Items tagged with chassis
We’ve been impressed with what we’ve seen recently from Corsair, and we were glad that the company saw fit to send us a couple more mid-tower cases to pore over and test: the Corsair Carbide 300R compact gaming chassis and the Obsidian 550D quiet case. The two are dissimilar from one another in terms of design and purpose, but we’ve rolled them into a single review here for efficiency and your reading pleasure. Now that we’ve had a chance to explore and test the Corsair Carbide 300R, we’ve become well acquainted with the whole Carbide family, and the little bro is just as impressive as the bigger siblings we reviewed not too long ago, the Carbide 400R and 500R. The...
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They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and one look is all it takes to decide if the new Raptor PC chassis from Raidmax is ugly as sin or one of the coolest designs you've ever seen. There isn't much middle ground here -- it's wild, it's funky, it's attention getting, and according to Raidmax, it was inspired by luxurious themes. We're not sure we see the same resemblance Raidmax does, but it's definitely an eye-catching chassis, if that's what you're after. There's a dark-tinted airfoil design that sits above the LED illuminated case fans. It's translucent and flanked by fender-like blades on both sides of the front panel. On the inside, there's a modular HDD cage that supports up to...
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It’s something you bump into all the time: You’ll be testing out a nice case only to find that the front I/O panel has just USB 2.0 ports, with no USB 3.0 to be found. It seems like a smallish detail until you plug in a USB 3.0 device and find you’re limited to USB 2.0 performance. BitFenix gets it and is upgrading more of its cases to USB 3.0 (while leaving a couple of USB 2.0 ports for good measure). The BitFenix Shinobi, Shinobi Window, and Colossus Window cases will now all ship with two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports. Yes, it’s a slight upgrade, but it’s a welcome one indeed. ...
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If you're a fan of NZXT's Phantom 410 mid-tower chassis but not the available colors, which up to this point included black, white, red, and pink, you'll be happy to know NZXT listened to "feedback from the PC enthusiast community" and is now offering the case in four additional colors, including a sleek Gunmetal black with a gunmetal interior and exterior matte finish. Other color options include black with orange trim, black with white trim, and white with blue trim. They're a bit more subtle in their presentation, and from what we can tell from the pictures, the colored trim does a good job highlighting the Phantom 410's lines and curves. And if you don't like them, well, blame the ones voted....
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There's no two ways about it, you're either going to love Raidmax's new Gundam themed Augusta computer case and proclaim it's freaking awesome, or hate what you perceive is a fugly design. From a stylistic standpoint, the Augusta is one of more uniquely crafted enclosures we've ever seen, somewhat reminiscent of NZXT's older cases, like the Nemesis Elite, only with a touch more funk. On the inside, the Augusta brings plenty of traditional features to the table. It's separated into two compartments. Up top sits the motherboard, power supply, two 2.5-inch drive bays, and support for up to five 5.25-inch drives. The lower compartment houses up to six 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives, which are tool-less...
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Lancool announced a new mid-tower PC chassis that's part of the company's Dragon Lord Series. The PC-K56N is designed for ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. This case features a side panel with 140mm or 120mm fan holes as well as a rear 120mm fan and a 140mm front fan. The PC-K56N has easy-to-remove, washable air filters in front of the intake fans to help protect your system from dust. Other features include a tool-free and anti-vibration hard drive cage, space for three 3.5-inch hard drives and two 2.5 inch hard drives, eight PCI slots, liquid cooling holes, and a cable management kit for cables to pass through. Lancool Announces PC-K56N Mid Tower Chassis Refined Cooling Design...
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Your PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game consoles can stand upright or lay on their sides, so shouldn't your home theater PC (HTPC) be able to do the same thing? That depends entirely on which computer case you choose. Cooler Master's new Elite 361 mini tower is one of just a handful of cases that have been designed to work their mojo in either orientation. Cooler Master's rotatable chassis features a minimalistic design that allows it to sit horizontally or vertically without taking up a ton of space (it measures 5.9 inches wide x 14.4 inches high x 18.2 inches deep). Inside the chassis you'll find enough room to fit a full sized ATX motherboard, five 3.5-inch hard drives, and multiple graphics...
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Antec announced the Antec One enclosure, a gaming case designed to offer solid features and performance for those on a budget--even a small budget, as the street price looks to be around $60. (Two special versions of the case, the One S and One S3 are forthcoming and will cost a bit less.) For cooling, the One can accommodate a total of 5 fans (2 are included) and features a perforated mesh design to optimize front-to-back airflow. It also supports water coolers. The case features three 5.25-inch drive bays, two dedicated 2.5-inch drive bays, and five 3.5-inch drive bays; seven expansion slots; support for ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards; and a pair of USB 3.0 ports and audio in/out...
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Cooler Master's been doing its thing for two decades now, and as part of its ongoing 20th anniversary celebration, the peripheral maker today announced a temporary price reduction for its CM Storm Trooper computer case. Effectively immediately, the CM Storm Trooper will be available for $150 through all of Cooler Master's U.S. and Canadian channel partners, down a cool $40 from its normal $190 price tag. "Our team has been searching for several ways to show our customers that we've gotten this far by the bond that we've forged with them and our partners over the years. It is through this, and other, gestures that we hope to convey that gratitude," said Bryant Nguyen, Senior Product & Marketing...
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Options, folks. That’s what NZXT is shooting for with its new full-tower Switch 810 case, which can be configured in a number of different ways to optimize airflow or sound reduction and is equally friendly for air- or water-cooling setups. Available in black or white, the NZXT Switch 810 takes a while to get to know intimately. NZXT built buckets of details into this chassis, and the more you work with it, the more little surprises you find, from fans that rotate and slide, to well-placed LEDs, and the “hybrid fins” you can use to regulate noise or enhance airflow... NZXT Switch 810 Case Review...
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Options, folks. That’s what NZXT is shooting for with its new full-tower Switch 810 case, which can be configured in a number of different ways to optimize airflow or sound reduction and is equally friendly for air- or water-cooling setups. Available in black or white, the NZXT Switch 810 takes a while to get to know intimately. NZXT built buckets of details into this chassis, and the more you work with it, the more little surprises you find, from fans that rotate and slide, to well-placed LEDs, and the “hybrid fins” you can use to regulate noise or enhance airflow. NZXT Switch 810 Specifications & Features Case Type: Hybrid Full Tower Materials: Steel, Plastic...
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The latest member of Antec’s gaming chassis family is the Three Hundred Two, a case that features eight expansion slots, eleven drive bays (3 x 5.25-inch, 6 x 3.5-inch, and 2 dedicated 2.5-inch), 170mm of clearance for the CPU cooler, and 318mm for up to three graphics cards. The Three Hundred Two supports ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. The front panel includes audio jacks and a pair of USB 3.0 ports and features a mesh design for optimized airflow. The case supports up to six 120/140mm fans, with one rear and one top fan included, and the mesh air filters are easily removable and washable. The Antec Three Hundred Two is available now for $79.95. Antec Unveils the Three Hundred...
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NZXT is into options; its new Source 810 chassis (available in black or white) is designed to offer gamers a bevy of different ways of easily configuring their preferred cooling setup, from liquid cooling to a slew of fans to a more quiet setup with the vents closed. The case offers support for 280mm radiators (the top 5.25-inch plates comes out to make more space) and up to ten 140/120mm fans. The fins on the vents can be closed or left open, depending on your desire for airflow or noise reduction. Inside, there are plenty of ways to route cables and maximize airflow. There are ten cutouts for cabling, and the two hard drive cages (which accommodate up to 7 drives) are removable. Further, there...
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Corsair today announced on the second day of CES a couple of additions to its PC case lineup, including the builder-friendly Obsidian Series 550D ultra-quiet premium case, and the compact Carbide Series 300R gaming chassis, both of which sport an all-black interior and exterior theme. So other than size, what sets these enclosures apart? The Obsidian Series 550D is for librarian types looking for a combination of noise reduction and a wide array of customizable cooling solutions. It's made of rugged steel and brushed aluminum, and features two 120mm intake fans and a single 120mm exhaust fan. There are additional mounting points for a total of up to ten fans, including a spot for dual side-mounted...
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It’s been a while since our last case roundup--a long while, actually--so it’s high time we did another. We take a look at a slew of (mostly) mid tower cases on the following pages, including the Antec Eleven Hundred, the Corsair Carbide 400R and 500R, the NZXT Source 220, and Thermaltake Chaser MK-I, each designed for a slightly different consumer. Every case in this roundup has strengths, weaknesses, and features that the others may not have, although each also has its own value proposition. If a case is flashy and feature-laden, in general, it will come with a higher price tag as well. If it’s more stripped-down, it'll generally costs less. If a case is targeted as an attention...
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It’s been a while since our last case roundup--a long while, actually--so it’s high time we did another. We take a look at a slew of (mostly) mid tower cases on the following pages, each designed for a slightly different consumer. Every case in this roundup has strengths, weaknesses, and features that the others may not have, although each also has its own value proposition. If a case is flashy and feature-laden, in general, it will come with a higher price tag as well. If it’s more stripped-down, it'll generally costs less. If a case is targeted as an attention getter, it should do so with swagger, but if it’s trying to keep a low profile, in turn it...
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This isn't just a new year for Cooler Master, 2012 just happens to represent the company's 20th year of service. What better way to celebrate the occasion than to release a new chassis? Honestly, we can think of several, but none of them productive (and some aren't even legal), so kudos to Cooler Master for staying out of trouble and kicking off 2012 with the introduction of the Cosmos II, a so-called "Ultra Tower." What's an Ultra Tower? In Cooler Master's words, it's "a benchmark for all enclosures that exist and all that follow." Funny marketing aside, the Cosmos II is a neat looking case with some high end features. It has two handles on the top, so if you throw out your back lugging your...
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You know a computer case means business when it warrants naming an entire PC line after it, and that's what you have with Maingear's SHIFT chassis. Designed in conjunction with Silverstone, the SHIFT computer case is the centerpiece of not one, but two full blown system configurations featured at Maingear, including the "The SHIFT" (for consumers/enthusiasts) and "The Quantum SHIFT" (workstation). But what if you're not in the market for a brand new system and just want the case? Too bad, so sad, up until now. Maingear tells us there's been so much interest in the standalone chassis that they've decided to offer a limited run of SHIFT computer cases with the EPIC 180 liquid cooler (featured in...
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Anyone who's opened a PC before knows it's quite common to find dust bunnies inside, even though dust and electronics don't exactly form a great duo. In an effort to help reduce the dust inside of one's case, Lian-Li is equipping all of its cases with easy-to-remove twist motion air filters. These washable air filters work with Lian Li and other manufacturers' 120mm and 140mm fans. The PT-AF12-3B and PT-AF14-3B washable air filters have been shipping on Lian Li cases since September, but you can also order them separately as a spare part. Announcing PT-AF12-3B and PT-AF14-3B Washable Air Filters Equipped on all Lian Li Cases Easy-to-Install and Remove Air Filters Are Now Fitted on all Lian Li...
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The holiday shopping season is upon us, and that means setting aside some hard earned funds to buy your family and friends gifts because, well, that's the kind of thing we do this time of year. But lest you forget about yourself, Cooler Master today announced the Elite 431 Plus, a mid-tower computer case with some high end features at a mainstream price. The Elite 431 Plus is an all-black chassis with a somewhat aggressive styling, side window, and painted interior. A 120mm blue LED fan up front gives the case a bit of bling, in case you're into that sort of thing, and there's room for up to four more fans up top, on bottom, on the side, and in the back. Source: Cooler Master Cooler Master gives...
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We had a chance to get up close and personal with NZXT's ginormous Phantom chassis during our 'Back-to-School PC Roundup' in September, and let us tell you, it's a great looking case. It's also quite large. We thought it resembled a Storm Trooper, both in size and shape, and while that's fine if you have room for a full tower chassis, not everyone is interested in a case that big. Meet the new Phantom 410. NZXT's newly introduced Phantom 410 is the same chassis aesthetically and it shares many of the same awesome features, but in a smaller package. The Phantom 410 measures 215 (W) x 516 (H) x 532 (D) millimeters, a sizable downgrade in size compared to the original Phantom (222 x 540 x 623),...
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RAIDMAX announced a new SEIRAN case that features easy access and tool-less installation. The case also has a unique design that's available in three color schemes. Other key features include full cable management features, mesh drive bay covers (there are nine drive bays in all), room for seven expansion cards, and USB 3.0 support. For cooling, the SEIRAN case employs two cooling fans at the front and back of the case. The SEIRAN case is expected to be available in mid-November for about $80. The New SEIRAN Chassis from RAIDMAX Now Available in the USA & Canada A no compromising case for powerful PCs Full of professional features - great expandability, strength & performance...
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