Win FREE Stuff! Seasonic M12II 850 watt and 750 watt PSU up for grabs!!

Subject: Editorial, Cases and Cooling | February 5, 2013 - 12:55 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: seasonic, PSU, power supply, m12ii, giveaway, contest

We know that our readers love to win free stuff, and who can blame you?  Building PCs can sometimes be a burden on your wallet and we do our best to help that by showing you the best deals and occasionally having contests like this!

Our good friends at Seasonic wanted to offer up a couple of power supplies for our community and we were obviously excited to facilitate!  Here are the goods you can win:

Seasonic M12II SS-850AM 850 watt Power Supply ($130 value - Newegg Link)

Seasonic M12II SS-750AM 750 watt Power Supply ($120 value - Newegg Link)

Seasonic M12II Bronze Series has been the ever-popular power supply series of the semi modular category. Now Seasonic extends the semi-modular series by introducing M12II Bronze 650/750/850 to provide consumers a larger selection in the entry level 80PLUS Bronze certified category.

The M12II Bronze new models have built in a full protection feature including OCP, OPP,OTP, OVP, SCP & UVP and meet worldwide safety and environmental standards. The all-new M12II-650/750/850 units are the new leaders in the 80 PLUS Bronze category and another great addition to the Seasonic Retail power supply family.

If you are looking to build a new PC or upgrade your current system, either of these two power supplies will make a great backbone for all the other components. 

How do you win? 

1. Visit your favorite PC Perspective pages like our YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account.  You should subscribe, like and follow us, you know...if you want to.  We'd appreciate it!
2. Also, stop by the Seasonic Facebook page and give it a look - they are always posting contests and giveaways there!!
3. Leave a comment here on this post telling us what you would be able to do better if your system was powered by one of these power supplies!

We'll pick a winner on Wednesday the 13th of February, so get your entries in NOW!  A big thank you goes out to Seasonic for supporting PC Perspective and for supporting our loyal readers!

Fractal Design Integrates USB 3.0 Support Into New Core 3000 USB 3.0 ATX Chassis

Subject: Cases and Cooling | February 5, 2013 - 09:21 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: usb 3.0, mid tower, fractal design, core 3000 usb 3.0, Core 3000, atx case

Fractal Design has taken its budget-friendly mid-tower Core 3000 case, and updated it with USB 3.0 support on the front IO panel. The new SKU is aptly named the Fractal Design Core 3000 USB 3.0.

The new case is essentially an upgrade to the Core 3000. It is a black case with white accents on the drive carriages and PCI expansion slots. The front panel of the case features two optical disc drive bays and a dust filter covered by a mess grill. The top of the case holds an exhaust port and a new front IO panel. The IO panel includes two audio jacks, power and reset buttons, power and hard drive activity LEDs, two USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports.

The Core 3000 USB 3.0 case has room for two 5.25” drives and up to six 3.5” or 2.5” drives (with the top drive cage being removable). Seven PCI expansion slots, a CPU cutout, and cable management/routing holes are all standard features of the Core 3000 USB 3.0 case.

On the cooling front, the mid tower chassis comes equipped with three Silent Series R2 fans out of the box along with a total of seven fan cutouts. By default, there is one 140mm 1,000 RPM intake fan in the front, one 120mm 1,200 RPM exhaust fan in the back, and one 140mm 1,000 RPM fan attached to the top of the case.

The available fan positions are as follows:

• Front of the case:
  • 1 x 120mm fan
  • 1 x 140mm fan
• Top of the case:
  • 2 x 120mm or 140mm fans
• Rear of the case:
  • 1 x 120mm fan
• Side of the case:
  • 1 x 120mm fan
• Bottom of the case:
  • 1 x 120mm fan

The Core 3000 USB 3.0 case has a MSRP of $74.95 in the US. All in all, it looks to be a decent case for the price. You can find more information on the product page.

Tranquil PC Launches £99 Fanless Case For Intel NUC Platform

Subject: Cases and Cooling | February 3, 2013 - 06:14 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: tranquil, nuc, fanless, case

Tranquil PC, a case manufacturer and system integrator based in the UK, recently announced a new aluminum chassis for Intel’s NUC motherboards. The new chassis acts as a heatsink and will keep your NUC system running cool without needing case fans. Tranquil is offering two versions of the case – the NUC-BY and NUC-YE – which are compatible with both the D33217CK (Thunderbolt-equipped) and D33217GKE (Gigabit Ethernet-equipped) Intel NUC boards respectively.

The two Tranquil NUC cases are nearly identical, but they differ in the IO cutouts offered (naturally). The cases measure 110 x 164 x 47mm and resembles a black heatsink with its horizontal fins and brushed aluminum design. The chassis is reportedly able to keep the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) system 5 to 15 degrees centigrade cooler than the reference Intel NUC case that uses an active fan. Hopefully, the case-as-a-heatsink design will help to mitigate the overheating problems that many reviewers (including PC Perspective) have run into when performing network transfers to the SSD over Wi-Fi.

It is a streamlined design with port only the expected port cutouts and a rubberized power button on the rear of the device. No LED-lit logos or extra buttons to speak of. You can, however, have Tranquil laser-engrave a custom message onto the chassis for an additional fee.

The front of the case features a single USB port while the rear IO will depend on your particular NUC board. The D33217CK board includes one Thunderbolt, one HDMI, two USB 2.0 ports, and a 65W DC power input jack. On the other hand, the D33217GKE motherboard has a DC-in jack, two USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI outputs, and a single Gigabit LAN jack. Additionally, the Tranquil cases have a cutout for an externally-mounted Wi-Fi antenna (as the aluminum casing is not well-suited to housing an internal antenna).

Both Tranquil NUC cases are available now for a base price of £99. A VESA mount adds an additional £17. Further, VAT and shipping charges may apply depending on where you are ordering from. In USD, the Tranquil cases have a base price of $155.62. While I do not get charged VAT, I do have to pay shipping, and it is not cheap at approximately $33 to ship to the mid-west US. In my case, ordering one NUC case and having it shipped to Illinois would cost $207.41. Ouch.

The Tranquil PC NUC case with its brushed aluminum and fanless design is extremely nice. Unfortunately, that build quality does not come cheap, and will add to the overall cost of putting together your NUC system. If you have the money for it though, it looks to be one of the best cases available for the new 4” x 4” NUC motherboards.

More information is available on the Tranquil PC website.

If you aren't whitening your case, it is yellowing ...

Subject: Cases and Cooling | January 31, 2013 - 01:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Retr0bright, DIY, ultraviolet, crest

Back in the ancient days of computing before cases came in all colours of the rainbow, we made due with a standard creamy white colour, which over time became a shade of yellow usually associated with Bingo halls or greasy spoon diners.  While white or cream coloured cases have gone out of style, there are still systems which are housed in nasty yellow stained plastic cases and Hardware Secrets can tell you how to whiten them to the colour TV commercials would have you believe your teeth should be.  The trick is called Retr0bright and uses both a hydrogen peroxide bath and UV lighting to restore cases to a more appealing white.  The process isn't perfect, make sure you read their caveats before beginning your project.

"Plastic parts of older computers become yellow or brown over time, so you end up with a computer that looks yellow or brown instead of white or gray. In this tutorial, we will show you how to restore old plastic parts to their original color by using a homemade peroxide-based solution called Retr0bright."

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

CASES & COOLING

• Case Smithing: Getting Started with DIY Cable Sleeving @ Tweaktown
• NZXT Phantom 630 Ultra Tower Chassis @ eTeknix
• Cooler Master CM Storm Scout 2 Computer Case @ Modders-Inc
• 12 Mini-ITX chassis review @ Hardware.info
• Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX Chassis @ Tweaktown
• AZZA Silentium Case Review: Knowing the Limits @ AnandTech
• NZXT Phantom Full Tower Chassis @ eTeknix
• NZXT Phantom 630 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• SilverStone SUGO SST-SG09B SFF @ Tweaktown
• Fractal Design Adjust 108 Fan Controller Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Fractal Design Adjust 108 Fan Controller @ eTeknix

  ---

• Cooler Master Seidon 120M Liquid CPU Cooler @ Kitguru
• Corsair H80i & H100i Review @ Hardware Canucks
• NZXT Kraken X40 Liquid CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Corsair Hydro 90 & H110 Review - 140mm Cooling Power @ Madshrimps
• Swiftech H220 Advanced AiO Liquid CPU Cooler Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Corsair H60 (2013 Edition) CPU Cooler Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Antec Kühler H2O 620 v4 @ Rbmods
• Corsair Hydro H110 @ Kitguru

  ---

• Cougar Vortex HDB 140mm Fan Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Noctua NH-L9i Review @ OCC
• Noctua NF-A14 ULN, NF-A14 FLX and NF-A15 PWM Fan @ eTeknix
• Phanteks PH-TC90LS Low Profile cpu cooler @ Rbmods
• NZXT Kraken X40 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Topflow @ XSReviews
• Phanteks PH-TC12DX Review @ OCC
• Gelid Solutions Black Edition CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Corsair H80i CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Phanteks PH-TC12DX Tower CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• Best CPU Cooler Roundup Review Feat. Corsair, Cooler Master, Noctua, Phanteks, Zalman @ Custom PC Review
• Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler Review @ Pro-Clockers
• Spire X2 9884 CPU Heatsink @ [H]ard|OCP

Kingwin's new Power Force PSUs arrive

Subject: Cases and Cooling | January 29, 2013 - 01:46 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, Kingwin, Power Force 850W, modular psu

Kingwin's $110 Power Force 850W PSU is not as well appointed as other 850W PSUs but is also much lower in price.  With four 6/8 pin PCIe connectors and 8 SATA power connectors some users might feel a bit cramped but with 70A of power on the 12V line it seems that the unit can be useful for many. [H]ard|OCP tested the PSU to see if it is indeed worth the purchase price and were glad to see it pass all their tests, though perhaps not with flying colours.  This is the first Power Force PSU that they have seen, if Kingwin can keep the quality high and the price low they may make some inroads into recognized PSU suppliers.

"While not a "go to" enthusiast brand, Kingwin has produced some excellent computer desktop power supplies over the last five years and these have usually be great values. Does Kingwin continue the trend with its new Power Force 850W model sporting good efficiency, modular cabling, and reasonable pricing."

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

CASES & COOLING

• LEPA G1000-MA 1000 Watt Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• EVGA SuperNova NEX 1500W Classified @ Hardware.info
• PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750W @ Kitguru
• PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 750 W @ techPowerUp
• PC Power and Cooling MK III Silencer 750 @ Guru of 3D
• XFX PRO 850 W Black Edition Full Modular Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Corsair AX760 PSU @ Guru of 3D
• Cougar PowerX 550W Power Supply Review @ Legit Reviews
• Thermaltake Smart-M 750W Modular Power Supply @ Funky Kit
• Fractal Design Tesla R2 650 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Affordable Gold from Seasonic: G-360 and G-550 Power Supplies @ X-bit Labs
• Cougar GX 800W Power Supply @ Kitguru
• Fractal Design Integra R2 750W 80 PLUS Bronze @ Tweaktown
• Why Is Your Power Supply Important? @ TechwareLabs

OCZ Technology Adds New 750W and 850W Power Supply Models to Its PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Portfolio

Subject: Cases and Cooling | January 28, 2013 - 02:21 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: psu. ocz, silencer mk III, 80 Plus Gold

When OCZ first purchased PC Power & Cooling there were concerns that the quality could suffer and when you invest in a 750W or higher rated PSU you probably expect that you will be using it through a few system hardware upgrades.  Since the new Silencer Mk III PSUs come with a 7 year warranty it would seem that OCZ has plenty of confidence in their products.  Not only will these PSUs perform quietly in most situations, the 80 PLUS Gold rating ensures the efficiency of the units as well.

SAN JOSE, Ca. – January 28, 2013 - OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and power management solutions for computing devices and systems, today announced that it has added 750W and 850W power supply unit (PSU) models to the award-winning Silencer Mk III Power Supply Series from PC Power & Cooling. With these new high-wattage options, the Silencer Mk III provides a professional-grade power solution rated for industrial usage and provides the performance and stability required for demanding computing environments.

“Building on our highly reputable Silencer Mk III core architecture, we are very pleased to deliver new high-wattage options that provide the ultimate in efficiency and stability while delivering ultra-quiet operation and a modular cable design for which this portfolio is highly regarded,” said Bob Roark, Vice-President of Power Management for OCZ Technology. “With the addition of 750W and 850W models, the Silencer Mk III Power Supply Series once again defines the ultimate power management solution for today’s professional and enthusiast users.”

The Silencer Mk III 750W and 850W are rock-solid power supply solutions that meet the stringent 80 Plus Gold certification for exceptional energy-efficiency ratings and support over 90 percent efficiency under typical workloads. Featuring its popular Dual Thermal Control System (a sophisticated operation that allows either PSU model to be switched seamlessly between normal and silent modes), the Silencer Mk III works in conjunction with the load and temperature controlled fan for ultra-quiet operation. Additionally, the entire Silencer Mk III Series combines a single +12V rail, premium components (including 100 percent Japanese 105°C capacitors), rigorous protection circuitries, continuous stable output at a demanding 50°C ambient temperature, and heavy-duty chrome finish metallic cable connectors to provide excellent conductivity and lower resistance when compared to other power supplies on the market.

Where industrial-grade durability meets a sleek modular design, the Silencer Mk III 750W and 850W models are available immediately and are backed with PC Power & Cooling’s complete confidence in reliability and supported by an industry-leading 7 year warranty.