A New Build Log from our Review Staff is Starting! Silence Will Fall!
Greetings Pure Overclock fans! Just wanted to stop by and let you all know that we have a new build log up being written by Mike in the forums! It's being sponsored by none other than: www.swiftech.com As a leading provider of enthusiast-grade water cooling components, their newest product line seemed the best possible fit for what we have in mind for the build (as well as some old favorites). The theme of the build is "Silence Falls," a silence-optimized HTPC with more than just movie streaming intentions in mind, but with a bit of a twist that most of our readers wouldn't really expect from a build of this nature. Be sure to stop by the forums to check out the build log as it progresses, and while you're all at it be sure to check out some of the other awesome build logs we've got on-hand, including Project reDEFINEd by forum member humanityBG and Squircle, a scratch build by forum member glent. Both of them are turning out beautifully so far, so we have plenty of eye candy for you guys to ogle over. Here's some links to the build logs mentioned: Silence Falls: A Thought Experiment Project "reDEFINEd" – Fractal Design DEFINE R2 XL Squircle [Scratch Build] Hope you all enjoy these builds, and stay tuned in for more projects to come!
Innovation is the name of the game; if you want to keep your product line relevant and interesting then you need to mix things up a bit and give people a reason to be genuinely excited about choosing a part from your repertoire. In the world of power supplies, this innovation is coming slowly but surely as manufacturers determine how to better serve their PC enthusiast community with products that make their jobs a little bit easier and their builds a little more awesome. BitFenix opted to take the road less traveled with this, their first-ever power supply. They took a solid, stable 80 Plus Gold certified platform using all Japanese top shelf capacitors, then sleeved every single cable for you right out of the box. The name is somehow ironic to us, as they call it the BitFenix Fury, yet this power supply is poised to be anything BUT infuriating. Having well sleeved cables with a myriad of connector options and varying wattage ratings for your individual computing needs, could this be part of your next build? No spoilers yet on what we think of it, so let's read on.
Things have been getting a thorough rustling in the case market in recent history. Every form factor from ITX on up to XL-ATX, has been getting some new life breathed into their respective segments with cases replete with features and styling that no one thought possible. NZXT, not being one to rest on their laurels for very long, have introduced a little something new to the ATX mid tower segment. It's something they like to call the Phantom 240. Boasting some pretty impressive specs for an ATX mid tower, yet not requiring you to take out a second mortgage on your house to buy it, this case stands to provide system builders on a budget with a truly impressive space for your hardware to be admired in. On top of this, it still offers the niceties that modern system builders come to expect. We've said it before, and it bears repeating: just because you're "ballin' on a budget," that doesn't have to mean that your system looks mediocre in the process. The question is... can this case provide its intended audience with enough features that make them feel like they aren't really missing too much? History tells us "yes," but like any good review site, we will turn our fair yet analytic eye toward the details for you to make sure that this product doesn't trim too much fat away for the sake of cost and form factor.
Mobile computing is very much a part of everyone's day-to-day life, whether or not we choose to admit it or even realize it. From your cell phone to your tablets and notebooks, everything we use is becoming increasingly travel-friendly. Even our gaming desktop computers are becoming extremely small, as is evidenced by systems built in cases like the Bitfenix Colossus Mini ITX. It should only follow that mobile storage solutions should follow this trend. For those of you who are on-the-go and want a bit more insurance for your mobile storage devices, Adata has a rage of external hard drives that should suit your needs nicely. The DashDrive Durable HD650 comes in storage densities of 500 GB and 1 TB, and comes with an impact resistant shell. Let's take a closer look to see just how solid these drives are.
Lately the push for smaller and quieter systems leaves many enthusiasts and the D.I.Y. crowd needing smaller and smaller power supplies (PSU's). It's not entirely uncommon to see systems being built with powerful hardware like the 780Ti, but with PSUs no larger than 550-600 watts. It therefore makes more sense than ever to go for a PSU that is as efficient as possible to make sure you have as few problems as possible while still being able to do what we all love to do: tune our systems and squeeze the most performance out of them as possible. Enermax has seen fit to produce what they feel is a worthy solution to your small system building needs. The Revolution XT PSU lineup ranges from 430 to 730 watt capabilities; all carry the 80+ Gold certification for power efficiency, have flat cables and are semi-modular. Could this be the next PSU you select for your system builder needs? Let's delve deeper and find out as we review the Enermax Revolution XT 630W 80+ Gold Modular PSU.
When you look at most of the LED case fans out there, they're largely uninspired. Sure the lighting is solid on many of them, and some of them even offer up good cooling performance to match their look, but the lighting effect is ultimately the same: just a blob of light that looks like it could come from any manufacturer. While that may work for some system builders, Enermax has a solution for those of you looking for something a bit different than the rest. Enter the T.B. Vegas and T.B. Apollish fan lineup: coming in 120mm and 200mm sizes respectively, these fans feature not only some of the most unique case lighting you will ever see, but offer a degree of performance that you will be hard pressed to find in any other standalone LED fan. Let's see if these factors add up to be greater than the sum of their parts, shall we?
In the past several months, the push for Home Theater PC's (HTPC's for short) has started to grow wildly. The allure of a fully modular home theater machine that does more than just play your movies or music is simply too strong for many to resist, and rightfully so. Oftentimes the question we may ask is "What platform should I build a HTPC on?" The answers vary wildly based on individual hardware preferences. AMD seems to think that one of the best choices out there for the discerning HTPC enthusiast lies with their newest Kaveri APU. While there are many choices out there of associated hardware, with more on the way, Biostar has one now that appeals directly to the audiophile: the A88W Hi-Fi 3D. Designed with both a high-end isolated audio solution and potential for tuning an unlocked APU, this motherboard looks to be a very sensible choice for those who want a little bit from every buffet of tech; the question is, "does it deliver finely tuned notes for enthusiasts of all kinds, or does it fall flat?" We're here to find out just that.
Usually when shopping for an ATX full tower, you look for the big names in the industry. The reasons for this are pretty apparent: reputation, reliability, service after the sale, build quality, feature set, and the list goes on; but what if we told you that you don't always have to go after the big name and spend excessive amount of cash to have your cake and eat it, too? Casecom is here to show you that their newest ATX full tower, the Halcones CL-86, brings a lot to the table and asks for very little in return. Measuring out at 23" tall, 22" deep and roughly 9" wide, it certainly seems to fit the size requirement. The question is, "does everything else add up to a rewarding and clean building experience?" Let's jump in and find out.