In the lower class of BeQuiet! liquid coolers, the new Pure Loop 2 models replace the old (Pure Loop) models in up to four formats. This means that this news may be of interest to users of SFF systems as well as those on the opposite end of the spectrum, with full tower cases. The key changes between generations are the pump upgrade (finally with PWM control) as well as fans with higher static pressure. Read more “Pure Loop 2, or BeQuiet! renewed the cheapest line of AIO coolers”
We start our mid-range Radeon 7000 tests with a more powerful model with a fully enabled Navi 32 GPU. The RX 7800 XT is mainly a competitor to the GeForce RTX 4070, which is a more expensive but also lower-power (and efficient) graphics card. However, Sapphire handled the relatively higher power draw exceedingly well, and if you have experience with “noisier Radeons”, that won’t be the case with the RX 7800 XT Nitro+ at all. Read more “Sapphire RX 7800 XT Nitro+: Radeon can be quiet too”
Same model, different pieces. Differences in vibrations can be dramatic. Especially if they are cheap fans with high manufacturing tolerances. While most Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fans have some vibration, you can also come across “golden” samples that don’t vibrate at all. This is admittedly a very rare but existing situation. The variance of vibration is much greater than you might think. Read more “15× Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fan in vibration tests”
If you don’t want to skimp on a motherboard for an AMD CPU, but also don’t want to pay more than you need to, the MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi appears to be an attractive option. The price is well under two hundred euros and yet it can handle even the Ryzen 9 7950X without any power limits. Although there are also things calling for improvement, the cheapest MSI B650 board in ATX format defends its position in a lower-budget gaming build. Read more “MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi: Axe for “expensive” and “weak” boards”
It gives a very good first impression. The design of the housing is something that sets this Asus ROG Strix 850G Aura PSU apart from the rest. Besides the above-standard dimensions, which suggest that it could be “rich” inside as well, there’s also a rather sophisticated cover or grille, and in line with aesthetic trends, there are also ARGB LEDs. What remains to be seen is what form the main thing will take – the electrical characteristics. Read more “Asus ROG Strix 850G Aura: Biggest power supply on the list”
Does it or does it not clearly beat the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM? The Phanteks T30 doesn’t like second places, and in the vast majority of cases it doesn’t get to them, outperforming competing fans in its format (120mm) by a good chunk when optimally setup. But that was a bit of a must to justify the extra thickness, which is associated with poorer compatibility after all. Read more “Phanteks PH-F120T30: The fan that pushes boundaries”
We’ve known about Scythe’s preparations for a new fan for some time now. We are only now getting to the details of its design. While it hasn’t officially been released yet, it has appeared in Wootware catalogue – and in all its glory. In addition to the complete parameters, we have several high-resolution photos available. With the Grand Tornado fan, Scythe is sure to get a say in who has the “best” fan. Read more “This is “Grand Tornado” – finally an elite Scythe fan”
The first generation of Intel CPUs with support for the future LGA 1851 socket is still a long way off, but the first info about cooler support is already making its way to the public. Documents have surfaced where materials around the Noctua NH-U12A cooler are linked to this platform, for which everything is ready. Noctua doesn’t deny this, and meanwhile ideas arise about how it could possibly be with the mounting systems of other coolers. Read more “Noctua has LGA 1851 support. Mounting stays physically the same”
There are only a few white fans with ARGB. Still, BeQuiet’s Light Wings models have some rather unique features as this rare commodity. That’s true visually as well. But they also have high performance or airflow to noise ratio. For our tests this time, out of the two options, we chose the high-speed design, which has its “own” blade geometry. But it also handles very low speeds to boot. Read more “Escape from darkness – BeQuiet! Light Wings White (BL101)”
What kind of power supply tests would it be without Seasonic represented? Under this brand, which has long held one of the best reputations among computer power supplies, there are already three lines of power supplies with support for the ATX 3.0 standard. In the tests we will focus on the most affordable one, the Vertex GX. Before we get into the electrical measurement results though, let’s go over the basic design details. Read more “Vertex GX-850 or entry level ATX 3.0 PSU by Seasonic”
BeQuiet! is introducing a fourth line of cases – Shadow Base to the current trio (Dark Base, Silent Base and Pure Base). The first models in the 800 series are smaller than the Dark Base Pro 901, but with more emphasis on cooling efficiency than the Silent Pure Base. BeQuiet! is building the main key points on this too, and there is something to it. If only for the fact that they used fans that have a higher efficiency compared to older models. Read more “BeQuiet! pushes efficiency with new Shadow Base cases”
Clockwise rotation fans are quite a rarity, you don’t normally come across them. However, Scythe, for example, makes such models and for good reason. Why not take it the other way around? In terms of standalone operation, of course, it doesn’t matter. In series, in the position of the second fan, it is possible to achieve higher cooling performance on CPU coolers compared to using fans with the same direction of rotation. Read more “Scythe Kaze Flex II 120: Wild ride in reverse”
A smaller fan format does not always have to mean low airflow. To achieve comparable results to larger cross-section models, there needs to be higher rpms and with them higher noise levels, but as long as you accept this, and you don’t really have much choice due to the size constraints, the new P8 Max fan seems like an attractive option. And most importantly, it’s one of the few of its kind. Read more “Arctic’s “P” line of 80 mm fans now includes the Max model”
You might be saying that you know the rotor of this fan and that Valkyrie was inspired by the Gentle Typhoon D1225C a little too much. But that’s okay. Mainly the positives were taken from said template and the biggest negative – high vibrations – was avoided. And although some things could still be worked on, in the context of ARGB LED models the X12 fan fares quite well. Read more “Valkyrie X12: Impressive rotor, a bit undermined by the motor”
We pay close attention to fan vibration in our tests, as it clearly indicates the mechanical qualities of the design. However, it is always good to have an idea why some fans vibrate more, others less, some not at all. And we will deal with this in more detail in this article, which is based on our own experience, but also on notes from fan developers. Can a cheap fan reach high speeds without vibration? Read more “Analysis: The main reasons why fans vibrate”
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