For many users who have gone to a large LAN event, taking stock of all the crazy PC builds is part of the experience. Some users modify the case for a particular styling, and then insert a water cooling system with just the right amount of LED lighting. Last year at Computex, Lian Li showed us a mini-ITX chassis in the form of a train, and even put an engine inside it instead of a PC to show it could actually function as a train. This time around, we get a case to show off all the mini-ITX goodness without too much effort. The PC-Q30 is a little different to say the least. We are dealing with a curved aluminum chassis...
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Closing the Loop II: New Liquid Coolers from Corsair and Swiftech
When we visited CES 2013, it became increasingly clear that not only were closed loop liquid coolers here to stay, but that they are in fact "the next big...
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AZZA Silentium Case Review: Knowing the Limits
The desktop enclosure market has broken down pretty simply into three categories with only the rarest of outliers. Cases under $100 will either have good acoustics or good thermals...
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Rosewill Armor EVO Case Review: Sometimes Performance Isn't Everything
As NewEgg's house brand, Rosewill has been growing in very interesting ways. Being the house brand of a major electronics retailer means dipping your toe into a lot of...
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NZXT Phantom 630 Case Review: The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
It wasn't that long ago that we reviewed NZXT's shiny new Phantom 820, a case that apart from its high price tag and slightly ostentatious design was pretty tough...
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Antec GX700 Case Review: Just What You Can Get For $59.99
Most manufacturers are quicker and happier to show us their medium-to-high end cases, but for a lot of users the case is admittedly a steel box they put their...
35 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/17/2013
Corsair Scales Up: H90 and H110 Released
I’m a big fan of these closed loop all-in-one liquid coolers. For a little extra on the cost of an air cooler we can get a quieter cooling...
27 by Ian Cutress on 1/17/2013
Swiftech and Steiger Dynamics: German Engineering Comes Home
I don't know about you, but for me, the word "engineering" gets a lot more enticing when it's preceded by the word "German" (or the phrase "Commander LaForge, please...
8 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/14/2013CES 2013: Cases and Cooling in the New Year
I'm pleased to report that this year's visit to CES bore promising fruit for the new year of desktop PC cases along with cooling and even desktop machines in...
4 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/14/2013CoolerMaster: New Storm Scouts, Crashing into Eisbergs, and Cherry MX Green?!?
While new products may have actually been a bit skint from the usual suspects at CES 2013, CoolerMaster has generally been reliable to provide new kit, and this year...
16 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013SilverStone's New Fortress FT04 Flagship Enclosure Promises Much
No trip to CES would be complete without a visit to SilverStone, but this year was especially important for me. I've been a longtime advocate of the Fortress FT02...
6 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
Corsair Goes Big With Obsidian 900D; Updates Peripheral Lines
This CES, Corsair opted not to have a standard booth or suite. Instead they held a press event prior to CES proper, and unfortunately I wasn't able to attend...
5 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
Deepcool: Little Fish Don't Stay Little Forever
I've typically been a big proponent of getting smaller vendors exposure if they have some great products on hand, and my brief meeting with Deepcool suggested to me that...
1 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
Lian-Li: What Else Can We Do With Aluminum?
Visiting Lian-Li's CES booth is usually at least an interesting experience. I often feel like the engineers and designers there just get an idea for an enclosure and "go...
14 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
Zalman Ramps Up Their Cooling Game
Zalman's booth this year featured a single enclosure they're pushing, but the real news was in the CPU and GPU coolers they had on hand. Specifically, they had two...
3 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
In-Win's New Cases Deviate Wildly From the Norm
I felt like CES 2012's case designs were fairly predictable: companies that could be expected to produce great stuff produced more great stuff, while other companies that were a...
6 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/10/2013
The Phantoms of NZXT
I recently reviewed the NZXT Phantom 820 and found it to be a remarkably excellent, intelligent case, so imagine my delight in learning that NZXT is following up that...
10 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/9/2013
Thermaltake Brings a Little Sophistication
For the most part I like Thermaltake, but generally they've been one of the holdouts producing glossy, ostentatious enclosures while the rest of the industry has been moving past...
4 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/9/2013
Antec's Stunning New Value and Curious New Direction
Truth be told I'm a little bit surprised I haven't heard from our friends over at Antec in a while. I do have one of their cases sitting at...
11 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/9/2013
Rosewill Expands, Consuming Everything In Its Wake
Okay, so consume isn't entirely accurate. But what started as NewEgg's house brand has continued to show unusual vitality and growth each year, and here at CES 2013 we...
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Fractal Design Node 605 Case Review: Is Fractal Design Ready for Primetime?
Media center enclosures can be a very tricky business. 25 years ago, horizontally-oriented cases were the norm, but the ATX standard complicates things. We're also dealing with hotter components...
28 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/1/2013