Cases, Cooling & PSU News - Page 26

You may have noticed I'm a big fan of the be quiet! product range, so naturally I get a bit excited when they release a new product and this is no exception. Be quiet! have announced the release of the Dark Base 700 mid-tower case, the smaller sibling of the Dark Base 900 range. The Dark Base 700 targets enthusiasts and high-end systems thanks to the use of premium materials and a versatile, modular design.

There's nothing obvious that makes the Dark Base 700 stand out from the vast range of mid-tower cases on the market, but dive deeper and you will appreciate the high-quality finish, elegant design and subtle differences that people associate with be quiet! The Dark Base 700 features 4mm tempered glass panel and 1.2mm thick aluminium and steel frame that is somewhat expected with premium cases in this day and age. There is a sleek looking lighting strip embedded down each side of the front of the case that doesn't take attention away from the rest of the design and best of all, this strip can be controlled by supported motherboards and lighting controllers. The front fascia is finished with a brushed-aluminium covered plastic panel that provide a simple, yet beautiful design.

The modular design of the Dark Base 700 allows for extreme flexibility with your build that offers builders various build options. Cable management covers are provided to cover unused HDD slots, the back of the motherboard provides mounting brackets for up to three SSD's and two HDD cages can be positioned underneath the PSU shroud. The PSU shroud has four removable segments, this allows for a range of builds including longer front radiators and builds focusing on air flow efficiency. The Dark Base 700 even allows for vertically mounted graphics cards via an optional mounting slot. Finally, two pre-installed SilentWings 3 140 mm PWM fans offer unrivaled and uncompromising cooling performance with space to house up to nine 120mm fans.

CRYORIG is set to enter the PC case market with an innovative, and fresh design. The CRYORIG Taku PC monitor stand ITX case has been in development for over 2 years, with 1 year of the development phase with manufacturing partner and case experts, Lian Li. The Taku is a innovative hybrid design that incorporates a monitor stand with a high-end ITX form factor PC case to create an creative and unique design.

The benefits are obvious, the Taku's space-saving design allows users to place their monitor, keyboard and PC hardware in a vertical layout, perfect for users where desk space is at a premium. The CRYORIG Taku can house GPU's up to 280mm, SFX or SFX-L power supplies, ITX form factor motherboards and up to 3 HDD's (1 x 3.5" and 2 x 2.5"). The chassis is able to support monitors up to 15 kg, full-sized keyboard underneath the stand and also features a system try that is capable of sliding out for easy installation of PC components.

Some of the keen observers may remember that the Taku was originally a Kickstarter project that failed to achieve funding, however there was enough interest in the product that led to CRYORIG continuing development. CRYORIG used valuable information and feedback from its failed Kickstarter project to improve the Taku. CRYORIG plan to release the Taku to USA, Japan and Taiwan this December, with other releases in other markets to follow in early 2018. The Taku has a RRP of $299.

There are some amazing case mods that are made a few times a year, but one of the highlights of 2017 would have to be 'JUNKRAT' by Stephen Hoad of Tech Modified, with his latest construction winning the first place in the LDLC Modding competition and on show at Paris Games Week recently.

This amazing Junkrat mod was made inside of the Fractal Design Meshify C case with the Fractal Design Integra M 750W PSU. EK Water Blocks components are used throughout for everything water cooling related, while it all goes into the MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard.

Accompanying that hardware was the Core i5-7600K CPU, 32GB of G.SKILL Trident Z RGB DDR4 RAM, an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING graphics card, and Samsung 960 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB SSD.

Lian Li have announced an all-new series of PC cases, the Alpha series. Lian Li are famous for their traditional, high-quality PC case designs, the Alpha series introduces Lian Li to the mainstream market by combining Lian Li's unique design elements with a traditional mono-space PC case. This is achieved with 4mm thick tempered glass panels all-round, excellent water-cooling potential and three 120mm RGB fans with an RGB strip on the front panel to really enhance the Alpha's appearance.

The Alpha 330 and 550 both feature tempered glass panels on the top, bottom and each side, with one slight exception- The Alpha 330's tempered glass panels is flush with the top of the case, while the Alpha 550 features a metal strip border. The 550 can also house a larger radiator, other than that both models are identical with 1mm SECC steel frame, magnetic dust filters, PSU shroud, ability to vertically mount GPU's, 8 PCI expansion slots, multiple chamber design, three 120mm RGB fans and a 120mm rear mounted fan (rear fan isn't RGB). Water cooling is no problem for either the Alpha 330 or 550, with both supporting up to 420mm radiator at the front of the chassis.

Lian Li offer both models in Black or white, with the Alpha 330 priced at $109 and the 550 at $179.

CORSAIR are introducing tempered glass to the Carbide Series SPEC-04 mid-tower range, with the new Carbide Series SPEC-04 Tempered Glass case, and it's everything you expect from CORSAIR- stylish, functionality and a great price. Featuring a huge tempered glass side panel, the SPEC-04 is more than just looks with room for five 120mm fans, room for 240mm liquid CPU cooler and able to house three 3.5" drives and two 2.5" drives.

The SPEC-04 is all about building the perfect PC, CORSAIR know this and have created the perfect blend of cooling performance with a wealth of features. A side-mounted I/O panel is hidden away from sight, but is accessible for high-speed USB 3.0 options. Running multiple GPU's in SLI or CrossFire? No problem, the SPEC-04 has ample space. These features are complimented by a tempered glass side panel that allows you to showcase your build.

The CORSAIR Carbide Series SPEC-04 Tempered Glass Case is available now and is priced at $60.

Thermaltake have a new addition to the Toughpower iRGB PLUS family, with the new Toughpower iRGB PLUS Platinum Series Power Supply Unit TT Premium Edition. The fully modular PSU range offers outputs from 850W to 1200W, as well as 16.8 million-color Riing 14 RGB fan and 12 controllable single LEDs with seven lighting modes and is packed full of technology.

The Toughpower iRGB PLUS Platinum Series Power Supply Unit TT Premium Edition features innovative technology that includes DPS G Mobile APP 1.0, DPS G PC APP 3.0 and DPS G Smart Power Management Cloud 1.0, SPM is a cloud computing platform that tracks and analyzes energy consumption and is able to provide real-time feedback and alerts to your mobile devices thanks to DPS G Mobile APP 1.0- Think along the lines of IoT. DPS G PC APP 3.0 is able to provide silent and performance modes while the new Zero Fan mode to minimize the audible noise of your PC.

The Platinum-certified series features a new circuit design with PFC and LLC digital controllers that provide offer excellent ripple suppression and steady voltage output, along with Smart Zero Fan and 100% high quality Japanese brand capacitors provide unmatched performance you expect from Thermaltake products.

Sharkoon have introduced their new mid-tower AM5 case series, featuring the Sharkoon AM5 Silence for users who require excellent noise cancelling qualities from their PC case and the AM5 Window that features an acrylic side panel. Both these models feature a painted front panel with a mirror finish with 4 colors available to suit your preference.

The AM5 Silence features two pre-installed 140mm fans in the front with numerous air vents to allow for efficient cooling. Pre-installed damping mats are able to reduce operating noise to almost whisper quiet, making you ponder if your PC is actually on.

The AM5 Window showcases an acrylic side panel and only one pre-installed 140mm fan at the front, but pre-drilled holes allow for more fans to be installed. The AM5 Windows also sees an additional 120mm rear LED fan pre-installed that matches the selected front panel color scheme. Both models are virtually identical and are capable of water cooling with room for up to 360mm radiator up front. A CPU cooler with a maximum height of up to 167mm can installed with room for up to 400mm graphics card. Up to two 3.5" hard drives can be installed within the HDD removable HDD cage and two 2.5" HDD/SSDs to be installed behind the motherboard tray.

EKWB have announced three new products, all heavily focused at performance with RGB integration. The EK-XRES Revo combo unit and two EK-RES X3 reservoirs, all three products will get any water cooling enthusiast excited with gorgeous RGB lighting and exceptional performance that you expect from EKWB products. All three products are equipped with 4-pin RGB LED strips and are compatible with mainstream motherboards and RGB controllers for seamless integration.

The EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 RGB PWM is a high-performance aftermarket pump top (volute) is integrated with the 140mm reservoir for Xylem D5 series water pumps. This top offers up to 15% increased hydraulic performance when compared to stock solutions.

EK-RES X3 series reservoirs manufactured from premium quality 60mm wide acrylic tube and POM Acetal end caps and features a total of six G1/4" ports. Quality EPDM rubber washers ensure airtight sealing for peace of mind performance and quality.

EK Water Blocks have announced the world's first TR4 based RGB monoblock for several ASUS X399 motherboards, the EK-FB ASUS ROG ZE RGB. Featuring a RGB LED strip, this monoblock utilizes award-winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure best possible CPU cooling for your X399 motherboard.

Compatible with ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme, ASUS PRIME X399-A and SUS ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboards, the EK-FB ASUS ROG ZE RGB Monoblock is made of nickel-plated electrolytic copper while the top is made of quality acrylic glass. This monoblock directly cools your AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor as well as your MOSFET module to provide incredible cooling properties for high and stable overclocks. Thanks to a redesigned cold plate, the X399 monoblock is able to provide improved contact with the entire Ryzen Threadripper processor IHS to enable superior heat transfer.

ASUS X399 series motherboards uses the most advanced LED system on the market, the EK-FB ASUS ROG ZE RGB Monoblock takes full advantage of this by allowing each individual LED to be customized by the user.

Cooler Master have decided to celebrate their 25th anniversary by expanding their 80PLUS Bronze certified MasterWatt range. These new power supplies offer an improved modular design, enhanced cables, and an innovative semi-fanless system.

The MasterWatt range is symbolic for delivering impressive performance while maintaining cost efficiency. These PSU feature a quiet Silencio model fan that has established a reputation for noise reduction thanks to its swept fan blades and LBD bearings. Improved components allow the MatterWatt range to operate without a fan for up to 15% of rated output wattage. Cooler Master have also revised all the cables to accommodate larger cases, this has resulted in improved cable management and cables are 14% longer than previous generations.

Available in 450W, 550W, 650W and 750W, these new models will be released at the end of October 2017.