Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM: Fractal Design knows what works in cases

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

Sometimes they don’t even get a chance and are immediately replaced by other, “better” ones. We’re talking about fans that come pre-installed in computer cases. We are going to test one of them now and although there are reasons to replace the Dynamic X2 GP-12 (PWM), be careful not to end up being worse off. After all, these aren’t exactly ordinary fans. They even have more specific aerodynamics and acoustics modifying features. Read more “Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM: Fractal Design knows what works in cases” »

Summer looks exciting, BeQuiet! prepares the Silent Wings (Pro) 4

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

The fourth generation of the new BeQuiet! Silent Wings fans have all the ingredients to reach the very pinnacle of efficiency. The rotor is based on the proven shape of long, distinctively curved blades. These are, moreover, very close to the frame to maximize pressure. After this parameter, you probably already think of Noctua’s “sterrox” fan, which, however, the BeQuiet! one can surpass with its typical grooves. Read more “Summer looks exciting, BeQuiet! prepares the Silent Wings (Pro) 4” »

Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate: Switches? Whichever wherever

Extra tests, Keyboards | | Martin Bednár

Interchangeable mechanical switches, which can be combined in different ways, and an LED display with text personalisation options make the ROG Strix Flare II Animate a rather special keyboard. Like most more expensive models, it has a proper (and comfortable) wrist rest. Overall, not too much has been skimped on here, the build is sturdy, and with this keyboard as well Asus has bypassed third-party switches and used its own. Read more “Asus ROG Strix Flare II Animate: Switches? Whichever wherever” »

Intel Arc graphics require PCIe Resizable BAR. Performance reasons?

Graphics, News | | Jan Olšan

Intel has finally entered the discrete gaming GPU market, even if it’s just the cheap Arc A380 in China. Intel has tried the waters with the Iris Xe card before, but it bizarrely didn’t work with most PCs except for a few select boards. It’s only this new product that finally represents a standard graphics card. However, there are still some oddities: Intel says it requires the board and processor to support PCIe Resizable BAR. Read more “Intel Arc graphics require PCIe Resizable BAR. Performance reasons?” »

BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL039): It wouldn’t do without the grooves

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

So, now we get to see what the grooves on the entire surface of the blades, which are typical of BeQuiet! fans, are worth! Judging by the geometry, we were initially concerned that the results might go in a similar direction to the Arctic BioniX F120. But it’s a lot better than that, and the 120 mm Pure Wings 2 even achieves a top price/performance ratio while running very quietly. The best of the fans tested so far. Read more “BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL039): It wouldn’t do without the grooves” »

SilentiumPC Navis F240 ARGB: A small AIO with a big potential

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

At the end of April, SilentiumPC launched a pair of new AIO coolers from the Navis series. These are the F240 and F240 ARGB models, which differ only in RGB backlighting. Both of these coolers are equipped with Fluctus fans, so you can expect a pleasant acoustics as well as solid cooling effectiveness. Combined with a very attractive price tag, these coolers have the potential to become bestsellers in their class. Read more “SilentiumPC Navis F240 ARGB: A small AIO with a big potential” »

AMD Radeon roadmap: RDNA 3 has new compute unit, uses chiplets

Graphics, News | | Jan Olšan

AMD held its Financial Analyst Day 2022 last week, unveiling their future plans there – we’ve already covered what the company said about Zen 4 processors coming out this year, Zen 5 coming out in 2024, and the processor roadmap (for Ryzen 7000 and 8000, Epyc 7004 and 7005). Besides that, the GPU roadmap with the future RDNA 4 architecture was also presented, and we learned new things about the RDNA 3 GPUs coming out this fall. Read more “AMD Radeon roadmap: RDNA 3 has new compute unit, uses chiplets” »

ASRock B660 Steel Legend or the cheapest motherboard in tests

Extra tests, Motherboards | | Ľubomír Samák

The low price of a motherboard brings with it a few unconventional limitations. Ones that are not often found in competing models for similar money. Some of these are of the safety variety to avoid unnecessary damage to critical components. For a customer buying a standard, reasonably set-up build in this price class, they won’t be a bother, and saving money with the B660 Steel Legend can be beneficial. Read more “ASRock B660 Steel Legend or the cheapest motherboard in tests” »

Alphacool: Our new thermal paste is faster than stainless steel

Cooling, News, TIMs | | Ľubomír Samák

Watch out, Alphacool has started aiming pretty high. In the specifications for the latest Apex thermal paste, it lists a thermal conductivity that it claims is not only above the best competing thermal pastes, but even outperforms some metals. Unless Alphacool is stretching reality, this is going to be an extremely effective formula. You won’t guess what its main ingredient is. Read more “Alphacool: Our new thermal paste is faster than stainless steel” »

AMD reveals future processor plans and first details on Zen 5

News, Processors | | Jan Olšan

From AMD’s Financial Day 2022 conference on Thursday, we’ve already covered here what the company said that was new about Zen 4 and Ryzen 7000 (especially the IPC reveal). Now let’s take a look at the roadmaps for future processors. The company has revealed these plans for practically all market segments, which comes after a long time during which we didn’t see any roadmaps from it and could only rely on unconfirmed leaks. Read more “AMD reveals future processor plans and first details on Zen 5” »

Low profile in a larger, 140 mm body. Arctic’s P14 Slim

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

As the cross section of fans increases, the thickness usually grows. For cases where the opposite is desired, i.e. a large yet thin fan, Arctic has “squeezed” the P14 down to 16mm. This is one of the few fans with such proportions and this one has ambitions to be a cut above the rest of the range. Compared to the one number smaller P12 Slim model, the increase in airflow at the same noise level should be almost 24 %. Read more “Low profile in a larger, 140 mm body. Arctic’s P14 Slim” »

Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB: Not just stylish, but a proper fan

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

Gigabyte’s new fan stands out from the crowd of flashy, inefficient PC components. The Aorus 120 ARGB may entice the user with its illuminated rotor, but the features that make a fan a fan don’t play second fiddle either. Although there is still room for tuning and improvement, the Aorus 120 ARGB excels in many ways and beats even competing models from traditional fan manufacturers in some areas of application. Read more “Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB: Not just stylish, but a proper fan” »

One Mini-ITX board is not enough. Biostar released the B660T-Silver

Motherboards, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Biostar is building its motherboard lineup gradually. Most of the models for the Intel LGA 1700 platform arrived at once, with the ending of the embargo, but since then some have been added “solo”. Relatively recently it was a Micro ATX-format board from the Silver series (B660M-Silver), now it’s the B660T-Silver for even smaller desktops with a square PCB with a 170 mm side (Mini-ITX form factor). Read more “One Mini-ITX board is not enough. Biostar released the B660T-Silver” »

Format it, press it. BeQuiet! showcased CPU cooler production

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

I’m sure many of you have a good idea of how CPU coolers are made, but it’s still worth seeing exactly how it’s done. At least when it comes to BeQuiet! coolers. This German company has released materials on how their coolers are made in their factories. Specifically, how the sheet metal plates are turned into fins with the desired shapes and how they are then connected to heatpipes. Read more “Format it, press it. BeQuiet! showcased CPU cooler production” »

Philips Momentum 32M1N5800 test: 32″ w/ UltraHD and 144 Hz

Extra tests, Monitors | | Tomáš Brestovanský

Philips has long focused more on professional and multimedia monitors, but it seems to be getting serious about gaming monitors as well. After the console-focused 329M1RV, we have the 32M1N5800, which offers the same 32-inch 4K 144 Hz HDR display, but in a slightly more aggressive design. The aim of the test will be to compare the two models and find the differences between them, as the paper specs are very similar. Read more “Philips Momentum 32M1N5800 test: 32″ w/ UltraHD and 144 Hz” »

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