BitFenix Unveils Survivor White Portable Mid-Tower Case

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 28, 2012 - 01:11 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: white, portable case, case, bitfenix, atx

BitFenix recently announced a new mid-tower computer chassis aimed at gamers and enthusiasts that want a portable PC that easily hosts a full ATX motherboard. Specifically, BitFenix has taken its Survivor case and made an edition clad in white that it has dubbed the Survivor White. 

The case features a carrying handle that folds down into the top of the case when not in use, making it easier to carry to LAN parties. It is completely white minus a blue LED-lit BitFenix logo on the front, and features curved edges. There is space for two 200mm fans or three 120mm fans around the case. Also, the new Survivor has three 5.25” expansion bays, holes for passing water cooling tubes though the back panel, a bottom mounted power supply cutout, dust filters, and a hidden IO panel. The front IO includes the power and reset buttons, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, microphone and headphone jacks, and a single eSATA port. It also has on/off controls for the LED light for the BitFenix logo and for any BitFenix Spectre Pro LED fans (not included).

On the inside of the Survivor-series chassis, you will find a removable hard drive cage, CPU cutout on the motherboard tray, and cable management grommets. The inside of the case is the same white color as the outside, and the hard drive cage features tool-less mounting brackets. These are all things that are coming standard on enthusiast cases these days, but are nice to see nonetheless (especially for the price). With the hard drive cage installed, the case can hold up to seven 2.5” SSDs or six 3.5” hard drives.

BitFenix has stated that the white colored Survivor case will be available at the end of November for $109 USD or 99€ (including 19% VAT).

What do you think about the new Survivor SKU?

Analog Movement on a Keyboard? Start Your Soldering Irons!

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling, Systems | November 26, 2012 - 02:44 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: gaming keyboard

I was patrolling around Revision3 upon news of their Adam Sessler acquisition and came across the Ben Heck Show. Long-time readers of my content know that I tend to be very picky with input devices which landed me reviewing several keyboards over the last year-and-a-bit. User interface is a complicated problem and testing their limitations often unearths interesting subjects.

The Revision3 show’s most recent episode took apart a keyboard, which if I had to guess was based on Cherry MX Black although membrane-dome is possible, and gave its WSAD keys analog control.

The underlying principle of the build relies upon support for analog sticks in the software. It is not unheard-of for an input device to register in the computer as multiple devices in order to increase functionality. Several keyboards report to Windows as three separate keyboards to get around USB input limitations. In this case, the hacked keyboard will report as a keyboard and as an Xbox360-compliant gamepad.

The build uses hall sensors and magnets to detect how far the keystem is depressed and transmit that data as left-stick movement.

I could see a company such as Razer or Steelseries, in a bid to further differentiate their mechanical keyboards, creating a product with this idea. It should be simple for an established peripheral company to design a pressure sensitive keyboard especially given the existence of other pressure-sensitive buttons on gaming devices. Perhaps the implementation could have a toggle to switch between typing and gaming modes?

That would interest me.

Low profile and a low price, check out Fractal Design's Node 304

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 22, 2012 - 01:37 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: fractal design, Node 304, mini-itx, dtx, SFF

Fractal Design's Node 304 SFF case is 250 x 210 x 374 mm (9.8" x 8.2" x 14.7") and thanks to the removable HDDs you can actually fit larger sized GPUs in the case, though the biggest will be blocked by the PSU.  Cooling comes from a pair of front mounted 92mm fans and a 140mm in the rear, all attached to a fan controller to help you manage the noise levels.  HiTech Legion puts the MSRP of this case at $89 which is very impressive for a SFF case with this many features, especially the six HDD bays, but wish that the case was properly compatible with Micro-ITX PSUs to give even more space for a high end GPU.

"The Fractal Design Node 304 computer case brings style and functionality to the small computing market. The Node 304 features a modular design that allows easy configurability. Motherboard support includes mini-ITX and DTX compatibility. There are two expansion slots available. A total of six drives, either 2.5” or 3.5” can be installed. There is room for a full ATX PSU, up to 160mm in length. CPU coolers can be installed up to 165mm in height and GPUs up to 310mm in length (with adaptation). Fractal has included a cooling system with two front mounted 92mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fans and one rear 140mm Silent Series R2 hydraulic bearing fan. There is also a fan controller included with low, medium, and high settings. The front interface includes two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm mic, and 3.5mm headphone connection."

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

CASES & COOLING

• Fractal Design Node 304 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Corsair Carbide 200R @ Guru of 3D
• Corsair Carbide 300R Mid-Tower @ eTeckniz
• Cooler Master Storm Stryker Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Antec Take-4 Rackmount Chassis @ Tweaktown
• Thermaltake Armor Revo Snow Edition Chassis @ Bjorn3D
• Enermax Hoplite ST Mid-Tower @ Tweaktown
• Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Midi Tower Review @ NikKTech
• BitFenix Recon and BitFenix Hydra Pro Fan Controller Roundup @ OCC
• NZXT Hue LED Controller @ Rbmods
• Spire TME III (TherMax Eclipse III) @ eTeknix
• Noctua NH-L12 L-Type Low Profile CPU Cooler @ eTeknix

Nine Middle Weight PSUs battle it out

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 21, 2012 - 04:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, modular psu, corsair, Chieftek, cooler master, zalman

The 600-700W range is very popular with enthusiasts who either have a pair of fairly powerful GPUs or a single top of the line GPU, as they don't quite need a kilowatt class PSU.  X-bit Labs put together a roundup which features 9 PSUs from Corsair, Chieftek, Cooler Master and Zalman some modular and some with permanently connected wiring.  It was the Corsair TX650 which received the Recommended Buy award though Cooler Master came close to winning as well.  Some of the other models fared poorly thanks to the lack of proper voltage regulation or in one case fan regulation.  Check out the full review here.

"We would like to talk about nine power supply units from the most popular 600-700 W wattage range, which represent six different series of devices from four manufacturers: Chieftec, Cooler Master, Corsair and Zalman."

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

CASES & COOLING

• In Win Commander III 600 W @ techPowerUp
• Corsair Professional Series AX760 and AX860 @ Kitguru
• Silverstone Zeus 1350 W @ techPowerUp
• Thermaltake Toughpower XT Platinum 1275W 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Seasonic Platinum Series Fanless 520 W @ techPowerUp
• Silverstone Strider Gold ST55F-G Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• BeQuiet Straight Power 580w @ XSReviews

A case of a different shape; Cooler Master's HAF XB

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 16, 2012 - 04:09 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: coolermaster, HAF XB

While it might not look it at first glance the $100 Cooler Master HAF XB can fit a full ATX board inside its squat interior.  The case actually measures 17.4" x 13" 16.7", with a removable motherboard tray to help you install your components in what might otherwise be a difficult case to work with.  It comes with a pair of fans and you can add more to ensure air cooling, Legit Reviews were glad to see that there is also enough space for a radiator for those preferring water cooling.  Installation can almost completely be done without tools and the inclusion of 2.5" bays will make SSD users smile.  Check out the full review.

"The HAF Xb LAN Box Chassis is the newest addition to the Cooler Master line of enthusiast PC cases. The CM HAF Xb was designed with transportation and open bench testing in mind and the end result is a new form factor! The HAF Xb can look like a normal case one second and then be quickly converted into an open air test bench with the removal of the side and top panels. Read on to see if this $99.99 case has the features you need!"

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

CASES & COOLING

• Cooler Master HAF XB @ LanOC Reviews
• Cooler Master HAF XB Review @ Pro-Clockers
• Cooler Master HAF XB Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Cooler Master HAF XB LAN Box / Open Air Chassis @ Tweaktown
• Cooler Master HAF XB Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Cooler Master HAF-XB Computer Case Enclosure @ Benchmark Reviews
• Cooler Master HAF XB Case Review @ Ninjalane
• Cooler Master HAF XB Review @ OCC
• Cougar Evolution Galaxy Full Tower @ Tweaktown
• Corsair Carbide 200R Mid-Tower Review @ Pro-Clockers
• Aerocool XPredator X3 Full-Tower @ eTechnix
• Fractal Design Define R4 @ HardwareHeaven
• Corsair Carbide 200R Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Cooler Master CM Storm Scout 2 Review @ Neoseeker
• Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced M-ITX @ Tweaktown
• CM Storm Scout II Mid-tower Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Corsair Carbide Series 200R Case Review @ OCC
• Silverstone Precision Series PS07 @ eTechnix
• Fractal Design Node 605 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Thermaltake Water2.0 Units @ Bjorn3D
• Case Smithing: Go with the flow - Installing a new case fan mount @ Tweaktown
• Case-Smithing: The Mod Workshop - Case Modding Tools You Need @ Tweaktown
• be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 Cooler Review @ HH
• Zalman CNPS 9900 DF (Dual Fan) @ Guru of 3D
• ARCTIC Freezer i30 CPU Cooler @ X-bit Labs
• Silverstone Heligon HE02 Fanless Passive Heatsink Revieww @ Frostytech

Zalman Launching FX100 Passive (Cube-Shaped) CPU Cooler

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 15, 2012 - 10:19 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: zalman, Passive, hsf, cpu cooler

Images have emerged on the Internet of a new cooler coming from Zalman sometime next year. In a brief mention from Zalman, the company named the new passive CPU heatsink as the FX-100. The cube of fins are aligned in a cross, or +, shape and combined with shrouding at the corners, Zalman has created a hollow cube.  At the top is a hexagonal-mesh grill. The base-plate is connected to the fin array by four copper heatpipes. The fins are nickel plated and are black pearl in color.

It is designed to be run in fan-less configurations, and Zalman is stating that it will not draw dust as well. The fan-less cube cooler is currently listed as a CES 2013 honoree, so here’s hoping it launches soon and lives up to the claims.

There are no details on pricing, availability or the TDP ratings it is designed to cool yet.

What do you think of the Zalman FX-100 passive cube?

Seasonic's new X-1250 provides pure power satisfaction

Subject: Cases and Cooling | November 13, 2012 - 03:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, kilowatt, seasonic, X-1250, modular psu

Seasonic's new X-1250 PSU can provide 1250W of power, just as the name suggests, with up to 104 amps to the 12V rail which should provide enough power for even the most power hungry GPUs.  Instead of going with a single rail design Seasonic chose to provide 4 rails so you should ensure to know which plugs you are using.  It passed all of [H]ard|OCP's torture tests with flying colours, making it one of the better kilowatt ckas PSUs they have had the pleasure of testing and when you consider the price, with or without the rebate, it is a perfect choice for users building a system with multiple GPUs.

"Seasonic makes some of the best enthusiast computer power supplies in the world. It has long produced some of the cleanest power producing PSUs along with being some of the quietest on the market. The new fully modular X-1250 sports many enthusiast features and touts gold level efficiency. Is this new X-1250 worthy?"

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

CASES & COOLING

• Thortech Thunderbolt Plus 1200W @ Kitguru
• Corsair AX860i 860 W @ techPowerUp
• Seasonic Platinum Fanless 520W @ Kitguru
• Rosewill SilentNight 500 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Corsair AX860i @ Guru of 3D
• Kingwin Power Force 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Corsair AX1200i @ X-bit Labs
• Corsair AX760i 760 W @ techPowerUp
• Corsair AX860i 860W 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Seasonic X-460 80Plus Gold Silent Powersupply Review @ PCSTATS
• Corsair Professional Series AX760i and AX860i @ Kitguru
• Xigmatek Centauro 600W Power Supply Unit Review @ NikKTech
• Corsair AX760i Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Seasonic Platinum Fanless 520 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Cooler Master Silent Pro Platinum 1000W Power Supply Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Corsair AX860i Digital Power Supply Review @ HardwareHeaven
• SilverStone ST45SF-G Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Power Supply Units with 800-860 W Capacity: 4 Models Reviewed @ X-bit Labs
• Silverstone SFX Series ST45SF-G 450 W @ techPowerUp
• PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk III 1200W Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Antec High Current Pro 1000W Platinum PSU Review @ Legit Reviews
• Seasonic X-Series 660W @ Kitguru
• Vantec Power Gem 3500 Battery Bank @ Hi Tech Legion