for 24/7 operation at 50°C, ±1% voltage regulation for exceptional stability, and careful selection of premium industrial grade components. Other aspects such as efficiency, modular cabling compatible with other SilverStone PSUs, switch for multi/single +12V rail selection, pots for tweaking voltages, and fan speed control are all improved to make the new Zeus ZM1350 the most sought-after power supply that SilverStone has ever designed.  

The Zeus ZM1350 PSU is fully modular and certified 80 Plus Silver (80 Plus Gold level efficiency when operating on 230VAC line power).  The ZM1350 features a switch to select between single or multiple +12V rails, incorporates three small pots for adjusting the +3.3V, +5V and +12V outputs, and has a fan speed override switch on the back panel to force the fan into constant full speed operation if desired.

Zeus  Power Supply Key Features:

• 1350 watt continuous power output at 50°C (1500W peak)
• 60°C operation with up to 1080W continuous power output
• Strict ±1% voltage regulation with low AC ripple and noise
• Patented six/single +12V rails selector switch
• User accessible +3.3V, +5v, and +12V rail voltage adjustment pots
• 80Plus Silver certified with 80 Plus Gold level efficiency at 230VAC
• Class leading +12V rails with combined loading up to 105A (1260W)
• Industrial grade components
• Active PFC (up to 0.99)
• Universal AC input (90-264 VAC) full range
• Advanced 100% modular cables
• Long-life dual ball bearing 80mm fan with speed control switch
• Protections: OCP, OVP, OPP, OTP, UVP, SCP, NLO
• Supports latest ATX12V 2.3 & EPS12V 2.93 standards

Please continue reading our Zeus ZM1350 power supply review!