The Era 2 case is an evolution of the original model (Era ITX), where Fractal Design also changed the approach to the ventilation holes. Be it in terms of the top panel or the side, larger perforations. How the Era 2 will make its mark and stack up against competing SFF cases remains to be seen. Despite the detailed analysis, this is still the first case to pass our new testing methodology. Read more “Fractal Design Era 2: Holes in wood for more efficient cooling”
PC cases with prices around 40 EUR are becoming a rarity. It is also the too low margins that discourage manufacturers from producing them. Endorfy (formerly SilentiumPC), however, stays true to its roots, which are associated precisely with more affordable products. The Armis 100 Solid is one such case, designed for simpler gaming or office builds. And look out, it also has a memory card reader and anti-theft features. Read more “Endorfy comes out with really cheap PC case – Armis 100 Solid”
The big advantage of small PC cases can be that they take up minimal space on a desk. If this is to be combined with high performance, the orientation (of the case) must be vertical. As is the case with the DeepCool CH170 Digital. In addition, this new case is also equipped with a panel for monitoring the essential parameters of the components. For example, their temperature, but also the power consumption. Read more “DeepCool CH170 Digital? SFF vertically: Mainly a small footprint”
Some articles become obsolete faster, others are relevant for a long time. Such, more durable ones usually do not focus on a specific product, but on a topic as a whole, with a pinch of generality. Articles like this have always been given space around here, since the beginning of HWCooling, and it probably doesn’t hurt to bring them up again. Well, at least as part of this selection which would be a shame to miss forever. Read more “We wrote 7 years ago. Tests you may have overlooked”
We’re wrapping up tests of the new Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs. This with a model that once increased the number of cores compared to its predecessor, or a pilot model (Ryzen 9 3900X) from eight to twelve on AMD’s mainstream platform. Even compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X, the new Ryzen 9 9900X is more than twice as fast in some practical situations. This model is also the best when it comes to efficiency. Read more “AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in a megatest of 40 CPUs”
Noise measurements are an extremely complex topic. Imagine you have ten different sound sources. The noise from each will radiate through the space in different ways, and measuring ‘which is the noisiest’ and coming up with a clear verdict on that is a really hard nut to crack. To give you a better idea, we’ve interviewed Noctua. Different measurement techniques yield potentially different and sometimes contradictory conclusions. Read more “Noctua on measuring fan noise: Different angles, different results”
Not only maximum speed, but also maximum efficiency among AMD’s single-chiplet CPUs. That’s the essential characteristic of the Ryzen 7 9700X. While the speed difference from the last generation (and the Ryzen 7 7700X processor) is negligible, zero, or even negative in places, it comes with significantly lower power consumption. And for those who don’t appreciate it, BIOSes with higher TDP are available less than a month from release. Read more “AMD Ryzen 7 9700X: One chiplet (Zen 5) to the max”
Join us in welcoming Adam Vágner on board HWC today. Of the authors I know, he’s the most experienced with graphics cards. That’s what he’ll be covering. Thus, graphics card testing will be taken over by a tester who’s been doing it for a long time (and intensively). This is the approach we pride ourselves on and will continue to do so. There are plenty of “experts in everything”, but true specialists are slowly disappearing from the map. Read more “Welcome, Adam! 18 years of experience in graphics card testing”
They were so emphatic about their cooler being optimized for Intel LGA 1700 processors that we had to try it out. And given that the CPS RZ820 is a “hefty chunk” of material, the reference sample selection included the kind of competitive coolers that are at the top of the tower model database. These should give the PCCooler CPS RZ820 a good run for its money. At the same time, this cooler should not be more expensive. Read more “PCCooler CPS RZ820: Against the elite, weighing over 1.8 kg”
Probably as early as next month, in September, we will release an analysis of the first case that will go through our new testing methodology. We already have a rough outline of it and we would like to present to you what we are going to do and how and why we are going to do it. This is also to give you a chance to comment on things you might think are missing that we could easily incorporate into the standard concept. Read more “Returning to PC case tests (comment on methodology)”
Due to the atypical spacing of the mounting holes for its format, the new Noctua NF-A14x25r G2 PWM fans cannot be installed in 140mm positions as standard. You need a conversion frame for that, and one such frame was designed, made and sent to us by an HWCooling reader. So, we were able to simulate and test one of the most anticipated fans of recent years (NF-A14x25 G2 PWM) already now. Read more “Noctua NF-A14x25r on a radiator. Tested with DIY frame”
Roughly half a year after the release of the Freezer 36 and Liquid Freezer III, Arctic has reconsidered its decision to support, or rather not support, older Intel platforms. Initially, you couldn’t even install these coolers on Rocket Lake processors. But that is now changing. However, you need to be careful and add a new mounting kit to your cart in addition to the cooler if you want to use it on LGA 1200 or even older LGA 115x processors. Read more “Latest Arctic Freezer coolers get LGA 1200/115x support”
Starting August 21, DeepCool, among others, will be among the vendors at Gamescom 2024. There will be a lot of cooling hardware at their booth that you haven’t been able to come in contact with yet because it’s not sold yet. But now you can come and see live, for example, fans from the FT or FD series (with ARGB LED) and a good attraction is also the Assassin IV VC Vision and many more, still shrouded in a veil of secrecy. Read more “DeepCool also brings new ARGB fans to Gamescom (2024)”
Are you eagerly awaiting the new AMD X870(E) motherboards? They don’t necessarily have to be “better” than the Gigabyte B650E Aorus Pro X USB4 in any fundamental way. The features of this motherboard match what can be expected in models with “800 series” chipsets. These will be coming out soon, but USB4 support, which is a key new feature, is already available on the Gigabyte motherboard. So there might not be too many practical differences. Read more “Gigabyte B650E Aorus Pro X USB4: Motherboard with X870 specs”
Perhaps the Axagon EEM2-SB2 will be the SSD (M.2) enclosure that you will evaluate as “optimal” for frequent carrying to work, for example. It has a number of external features to indicate this. From the small dimensions, low weight, to the good-looking brushed aluminum shell surface and the above-standard SSD support (both NVMe and SATA). The cable with a pair of different USB connectors included with this case is also handy. Read more “Axagon EEM2-SB2 SSD enclosure: Small, fast, versatile”
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