Cases, Cooling & PSU - Page 2

"Virtually inaudible operation," that's how German hardware maker be quiet! describes its new Silent Loop 3 all-in-one AIO liquid cooling solution for CPUs, which will launch later this month. When choosing a new AIO cooler, thermal performance is always high on the list; however, and silent operation should be there right along with it.

be quiet! Silent Loop 3 includes an innovative pump design with a 6-pole motor with three phases and a three-chamber design created for less vibration. Throw in sound dampening that effectively reduces the sound of the pump even when it's at maximum speed and up to three Silent Wings 4 PWM high-speed fans, and the be quiet! Silent Loop 3 AIO series more than lives up to its name.

This is an AIO cooler series built and designed for silent operation. It will launch with three radiator size options: 240mm, 360mm, and 420mm. And yeah, the 420mm variant is capable of cooling Threadripper processors.

German hardware maker be quiet! has announced a new line of power supplies designed for efficiency and stability for PC gamers. Power Zone 2 sees the return of the company's 'Power Zone' line-up after a twelve-year absence. It's the first series of PSUs from be quiet! to feature semi-passive cooling, and like the original Power Zone PSUs from 2013, the new 2025 models stick to the series' single-rail design (a single massive high-performance 12V-rail).

A modified Pure Wings 3 140mm fan cools the PSU during high-load scenarios (like gaming on a GeForce RTX 5090). The fan will remain off until a specific load or temperature threshold is reached. Interestingly, once on, the fan will always run for 2-5 minutes to avoid frequent changes in noise.

One key feature of the Power Zone 2 line-up, available in 1000W, 850W, and 740W models, is the low electrical noise from coil whine, which has led to a Cybenetics rating of A+ for the 1000W and 850W models and A++ for the 750W model. In addition, Power Zone 2 PSUs are the first from be quiet! to be Cybenetics Platinum certified for efficiency.

Thermal Grizzly has just released its new Duronaut high-performance thermal paste, offering exceptional long-term stability and excellent thermal conductivity.

The company explains that the outstanding performance in heat transfer is further enhanced by the ability to apply the new Duronaut thermal paste in an extremely thin layer, made possible by its unique composition of aluminum microparticles and zinc oxide nanoparticles, which is optimized for particle shapes and sizes.

Thermal Grizzly says that these features make excellent adhesion of the paste to the surface, with the powders mixed into a specially developed silicon oil, providing "extraordinary long-term stability".

PC builders are looking toward more minimal aesthetics when it comes to case design, which means more ways to hide those nastly cables that many believe are eyesores.

MSI has set out to provide a viable option for those PC builders after a minimal aesthetic, and at CES 2025, the company showcased the stunning Project Zero X, one of many Project Zero cases that all focus on a minimalistic design. While MSI didn't tell me what components are inside the Project Zero X, I could summarize the build at least features an Intel CPU due to the AIO cooler supporting both LGA1700 and LGA1851 sockets. As for the graphics card, it appears MSI equipped Project Zero X with a white version of the RTX 4080 Gaming X Trio or possibly even an RTX 5080 Gaming X Trio.

As shown in the above image, the Project X Zero build completely hides all cables, besides two: one cable running to the GPU, and another to the AIO cooler. However, given the direct these case designs are going I'm guessing it won't be long before a solution is conceived to also hide both of these cables, resulting in a cableless design that minimalists will drool over.

Corsair has built upon its success of its original 4000 series case by unveiling the FRAME 4000D, a completely modular case that's an evolution in terms of customization.

Corsair unveiled the new Frame 4000D case at CES 2025 where I was lucky enough to see the case in person at the Corsair suite for a hands-on walk through. The case is fully modular, and while that was previously mentioned it is no understatement as the Frame 4000D offers vast amounts of support for various cooling solutions. Corsair has achieved this through its InfiniRail Fan Mounting System, which enables support for up to 200mm fans in the front and 140mm in the roof.

Additionally, the case comes with support for iCUE LINK RX140 RGB fans, and dual 360mm radiators. The new case has three mounting locations for radiators, the front, roof and side. Furthermore, Corsair demonstrated the ease of changing the railing system, which changes the support for specific fan and radiator sizes.

Corsair is preparing the groundwork for next-gen graphics cards and PC gaming, with the unveiling of its new "Next-Gen GPU Ready" program detailing the products the company has that are ready for NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs.

In a newly-posted video and website, Corsair explains that they're ready for the world of Blackwell gaming GPUs with PSU, chassis, and cooling products that are next-gen GPU-ready. Corsair is helping PC gamers choose their next products wisely, preparing the world for up to 600W of power out of NVIDIA's new ultra-enthusiast flagship GeForce RTX 5090 32GB graphics card.

Corsair seems to have let slip that NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs will use the new 12V-2x6 power connector, with the latest ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 power supplies shipping with the new 12V-2x6 power connector, which has been designed with NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs in mind.

DIY-APE has just teased its new concept 50-pin power cable, ready to deliver a monster 1500W of power through a single connector directly into the motherboard: no cables for the GPU are needed. This is hopefully what we see out of BTF 3.0 in the near future:

The DIY-APE team works with companies like ASUS, MaxSun, and others on new innovative backside designs, with their latest design featuring a 50-pin connector driving up to 1500W of power into the motherboard. With a monstrous 1500W of power over a single cable, there's no need for power cables for the CPU, GPU, and other power-hungry components. It's all fed into the motherboard with a single 1500W connector.

The 1500W power connector prototype was used on an Intel LGA 1851 motherboard, sporting an extra-long connector found on the backside of the motherboard. This prototype interface replaces traditional 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, as well as 16-pin connectors being fed into higher-end GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series, and soon RTX 50 series GPUs.

ASUS has shown off the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor passively cooled with a Noctua cooler, inside of the ASUS ProArt chassis, running at 95C under 220W of load.

In a new video posted by ASUS China General Manager, Tony Yu, we're seeing the new ASUS ProArt series chassis with wooden aesthetics (which looks oh-so-nice) which has been designed for workstation users and content creators, who seek quieter operation versus RGB bling.

Tony used the Ryzen 9 9950X processor rocking 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 power, using the Noctua NH-P1 CPU cooler and keeping the 9950X at 95C passively cooled (look ma, no fans!). There are some pre-installed fans inside of the chassis, but the CPU itself is running a passively cooled unit with no fans blowing air onto the heatsink.

InWin's 11th-generation "signature chassis," the Infinite, is an absolute beast of a unit - weighing 103.6 pounds or 47 kilograms. It looks like a futuristic space station with 180-degree curved glass and a premium aluminum shell - which the company calls "a PC industry-first."

"These two premium materials encompass each other, creating a stunning view of infinite expansion," the description reads. "Experience the pinnacle of innovation where craftsmanship meets artisanal mastery." The inner case is also mechanized so it can stand vertically or tilt up to 45 degrees for easy access to components and to look like something from the distant future.

Going back to the curved glass, at 6mm thick, it's an impressive engineering feat to create a single piece that twists and turns in opposite directions - presenting a one-of-a-kind look that makes the InWin Infinite case stand out from the pack.

Seasonic and Noctua have been cooking behind the scenes, but now they're introducing the new PRIME TX-1600W power supply: a new ultra-quiet beasty 1600W PSU with dual 12V-2x6 power connectors ready for multiple next-generation GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards. Check it out:

The new collaboration between the two companies delivers something truly special for high-end desktop PCs, with Austrian-based Noctua known for its leading cooling technology and uber-quiet fans, with the new PRIME TX-1600W PSU featuring NF-A12x25 fans which have ultra-quiet operation.

1600W of power is a lot, with the new PRIME TX-1600W PSU supporting both ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1, with dual 12V-2x6 power connectors that are ready for multiple high-end GPUs. Noctua says that the new 1600W power supply is designed to work in full passively-cooled mode at below 50% load and under 25C.