Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Just over 18 months ago, Intel launched their significantly revised ATX v3.0 power supply standard, and with it, the 600 Watt-capable 12VHPWR cable to power video cards and other high-drain add-in cards. The release of the standard came with a lot of fanfare and excitement – the industry was preparing for a future where even flagship video cards could go back to being powered by a single cable – but shortly after, things became exciting again for all the wrong reasons. The new 12VHPWR connector proved to be less forgiving of poor connections between cables and devices than envisioned. With hundreds of watts flowing through the relatively small pins – and critically, insufficient means to detect a poor connection – a bad connection could result...
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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...
44 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/20/2013_carousel.jpg)
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...
17 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...
2 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...
4 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/9/2013_carousel.jpg)
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...
52 by Dustin Sklavos on 1/1/2013_carousel.jpg)
Corsair Carbide 200R Case Review: How Low Can You Go
Corsair entered the enclosure business from the top with a measure of care to establish a solid brand identity. The Obsidian 800D was released as a flagship product and...
25 by Dustin Sklavos on 12/15/2012_carousel.jpg)
Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Case Review: You Asked For It, You Got It
When I reviewed the BitFenix Ghost, some of you requested we take a look at the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1. Nanoxia isn't selling on American shores yet, but there's...
75 by Dustin Sklavos on 11/27/2012_carousel.jpg)
Fractal Design Node 304 mITX Case Review: Paving the Way to the Future
We've said it before but it bears repeating: desktop systems are getting smaller. ATX is becoming less and less necessary, and mini-ITX-based machines more and more offer the same...
80 by Dustin Sklavos on 11/23/2012
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