Streacom F7C EVO HTPC Chassis Review
" Today I will be taking a look at the F7C Evo M-ITX chassis from Streacom, another entry to the competitive world of HTPC chassis and a part of the market that has seen something of a revival in the last couple of years with the rise in high performance M-ITX motherboards. I’ll admit, until I saw this chassis I had never even heard of Streacom, but they’re a relatively new company that formed in 2010 so it’s understandable that they’re still finding a name for them selves in some markets. "
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Posted on Friday, May 17, 2013 @ 21:34:18 UTC in Streacom by Wesslan
Cooler Master N200 Mini-Tower Case Review
" The life of a genie cannot possibly be wonderful. It isn’t so much the fact that he or she has to answer to the master’s every whim, but that a genie spends most of the time cramped inside a tiny bottle. Maybe it is like Dr. Who’s TARDIS inside where the interior is much more spacious than what the external appearance suggests. I extend that same sympathy to the small magical components I have on my system that obey my every whim with a stroke from a keyboard or a click from a mouse. Granted, they are enjoying spacious full-tower accommodations at the moment but I have always searched for a smaller solution so I can transport them easily. Unfortunately, most of the solutions I can find are far from cozy and cannot fit high-end components which are generally larger, especially video cards and CPU coolers. "
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Posted on Thursday, May 16, 2013 @ 10:42:57 UTC in Cooler Master by Wesslan
Cases: Corsair Obsidian 350D
Corsair Obsidian 350D Review
" The Obsidian Series 350D Micro ATX PC case is designed for building compact high-performance systems with Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboards. The compact size is ideal if space is limited, but there’s plenty of room inside for liquid CPU cooling, dual hard drives, dual SSDs, and dual full-length graphics cards. Like all Obsidian cases, the 350D is designed for fast and neat builds, with tool-free access and drive installation. Smart features like a native 2.5” SSD cage make the most of its small size, and the cooling-focused interior has five fan mounting points, with room for two 240mm radiators. "
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Posted on Tuesday, May 07, 2013 @ 19:30:52 UTC in Corsair by Wesslan
Enermax Ostrog ECA3250-BW Series Midi Chassis Review
" The case we are looking at today is part of the ECA3250 series of cases by Enermax. There are 3 models in this series; one in black, one in White/Black (predominantly White) and the one we are looking at in Black/White (predominantly Black). Enermax are mostly known as a chassis manufacturer, but they do also produce power supplies, CPU coolers, fans and other peripherals. The Enermax Ostrog ECA3250-BW is heralded as the ‘Fortress for your hardware’, according to the company website. They say the design is ‘plain and timeless’ – we will take a look at this later in the review. "
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Posted on Tuesday, May 07, 2013 @ 19:22:12 UTC in Enermax by Wesslan
Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 Mid-Tower Chassis Review
" This chassis we will see today was a mix of me finding the perfect chassis for another build I had in mind for the house, and random happenstance that something new was down the line and seemed to be releasing right around the same time. I actively hunted down the right components after testing the H220 from Swiftech, as it inspired a sort of "mini-me" build idea from my daily driver. In this rig I run an ASUS MVE, 3770K, ASUS GTX 680 TOP, all housed in the Silverstone TJ11. Finding the motherboard and video card were easy enough, and with the H220 I was nearly set. The last requirement was to find something with the appearance of aluminum, or to be aluminum, but I wanted something rounded, not like the TJ11, but just rounded and not a square box. "
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Posted on Sunday, May 05, 2013 @ 16:35:11 UTC in Fractal Design by Wesslan
Cases: Thermaltake Urban S71
Thermaltake Urban S71 Review
" Having already looked at the Urban S21 and been impressed by Thermaltake’s new venture into the silent computer chassis sector today we are going to be looking at a model at the opposite end of the spectrum. S21 is designed for budget conscious enthusiasts but the S71 is the higher-end offering within the series and has a respective feature-set. Urban S71 is a full-tower chassis with minimalist styling which is typical of a case, of this calibre. S71 can accommodate a plethora of high-end hardware and comes with three cooling fans; all configured via a handy two-speed fan controller. The real question is can S71 compete with other popular offerings which currently dominate the market? "
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Posted on Thursday, May 02, 2013 @ 10:26:13 UTC in Thermaltake by Wesslan
LanCool First Knight PC-K65B Mid Tower Case Review
" The LanCool First Knight PC-K65B is a mid-tower computer case that is made of high quality materials. The targeted audience for the LanCool PC-K65B is the mainstream user who is looking for a solid chassis and some user friendly features. The front bezel of the case is made out of aluminum, while the rest of the chassis is made out of SECC steel. Support is provided for one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and HD audio on the front panel. The K65B has three external 5.25" drive bays, six internal 3.5" drive bays, and four 2.5" drive bays. Two 140mm fans for intake and one 120mm exhausting air out the back are used for cooling the system, and all intakes have washable filters on them. "
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Posted on Wednesday, May 01, 2013 @ 21:57:29 UTC in LanCool by Wesslan
Cases: BitFenix Prodigy Case
BitFenix Prodigy Case Review
" Mini-ITX motherboards have come a long way since the early days of soldered-on processors and PCI expansion cards. Current offerings have standard desktop sockets, PCI Express x16 slots, and peripheral ports up the wazoo. They can accommodate some of the fastest processors and GPUs available today. It's still difficult to find truly enthusiast-grade Mini-ITX enclosures, however. Most cases designed to accommodate the form factor have caveats, including limited support for larger coolers, graphics cards, and PSUs. Also, their cramped internals leave little room for mechanical drive arrays and can make the building process a royal pain. There is one rather striking deviation from the norm: BitFenix's Prodigy. This Mini-ITX box has little trouble accommodating full-sized desktop parts, and it has more drive bays than most mid-towers. Builder-friendly amenities abound, making assembly incredibly easy. I recently built a couple of systems inside the Prodigy for a special project you'll read about soon, and I gained some insight into the case along the way. "
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Posted on Monday, April 29, 2013 @ 10:48:34 UTC in Bitfenix by Wesslan
Cases: Lian Li PC-V650B
Lian Li PC-V650B Review
" The first thing you will notice when taking a look at the PC-V650 is its width. Lian Li made it much wider than your average case. This is to procure enough space for a full ATX board inside a case of this size. There is only one external 5.25" drive bay, and the case lacks the completely perforated front we have seen with the V600, for example. A look at the rear's seven expansion slots actually shows that the V650 can provide for a full ATX motherboard. Both side panels of the chassis are completely solid. Lian Li chose to attach these side panels through numerous pins so that you can pull it apart without the use of any tools at all—just some muscle. "
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Posted on Monday, April 29, 2013 @ 10:45:23 UTC in Lian Li by Wesslan
Silverstone Redline RL04 Mid-Tower Computer Case Review
" There is something to be said for creating something with your own two hands. It does not matter if the starting point is a pile of parts from a kit or raw materials, the end result can provide great pleasure. Recently, I built a new play set for my daughter and it was a major challenge. Putting together the over 300 pieces of wood that were in the kit and combining them with the many pieces of hardware that were provided for each piece was time consuming and frustrating at times, but the entire process was worth it because the end result is beautiful and functional. "
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Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2013 @ 18:43:18 UTC in SilverStone by Wesslan





