Cases, Cooling and Miscellaneous

Thermaltake Launches Element V Full-Tower

News — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:36:16 GMT

Thermaltake Launches Element V Full-Tower with Optimized Cooling For hardcore gamers and semi-pros

Thermaltake, leading DIY chassis brand, launches the newest full-tower PC case for demanding gamers and power-users. The Element V offers optimized airflow characteristics with 5 preinstalled heavy-duty fans, while leaving room for another 3 upgrade fans. Two 120 mm front mounted fans are blowing outside air directly through and over the drive bays with an additional oversized 230 cm ColorShift fan at the side panel taking in a vast amount of outside air and distributing it over graphics cards and CPU. Two exhaust fans in the upper area remove uprising hot air; one 120 mm rear side TurboFan and one big size ColorShift fan in the top panel. No matter how much peripherals you throw at this case, you can always rest assured they won’t ever be an air-congestion.

You will rather stay cool and calm
For users you like a vivid look and enjoy giving their case a character of it’s own, the three ColorShift fan provide you with 6 color option that can static or in motion. Adjustment of the three ColorShift fans’ color scheme and fan speed are conveniently done by a dual-function know on the top front side.

Dimensions of 532 (H) x 220 (W) x 537 (D) cm provide for plenty of room for high-end and power setups. The Element V can house a whooping 12 drive bays of which five are 5.25”, six for 3.5” and one for 2.5” devices. High peripheral connectivity is warranted through the implementation of four USB 2.0, one eSATA and HD connectors at the very front of the top panel.

Built for ATX, EATX and MicroATX motherboards the Element V full-tower places standard PS2 power supplies conveniently on the bottom of the case. For more advanced cooling demands or overclocking enthusiasts punch-out holes for water cooling are reserved in the rear panel. And for those who have to frequently cool down their thirst, special holes at the left panel give you the option to install a water bottle cage.

The Element V full-tower chassis will be available at a suggested retail price of US$ 169.

Logitech's G110 Gaming Keyboard Lights Up Your Life

News — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:35:56 GMT

Look out, folks--we've got a feeling that a new stream of new Logitech gear has just begun flowing, with the MK605 notebook bundle hitting earlier this week and now the G110 gaming keyboard. The oddly named successor to the G11 is a straightforward 'board, but clearly the extras are aimed at those who spend more time fragging than typing emails to grandma. Oh, and shame on you for that!

Anyways, the QWERTY + numeric pad set is graces with customizable backlighting, with an array of blue and red LEDs beneath the keys themselves able to be controled via the Profiler software. Once you've got that installed, your keyboard can be red, blue, or "pretty much any shade of purple you can imagine." Looking for yellow or green? Outta luck, partner. You'll also get a dozen programmable "G-keys" and a trifecta of "M-keys," giving you the power to assign up to 36 single keystrokes, multi-key macros, or intricate LUA scripts. And, using the MR key, you can configure macros on the fly.

There's also an auto game detection feature that lets you create separate custom G-key programming profiles for every game you play, and the game mode switch handily disables the Windows and Context Menu keys so you're never accidentally booted from your game. Nice thinking, Logitech! Finally, the built-in audio plugs enable you to jack your headset right into the keyboard, and the integrated USB 2.0 hub port supports a mouse or other USB low-power device.

Both Mac and PC software is bundled in, and naturally you'll need a single open USB port to have this one plugged in; it'll retail for $79.99 and should ship to North America starting in late November, and in Europe in January.

CPU Water Cooler noise?

UnlikelyAura — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:11:57 GMT

Out of nowhere, my system started to make this noise. And it kind of comes and goes. I opened my case to try to solve where the noise is coming from. I believe I narrowed it down to the water cooling system. When it decides to make the nosie, it sounds like chirps, like from what a cricket would make. Has anyone ever heard of an issue like this?

If the cooler is going bad for some reason (it's only a year or so old) how much would it cost to replace just one piece?

I don't know much about water cooling, unfortunately. However, I need to learn lol. I bought my system from Alienware (just for warranty reasons and even still I wish I would've just built from scratch). I'm pretty techy with troubleshooting anything else besides this : / haha figures. So I guess it's time for me to learn. I've just been so cautious with it because I dont' know how to install it properly : (

New CoolIT GPU Liquid Cooler Designed For Current, Future Video Cards

News — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:48:54 GMT

One of the annoying realities of buying aftermarket coolers for CPUs or video cards is that the heatsink component of the cooler can end up with a relatively short lifespan, particularly if you prefer to upgrade at a fairly quick pace. This is arguably more of an issue for GPUs than CPUs, and the cost of keeping one's system temperatures and/or acoustics at the desired level can easily tack an extra $100-$200 on to periodic update costs.

CoolIT Systems claims to have designed its way around the need for such replacements through the use of what it calls a universal cooling plate. We reviewed a BFG-built GTX 295 that uses a CoolIT-designed liquid cooling system last month—the company isn't kidding about the thermal benefits of water or the improved overclocking it makes possible—but this new ATI cooler is particularly interesting. According to the company, the GPU cooler is also designed to fit future cards that have yet to launch. There was no information on which cards these might be, or whether the future-proofing is locked to further iterations of the HD 5000 series.

Water cooling. It's kinda like that.

"I think the implementation of the universal design has addressed the need for performance cooling in the GPU space with the added benefit of upgradeability," said Dr. Gamal Refai-Ahmed, AMD fellow and lead thermal architect, AMD Graphics Product Group. "Using the liquid system has a tremendous cooling advantage over traditional air cooling, allowing our enthusiast community to push the limits of our latest architecture."

Oddly, the only "photos" available are actually 3D renders of the product.

CoolIT Systems CEO Geoff Lyon gave additional color on why the company had set its sights on designing a cooler with a longer lifespan. "Since starting our work with AMD several years ago, one of the challenges has been the fast succession of technology advances. By working hard to develop a solution that can keep up to the pace of technology advancement as well as providing the end user the flexibility to upgrade their cards while keeping the cooling system intact, we feel this is a winning combination. The solution showcases an ultra-reliable, brazed heat exchanger to ensure that it will provide excellent performance for years to come."

CoolIT isn't sharing pricing information yet, but the company's self-contained liquid cooler for the Radeon HD 4870 has an MSRP of around $135, so it's reasonable to think the new HD 5870 unit will debut in this range (possibly with a premium tacked on top). That's not cheap—third-party GPU heatsink/fan combos typically run $30-$50 at the upper end—but depending on just how future proof CoolIT's new design is, the larger up-front investment could save money over the long run. There's no realistic danger that a later card will exceed the cooler's heat-transfer capabilities—water stomps all over air in this regard—and it's quieter as well.

Everything you'd expect to find in a factory-built radiator system, minus the exhaust fan. The speed toggle for said fan is presumably hiding on the other side of the device (or would be regulated via the motherboard BIOS)

If you're the type of enthusiast who grits his teeth over high GPU temperatures, hates fan noise, or are looking for a multi-generational cooler, this new liquid cooler could be quite interesting. Hopefully CoolIT will provide additional color on the time frame they're targeting for future compatibility—knowing that the company intends today's system to still be relevant in 2-4 years would doubtlessly help leery consumers overlook the high price tag (or justify the purchase to their wives).

Danger Den Unveils Radeon HD 5870 Water Block, X2 News

News — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:13:35 GMT

Danger Den just sent word that their Radeon HD 5870 water block is ready and about to ship--the official press release is posted below. Perhaps more interesting than the news about the 5870 water block, however, is the little detail Danger Den mentions at the end of the release. It looks like the dual-GPU powered Radeon HD 5870 X2 (if that is what it will officially be named) design is complete and samples are out in the wild.

DD-5870 Block for the ATI 5870 VGA Card

Danger Den continues to extend their broad line of full coverage video card blocks with the new ATI 5870 water block. The DD-5870 block is a single slot solution cooling all of the major heat components including the GPU, RAM, power mofsets, and more.

The DD-5870 block is designed to have superior cooling performance while minimizing the pressure loss across the block. This combined with other Danger Den blocks maintains a high flow rate through the entire system maximizing the cooling performance of all the components.

Danger Den, based in Astoria, OR, has improved their in-house production process and is now able to offer the DD-5870 at the incredible price of $99.95. The DD-5870 will be available to order on October 16th. The product page lists all of the details and any questions can be answered in the Danger Den Forums. Be sure to check out the Gallery of photos (more photos soon).

Stay tuned for the 5870X2 and 5850 versions also as ATI has sent CAD drawings and samples to Danger Den!

Watercooling Kits, OR Part's..

mojo8850 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:51:11 GMT

Hi There...

Im in the process of thinking of purchasing water cooling gear.. But I dont understand what I require.
Meaning what parts do I require..

Which is the Ultimate Make For Them Bits.. Please REPLY :)

Lian Li launches PC-B25F Mid-Tower Chassis

News — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:14:34 GMT

Lian Li launches the PC-B25F Midi tower Chassis for discerning consumers

Classic style and refined elegance combine

27 August 2009, Keelung, Taiwan – Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd Ltd has launched the PC-B25F midi tower chassis. The hair-line brushed all aluminum chassis is based on the original PC-B25 “Blue Ring” classic, however it has a few more refinements to make it that much more attractive. It still retains the basic award winning design but now has a completely tool-less functionality inside the chassis to help you install and uninstall your components with ease. These latest tool-less features are becoming an expected aspect of Lian Li chassis and ensure time saving as well as securing your hardware safely.

Complete Tool-Less Design
The front panel clips off easily and conveniently. The entire chassis is designed for tool-less implementation, so installing your hardware and getting your system up and running is extremely easy. The unique Power Supply Bracket allows the PSU to be secured using only the tool-less clasp which is ideal to hold the PSU without the need for securing screws. There are 3x ODD 5.25” bays of which two have a patented mounting bar which secures your optical drives safely and securely. The PCI brackets are made of aluminum and have a special tool-less clip with rubber padding to secure your graphics and daughter cards with the utmost of ease. Similarly the HDD drives are secured in a tool-less bracket and mounted with rubber grommet struts to prevent movement and vibration from today’s fast moving and highly specialized HDD components. The HDD’s are secured with a sliding bar that secures all the drives simultaneously. The front panel and top panel are easily detachable for access to fans and air filters. The PC-B25F chassis has all the functional and user friendly design aspects users have come to expect in a Lian Li case.

Thermal features
The PC-B25F features advanced thermal dynamics, using two fans on the front (2x 120mm@1200RPM), plus two top mounted fans (2x 140mm@1000RPM) and one rear 120mm@1500RPM extraction fan. The airflow is more than adequate to cool your system quietly and efficiently.

Lian Li engineers have optimized the airflow to enter from the front mounted fans, directly cooling the HDD’s and ODD’s and thereafter refreshing the CPU region. The hot air generated by the CPU and GPU is directly extracted via the rear 120mm Fan and the dual top mounted fans. Both top mounted fans have special vibration free kits, which allow for silent operation as well as easy and safe removal of the fans should you wish to do so. The volume of airflow is more than sufficient to keep your gaming rig cool and conveniently silent.

General features
The dimensions stand at 210x495x490mm (W, H, D). The top and front panels are clipped via special plastic kits which reduce metal on metal contact wear and tear as well as vibration. The 8x PCI expansion slots enable CrossFireX and three-way SLI graphic card setups. The chassis front face has 3x 5.25”ODD bays. Add to that the rounded folded edges, the support clips for cable management as well as extra holes in the plates for cable routing and you have a complete all round product perfect for your PC components.

The chassis supports 3x 5.25” Optical drive bays with one optional 1x 3.5” external and 6 additional internal 3.5” bays where your HDD can be secured using 4 thumbscrews & rubber grommets to slide the HDD into the HDD cage. The PC-B25F case is for Micro-ATX or ATX motherboards and has 8 PCI expansion slots, which are well ventilated with special vented brackets when not in use. The top panel is removable with the multimedia I/O ports on the top panel consisting of 1x E-SATA + 2x USB2.0 as well as HD+AC97 Audio.

Lian Li Intros Two New Full Tower Chassis

News — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:06:10 GMT

Lian Li announced two new full tower chassis today. The new PC-A70F/71Fare constructed from aluminum and feature tool-less designs. The PC-A70F is thelatest addition to the A70 series. With a more minimalistic look, the PC-A71Fis the latest model in the A71 series. Both cases offer plenty of internalspace with room for E-ATX, ATX, and Micro-ATX motherboards. The cases offer sevenPCI expansion slots, five 5.25-inch bays, seven 3.5-inch internal hard drivebays and a three-bay, 3.5-inch modular hard drive cage. Both cases have roomfor two power supply units and offer plenty of cooling fans in the front andback of the case. The cases are expectedto be arriving at local distributors at the end of this month.

Lian Li launches PC-A70F/A71F Full Tower Chassis

Fully featured aluminum full tower chassis

05 August 2009,Keelung,Taiwan – Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched thePC-A70F/71F Full Tower chassis ideal for power users and server systems. Thehair-line brushed all black aluminum chassis features two fans on the front (2x140mm@1000RPM), and 2x rear 120mm fans @1500RPM. The 7x PCI expansion slotsenable CrossFire and SLI graphic card setups. The chassis front face has eithera door assembly which can open from either side as needed (PC-A71F) or a frontpanel which clips off conveniently as needed (PC-A70F). The inlet fans havefilters that are washable. The entire chassis is designed for tool-lessimplementation, so installing your hardware and getting your system up andrunning is extremely easy. The dimensions stand at 220mm x 590mm x 615mm (W, H,D) for the PC-A71F, and 220mm x 590mm x 585mm (W, H, D) for the PC-A70F.

Complete Tool-LessDesign

The Lian Li patented unique Power Supply Bracket whichallows the PSU to be secured using only the tool-less clasp is very useful tohold the PSU securely without the need for securing screws. The 10x internalHDD 3.5” bays have a tool-less bracket and are mounted with rubber grommetstruts to prevent movement and vibration from today’s fast moving and highlyspecialized HDD components. The locking mechanism slides into place and securesall the HDD’s simultaneously. The PCI securing brackets are made of aluminumand have a special tool-less clip with rubber padding to secure your graphicsand daughter cards with the utmost of ease. The front panel (PC-A71F) and toppanel are easily detachable for access to fans and air filters. ThePC-A70F/A71F chassis are imbued with all the functional and user friendlydesign aspects users have come to expect in high quality Lian Li cases.

Thermal features

Lian Li engineers have optimized the airflow to enter fromthe front mounted fans, directly cooling the HDD’s and ODD’s and thereafterrefreshing the CPU region. The hot air generated by the CPU and GPU is directlyextracted via the rear 120mm fans. The volume of airflow is more thansufficient to keep your power rig cool and conveniently silent.

General features

The chassis supports 5x 5.25” Optical drive bays with oneoptional 1x 3.5” external and 10 internal 3.5” bays for HDD’s giving ample roomfor future expansion. The PC-A70F/A71F full tower chassis support E-ATX,Micro-ATX or ATX motherboards and has 7 PCI expansion slots, which are wellventilated with special vented brackets when not in use. The top panel isremovable with the multimedia I/O ports on the top panel consisting of 4xUSB2.0, IEEE1394, ESATA, as well as HD+AC97 Audio.

TraditionalDurability

The classical stylish functional design is the Lian Li goal.The essence of Lian Li products is the craftsmanship of the engineering.Intrinsic to the workmanship and quality is the customization which includes awhole host of optional extras that can be purchased to add more features to analready feature rich product.

MSRP: PC-A70F US$229+VAT
MSRP: PC-A71F US$259+VAT

Will it fit?

Dactron — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:48:06 GMT

I'm looking at building a PC toward the end of this year or so. I was looking at the Asus P6T7 WS Supercomputer MB and need a case for it to fit it in. My problem is that I'm having a bit of a hard time finding a case for it to fit in because of the form factor it is, CEB. I was wanting to use the Thermaltake Mozart Tx for the idea of doing water cooling but, then there's the problem that it will only fit certian form factors and CEB isn't one of those. I've read some posts that the screw holes in the Asus P6T7 board are set up in a ATX configureation. I tried to get ahold of Thermaltake to ask them if that board would fit in their case but, didn't get any help =/ Anyways....So my question is does anyone know if the P6T7 will fit in the Mozart Tx?

Thanks for any help.

NZXT Announces M59 Gaming Chassis

News — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:35:20 GMT

NZXT Announces M59 Gaming Chassis

New case brings optimal airflow, maximum expandability, sleek aesthetics, and clean wire management

El Monte, CA – July 21st, 2009 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the M59 gaming chassis. M59 delivers optimal airflow with 5 powerful fans with the option to station two fans on the top(side 120mm LED fan and rear 120mm exhaust included), side intake for GPU cooling, a mesh front panel and a bottom mounted PSU draws cooler air from the bottom of the case. The sleek aesthetics are highlighted by an all black interior and smoked clear window along with a 5.25” stealth bay gives a clean, but powerful presence. NZXT enhances the PC building experience with features that help make the installation process as painless as possible with pre-drilled water cooling holes and punched holes in the motherboard allowing for quick CPU bracket removal and immaculate wire routing. Additional advanced features include space for two SSD drives and higher end 10.5” graphics cards along with an ambient night light sitting over the 5.25” drives for constant visibility in dark rooms or at LAN parties.

“M59 will provide gamers with the ideal balance of performance and style with a wide array of features for under $60” said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. “The airflow, expandability, cable management, ease of installation, and sleek look and feel make this a very compelling option for the budget conscious gamer.”
The m59 will be available in August at an MSRP of $59.99.

NVIDIA Wants Your Best ION Case Mod

News — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:22:18 GMT

Got a hankering to get your mod on? Not afraid to turn little machines into big hits? NVIDIA, in conjunction with CPU Magazine and Modders-Inc, has announced its second major contest in just a week, this time promising 15 minutes of fame and a new "dream" rig to the person with the best ION design.

Slated to be the second coming of the integrated graphics set, ION hasn't seen a whole lot of action just yet here in America. It's been fitted in a few machines here and there, but overall it has yet to really grasp the imagination of the PC buying public. Evidently the company is hoping to change all of that with the ION Case Mod Contest, which is open now to US and Canadian citizens with ideas of a new ION platform-based case mod.

Users are being asked to dream up a new ION rig, design it and submit it for judging. Once posted in the Modders-Inc forums, five professional modders will crituqe the entries and select the winners. For more on what exactly you'll get, check out the full release below.

Win the PC of Your Dreams with the NVIDIA ION Case Mod Contest

Got a big idea for a small PC? See it turned into reality by a pro builder!

NVIDIA ION™ is changing the industry with unprecedented performance in small, energy efficient PCs. Now ION is going to transform the shape of PCs too, with help from enthusiasts like you.

Starting Monday, July 13th, residents of the United States and Canada can submit ideas for an NVIDIA ION platform-based case mod in the ION mod forums on www.modders-inc.com. Modders-Inc, CPU Magazine, and NVIDIA will narrow down the list to the top 30.

Five professional modders will then select their five favorite ideas from the list of 30, and build ION-based case mods inspired by those ideas.

The modders along with their creations will be featured in the November issue of CPU Magazine, and the winning mod will be featured on the cover of the December issue. Judging will be based on overall design, creativity, compact size, and functionality.

The winning mod will be awarded as a prize to the person who conceived the original idea. The four runners-up whose ideas were also built into actual mods will win a Zotac ION motherboard, a copy of The Sims 3, and 1400 Battle funds for Battlefield Heroes. All 30 individuals whose ideas were selected will receive a free subscription to CPU Magazine.

The contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada who are 13 years and older. Entries must be submitted between July 13th and August 10th. For more information and ongoing updates go to www.nividia.com/ion or follow @nvidiaion on Twitter.

In Win X-Fighter Gaming Case Is Ferocious

News — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:24:05 GMT

Dig Star Wars? Need a new case for your next gaming rig? Hold your horses, 'cause In Win looks to have just the thing. Announced this week, the X-Fighter ATX mid-tower chassis is said to be inspired by some of the greatest vessels ever to grace the big screen, namely crafts from the heralded Star Wars series.

You'll notice a foursome of triangular feet, hard steel, silver/aluminum lines and a futuristic feel. There are also a pair of 12cm ceramic fans at the front and rear along with a VGA Turbo Cooling System with dual 8cm ceramic fans there. There's even support for a water-cooling system should you find that necessary. Crazier still is the telescopic duct that extends outward and shifts side-to-side cooling drives and extra components up top. The visual feast is topped up with a hint of mesh and loads of jutting lines.

While this is easily one of the most zany and intimidating cases we've ever seen, In Win has made sure to provide a bulked up inside as well. There is a rubberized railing system that, when attached to your components, provide a shock and vibration free experience for your ODD and HDD drives. You'll also find seven PCI/AGP slots, no need for a screwdriver, dual eSATA ports, and plenty of room for optical drives. The case is available now for right around $120.

First water cooling recommendation

Ramon Zarat — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:35:52 GMT

Hello everyone!

NOTE: If there's a thread or a FAQ that already exist and answer most of my questions, please just direct me to it.

Since my first 486, I’ve always overclocked on air. Now it’s time to try water. I’m looking for balance between low sound, low temperature and high CPU overclock. I’m not in winning benchmark/overclock contest. What I want by posting this is to avoid major and costly mistake and get decent cooling for my money. I have more or less 250.00$ for this project.

This is my shopping list for my new rig to evaluate the thermal envelope:

I7 920 @ minimum 4Ghz, 4.2 to 4.5 if possible.
Cheap but good X58 MB. The GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R seem to fit my need.
6 GB Corsair uTR3X6G1333C7
4850 512MB (I’m waiting Q4 2009 to buy a big DX11 card. The XFX 4850 is only 109$ at newegg and will do until then) No CF or SLI planned.
4 X WD caviar black 1TB RAID 5
2 X WD raptor 36GB RAID 0 strip. (I already have them. Will replace by 2 X SSD when the new 32nm NAND products come out in Q3-Q4. Should be appreciably cheaper and faster than the one currently available. Worth the 3 to 6 month wait IMO)
2 X SATA DVD
PC Power & Cooling silencer 750W
Vantec Nexus 4 port fan controller (already have it and will use it to control fan on the radiator)
Everything else onboard.
Antec SX-1240 full tower (already have it)

So in essence, I will water cool the CPU, a single GPU (DX11, not the 4850) and maybe the northbridge in a single loop. No intention to water cool south bridge, RAM and hard drive.

Now, the questions:

1-      3/8 or ½ tubing? I have the space in the full tower and I’ve heard bigger is better, so I assume ½
2-      Worth the trouble to water cool X58 NB? It’s now only a switching hub with no FSB and already passively cooled on most motherboard. Water cool the SB in most certainly over kill.
3-      2 or 3 120MM fan radiator? I guess 3 would be safer, but it might also be completely overkill. Then again, I have the space for even a 4 fan radiator (Will dremel a hole on top of casing)
4-      What is the current best buy water pump? I don’t want NASA stuff, just a great product at a decent price.
5-      What is the best sequence to install the cooling loop? Radiator to CPU then GPU then NB would seem logic.
6-      Distilled water? Yes absolutely, no it’s a waste, maybe good but not necessary?
7-      Water additive? Yes absolutely, no it’s a waste, maybe good but not necessary?
8-      TEC Water chiller? Yes, big difference for the price. No, expensive, consume too much power and don't chill that much. (Is there a reservoir with built-in TEC?)
9-      CPU / GPU water block recommendation? Swiftech seem to be cheap and good.
10-    FAN recommendation? I was planning to get Scythe fluid dynamic bearing fans (Closed Oil Shaft Carrier). AFAIK, they are top quality, decently priced and 1.5 Millions Hours MTBF. I've always bought Panaflo fan in the past, but since they sold their fan division, I'm not convinced anymore.
11-   Anything I forget or that I should be aware of before starting my project? Top 3 things to absolutely avoid or must do? Brand to avoid at all cost?

Ladies and gentleman, thank you all in advance for your precious advices!

Regards,
Ramon

Question on a dual loop water cooling setup using XSPC dual pump Res. W/2X MCP355 pumps

Crazy V — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:13:28 GMT

FrozenCPU.com steered me toward a XSPC dual pump res. using 2X MCP355 pumps.

System Spec's:
AMD 955BE Phenom II
MSI 790FX-GD70 M/B
8GB 1600MHz Corsair
4X4890 XFX
Coolmaster ATCS 840

They also suggested:

1X ex-blc-569 EK Supreme Universal CPU Liquid Cooling Block - Acetal

4X ex-blc-599 EK Radeon HD4890 VGA Liquid Cooling Block - Acetal

As listed above the XSPC res. w/dual MCP355 pumps.

1X quad 120mm dual pass koolance rad. (for the 4x4890 XFX)

1X triple 120mm dual pass koolance rad (for the AMD 955BE)

Questions:

1. Will one of these pumps be able to keep up on the 4X EK 4890 blocks with a quad rad?

2. Same as question 1 but with a Ek cpu block on a triple rad?

3. And what size tubing should be used 3/8 or 1/2?

4. As i have already purchased the listed items, is this a safe setup? If not, i would like to try and save as many items as possible or just improve the current setup by adding to or revising this setup.

Any and all opinions or suggestions are welcome.

So far have had very bad luck with this build just in getting the parts. 3 cases later from FrozenCPU.com 2 have been damaged in preparation or shipping, awaiting 3rd. Missing items in newegg.com shipment due to over stuffed boxes and again rough shipping. So please help to save this build.

Thanks, Crazy V

What do you think of my cooling strategy?

thuh granantlet — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:56:35 GMT

So I've started to do the Mineral Oil submersion cooling project like Puget Custom Computers and Tom's Hardware (and others), but I need to keep my tank at <30 oC at all times (ambient is just about that). So, after considering quite a few cooling strategies, this is what I have come up with, and I'd like to know what you guys think:

First, there is the tank of oil with my computer in it, carrying a 430W heat load. Then, I've got (outside) a reservoir of liquid coolant, being cooled by two, 400W, Thermoelectric Coolers. These are attached on the hot end to a heatsink (or two) with a fan (or two). The coolant is pumped out of the reservoir (insulated tubes, of course), and through some capillaries submerged in the mineral oil. Then the coolant is returned to the reservoir.

My question is: instead of capillaries, should I just use a radiator submerged in the oil? Would that work? If, in the future, I find that this is not enough cooling for my needs, could I add some sort of liquid cooling system to the TECs? Do they even make blocks that will fit? (I've never done anything besids heatsink/fan)

I'm trying to keep the cost down to like...below 250 bucks for the cooling (i've already got the tank and oil and stuff, so that doesn't count).

Edit: ok, well, looks like this won't work. TECs are too inefficient. Looks like I'm looking at phase change.
Mod can close/delete if you feel like pruning =)

Can I buy a 5.25" bay?

thuh granantlet — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:52:24 GMT

I'm building a custom case from ground up, and I need 2x 5.25" bays. I figured I could just pull them out of the 6 ancient cases in my closet, but they've all got 3 or more bays, which won't fit where I need to put them (and my metalworking skills aren't up to par, so I can't just cut one off...which is why the case is made out of oak and plexiglas =). So I was looking for some bays that I could screw into the oak so that changing optical drives would be easy.

Any ideas of where I could get something like this?

Thanks HH!

OCZ Announces Affordable Sabre Gaming Keyboard

News — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:16:39 GMT

OCZ Technology
Announces Availability of the Affordable Sabre Gaming Keyboard with Smart OLED
Technology

San Jose, Calif.—June 22, 2009—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a
worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability
memory and components, today announced the highly-anticipated Sabre OLED
multimedia keyboard for advanced gaming and customization complete with
intelligent management software. The Sabre’s unique combination of
user-friendly functions, durability, and personalization features is the answer
for serious gamers and professionals seeking improved productivity and
competitiveness.

“The OCZ Sabre Keyboard offers the best of both worlds when it comes to OLED
technology and a truly functional yet affordable gaming keyboard,” commented
Eugene Chang, VP of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “With nine
dedicated OLED keys, the Sabre is able to leverage both the infinite
customization benefits of the technology with the reliability and feel of a
high-quality gaming keyboard, making for the ultimate all-in-one solution.”

The sophisticated Sabre is OCZ’s first foray into premium-level peripherals and
features ultimately limitless options for customization. The nine dynamic OLED
(Organic Light Emitting Diode) user-programmable hotkeys help manage time and
efficiency while surfing the web, gaming, emailing, and CAD applications or any
avenue the user sees fit. The unique OLED keys can convert any digital image or
text into distinctive icons, reminding the user of the personalized shortcut.
Additionally, the remaining keys are backlit with glowing amber LEDs and blue
side lighting, perfect for users that prefer darkened rooms or gamers
frequenting LAN parties.

The Sabre’s proprietary software turns conventional computing or gaming into an
engaging, state-of-the-art experience. The software allows the user to map sets
of simple or complex command tiers to each OLED and holds the power to store
limitless layers of shortcuts and macros. Driven by this intelligent software,
the nine OLED display keys change their icons and command tiers as the user
jumps from one application to the next. Loading a First Person Shooter or
application triggers a programmed sub-grid of weapons and tool commands to
instantly appear.

Furthermore, each “home” command of the key can then activate a sub-grid of
your favorite alt/ctrl and menu shortcuts individual to each program or
application. Add additional tiers of commands and macros to each sub-layer
creating infinite possibilities and increasing speed and productivity at work
or during game play.

Designed for ultra-competitive gamers, CAD professionals, and enthusiasts, the
OCZ Sabre keyboard embodies a collection of their high-end needs by uniting
style and comfort with the features and personalization demanded from a
high-end peripheral. The Sabre features an ergonomic and high-quality design
and construction with keys lasting over 5 million cycles and will remain
comfortable even through prolonged usage with its clean layout, tilted design,
and superior tactile feedback. The Sabre is “Plug and Play” using a USB 2.0
interface accompanied by additional software to program the keyboard and is
compatible with Windows® XP (SP2 or later) and Windows® Vista™. Backed by OCZ’s
industry-leading support and service, you can rest assured your high-powered
peripherals will serve you for years to come.

For more information about the OCZ Sabre OLED keyboard, please visit our
product page here.

NZXT Cools Notebooks Down With New Cryo S Stand

News — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:13:07 GMT

Stuck with a notebook that could easily double as a frying pan after an hour or so of use? Unable to use it without heavy duty pants or a suitable pillow on your lap? Never fear, as NZXT is here to save your poor legs from getting scalded. As more and more companies shove higher-end components into smaller enclosures, waste heat buildup is becoming commonplace. In turn, more notebooks are emitting more heat than ever before, and it's our own legs paying the price.

The Cryo S High Performance Notebook Cooler is aimed to give laps the world over some relief, providing ample cooling for notebooks that run just left of "molton hot." The device itself is constructed from thick, brushed aluminum and includes twin 120mm fans that can cool hot machines as larger as 15". Designed to sit between your lap and your machine, the unit touts a rubber finish that lifts the notebook up in order to give heat a place to escape, and by cooling the entire bottom, it ensures a much more pleasant experience. Best of all, it can be powered via a notebook USB port or an AC adapter (included), and the device provides two additional USB ports as if to double as a small USB hub. Ready to kill the burn? Head to NewEgg to buy yours now for $49.99. NZXT's full press release is pasted below for reference.

NZXT Announces Immediate Availability of Cryo S High Performance Notebook Cooler

El Monte, CA – June 18, 2009 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the immediate availability of the Cryo S, a high performance notebook cooler built with thick, brushed aluminum, with two adjustable 120mm fans that provide powerful cooling to any notebook up to 15 inches. The Cryo S is available now in America from Newegg.com for $49.99.

The Cryo S features a rubber finish that lifts the notebook up slightly to remove heat pockets and enhance airflow. Just like its award-winning big brother, the Cryo LX, this cools not only the fan vents, but it removes heat from the entire notebook case which is crucial for high performance gaming making the Cryo S best in its class for effective notebook cooling. It can be powered via USB or the included AC adaptor and provides two additional USB ports to give users even more options for media, storage and input devices.

Logitech Debuts Colorful Line Of V220 Mice

News — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:58:35 GMT

While not nearly as sophisticated as its G940 joystick, Logitech's newest critter is completely more suitable for the average computer user. The V220 notebook mouse is engineered for use by jetsetters and road warriors -- folks that are on the go and need a way to escape the grasp of that cramped trackpad.

The ambidextrous mouse, which boasts an optical sensor and a wireless USB dongle, is available in a variety of limited-edition patterns and colors. Naturally, you'll still need to pack a few batteries to keep it going, but you'll find right / left click buttons and a scroll wheel just like your mousing device back home. It's available right now for $24.99.

Corsair Debuts Giant Obsidian Series 800D Case

News — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:01:59 GMT

We were beginning to wonder if Corsair would be joining the others in making a splash at Computex, and obviously the answer is "yes." The company is catching eyes of hardcore gamers with its $299 Obsidian Series 800D high-performance chassis, an absolutely massive case designed to hold more components than most computer users could ever dream of.

Indeed, even Corsair admits that this shell is engineered for the "enthusiast market," with Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing, confessing that it's a "true builder's case." He goes on to say: "It will reliably last you through years of motherboard, power, memory, cooling and component upgrades, while its advanced features and superior cooling performance allows you to build your ultimate dream system."

The case itself sports a steel structure, a matte black coating and a brushed aluminum faceplate. Inside, you'll find room for up to five 5.25" drives, six 3.5" drives and it's compatible with ATX, Extended ATX, and Micro ATX motherboards. You'll also find four hot-swap SATA bays, a cut-out section in the motherboard tray for easy CPU cooler installation and a unique cable management system that decreases cable clutter to increase airflow. Oh, and everything is "tool free," so taking it apart and putting it back together shouldn't be too much of a pain. For those worried over air flow, don't. There is room for seven fans in total as well as three isolated cooling zones for the power supply, hot-swap SATA bays and main compartment. It'll be available for the DIY crowd next month.

Corsair Intros Hydro Series H50 CPU Cooler

News — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:08:56 GMT

If you snap up Corsair's Obsidian Series 800D chassis, cooling is likely not going to be a big concern. For everyone else, the aforementioned company's Hydro Series H50 CPU cooler just might come in handy. Working in conjunction with ASEtek, who knows a thing or two about liquid cooling, Corsair has developed an easy-to-install CPU cooling solution that outperforms stock CPU coolers by more than 30%.

Utilizing a copper CPU cooling plate and integrated pump connected to a 120mm radiator and high-efficiency, low-noise fan, the Hydro Series H50 delivers better-than-average cooling for higher overclocking performance and greater stability; very much unlike traditional liquid-cooling solutions, the H50 is a closed-loop system that is supplied pre-filled and fully connected using low permeability tubing to virtually eliminate evaporation and leaking.

Jim Carlton, Vice President of Marketing for Corsair, had this to say regarding the announcement: "Until today, most innovations in CPU cooling revolved around how to fit increasingly bulky and unmanageable heatpipe-based air coolers into a chassis. The new Hydro Series H50 changes the game, packing an incredible amount of cooling into a much more compact solution and delivering better performance than even high-end, dual-fan CPU coolers that barely squeeze into a system."

Tests performed in the Corsair Lab show significant improvements over traditional air-based CPU coolers. Using a test system built using a popular gaming case and an Intel Core i7-965 processor overclocked to 3.46GHz with a vcore of 1.3V, the following results were obtained:

Which one should I believe???

acarzt — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:57:36 GMT

Ok guys... I'm about to start OCing my i7... and I downloaded 2 programs to monitor Temps. Speedfan and Real Temp 3.00. Both report the same temps... BUT after letting my system idle in Vista... they report Idle temps of as high as 50C but averages around 45C. In the BIOS, it reports 35C... I would think the BIOS would be more accurate... but I don't wanna take any chances. Would it be safe to just ASSUME there is a 10 degree variance???

Project "Frostbyte" (Loads of pics)

nelsoncp21 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:22:17 GMT

Hey guys I got my case in today and I had in taken apart within 20 mins of getting it through the door. I thought I would start this thread off by posting some pics of the case before I start hacking away at it. This thing is one sexy looking cube and you really got to admire the build and design byt eh people at Lian Li. As I stated I had this thing apart in 20 mins and that's including carrying it upstairs, unpacking it and taking it apart. Enjoy!

Here's a pic of the case still in it's shipping box.

Unpacking the box!

Stock case untouched!

Back of case

Front panel off. the front panel removed very easily with slightly pulling on it. It was held in by 4 plastic tabs, 1 in each corner. No screws or rivets needed to be removed.

Motherboard side panel off. Came off by removing 2 thumbscrews in the rear of the case.

Right side panel off. Came off the same way by removing 2 thumbscrews in the rear of the case.

Top panel off. The top panel came off by removing 6 phillips head screws. The front 3 screws aren't visible until you reove the front panel.

5.25" bay covers, switches,leds and front ports removed. The bay covers just pop out. The switches and leds were held in by plastc inserts which came out fairly easily by pulling on the side tabs. It was easier to remove the switch from the plastic insert while still in the case than the insert came out with ease. The front panel ports came out by removing 2 phillips head screws.

PSU backplate and motherboard backplate removed. both backplates were held in by phillips head screws.

Here's everything I took off

I will post more pics as I go along so stay tuned. The next batch will entail drilling out the rivets and removing the inners! Also I have changed my design yet again so We'll see how this works out!

Query about online stores?

Ameet148 — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:17:31 GMT

I have joined today and mods if I have posted on wrong section please don't delete it.

The biggest problem of my life is this that I don't live in US.I am from India and there is a very few variety available and those which are available are priced above heads.

So I will be very thankful to you guys if you can suggest me some online stores that ship PC hardware to India with cheap rates from US.

Thank you