AOpen MoBo, Enermax Case and More
Welcome back friends :) Last night I started to build my first HTPC. It is typically what one would find in a high-end box, so I will spare you the details. However, I have to mention the SilverStone case I picked up. This is my first experience with one of their products and let me tell you, I am thoroughly impressed. From ribbon cable guides, zip-tie (cable wraps) slots, case intrusion switch, etc... this case has it all. It was a tad on the expensive side, but I think the overall cost vs. feature evened out in the end.
Anyhow, enough blabbering, it is getting late and our news bin is filling up. Here is your AM update...
AOpen i855GMEm-LFS @ TrustedReviews
"We don't have any sound measurement equipment in the labs, but subjectively, it's safe to say that this board is very quiet. The supplied CPU cooler is a low profile unit and it doesn't even have a copper insert which is common place on pretty much all CPU coolers these days. The fan operates at a very low speed and you can control this further in the BIOS - AOpen's SilentTek options give you far more advanced controls over the fan speeds than you would find on most other motherboards."
PimpRig Review: Enermax CS-718 MaxFlow ATX Case
"When I received the press release on the CS-718 MaxFlow, I immediately saw what they were attempting to accomplish with their new design, but I decided to hold judgment on whether it was beneficial or not until I got my hands on one. There are those guys who learn by seeing, there are those that learn by reading, but me? I've just got to pee on the electric fence for myself."
AeroCool Spiral Galaxies Case Reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com
"AeroCool really upped the ante when they introduced their new Spiral Galaxies case to the market, for a company that in the past had only dabbled in computer cases to see this bold of a move from a company is both refreshing and exciting. The Spiral Galaxiesintroduces us to a new type of cooling technology in what AeroCool has dubbed their "Air Tunnel Cooling System". If you're looking for a case with plenty of room to work in or if your the watercooling the layout of this case makes it almost ideal for any of the front mount radiator watercooled systems."
Fortron Source AX500-A Blue Storm @ ClubOC
"Once in a while you just get lucky and find something that reeks of value and gets the job done. During this time of evolving products and new items being released on a regular basis its quite easy to just blow too much money when you simply don't have to. It's kind of been that way with power supplies lately, and from my own observations there is simply just too much stuff that just won't do the job. Many people simply go out and trust a new brand that has been around for a long time, but sometimes that may not be the wisest decision. Considering that a flagship system demands up to 450W of power, picking out a good power supply may not be the most pleasant experience"
Albatron GeForce 6600GT PCIe Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware
"From a stock core clock speed of 500MHz and memory speed of 1GHz, we were able to overclock the core 52MHz and memory 120MHz. We're comparing these overclocked results to what we got from the XFX, and as you can see from the graphs below we were able to get 8MHz increase in core and 26MHz increase in memory speeds over the XFX GeForce 6600GT card. Albatron's use of a custom heatsink fan and memory sinks have significantly helped the overclockability of the card.."
Trigem's Kloss KL-I915A mini-barebones system @ TechReport
"INCREASINGLY, THE PC IS MAKING its way from the back bedroom to the family room. Pre-built machines based on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition are one example, but barebones makers are getting into the act, as well. Recently, Korean company Trigem released the Kloss KL-I915A. With a sleek, polished look, aluminum chassis, a front panel display and included remote control, the KL-I915A could be a solid foundation for a home theater PC. Let's take a closer look."
