Items tagged with case
Typically, when you buy a computer case, you need to plan everything out and either buy a case to fit the parts or vice versa. However, case manufacturer Lian Li is looking to solve this problem with the new Odyssey X, a case with two distinct looks and three internal configurations. Starting things off as if this were a normal case, the Odyssey X is an aluminum full tower chassis with a sandblasted anodized finish. It can support up to an EEB or E-ATX motherboards with up to eight expansion slots, should you need it. It also features an open airflow design with large front and rear grates along with folding 4mm tempered glass panels that can allow air in through the sides. However, the next...
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SilverStone released a handful of new cases and coolers a few months back, targeting an array of price points for DIY PC builders. One of the more affordable additions to the line-up was the SilverStone Fara B1 mid-tower we're evaluating today. The Fara B1 is priced to move at about $60, but it has the looks and features of much more expensive cases. Of course, looks can be deceiving, so we decided to get our hands on the Fara B1 to see if its worthy of consideration for your next budget-friendly desktop #PCMasterRace build. We are going to get down and dirty with the SilverStone Fara B1 and build-up a full gaming system inside it, to ascertain whether or not it is a worthwhile purchase....
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Fractal Design released it highly acclaimed Define S2 case a little over seven months ago and they are already back with a new iteration, the Fractal Design Define S2 Vision RGB. That's a mouthful, but even if the name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, this DIY PC chassis is easy on the eyes. The Fractal Vision S2 RGB takes everything that made the Define S2, and the Fractal R6 before it, great but it but now it brings RGB lighting and tempered glass panels into the mix. We aren't talking just a single tempered glass panel here, however. Fractal has literally surrounded the case with tempered glass. The front and side panels are all tempered glass, as is a portion of the top panel....
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Dropping your smartphone can be a very expensive accident if you happen to crack the screen. There are plenty of cases out there that protect smartphones from drops and bumps, but a German engineering student named Philip Frenzel from Aalen University designed a slick smartphone case that could well be the future of device protection. It looks like a normal case when just sitting around, but if you drop your device a sensor inside the case senses the freefall and flexible arms pop out of each corner to cushion the fall. The student says that he thought up the case after cracking the screen on more than one of his personal devices. There aren't any details on just how the case works, but the arms...
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Corsair has rolled out a new case that might be perfect for the PC gamer or enthusiast out there who wants to cram a huge amount of hardware into the chassis. The case is called the Obsidian Series 1000D and it is constructed from four smoked tempered glass panels. The case has RGB lighting on the front and you can see all the fancy hardware inside thanks to the glass panels. One of the most interesting aspects of the giant chassis is that it has enough room inside for a complete E-ATX and Mini-ITX computer system, PSU and all. Two complete PCs would allow you to stream video from one machine and play games on the other at the same time. With space enough for two complete computers inside one...
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Corsair is getting ready to announce a super tower computer that is capable of swallowing two system configurations. Called the Obsidian Series 1000D, Corsair is appropriately billing the new chassis as a "super tower" enclosure, a befitting description given the case's monstrous size—it measures 693mm x 307mm x 697mm (27.28 x 12.08 x 27.44 inches) and weighs 29.5kg (65 pounds). Utilizing the dual-system layout, builders can install up to an extended ATX (E-ATX) and mini-ITX configuration at the same time. One reason to do is this to have a main setup for playing games and a secondary configuration dedicated to streaming, especially with the growth in popularity of services like Twitch....
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One of my favorite companies to watch out for at every CES is Corsair, as the company doesn't only offer a wide-range of products, most of what's seen is usually really solid in design and instills me with that "I WANT IT!" feeling. This year, the company has announced a new SSD, flash drives, a power supply, a budget chassis, and a couple of cooling products. For those yearning for an SSD with "no compromises", there's Corsair's Neutron XT. Available in sizes of 256GB ($150), 512GB ($270), and 960GB ($540), this Phison-based drive will deliver 560MB/s reads and 540MB/s writes. In what seems to have become a theme at this CES, no further performance (or durability) information...
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We’ve seen our share of wild chassis designs, and Lian Li is giving the world another with the DK01, which is a chassis that serves double duty as a PC case and a desk, which brings new meaning to the phrase, “sitting at your computer”. The funky DK01 looks like a brushed-metal chassis turned on its side and mounted on legs and the surface is a solid piece of tempered glass. The power button and some USB 3.0 ports and audio jacks are on the front side of the case, to the right of where the user would sit. It’s unclear where the rear I/O ports are stashed. Lian Li DK01 The DK01 seems like a brilliant DIY mod, but Lian Li has applied its spit and polish to the idea which...
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If you've done any shopping for a tablet lately, you’ve probably realized that they are not one-size-fits-all devices. While one person may use his tablet for business meetings and presentations, another may use it for watching movies and playing games. Some people prefer a smaller, 7-inch model while others want a larger 10-inch screen. Then there’s the choice of OS with Apple’s iOS, Android, and Windows all competing for a slice of the pie. Regardless of how you use your tablet, though, there are plenty of tablet accessories that can add to the enjoyment and functionality of your device. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular ones, some of which...
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If you've done any shopping for a tablet lately, you’ve probably realized that they are not one-size-fits-all devices. While one person may use his tablet for business meetings and presentations, another may use it for watching movies and playing games. Some people prefer a smaller, 7-inch model while others want a larger 10-inch screen. Then there’s the choice of OS with Apple’s iOS, Android, and Windows all competing for a slice of the pie. Regardless of how you use your tablet, though, there are plenty of tablet accessories that can add to the enjoyment and functionality of your device. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular and useful...
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If you love building computers, you probably appreciate a good case or chassis. While there are plenty of excellent products available for a song, there’s also an upper echelon of models that cost quite a bit and offer all the premiere features you could hope for. While it seems as though there’s a lot of similarity between low-end and midrange cases, once you get to a certain price point, various companies take things in very different directions. The three premium chassis we’re looking at in this roundup certainly bear that out. In Win, Lian Li, and SilverStone all make some beautiful cases. And when we asked them to send us one of their top of the line products, they all...
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If you love building computers, you probably appreciate a good case or chassis. While there are plenty of excellent products available for a song, there’s also an upper echelon of models that cost quite a bit and offer all the premiere features you could hope for. While it seems as though there’s a lot of similarity between low-end and midrange cases, once you get to a certain price point, various companies take things in very different directions. The three premium chassis we’re looking at in this roundup certainly bear that out. In Win, Lian Li, and SilverStone all make some beautiful cases. And when we asked them to send us one of their...
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Lian Li has chosen to move away from the traditional motherboard tray with its latest chassis, the PC-9N. While many chassis today use a solid motherboard tray that blocks airflow, the PC-9N uses a railing mount design that provides increased thermal performance and better cable management. The PC-9N is a brushed aluminum mid tower chassis that supports ATX and micro-ATX motherboards. The chassis is capable of holding up to three 3.5-inch hard drives and one 2.5-inch SSD in an all aluminum, tool-less, modular drive cage that is located in the lower front of the chassis. To reduce noise and vibrations, the drives are secured using quick-access thumbscrews with rubber suspensions. The hard drive...
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These days, it's not tough to find a case for your smartphone. In fact, the world is overrun with them. But try finding an official LEGO case -- it's not an easy as you may think. But for fans of those popular building bricks, Belkin has some great news. The accessory company has just announced a licensing deal with the LEGO Group, which will allow Belkin to produce a new line of cases inspired by those bricks. Starting in spring 2013, Belkin will launch a variety of smartphone cases incorporating Belkin's quality product design with LEGOs. The initial line will obviously focus on iOS products (iPhone and iPod touch, namely), but other platforms will be included in the future. And yes, if you're...
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Like a siren song, In Win’s H-Frame and D-Frame open air cases called to us from across the show floor at CES. In Win’s booth was tucked away in a corner, which was a rather demure setting for the company’s sizzling cases. Specifically, the H-Frame and D-Frame cases pulled us in for a closer look. The H-Frame was a CES darling, and indeed it’s striking. It looks like one giant heat sink, which is essentially how the case was designed. It’s built from 11 parallel aluminum fins that help dissipate heat in tandem with the open air design of the chassis, and the silver-and-blue color scheme is svelte and striking. It has a single 5.25-inch bay, three 3.5-inch bays (one...
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Over the last few years, Rosewill has significantly expanded their product offerings. The company used to offer only a few PC-related accessories and cases, but now have everything from high-end power supplies to dedicated RAID enclosures in their product stack, with just about anything else you could imagine in-between. While gallivanting around CES, we had a quick meeting with the folks at Rosewill, just as they began setting up their suite. There weren’t many any new announcements, but we got to see the new Helios RK-9200 dual-LED mechanical keyboard first-hand along with the recently announced Throne full tower, in both white and black. The Rosewill Helios RK-9200 Dual-LED...
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Who needs a GoPro when you've got an iPhone? That may have been a silly question a few years ago, but these days... not so much. Mophie has made a name for itself by producing world-class smartphone cases that double as external battery packs. While it started as an iPhone outfit, Mophie now makes cases for select Android phones as well. But as ever, just doing a few things well isn't enough for a for-profit company, and now Mophie is marching out into the extreme camera world with the OutRide. It's a specialized iPhone case that provides extreme protection, while also giving the iPhone's camera 170-degree viewing angles. It'll waterproof the whole shebang, and it's available now for $150. That...
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Unfortunately, many PC enthusiasts tend to skimp on their chassis when building a new system. After all, you can get a decent case with adequate cooling for next to nothing these days, making a splurge on a $200-plus, premium case seem unnecessary. However, as anyone who’s owned a truly high-end chassis can tell you, it's usually worth the extra money for superior construction along, not to mention the additional features, ample cooling options, and sometimes attractive lighting. In addition, a high-end case is something that can last through multiple upgrade cycles. That’s how the NZXT Phantom 820 is positioned: it's an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink type of chassis, offering all...
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Unfortunately, many PC enthusiasts tend to skimp on the chassis when building a new system. After all, you can get a decent case with adequate cooling for next to nothing these days, making a splurge on a $200-plus, premium case seem unnecessary. However, as anyone who’s owned a truly high-end chassis can tell you, it's usually worth the extra money for superior construction, additional features, ample cooling options, and sometimes attractive lighting. In addition, a high-end case is something that can last through multiple upgrade cycles. That’s how the NZXT Phantom 820 is positioned: it's an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink type of chassis, offering all...
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Lian-Li announced two new brushed aluminum full tower chassis that are designed to hold plenty of hardware in a sleek case. The PC-A75X and the PC-A76X both support HPTX, EATX, ATX, and Micro-ATX motherboards and offer the same internal design. The key difference between the cases is the external style. The PC-A75X offers a vented front panel that can be removed without tools. Two 5.25-inch bays are accessible from the front of this chassis. The PC-A76X employs a more monolithic design with a lockable solid aluminum front bezel door that covers the fans and the 5.25-inch bays. This case uses vents on the side of the door and at the bottom of the chassis to supply adequate airflow. PC-A75X (left),...
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Noise and heat are two of the biggest issues facing PCs, especially when their owners are trying to enjoy an HD film or blowing up newbs in the battlefield. BitFenix’s latest chassis, the Ghost, is designed to alleviate those issues with quiet construction and liquid cooling capabilities. The Ghost is built with Serenitek silencing material that coats the inside of the front and side panels, and anti-vibration HDD trays, rubber grommets on the PSU, and quiet 120mm Spectre fans all contribute to the noise-reducing effort. By removing the top fan filter, users can access the compartment designed for a 240mm radiator to accommodate a liquid cooling setup. The Ghost’s NanoChrome finish...
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Cutting down the noise emitting from a computer chassis is a constant goal of case builders, and silent cases are typically an exercise in clever engineering. The latest entry into the silent chassis market is Lian-Li’s PC-B12, an all-black all aluminum number that employs noise-reducing foam on the front and side panels and sucks in air through a bottom intake and vents it out through a downward-facing exhaust baffle. The PC-B12 sports two external 5.25-inch drive bays, eight expansion slots, ATX and micro ATX motherboards, and supports up to three 3.5-inch drives and one 2.5-inch drive (with a hot-swap option). There are two stock fans (140mm) on the front and one in the back (120mm),...
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