itx | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:38:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png itx | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Jonsbo unveils TK1 cube chassis with curved tempered glass panel https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/jonsbo-unveils-tk1-cube-chassis-with-curved-tempered-glass-panel/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/jonsbo-unveils-tk1-cube-chassis-with-curved-tempered-glass-panel/#respond Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:30:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=594982 Jonsbo is back with another unique-looking case. This time around, the company is launching the TK-1, a cube-shaped mini-tower with a U-shaped tempered glass panel giving you the perfect view of your components.  Available in black and white, the dual-chamber chassis of the TK-1 allows you to show your system in a clean environment while …

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Jonsbo is back with another unique-looking case. This time around, the company is launching the TK-1, a cube-shaped mini-tower with a U-shaped tempered glass panel giving you the perfect view of your components. 

Available in black and white, the dual-chamber chassis of the TK-1 allows you to show your system in a clean environment while the cabling stays in the back chamber with the PSU and any HDD/SSD you might want to mount inside the system.

For those worried about cooling, there are plenty of air intakes and outtakes around the case. The bottom panel is meshed and supports up to two 120mm fans. On the top panel, there's also space for up to two 120mm fans. Moreover, the back panel is vented, allowing a CPU air cooler to push the hot air out of the case. Lastly, the left side panel also has perforations so the CPU can pull fresh air to the inside of the unit.

Inside the case, you can mount CPU tower coolers with up to 165mm tall and 280mm long graphics cards. ATX PSUs are supported but only up to 220mm long. Motherboard support includes M-ATX and ITX. The chassis also has 4x expansion slots and space for two 3.5-inch drives or a 3.5-inch one paired with a 2.5-inch. On the front panel, there's a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 interface, a USB-A 3.0 interface and a 3.5mm audio-combo jack.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Jonsbo's latest case? Would you consider it for a build?

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The Fractal Design Ridge is a new elegantly-designed ITX chassis https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/the-fractal-design-ridge-is-a-new-elegantly-designed-itx-chassis/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/the-fractal-design-ridge-is-a-new-elegantly-designed-itx-chassis/#respond Thu, 17 Nov 2022 14:53:41 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=582834 Fractal Design has released many cases in the last few years, but the ITX segment of its portfolio still has room to grow. That's where the Ridge comes in, offering an alternative to the Era chassis with support for bigger GPUs, increased airflow and removable panels for ease of access. The Fractal Design Ridge is …

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Fractal Design has released many cases in the last few years, but the ITX segment of its portfolio still has room to grow. That's where the Ridge comes in, offering an alternative to the Era chassis with support for bigger GPUs, increased airflow and removable panels for ease of access.

The Fractal Design Ridge is the company's latest ITX chassis, featuring a nordic-inspired design with 12.6 litres of space to work with. You can use this chassis to build an HTPC or a full-fledged gaming system, thanks to its support for 335mm GPUs (325mm if you have an SSD installed). In addition, you can either place it horizontally or vertically.

Building a PC in small cases like the Ridge can be pretty daunting, but Fractal Design has eased the process by adding removable panels to better access the inside of the case. All panels are made of steel/aluminium, but the front has a fabric front that makes the Ridge stand out from other SSF cases.

The components inside a chassis as small as this must be well-ventilated to avoid overheating. To prevent this, the Ridge has perforations on all panels for increased airflow. The chassis has two 140mm PWM Aspect fans, but you can add another three 80mm fans on the top. In addition to the fans, the chassis also comes with a PCI-e 4.0 riser card to mount the GPU vertically.

The front I/O includes two USB 3.0 interfaces, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio+mic combo jack. On the inside, you have four 2.5″ drive bays, a mini ITX motherboard tray, and space to mount an SFX/SFX-L PSU. Regarding GPU compatibility, you're limited to 125mm tall (137mm without top fans) and 52mm thick cards (82mm without side fans). CPU coolers can't exceed 70mm in height. The case also supports 280mm radiators if you don't have a GPU inside or a 120mm one when ≤175mm long GPUs are installed.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you thinking of moving to a small form factor rig? What do you think of the new Fractal Design Ridge chassis? 

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ASRock launches its first Intel Arc Alchemist desktop graphics card https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asrock-launches-its-first-intel-arc-alchemist-desktop-graphics-card/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/joao-silva/asrock-launches-its-first-intel-arc-alchemist-desktop-graphics-card/#respond Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:09:31 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=569991 So far, only one board partner has released a custom Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card. That is changing this month, with ASRock revealing its first Intel Arc graphics card – a small, ITX version of the A380.  Like the reference cooling solution used by Intel on the Arc A380, the new ASRock Arc A380 Challenger …

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So far, only one board partner has released a custom Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card. That is changing this month, with ASRock revealing its first Intel Arc graphics card – a small, ITX version of the A380. 

Like the reference cooling solution used by Intel on the Arc A380, the new ASRock Arc A380 Challenger ITX 6GB OC uses a single fan to cool the unit. With 0dB fan technology, the fan only spins up when required, allowing for silent operation at low loads.

The ASRock Arc A380 Challenger ITX 6GB OC uses the ACM-G11 GPU with 1,024 FP32 cores. However, this one comes factory overclocked at 2,250MHz. As for the memory, there's 6GB GDDR6 at 15.5Gbps. A single 8-pin power connector powers the card. Available video outputs include 3x DisplayPorts 2.0 and an HDMI 2.0b.

For now, only ASRock's Chinese website has a product page for the ASRock Arc A380 Challenger ITX 6GB OC. The graphics card is already available for ¥1299 (about £158).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: ASRock has just become the first global AIB partner to launch an Intel Arc Alchemist card. Now, all that's left is for the likes of Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte to join the list.

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Jonsbo introduces new VR3 ITX and VR4 ATX cases https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/matthew-wilson/jonsbo-introduces-new-vr3-itx-and-vr4-atx-cases/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/matthew-wilson/jonsbo-introduces-new-vr3-itx-and-vr4-atx-cases/#respond Thu, 07 Jul 2022 12:28:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=567230 Jonsbo is back with a new pair of cases for 2022. The new VR3 ITX and VR4 ATX cases include a removable inner chassis to make the building process nice and easy, as well as mesh panels for improved airflow. The Jonsbo VR3 and VR4 are designed to be compact without compromising on ease of …

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Jonsbo is back with a new pair of cases for 2022. The new VR3 ITX and VR4 ATX cases include a removable inner chassis to make the building process nice and easy, as well as mesh panels for improved airflow.

The Jonsbo VR3 and VR4 are designed to be compact without compromising on ease of installation, offering a two-piece design for the interior and exterior. The exterior of the case is effectively a single piece, wrapping around the front and sides, attached to the bottom, and is designed to come away from the internal frame for easier building and maintenance.

When it comes to cooling, both cases feature mesh panels on the front and sides. The VR3 can use two 120mm or two 140mm fans, or a radiator up to 280mm long can slide into the front of the chassis. The larger VR4 can house up to four 120mm fans or two 140mm fans, or a radiator up to 360mm long.

The VR3 can also fit a ATX PSU up to 140mm long, a graphics card up to 325mm long, a CPU cooler up to 70mm tall, and up to two 2.5″ SSDs. If your GPU is only 185mm long, then you can also fit two 2.5″ HDDs alongside the two SSDs. The VR4 can fit ATX PSUs up to 200mm long, GPUs up to 345mm long and CPU coolers up to 167mm tall, as well as up to two 2.5″ SSDs and two 3.5″ HDDs.

The Jonsbo VR3 and VR4 PC cases are available now at Overclockers UK in both black and white colour options. The VR3 costs £134.99, while the VR4 costs £99.95.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are you planning a new PC build this year? Are you considering a Jonsbo case? 

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Phanteks launches Evolv Shift XT – an expandable Mini-ITX case https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/matthew-wilson/phanteks-launches-evolv-shift-xt-an-expandable-mini-itx-case/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/matthew-wilson/phanteks-launches-evolv-shift-xt-an-expandable-mini-itx-case/#respond Wed, 16 Feb 2022 15:00:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=550469 Today, Phanteks is giving its Mini-ITX case series a bit of a shake-up with the new Evolv Shift XT. The big show stopper here is the ability to extend the case to three different heights, one focused on minimal footprint, one for improved airflow and maximum height for those that wish to use a 240mm or 280mm AIO liquid cooler.

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Today, Phanteks is giving its Mini-ITX case series a bit of a shake-up with the new Evolv Shift XT. The big show stopper here is the ability to extend the case to three different heights, one focused on minimal footprint, one for improved airflow and maximum height for those that wish to use a 240mm or 280mm AIO liquid cooler.

The Phanteks Evolv Shift XT offers three configurations – Compact Mode (13.5 litre), Air Boost Mode (15.6 litre) and Water Cooler Mode (17.4 litre). In Air Boost Mode, you can run two internal fans for better airflow, while Water Cooler Mode gives you a bit of extra room to mount an AIO liquid cooler up to 280mm. This design allows the user to tailor the chassis to best suit their needs, whether its a low-power build or a small power house. Other key features include support for 3-slot GPUs at up to 324mm in length, a double-layer Gen4 PCIe riser cable and support for SFX and SFX-L power supplies.

 

Being part of the Phanteks Evolv series, the Evolv Shift XT offers premium build quality and components using thick anodized aluminium panels, PCI-e X16 Gen4 riser cable, and USB-C Gen2 front IO. Ultra-Fine Mesh panels and vented aluminium panels are also used to improve airflow, while maintaining a stylish appearance thanks to the tempered glass infinity mirror.

Launching alongside the new case is a pair of Phanteks Revolt power supplies, both sporting the SFX form factor, making them a perfect partner for a Shift XT build. There will be three of these PSUs available, a 650W and 750W 80 Plus Gold model, as well as a 750W 80 Plus Platinum rated unit.

The Phanteks Evolv Shift XT will be available in Satin Black and Galaxy Silver this month, priced at £159.90. The Phanteks Revolt PSUs will also be available, starting at £105.90 for the 650W model and going up to £123.90 for the 750W Platinum model.

KitGuru Says: Leo is already working on a review of this case, so stay tuned for some in-depth analysis and testing. In the meantime, what do you all think of the Evolv Shift XT? 

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Cougar announces Dust 2 Mini-ITX case with handles for portability https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/cougar-announces-dust-2-mini-itx-case-with-handles-for-portability/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/cougar-announces-dust-2-mini-itx-case-with-handles-for-portability/#respond Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:23:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=525643 Seemingly named after the famous Counter-Strike map, the Cougar Dust 2 is a Mini-ITX case geared towards easy portability. Thanks to a pair of handles on top, you can move your rig around with ease, which can be particularly useful when heading to LANs.  Each Dust 2 case has two anodised and coloured aluminium panels …

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Seemingly named after the famous Counter-Strike map, the Cougar Dust 2 is a Mini-ITX case geared towards easy portability. Thanks to a pair of handles on top, you can move your rig around with ease, which can be particularly useful when heading to LANs. 

Each Dust 2 case has two anodised and coloured aluminium panels with a sandblasted finish, one in the front and another in the rear. Depending on which model you choose, these panels can be coloured in Desert Sand, Iron Gray, or Space Silver. As for the rest of the case, it's mostly made of aluminium alloys and folding angles.

The two handles on top let you easily transport the case through your house if you want to play in the living room or bring it to a LAN party. On the inside, you'll find two individual chambers: one for the CPU and the PSU and another for the GPU. Both intake air directly from the outside thanks to the meshed side panels, but each has its own airflow path. In this design, heat from different components shouldn't affect each other, lowering system temperatures to prevent throttling.

Despite being a 21-litre case, there's space for 330mm long GPUs, 160mm long PSUs, and 70mm tall CPU coolers inside the Dust 2. The case has 2x expansion slots, 2x bays 2.5-inch drives and space for a 3.5-inch drive on the top panel, but only if you don't mount a 280/240mm radiator (maximum height of 55mm). Moreover, the top panel also supports 2x 140mm/120mm fans. As for the front I/O panel, it has a USB-C 3.1 Gen2 connector, a USB-A 3.0 connector, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

A PCIe 16x Gen3 high-speed riser card and two 120mm fans are included. Pricing has not yet been revealed. Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Thanks to the chambered interior design and mesh panels for air intake, this case should offer decent cooling. What do you all think of the new Cougar Dust 2? 

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Jasmine Builds Her First PC Part 1 – Case Selection https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/luke-hill/jasmine-builds-her-first-pc-part-1-case-selection/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/luke-hill/jasmine-builds-her-first-pc-part-1-case-selection/#respond Wed, 26 May 2021 06:58:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=516386 Luke is building a PC with his partner Jasmine - first up, they need to choose a case

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I'm teaming up with my partner to help build her first PC. With intended uses such as gaming, video editing, and general office tasks, the first step is to choose a fitting chassis. We go through a few different options in Part 1 and see Jasmine's pros and cons for the six different cases.

As we discuss in the opening section, Jasmine has never built her own general usage or gaming PC. I recall building a basic system for Jasmine around 10 years ago. It was powered by an AMD Athlon II X4 640 with an ASUS mATX 760G motherboard, and some DDR3 memory. That system worked well… initially.

We decided that Jasmine needed better RAM and more of it. As such, a kit of Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory was purchased and I gave some (reasonably poor) installation instructions. A blown VRM component, dead motherboard, and broken stick of DDR3 later, and the upgrade was deemed rather unsuccessful.

We sincerely hope that this build process goes far smoother.

First in our selection was the Raijintek Metis Evo. While decent in terms of hardware support and glass panel inclusion, Jasmine was unimpressed by the overall styling and likened the looks to a fish tank (I can see the resemblance). Pretty quickly, it was clear that this case would not be the primary candidate, so we moved on.

Next up was the ol' trusty Silverstone Sugo SG13 that I bought over 5 years ago. While preferable in terms of physical dimensions, the build quality of this budget case was not particularly impressive and the paint quality was undeniably lacking. I should have opted for the black and white version as that would have been more desirable. For now, this beat out the Metis Evo but it certainly was not a convincing victory.

The Fractal Era ITX was next in the list and this one impressed from the start. Jasmine likened it to a giant Xbox 360 (and rightfully so in my opinion) and appreciated the overall styling. The wood panel wasn't deemed an ideal match for the silver case colour – white panels would have preferable here. But the black mesh top did look appealing. Despite lacking a side panel window, the Era ITX quickly became the front runner.

I won't even deny this one; the bright pink Golden Field Q Series (we'll call it the Lucky) was included as a practical joke. I had my reservations about including this an option for fear that Jasmine may actually like the style and I would be forced to build in this finger-slicing monstrosity. Thankfully, Jasmine's taste in cases was clearly good enough to exclude this one from consideration. Phew! Next stop for this Golden Field chassis – review at Leo's place; let us know if we should make that happen!

Moving back onto the serious contenders, we took a look at the Cooler Master NR200P white version. This was another chassis that Jasmine liked for the overall design and footprint. However, the black trim around the side panel glass window was less preferential and was a really good spot that I personally didn't appreciate until highlighted. Solid build quality, a glass side panel, and an appealing white/grey colour scheme knocked Fractal's Era ITX out of top spot and the NR200P into it.

Finally, we finished up selection with the NZXT H1. This is the first time that I have seen this case in person, and both Jasmine and myself were thoroughly impressed by the styling and the overall design. The more vertically aligned form factor was also very appealing, as well as the white and black contrast. This was actually Jasmine's favourite, so I had the misfortune of breaking the bad news that this months old sample has not yet received its fixed PCIe riser to avoid any fire hazard issues. No fix, no usage, unfortunately.

To summarise, we provisionally decided on the Cooler Master NR200P as the preferable choice. The styling and design of the NZXT H1 were incredibly appealing to Jasmine, but the worries of the potentially dangerous PCIe riser card were a major concern. Let us know in the comment section below if you think we should fix the PCIe riser issues and persevere with the attractive H1. Or should we stick with the well-designed Cooler Master NR200P?

It was interesting to look at several different cases from a completely dissimilar perspective. Jasmine's eye for detail catches different points for cases and is a good sense check versus my preference for cooling capacity or hardware support.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Let us know what you thought of the case selection process and whether you agree or disagree with some of the points mentioned. And make sure you check back for Part 2 where we will be building the PC for proper usage.

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ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 – Throttling at Stock! https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-z490-phantom-gaming-itx-tb3-throttling-at-stock/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-z490-phantom-gaming-itx-tb3-throttling-at-stock/#respond Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:38:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=506053 We check out this mini-ITX from ASRock.. and explain why it's one to miss

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With Intel's 10th Gen processors becoming increasingly competitive thanks to price and availability improvements, there's still plenty of life left in the LGA 1200 mainstream platform. That point is especially true with BIOS updates likely to permit for support of Intel's upcoming 11th Gen CPUs. As such, the ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 remains an interesting choice for SFF gamers, especially as it sits atop ASRock's hierarchy of LGA 1200 Mini-ITX offerings.

But is there more to this £290 motherboard than meets the eye? And has ASRock made some questionable design choices? Spoiler alert: yes!

Specifications (taken from ASRock's webpage):

  • Supports 10th Gen and future generation Intel® Core™ Processors (Socket 1200)
  • Supports DDR4 4666MHz+ (OC)
  • 1 PCIe 3.0 x16
  • Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort, Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3
  • 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio
  • 4 SATA3, 2 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
  • 1 Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 Type-C
  • 3 USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gb/s (Rear)
  • 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 5Gb/s (2 Front, 2 Rear)
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4Gbps) + BT 5.1
  • Phantom Gaming 2.5 Gigabit LAN
  • Polychrome SYNC

Starting with a general overview, the ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 is a good looking motherboard with a solid feel of quality. There are some RGB LEDs at the bottom near the PCIe slot which give a subtle under-glow. And we like the positioning for power connectors, the two RGB connectors, and the three 4-pin fan headers. Two outwards facing SATA ports are found on the board edge – a good location for avoiding chassis interference.

The lack of a USB Type-C internal header is disappointing and will leave users with an unused front panel chassis port. This is especially true with only one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 header for an ITX motherboard. The main competing motherboards from MSI, ASUS, and Gigabyte have the Type-C header.

Star of the rear IO show is the Titan Ridge-powered Thunderbolt 3 Type-C port. This is excellent to see as I love the TB3 ecosystem and it is useful on a mini-ITX motherboard. This also qualifies as the USB Type-C connection as ASRock does not deploy any other Type-C ports, instead opting for 3x 10Gbps USB A and 2x 5Gbps USB A.

2.5GbE is another strong positive, especially as it is the Realtek RTL8125BG controller rather than the (previously) troublesome Intel I225V alternative. Display outputs are also good with DP1.4, HDMI 2.0, and TB3. All ports can do 4K60 and ASRock highlights triple monitor capability.

Now the rear IO starts to get a bit confusing. The inclusion of a clear CMOS button is excellent, and good audio options are powered by the Realtek codec.

But a complete lack of USB BIOS flash (without a CPU installed) capability is a real concern, especially with this motherboard’s likely support for Intel 11th Gen CPUs just around the corner. We could understand BIOS flash capabilities being omitted from a cheap motherboard as we see from competing vendors time to time, but on an almost £300 motherboard it is not good. Why is PS/2 considered more valuable than USB BIOS flash?

In reality, a user wanting this motherboard with an 11th Gen CPU will either have to hope it comes with the latest BIOS (unlikely) or will have to buy a 10th Gen CPU, build their system, flash to the latest BIOS, dismantle their system, install the 11th Gen CPU, and then sell the 10th Gen CPU that was used just for flashing. This is not a good approach and ASRock is – disappointingly – behind the curve here.

Another two SATA ports are found on the removable riser card. There is also a speaker header and USB 2.0 header. This looks like a good solution initially; you free up valuable PCB space for things like headers. Plus, you can install an M.2 SSD with a heatsink thanks to clearance and easy removal even inside your system build (provided you use an AIO – large tower air coolers will likely inhibit access).

But then you realise the shortcomings – which are pretty significant – of this riser card.

First, it sits around 2cm above all other components on the motherboard and this is very concerning for compact SFF chassis. Cases often stick to nominal mITX height of rear IO or VRM heatsink and DDR4 modules. So, interference inside a compact case or with certain CPU coolers is evidently possible.

Worse still is that the headers all face vertically, so you need even more clearance to connect a USB 2.0 header or SATA drives. And if you do have the clearance, you will be trailing ugly cables across the back of your premium graphics card backplate; sleek cable management will be impossible. At least the riser card has four POST debug LEDs which are clearly visible and that’s a good feature.

I would summarise the riser card by saying this it is a good idea in theory and on paper, but with less-than-ideal real world implementation.

CPU cooler interference is highly likely given the constricted nature of the CPU socket zone. The large top, side, and bottom heatsinks – coupled with the oversized riser card – make this a CPU cooler nightmare.

We spoke with James who has done a few builds with this board and he actually ran into a handful of popular coolers that will not fit including the likes of be quiet! tower coolers and even some popular AIOs due to block mounting designs. This seems to be an issue that we rarely see with other ITX boards, so it is disappointing to see here and not really one where we would point the finger at anybody other than ASRock.

If you buy this board, be careful with your CPU cooler choice. Our Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prisma AIO worked as the rear mounting bracket barely avoided the rear M.2 SSD mount.

 

The VRM cooling system is not particularly well designed in our opinion.

You get a small top-side heatsink tasked with cooling four power stages in total, and another small-to-moderate sized rear IO side heatsink tasked with cooling the other five power stages. The rear IO side heatsink is heatpipe branched to the chipset heatsink.

Quite frankly, this is not ideal when the top side VRM heatsink is a small block of metal left to cool the power shifting MOSFETs on its own.

Both heatsinks use tiny 30mm diameter fans. These spin up to around 11000 RPM in our testing and are driven by one header / sensor in the UEFI so do not have individual control. Plus, these fans take up so much space from the now small heatsink metal mass, they’re possibly doing more negative than positive given how little airflow they will provide at tolerable noise levels.

Even worse – the top-side fan is flowing air from top-to-bottom which specifically opposes a much larger and more powerful AIO flow path often mounted directly above. Why would ASRock go against the conventional bottom-to-top airflow path rather than simply mirror the heatsink to have the fan on the other side?

Thankfully, the core VRM components are excellent.

ASRock deploys a nine phase total system. Six phases of Intersil ISL99390 90A power stages are used for the CPU VCore. And 2+1 phases of Intersil ISL99227 60A power stages are used for the other voltage systems. Management is handled by an Intersil ISL69269 PWM controller which is high-end and can perform without the need for doublers.

Two of the VCore power stages are mounted below the smaller – top – heatsink and four are below the bigger – rear IO – heatsink. This is good from a split perspective as the bigger heatsink is tasked with handled more heat.

Rear-side, surface-mounted 470uF capacitors and front side FP12K capacitors are good to see from a quality perspective. But the front capacitors are tall and close to the CPU socket so could cause cooler interference with certain brackets or base plate designs. The same interference potential exists for the rear surface capacitors with a cooler backplate.

Testing and Performance

Test System Specifications:

  • Processor: Intel Core i9-10900K
  • Memory: 32GB (2x16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz 16-18-18-36 DDR4 @ 1.35V
  • Graphics Card: Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC
  • CPU Cooler: Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prisma 280mm AIO at full pump and fan speed
  • OS SSD: WD_Black SN750 PCIe Gen 3 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Test SSD: WD_Black SN850 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000
  • Chassis: Lian Li T60 Open Air Test Bench
  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • BIOS Version: 1.50 (latest at the time of testing)
  • Comparison Motherboard: MSI MEG Z490 ACE

We test the motherboard in its stock state by simply installing the hardware, applying the default XMP setting, and setting AIO CPU cooler fan speeds to 100%. All other settings are left at the motherboard ‘default‘ or ‘Auto‘ values.

Performance numbers from the likes of Cinebench are fine and are competitive against alternative Z490 offerings with our Core i9-10900K at stock settings. The same can be said for memory performance, which is perfectly good with the Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz kit.

And we were happy with the 2.8GBps speeds of the Thunderbolt 3 port when using our external SSD. ASRock’s front-side cooling solution on the riser card also proved solid for our WD Black SN850 test SSD when constricted to PCIe Gen 3 x4 speeds of around 3.5GBps.

Overclocking the CPU to 5.1GHz delivers a solid boost in heavily computational performance for the likes of Cinebench.

Focussing on temperatures from the motherboard hardware highlights some notable concerns. ASRock’s stock voltage and power settings for the motherboard with the 10900K and latest BIOS are very aggressive. We registered a wall system power draw of close to 400W under Cinebench and Blender workloads at stock XMP settings.

This is somewhere in the region of 100W higher than what we have seen from other Z490 boards from ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte in mine and Leo’s testing. Package power was also excessive for stock 4.9GHz settings at north of 250W under load.

ASRock’s ‘stock’ power settings are – put simply – terrible.

Many users will simply apply XMP and run at stock thanks to the 10900K’s excellent clock boosting options with lightly threaded workloads. This makes the CPU cooler-busting voltage and power levels even more concerning. Our 280mm Asetek-based Fractal AIO was struggling to stay below 99C CPU temperature… at stock!

More concerning is the effect that shifting such high power levels through motherboard has on the VRM.

Despite using quality Intersil components, the sub-par heatsinks cause very high temperature readings from the onboard sensors. While there are a few different sensor readings to look at for temperature levels, anything displaying 100C is concerning. ASRock hit 104C before starting to throttle and then ramp back up.

And we are confident that this VRM-induced throttle is accurate, as backed up by HWINFO, XTU, and HWMonitor software indications as well as wall power meter readings. Of course, PCB and surface temperature readings are lower but this does not detract from the fact that we have observed VRM-induced throttling occur.

A sub-par VRM heatsink design coupled with bad out-of-the-box voltage settings makes for a disappointing concoction that results in CPU throttling… at stock frequencies!

Our overclocking test actually managed to reduce the temperatures thanks to better voltage selection despite the higher operating frequency. Hitting 5.1GHz at 1.325V with Level 1 LLC resulted in lower system power draw than ASRock’s stock setting. 200MHz higher for less power draw and heat output highlights just how bad the important out-of-box settings are.

Even with this reduced thermal load, though, the VRM still showed very high temperature readings in addition to signs of throttling clock drops, albeit less frequently.

We wondered whether these issues were simply tied to the VRM fan not spinning up fast enough to cool effectively – though it was registering just over 6000 RPM loaded. Even setting that fan speed at 11,000 RPM maximum still results in the high temperature readings and VR power throttling.

The cooling design is inefficient to the point where dealing with the obnoxious VRM fan noise at high speeds is simply not worth it given the barely useful change in cooling performance.

Closing Thoughts

Basically, ASRock has taken what looks to be a solid selection of hardware and put together what looks to be a solid motherboard. But when you dig deeper and start using the board in real ITX situations and with a high-end CPU, the weaknesses of ASRock’s design choices are glaringly obvious.

A technically excellent VRM with high-end Intersil power delivery components is let down by poor heatsink design and 30mm fans that look to be barely worthwhile other than to emit a whiny, annoying sound.

The riser card is a great idea in theory that causes interference headaches and cable management challenges in practise. And the lack of an internal USB Type-C header is even more unforgivable on a mini-ITX motherboard than ASRock’s continued omission of BIOS Flashback functionality on high-end, expensive offerings.

Of course, if you can look past the questionable header choice, limited VRM cooling, and physically awkward riser card, your concerns are not simply alleviated. You then have to plan wisely the CPU cooler that you use with this motherboard given the proximity of tall, interfering hardware close to the LGA 1200 CPU socket.

It is perfectly reasonable to highlight that these concerns may not affect you. Maybe you have a roomy ITX chassis, moderately overclocked Intel CPU, and a cooler that fits fine. Maybe you do not care about BIOS flash functionality without a CPU installed as you’re simply buying a supported 10th Gen chip. And maybe you don’t need to use the headers on the riser card that will trail cables across the back of your graphics card.

They’re all perfectly fine points which may make this board suitable for you, especially with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, the strong rear IO port selection, and the straightforward UEFI overclocking.

But, there are clear weaknesses with the ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 motherboard in our analysis and testing, and we would recommend choosing a superior Z490 or Z590 alternative with fewer glaring shortfalls if you are planning to build a high-end system.

overclockers-logo7

The ASRock Z490 is priced at £289.99 at Overclockers UK. We feel that there are better options available at this price point and below.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

  • Thunderbolt 3 Type-C connectivity.
  • Good rear IO ports.
  • Technically competent VRM components.
  • Straightforward and reasonable UEFI.

Cons:

  • Poor stock settings with Core i9-10900K.
  • Limitations with the VRM cooling.
  • 30mm fans get very loud with not great effect.
  • No BIOS update without CPU functionality.
  • No USB Type-C header.
  • Expensive.

KitGuru says: The ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 takes a strong set of electronic hardware but fails to deliver thanks to some poor design choices, overly aggressive stock settings, and questionable hardware omissions. There are better options available given the £290 price tag.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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darkFlash releases the DLH21 “Luxury” mini-ITX case https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/darkflash-releases-the-dlh21-luxury-mini-itx-case/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/joao-silva/darkflash-releases-the-dlh21-luxury-mini-itx-case/#respond Sat, 06 Feb 2021 12:00:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=503670 darkFlash has released a new mini-ITX case with RGB lighting for compact DIY PC builds. Despite its small size, this case supports 240mm radiators and 320mm long graphics cards without sacrificing airflow thanks to the meshed panels of the case. Available in pink, black, white, and neomint, the darkFlash DLH21 is made of 0.8mm SECC …

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darkFlash has released a new mini-ITX case with RGB lighting for compact DIY PC builds. Despite its small size, this case supports 240mm radiators and 320mm long graphics cards without sacrificing airflow thanks to the meshed panels of the case.

Available in pink, black, white, and neomint, the darkFlash DLH21 is made of 0.8mm SECC metal. The case consists of 5x meshed panels with pre-installed magnetic dust filters to prevent dust from getting into the system. Moreover, this case was designed to offer a trouble-free disassembly of the case through easily detachable side panels and a magnetically connected top panel.

The RGB LED strip on the bottom of the case has 13x different lighting effects to cycle between using the LED button on the top I/O panel, but users can also synchronise it with other components through motherboard RGB software.

The DLH21 case features 2x expansion slots and supports mini-ITX motherboards, up to 2x 2.5-inch drives or a single 3.5-inch drive, and SFX/SFX-L power supplies (125mm long). CPU tower coolers can't be more than 134mm tall and GPUs can't exceed 320mm in length and 147mm in width. Radiator and fan support is a bit limited, allowing users to mount a 120m/240mm radiator on the side, a 92mm fan on the back, and 2x 120mm fans on the side. The top I/O panel has 2x USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The darkFlash DLH21 ITX chassis is available now starting at $189.99.

KitGuru says: Have you ever built a mini-ITX system? What's your opinion on the darkFlash DLH21 case? 

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Asus ROG Z11 Mini ITX Chassis Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/asus-rog-z11-mini-itx-chassis-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/asus-rog-z11-mini-itx-chassis-review/#respond Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:49:05 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=491801 How good is this weird looking case? Should you buy one?

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Asus ROG Z11 is pretty much the opposite of what you might expect. It supports Mini-ITX but is larger than a number of ATX cases and it can be stood upright or laid down so you are never quite sure which side is front, back, top or bottom. One thing is for certain, which is that your graphics card will be displayed behind the window at the front (or top) so you had better have some tasty hardware for the world to enjoy.

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Full product details HERE

Main features

  • ROG Z11 Mini-ITX/-DTX gaming case features 4 mm tempered glass panels, patented 11° tilt design, optimised thermal performance, ATX PSU support, extensive connectivity, and Aura Sync
  • Premium aesthetics: 4 mm tempered glass panels with aluminium frame and integrated Aura Sync lighting create a sleek and stylish appearance
  • Patented 11° tilt design & optimised airflow: Delivers enhanced airflow and cooling around CPU, graphics card, and a back-mounted M.2 SSD
  • Compatibility with demanding hardware: Supports one ATX PSU, 3-slot graphics card without a riser cable, 240 mm radiator, water-cooling pump and reservoir, and up to five fans
  • Extensive connectivity: Built-in extension hub and advanced front panel I/O ports with one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and an ARGB control button provide broad connectivity options
  • Easy cable management and case maintenance: Extra cable routing space from the 11° tilt design, a multifunction cover and cable strips ensure effortless cable management, and removable dust filters provide simple cleaning and maintenance
  • Dual orientation: Provides the flexibility to choose orientation based on workspace availability, preferences, and component display

Specification:

Motherboard support: Mini ITX/Mini-DTX(up to 6.7”x 8”)
Drive Bays: Up to 4x 2.5-inch SSD or 2x 2.5-inch SSD and 1x 3.5inch HDD
System Fan Support: Pre-installed Fans Top: 2 x 140 mm Bottom: 1 x 140 mm
Expansion Slots: PCIe x 2 (3 expansion slots space)
Fan Support:
Rear: 2x 120 mm
Top: 2x 120mm/140 mm
Bottom: 1x 120mm/140 mm

Clearances:
Maximum GPU Length: 320 mm
Maximum CPU Cooler Height: 130 mm
Radiator Support: 240mm Rear, 120mm Bottom

Front I/O Ports:
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
2 x USB 2.0 Type A
1 x Headphone/Microphone Jack

Extension Hub: 6x PWM Fan, 3x ARGB LED Strip, 2x USB 2.0
Power Supply: ATX or SFX PSU, up to 160mm
Dimensions: 194mm (W) x 386mm (D) x 531mm (H)
Weight: 8.73 kg

Getting inside the ROG Z11 requires a certain amount of thought as the rear panel has a hidden thumbscrew and the panels lock together in such a way that you need to remove them in a particular order.

One you have that figured out you will find that building a PC in the ROG Z11 is slightly confusing as the motherboard is rotated 90 degrees with the rear I/O panel pointing upwards towards the two 140mm exhaust fans. We chose to use an SFX power supply to create as much space as possible in the floor of the case and this was tricky as the EPS cable would barely reach the connector.

The problem here is that SFX power supplies come with cables that are intended for use in a small ITX case, yet this particular ITX case is very large. After a bit of a struggle we had the cables connected but were unhappy with the cable routing behind the motherboard tray.

Another quirk of the build is that the graphics card hangs vertically at the front of the case which works perfectly well but looks unusual. Once the hardware was installed we were ready for some thermal testing.

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i9-10900KF, Palit RTX 3080 graphics card and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Asus ROG Z11‘s cooling capabilities.

Test System:

  • Processor: Intel Core i9-10900KF (10 cores/20 threads, 4.9GHz all cores)
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490I Aorus Ultra
  • Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3600MHz
  • Graphics card: Palit RTX 3080 Gaming Pro 10GB
  • Power supply: Corsair SF600 Gold
  • SSD: 1TB WD Blue M.2 NVMe
  • OS: Windows 10 Pro

Custom Loop Cooling

  • CPU Block: EK Quantum Magnitude
  • GPU Block: Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Plexi GPX-N
  • Radiator: EK CoolStream SE 240mm
  • Fans: 2x EK Vardar EVO RGB 120mm 2,200rpm
  • Pump/Reservoir: EK XRES 100 DDC MX 3.1 PWM
  • Fittings: EK 13/10mm Quantum Torque
  • Tubing: Corsair XT
  • Coolant: EK CryoFuel Solid Scarlet

Cooling Performance

Cooling Performance Overview
With the fans running at full speed (and rather noisily) we saw temperatures that were quite acceptable but slowing the fans to 50 percent made a significant difference to the results. While we can see the ROG Z11 is configured like a chimney, we have to think the power supply shroud and other pieces of PC hardware obstruct the air flow to such an extent the ROG Z11 works rather poorly.

Closing Thoughts

We spent a fair amount of time working with the ROG Z11 yet it continues to cause us a fair amount of bafflement and confusion. It seems to us that during the development of ROG Z11 the main priorities were the novel form factor and aesthetics, and there is no denying the combination of aluminium, tempered glass and RGB works well.

We quite like the way the graphics card is suspended in the front window as our liquid cooled RTX 3080 looked superb however air cooled graphics cards may well be starved of cooling air. As we know, Asus manufactures some of the largest and thickest graphics cards on the market so it is quite possible that an Asus graphics card would be a poor choice for the ROG Z11.

Another curious point is the way the Asus design team decided to give the customer the option of flipping this tall ITX case into the horizontal laid down orientation. We are all in favour of choice but this orientation has a significant effect on temperatures inside the case and also means that Asus had to include a short adapter cable for the main power cord as well a plate to rotate the Asus ROG logo by 90 degrees.

In a sense these are quibbles about details as we imagine a small part of the KitGuru audience will be wowed by the Asus ROG Z11 while the majority will have little interest in a big and tall Mini-ITX case that presents the owner with a number of problems.

While we are mildly amazed by the price tag of £240 we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if those potential customers quite like the high price as it will buy them exclusivity and they will be the only person in their circle that owns an Asus ROG Z11.

Well that's fair enough and we hope they enjoy the aluminium panels, glass and RGB as the Asus ROG Z11 has a certain amount of style but we can think of a great many cases on the market that do a better job at a lower price.

You can buy the Asus ROG Z11 for £239.99 from Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

  • Plenty of space for a full sized graphics card.
  • PWM fan hub is included.
  • Smart and unusual styling.

Cons:

  • Asus ROG Z11 is rather expensive.
  • This large case is limited to a Mini-ITX motherboard.
  • You need fast fans for decent cooling and that gets noisy.
  • SFX power supply cables are very tight.
  • Cable routing from rear I/O is awkward.

KitGuru says: Asus ROG Z11 is interesting but we can see no clear reason to buy this large and expensive ITX case.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/AX Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-b550-phantom-gaming-itx-ax-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/luke-hill/asrock-b550-phantom-gaming-itx-ax-review/#respond Tue, 28 Jul 2020 06:39:40 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=478507 Built around an eight-phase solution, ASRock deploys six 90A DrMOS power stages for the CPU VCore

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B550 and mini-ITX can go hand-in-hand for AM4 buyers, so does the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/AX provide the necessary feature set and performance to make it a desirable option? The 8-phase power delivery solution, 8-layer PCB, and ample high-speed connectivity paint a positive picture, but let’s take a closer look.

Core to the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/AX is its passively cooled power delivery system. Built around an eight-phase solution, ASRock deploys six 90A DrMOS power stages for the CPU VCore portion specifically.

Added to the package are dual M.2 connectors, one of which runs with Gen 4 lanes and a cooling heatspreader. You also get 2.5 GbE from an Intel adapter and 802.11ax WiFi connectivity.

ASRock clearly ticks the main boxes with the B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/AX, so let’s take a closer look at the motherboard itself.

Features (information taken from the ASRock webpage):

    • Supports 3rd Gen AMD AM4 Ryzen™ / Future AMD Ryzen™ Processors
    • 8 Power Phase Design, Digi Power, 90A Dr.MOS
  • Supports DDR4 5400+ (OC)
  • 1 PCIe 4.0 x16
  • Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
  • 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Nahimic Audio
  • 4 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
  • 3 USB 3.2 Gen2 (Rear Type A+C, Front Type-C), 6 USB 3.2 Gen1 (2 Front, 4 Rear)
  • Intel® 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4Gbps) + BT 5.1

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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AMD stealth-launches Radeon RX 550, partners make noise https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/paul-taylor/amd-stealth-launches-radeon-rx-550-partners-make-noise/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/paul-taylor/amd-stealth-launches-radeon-rx-550-partners-make-noise/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2017 19:37:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=331400 While we've been on a steady flow of Polaris RX 580- and 570-series reviews this week, these have been stolen the attention from other entries in AMD's line-up. AMD did launch something else on the 18th of April, only it passed by very discreetly because it was overshadowed by AMD's mainstream offers, and this was …

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While we've been on a steady flow of Polaris RX 580- and 570-series reviews this week, these have been stolen the attention from other entries in AMD's line-up. AMD did launch something else on the 18th of April, only it passed by very discreetly because it was overshadowed by AMD's mainstream offers, and this was the Radeon RX 550. The card that is intended to sate the hunger of more lightweight gaming experiences like eSports (CS:GO, Rocket League, DOTA, LoL, etc…) or some triple-A titles in very low graphics settings.

The Radeon RX 550 is the budget-minded Radeon, with a $80/£80 (starting) price tag, and all the features of its more expensive brethren, but lacking the overall performance. The Radeon RX 550 is built on the same 14nm FinFET process, tiny in size (just 101mm2) and sports just 8 compute units/32 TMUs. It has 512 stream processors with a base/boost clock of 1GHz/1183MHz, which translate into 1.2 Tflops of compute power. Its 2/4 GB GDDR5 RAM is rated 1750 MHz (7000 MHz effective) but strapped to a 128-bit memory bus. It's so power-thrifty that it sips just 50W directly from the PCIe slot without the need for additional PEG connectors for power.

As you can imagine, this will not break any world records, but today we've received word from several of AMD's AIB partners that they have released their own (non-reference?) designs for the runt of the litter.

PowerColor announced what sounds like a little overkill for a budget card: the PowerColor Red Dragon RX 550 2GB, which clocks a rather “tame” 1190 MHz boost clock. It's plain plastic shroud and fan don't really live up to the Red Dragon branding.

MSI launched the AERO ITX 4G OC and the AERO ITX 2G OC, differing only in the RAM capacity. Both come with plastic shroud and single fan for cooling, and have a 1203 MHz boost clock. You'll be interested in the HTPC potential of thse cards, as both have a fairly small footprint.

Gigabyte has launched its Aorus RX 550 D5 and RX 550 Gaming OC 2G. The latter comes with a 1206 MHz “Gaming Mode” clock, compared to the other's 1183 MHz setting. The Gaming OC also uses 2 fans for the extra cooling requirements.

HIS, which was unheard of at the RX 580/570 launch, joined the party with the announcement of its HIS RX 550 GREEN iCooler OC 2GB and 4GB SKUs. They are identical in specs to the RX 550 reference designs, unfortunately.

Sapphire, known for its innovative cooling and affordable pricing released the Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 550 2GD5 and 4GD5, and yes, you guessed correctly, a 2GB and 4GB version. These come with stock plastic shroud and cooling, and boost clock of 1206 MHz.

While none of the partner launches (except maybe MSI's ITX design), are going to convince hardcore gamers or turn modders' heads, they are substantially better than your typical iGPU or APU, suggests AMD. It will also deliver the latest set of hardware features like DirectX 12 or X.265 Decode/Encode, which has become a staple of HTPC systems. On the other hand, for the price tag, you might as well be considering going to the RX 460 which is much more powerful and costs about the same.

KitGuru Says: It seems to us, that these designs are closer to the reference than you'd expect to see, with only MSI innovating in terms of form factor. Clearly there is little in terms of leeway for AIB partners to improve on this. If you're on a tight budget and are happy with casual gaming, the RX 550 will do right by you, but we're quite confused as to the pricing on these cards, as the only competitor they'll find is AMD's own (and more powerful) Radeon RX 460.

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Asus white Radeon R9 Nano spotted https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/asus-white-radeon-r9-nano-spotted/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/asus-white-radeon-r9-nano-spotted/#respond Mon, 26 Oct 2015 21:00:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=273118 AMD officially launched its tiny Radeon R9 Nano graphics card a while back, bringing the full power of a Fiji graphics core and High-Bandwidth Memory to a tiny 6-inch PCB. Several AIB partners have already launched their own branded models and now, it looks like Asus is planning to release a white version of the …

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AMD officially launched its tiny Radeon R9 Nano graphics card a while back, bringing the full power of a Fiji graphics core and High-Bandwidth Memory to a tiny 6-inch PCB. Several AIB partners have already launched their own branded models and now, it looks like Asus is planning to release a white version of the card.

Dubbed as the ‘Asus Radeon R9 Nano White', the new GPU will feature the same specifications and design as previous R9 Nano graphics cards. However, this one being white will open a few doors for those that like to plan colour themed rigs.

R9 Nano White

The card was first spotted by German site, ComputerBase.de. As with the other Nano cards, specifications include a Fiji GPU with 4096 stream processors, 256 TMUs, 64 ROPs and 4GB of HBM. The base clock speed sits at 1GHz on the core and the card takes just one 8-pin PCIe connector for power.

Since press shots are already floating around, this white R9 Nano should be out fairly soon, though Asus has yet to make an official announcement. We also don't have a price just yet.

KitGuru Says: If anyone was planning an all white ITX rig, then this may be worth looking in to if you need the GPU power. Do any of you own an R9 Nano already? Or even a Fury card? What do you think of it? 

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Boxx unveils tiny mini-ITX workstation with 18-core Intel Xeon https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/boxx-technologies-unveils-tiny-mini-itx-workstation-with-18-core-intel-xeon/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/boxx-technologies-unveils-tiny-mini-itx-workstation-with-18-core-intel-xeon/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:03:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270135 Boxx Technologies, a well-known maker of workstations from the U.S., has introduced its new Apexx 1 mini-ITX workstation that can integrate an Intel Xeon microprocessor with up to 18 cores or a factory-overclocked Intel Core i7 chip with up to eight cores. The system comes with a specially-designed cooling solution and can offer unbeatable performance …

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Boxx Technologies, a well-known maker of workstations from the U.S., has introduced its new Apexx 1 mini-ITX workstation that can integrate an Intel Xeon microprocessor with up to 18 cores or a factory-overclocked Intel Core i7 chip with up to eight cores. The system comes with a specially-designed cooling solution and can offer unbeatable performance for professionals, who need a lot of general-purpose horsepower. Still, the Apexx 1 has a number of compromises.

The Boxx Apexx 1 is based on the Asrock X99E-ITX/ac motherboard, which is equipped with a modified LGA2011-3 socket with additional pins (also known as the O.C. socket) that is designed to provide enhanced overclocking potential and which supports Intel’s latest Core i7 high-end desktop chips with up to eight cores as well as Intel Xeon E5 v3 central processing units with up to 18 cores and up to 45MB of cache. The Core i7-5960X “extreme” processor can be factory-overclocked by Boxx to 4.0GHz.

boxx_apexx_3

The Apexx 1 system can be equipped with up to 64GB of ECC memory, one high-end solid-state drive in M.2 form-factor (with PCIe 3.0 x4 interface), two 2.5” HDDs or SSDs. Due to size constraints, the system is only compatible with small form-factor professional graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia. The fastest adapter that Boxx offers is Nvidia’s Quadro K1200 with 4GB of memory. All Apexx 1 configurations include USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac wireless connectivity.

boxx_apexx_1

The Asrock X99E-ITX/ac mainboard only supports two DDR4 memory modules and thus cannot take advantage of quad-channel memory controllers of advanced CPUs. As a result, performance of multi-core microprocessors in applications that require memory bandwidth may be limited. Moreover, the workstation requires a special Boxx server-grade liquid-cooling system in order to cool-down chips with thermal design pwoer of 145W or higher, which may be rather noisy. Since at present the Asrock X99E-ITX/ac is the only mini-ITX platform for LGA2011-3 processors, the limitations is not something that can be avoided.

boxx_apexx_4

Boxx claims that the Apexx 1 was designed for such applications as Autodesk 3ds Max, Autocad, Maya, Revit, Cinema4D, SolidWorks, Catia and others.

The unique Boxx Apexx 1 workstations start at $5180 when equipped with an eight-core chip, Nvidia Quadro K1200, and so on. Top-of-the-range configuration with 18-core Intel Xeon E5-2699 v3 with 45MB cache, 64GB of DDR4 memory, 512GB M.2 SSD, two 1.2TB Serial ATA-6Gb/s SSDs and so on will cost around $15600.

boxx_apexx_2

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Boxx Apexx 1 is the most powerful mini-ITX workstation ever. However, how balanced it is? If one needs a system for rendering, then it makes sense to install 18-core CPUs and sacrifice GPU performance. However, those, who need small form-factor, great graphics performance and decent CPU for rendering, should consider Apple Mac Pro, which packs two AMD FirePro graphics processors as well as Intel Xeon microprocessors with up to 12 cores.

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Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX: Tiny mobo with 8-phase CPU VRM https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asrock-fatal1ty-z170-gaming-itxac-tiny-gaming-platform-with-8-phase-cpu-vrm/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asrock-fatal1ty-z170-gaming-itxac-tiny-gaming-platform-with-8-phase-cpu-vrm/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2015 14:29:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=269617 Asrock has introduced its new Fatal1ty-branded mini-ITX high-end motherboard for gaming PCs. The new system board is designed for Intel “Skylake” processors and sports numerous advanced features that modern PC platforms can offer. Among the highlights are unique voltage regulator module, extreme overclocking capabilities, HDMI 2.0 connector that supports 4K output at 60Hz, USB 3.1 …

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Asrock has introduced its new Fatal1ty-branded mini-ITX high-end motherboard for gaming PCs. The new system board is designed for Intel “Skylake” processors and sports numerous advanced features that modern PC platforms can offer. Among the highlights are unique voltage regulator module, extreme overclocking capabilities, HDMI 2.0 connector that supports 4K output at 60Hz, USB 3.1 type-A and type-C ports as well as 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

The Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac is powered by the Intel Z170 core-logic and supports the latest central processing units in LGA1151 form-factor. The motherboard is built on a matte black glass-fabric eight-layer printed circuit board and uses various high-quality components, including solid-state Nichicon “12K platinum” capacitors with lifespans of at least 12000 hours, Elna audio capacitors and so on. One of the unique features of the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac is eight-phase digital voltage regulator module (VRM) that supports 60A current and consists of solid-state inductors and dual-stack MOSFETs.

asrock_fatality_z170_mini_itx

The advanced VRM should enable high overclocking potential for Intel’s latest processors, such as the Core i7-6700K or the Core i5-6600K. Moreover, Asrock claims that thanks to well-thought memory signal circuitry and high-quality power supply, the motherboard will be able to run two DDR4 memory modules at clock-rates beyond 4GHz (providing CPUs over 64GB/s of bandwidth).

Another unique feature of the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac is HDMI 2.0 output, which is enabled by a special controller chip. The IC fully supports output in 4K resolutions (3840*2160, 4096*2160, etc.) with 60Hz refresh rate as well as HDCP 2.2, which is required to playback Ultra HD Blu-ray movies. The HDMI 2.0 connector only works with Intel integrated graphics, which is a pity, as Intel’s “Skylake” processors in LGA1151 packaging do not feature high-performance integrated graphics cores.

asrock_fatality_z170_mini_itx_1

The Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac sports two DDR4 memory slots, one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for graphics adapters, one high-performance M.2 connector (with PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface) for high-end solid-state drives in 2260/2280 form-factors, one SATA Express connector, four Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports, 7.1-channel audio, one USB 3.1 type-A and one USB type-C (up to 3A current supported) port, six USB 3.0 connectors, and so on.

Like competing high-end mini-ITX motherboards, the Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac features one Intel’s Gigabit Ethernet (I219-V) controller as well as a 2×2 (2T2R) dual-band 2.4/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi mini-PCIe module with up to 867Mb/s transfer rate and Bluetooth v4.0 technology.

asrock_fatality_z170_mini_itx_2_sq

The Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard is a yet another premium platform for small form-factor PCs with incredible performance. Bearing in mind the unique feature-set, high-quality components, overclocking potential and support for high-end hardware, do not expect this mainboard to be affordable. Exact pricing is unknown, but it will cost above average mini-ITX system boards.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like mini-ITX is a new major trend in the world of gaming PCs. When makers of motherboards openly advertise overclocking on such platforms, it means a lot of gamers are actually interested in building small form-factor PCs, but want to sustain overclocking features. Now, companies like AMD and Nvidia have to find a way to enable multi-GPU in such systems.

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Asustek unveils ultimate mini-ITX mainboard for ‘Skylake’ CPUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-unveils-ultimate-mini-itx-mainboard-for-skylake-cpus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-unveils-ultimate-mini-itx-mainboard-for-skylake-cpus/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2015 07:30:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=269102 Asustek Computer this week introduced its Z170I Pro Gaming mainboard, which is desinged for Intel Corp.’s latest microprocessors code-named “Skylake” and provides ultimate feature-set. The platform not only uses high-quality/high-performance components and has rich expansion capabilities, but even features advanced overclocking functionality. The Asus Z170I Pro Gaming is based on the Intel Z170 core-logic set and  supports …

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Asustek Computer this week introduced its Z170I Pro Gaming mainboard, which is desinged for Intel Corp.’s latest microprocessors code-named “Skylake” and provides ultimate feature-set. The platform not only uses high-quality/high-performance components and has rich expansion capabilities, but even features advanced overclocking functionality.

The Asus Z170I Pro Gaming is based on the Intel Z170 core-logic set and  supports all modern LGA1151 microprocessors, including the top-of-the-range Intel Core i7-6700K. It features four-phase digital voltage regulator module consisting of high-quality solid-state inductors and capacitors. The manufacturer claims that the mainboard fully supports advanced overclocking capabilities, including overclocking of CPU base-clock, voltage increases and so on. The motherboard can even run DDR4 memory at frequencies of 4000MHz (4GHz), thus providing processors up to 64GB/s of bandwidth.

asus_z170i_pro_gaming_1

Asustek’s Z170I Pro Gaming mainboard comes with two DDR4 memory slots, one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, one high-performance M.2 connector (with PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface) for advanced solid-state drives in 2242/2260/2280 form-factors, one SATA Express connector, two Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports, 7.1-channel Supreme FX audio with headphone amplifier and 115db sound-to-noise ratio stereo output, two USB 3.1 type-A ports, six USB 3.0 ports, and so on.

Networking capabilities of the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming are top-notch. The motherboard features Intel’s Gigabit Ethernet (I219-V) controller with Asus LANGuard and GameFirst technology, which prioritizes gaming traffic and minimizes latencies. The mainboard also comes with dual-band 2.4/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi module with MU-MIMO support as well as Bluetooth v4.1 technology. Maximum transfer-rate supported by the Wi-Fi module is up to 867Mb/s.

asus_z170i_pro_gaming

The combination of rich feature-set, high-quality components and overclocking functionality clearly position the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming as a high-end platform for mini-PCs. Exact pricing of Asustek’s Z170I Pro Gaming is unknown, but typically such mainboards are not affordable.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Just several years ago mini-ITX mainboards for gamers were full of compromises. Today, mini-ITX systems can easily rival full-size desktops in terms of performance, functionality and even overclocking potential. It remains to be seen when companies like Asustek Computer find a way to squeeze two graphics cards into those tiny boxes. While it is not easy to do, technically it is possible…

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PowerColor, XFX prep to start shipments of AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/powercolor-xfx-are-gearing-up-to-start-shipments-of-amd-radeon-r9-fury-graphics-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/powercolor-xfx-are-gearing-up-to-start-shipments-of-amd-radeon-r9-fury-graphics-cards/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2015 16:20:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=268494 PowerColor and XFX are preparing to add another graphics card into their range of adapters based on AMD’s “Fiji” graphics processing unit. In the coming weeks the two companies will start to sell their AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards, thus, expanding availability of AMD’s latest product. Although all partners of Advanced Micro Devices formally …

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PowerColor and XFX are preparing to add another graphics card into their range of adapters based on AMD’s “Fiji” graphics processing unit. In the coming weeks the two companies will start to sell their AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards, thus, expanding availability of AMD’s latest product.

Although all partners of Advanced Micro Devices formally offer AMD Radeon R9 Fury and AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics adapters based on the fully-fledged Fiji GPUs with 4096 stream processors, 256 texture units, 64 raster operations pipelines and 4096-bit memory bus, far not all can supply AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards powered by cut-down “Fiji” chips (3584 SPs, 224 TUs, 64 ROPs). In fact, only Asustek Computer and Sapphire Technology sell AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards today. Fortunately, that is going to change soon.

powercolor_radeon_r9_fury

PowerColor, a Tul Corp.’s brand, recently quietly added description of its Radeon R9 Fury graphics adapter to its web-site. The board is currently not available anywhere, but its addition into the list of products clearly indicates that the company is on-track to start selling it in the coming weeks.

XFX, a Pine Holdings Limited’s brand, is also gearing up to start shipments of its Radeon R9 Fury graphics card. VideoCardz web-site has published press images of XFX’s yet-unannounced R9 Fury, which is an indicator that the product is about to be formally introduced.

xfx_radeon_r9_fury_1

The Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards from PowerColor and XFX rely on AMD’s reference design and come with 4GB of high-bandwidth memory and massive triple-fan/three-slot cooling systems with multiple copper heat-pipes to maximize their overclocking potential. The cards require two auxiliary 8-pin PCI Express power connectors. In fact, both boards will be very similar to Sapphire’s Radeon R9 Fury Tri-X.

xfx_radeon_r9_fury

At present, it is unclear when companies like Gigabyte Technology, MicroStar International and other plan to start offering their versions of the Radeon R9 Fury.

The manufacturer suggested retail price of AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards is $549/£439.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While it is great to see that availability of AMD’s Radeon R9 Fury is improving, the lack of creative touch on those cards is evident. So far, only Asustek Computer has designed a custom printed-circuit board for its Radeon R9 Fury Strix. All the others continue to use AMD’s reference design, probably because they just buy actual cards from the GPU developer.

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Shortages of AMD Radeon R9 Fury-series graphics cards persist https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-radeon-r9-fury-series-graphics-cards-continue-to-be-in-short-supply-analyst/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-radeon-r9-fury-series-graphics-cards-continue-to-be-in-short-supply-analyst/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2015 22:08:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=268067 About three months since the formal announcement, Advanced Micro Devices’ flagship products based on the code-named “Fiji” graphics processing units are still in extremely short supply, according to a market analyst and various retailers. At present, AMD offers Radeon R9 Fury X and Radeon R9 Nano based on the fully-fledged “Fiji” graphics chip with 4096 …

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About three months since the formal announcement, Advanced Micro Devices’ flagship products based on the code-named “Fiji” graphics processing units are still in extremely short supply, according to a market analyst and various retailers.

At present, AMD offers Radeon R9 Fury X and Radeon R9 Nano based on the fully-fledged “Fiji” graphics chip with 4096 stream processors, 256 texture units, 64 raster operations pipelines and 4096-bit memory bus. Both the “Fury X” and the “Nano” graphics adapters are based on AMD’s design and are made under supervision of the company by a contract manufacturer. Asustek Computer and Sapphire Technology also offer AMD Radeon R9 Fury graphics cards powered by cut-down “Fiji” chips (3584 SPs, 224 TUs, 64 ROPs) and featuring custom design of cooling systems and printed circuit boards.

amd_radeon_r9_fury_card

As it appears, AMD does not sell its cut-down “Fiji” graphics processors to many of its partners and does not allow the latter to customize adapters that feature fully-fledged “Fiji” GPUs. Consequently, for suppliers of graphics cards it makes more sense to sell Nvidia-based solutions right now.

“AMD’s flagship Fury X and Fury continue to have a very limited number of SKUs and are largely out of stock, suggesting that the pace of availability and ecosystem support is discouraging add-in-board (AIB) manufacture,” wrote Ian Ing, an analyst with MKM Partners, in an article at Barron’s.

amd_radeon_r9_fury_x_exploded

Overclockers UK, a major online store in the U.K., offers to pre-order Radeon R9 Fury X, but has Radeon R9 Fury from Asustek Computer and Sapphire Technology in stock. AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards are available from multiple suppliers. In fact, OcUK even offers a small discount on the Sapphire Radeon R9 Nano and sells them for £515.

Newegg.com, a major online store in the U.S., at press time only had Radeon R9 Fury X from VisionTek in stock. The store also has Radeon R9 Fury from Asustek Computer and Sapphire Technology available. AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards are available from several brands, but all are sold at prices that exceed MSRP [manufacturer suggested retail price].

CaseKing.de, a major German retailer, does not have a single Radeon R9 Fury X in stock, but has multiple Radeon R9 Nano from different suppliers as well as Radeon R9 Fury from Asustek and Sapphire.

amd_radeon_fiji

Insufficient availability of the AMD Radeon R9 Fury-series products have challenged AMD for about a quarter. The reasons for tight supply of the “Fiji” graphics processor are unclear. If AMD ran into yield issues with its largest graphics processor ever, then there would be products based on cut-down versions of “Fiji” available (e.g., Radeon R9 Fury or Radeon R9 Fury LE). However, the R9 Fury sold only by Asus and Sapphire, which means that there are not a lot of such chips available from AMD. The Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards are in stock of retailers, but it is the first week of its availability.

Limited availability of AMD Radeon R9 Fury-series graphics cards keeps prices of such graphics cards high and does not allow AMD to recapture market share it lost to Nvidia Corp. in the recent quarters.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_1

AMD is in its quiet period and could not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like the amount of “Fiji” graphics processors in production is limited. As a result, if you are planning to get a Radeon R9 Fury graphics card, grab one while you can. For example, the Radeon R9 Nano can be acquired in the first week of availability. Perhaps, AMD will solve the issues with availability of its “Fiji” in the coming months, but not in the coming weeks or days.

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Sapphire is now shipping the AMD R9 Nano https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/sapphire-is-now-shipping-the-amd-r9-nano/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/sapphire-is-now-shipping-the-amd-r9-nano/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2015 12:59:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=267864 Sapphire has announced that it has begun shipping the Radeon R9 Nano, AMD's latest graphics card that packs the full power of a Fury chip on to a tiny 6-inch PCB, featuring High-Bandwith Memory (HBM) along with support for DirectX 12, which is starting to be implemented in to games on the PC. Judging by …

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Sapphire has announced that it has begun shipping the Radeon R9 Nano, AMD's latest graphics card that packs the full power of a Fury chip on to a tiny 6-inch PCB, featuring High-Bandwith Memory (HBM) along with support for DirectX 12, which is starting to be implemented in to games on the PC.

Judging by our review, there is no doubt that the Nano takes the performance crown for its size class. The Sapphire Radeon R9 Nano typically runs at 175 watts under gaming load, making it extremely power efficient. The card itself is cooled by a single fan, which keeps the chip at around 75 degrees Celsius under load.

Obviously the other big selling point for AMD is DirectX 12 support, as we head in to next year support for the new API will become increasingly important and should provide a notable performance boost in systems that properly support it. All of the usual AMD technologies are also supported, including Eyefinity, CrossFire, FreeSync, VSR and Liquid VR.

The Sapphire R9 Nano can be found on Overclockers UK for £529.99 and is readily available, so you won't have to wait long if you decide to pull the trigger on one.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The R9 Nano is an impressive card for its size. Are any of you thinking about grabbing the Nano? 

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AquaComputer unveils full-cover water-block for Radeon R9 Nano https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/aquacomputer-unveils-full-cover-water-block-for-amd-radeon-r9-nano/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/aquacomputer-unveils-full-cover-water-block-for-amd-radeon-r9-nano/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2015 22:12:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=267398 AquaComputer, a leading maker of components for custom liquid-cooling solutions, on Friday introduced its full-cover water-block for AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards, thus making high-performance liquid-cooled gaming PCs in mini-ITX form-factor a reality. The Kryographics R9 Nano single-slot full-cover water-block for AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics boards is made of pure electrolytic copper with …

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AquaComputer, a leading maker of components for custom liquid-cooling solutions, on Friday introduced its full-cover water-block for AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards, thus making high-performance liquid-cooled gaming PCs in mini-ITX form-factor a reality.

The Kryographics R9 Nano single-slot full-cover water-block for AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics boards is made of pure electrolytic copper with either acrylic or aluminum top cover. Water channels in the block pass over the GPU+HBM package as well as voltage regulator module to cool-down the inductors, which get rather hot with the stock cooling solution. The GPU+HBM package is covered by a micro structure with 0.5mm grid to ensure maximum cooling performance.

aquacomputer_liquid_cooler_water_radeon_r9_nano

According to AquaComputer, the GPU temperature of the Radeon R9 Nano remains at below 35°C in typical conditions (with room/liquid temperature of around 27°C) when its water-block is used, which is massively cooler compared to AMD’s stock cooling system.

The Kryographics R9 Nano water-block is designed for custom-built liquid-cooled solutions and is aimed at experienced enthusiasts who are seeking for either additional performance from AMD’s smallest and most powerful graphics card, or want to make their PCs completely silent. What should be noted is that just a few of mini-ITX PC cases can support custom liquid cooling systems.

Traditionally, water-blocks from AquaComputer are easy to install and are compatible with various tubes and various pumps from the company and its competitors.

aquacomputer_liquid_cooler_water_radeon_r9_nano_1

According to TechPowerUp, different versions of the AquaComputer Kryographics R9 Nano full-cover water-block will be available shortly. Pricing looks as follows:

  • Kryographics R9 Nano – €94.9
  • Kryographics R9 Nano acrylic glass edition – €104.9
  • Kryographics R9 Nano black edition – €104.9
  • Kryographics R9 Nano, nickel plated version – €109.9
  • Kryographics R9 Nano acrylic glass edition, nickel plated version – €119.9
  • Kryographics R9 Nano black edition, nickel plated version – €119.9

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While the Kryographics R9 Nano single-slot full-cover water-block for AMD Radeon R9 Nano is a unique product, its market prospects are completely unclear. Those, who want to have extreme performance, will naturally buy AMD Radeon R9 Fury X. Meanwhile, small form-factor systems do not use liquid cooling. On the other hand, maybe the Radeon R9 Nano will just redefine SFF PCs as we know them?

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Sapphire unveils Nitro R7 360 graphics adapter for mini-ITX systems https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/sapphire-unveils-nitro-r7-360-graphics-adapter-for-mini-itx-systems/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/sapphire-unveils-nitro-r7-360-graphics-adapter-for-mini-itx-systems/#respond Wed, 09 Sep 2015 07:00:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=266823 Sapphire Technologies has introduced a new entry-level graphics card designed for mini-ITX systems. The new Sapphire Nitro R7 360 is powered by “Bonaire” graphics processing unit and may be used as an inexpensive upgrade for older PCs or building of home-theater personal computers (HTPCs). The Sapphire Nitro R7 360 graphics adapter is based on the …

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Sapphire Technologies has introduced a new entry-level graphics card designed for mini-ITX systems. The new Sapphire Nitro R7 360 is powered by “Bonaire” graphics processing unit and may be used as an inexpensive upgrade for older PCs or building of home-theater personal computers (HTPCs).

The Sapphire Nitro R7 360 graphics adapter is based on the “Bonaire” graphics processing unit with 768 stream processors, 48 texture units, 16 raster operations pipelines and 128-bit memory controller. The GPU uses AMD’s GCN 1.1 architecture and supports DirectX 12 application programming interface, AMD TrueAudio technology and advanced video processing capabilities. The graphics board carries 2GB of GDDR5 memory operating at 6.5GHz.

sapphire_radeon_r7_360

The Sapphire Nitro R7 360 graphics adapter sports DVI-I, HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 outputs. The card is equipped with a simple dual-slot cooling system and is only 170mm long.

The new graphics card from Sapphire is already available for around £90.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Sapphire Nitro R7 360 graphics adapter was not designed to run demanding video games. It will hardly deliver decent performance in AAA titles, but if you are building a small general-purpose PC with rich multimedia capabilities, the new graphics board from Sapphire is a thing to consider.

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Gigabyte unveils high-end Intel Z170-based mini-ITX mainboard https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/gigabyte-unveils-high-end-intel-z170-based-mini-itx-mainboard/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/gigabyte-unveils-high-end-intel-z170-based-mini-itx-mainboard/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2015 23:34:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265855 Gigabyte Technology has introduced its new mini-ITX mainboard for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors with premium features. The new platform supports a number of advanced technologies, including Creative SoundBlaster audio enhancements, USB 3.1 type-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and so on. The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard based on the Intel Z170 core-logic with LGA1151 socket is designed for …

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Gigabyte Technology has introduced its new mini-ITX mainboard for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors with premium features. The new platform supports a number of advanced technologies, including Creative SoundBlaster audio enhancements, USB 3.1 type-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and so on.

The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard based on the Intel Z170 core-logic with LGA1151 socket is designed for Intel’s latest Core i-series “Skylake” microprocessors and has high-quality five-phase voltage regulator module (VRM). The motherboard features 24-pin ATX main power connector and 8-pin ATX 12V power connector.

gigabyte_z170_mini-ITX_mainboard_1
The new GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard sports two DDR4 memory slots, one reinforced PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, one high-performance M.2 connector (with PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface) for advanced solid-state drives, two SATA Express connectors, six Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports, 8-channel Realtek ALC1150 audio with Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3 software enhancements, six USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 type-C port powered by an Intel USB 3.1 controller and so on.

The new mini-ITX mainboard features advanced networking connectivity capabilities, such as a Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet controller that speeds up gaming traffic and minimizes latency. In addition, the mainboard is equipped with an Intel mini PCI Express card with Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2 support. The Wi-Fi solution has two antennas and supports bandwidth of up to 867Mb/s.

The GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard uses high-quality components, including solid-state chokes and capacitors to improve durability of the product. Like other Intel Z170-based motherboards, the mini-ITX mainboard from Gigabyte supports basic overclocking capabilities.

gigabyte_z170_mini-ITX_mainboard

Pricing of Gigabyte’s GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 is unknown, but do not expect it to be affordable. The mainboard features a number of high-end technologies and will naturally belong to the list of Gigabyte's premium products.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 will allow to build very high-end systems in a very small form-factor. In fact, the only technology that the mainboard does not seem to support is Thunderbolt 3, which is supported by larger motherboards based on Intel Z170 from Gigabyte.

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AMD will not allow partners to modify specs of Radeon R9 Nano https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-will-not-allow-partners-to-modify-specs-of-radeon-r9-nano/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-will-not-allow-partners-to-modify-specs-of-radeon-r9-nano/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2015 15:22:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265767 Even though Advanced Micro Devices will allow its partners to build their own versions of AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards, it will not let them significantly alter specifications of such graphics adapters. As a result, the difference between the original Radeon R9 Nano and custom versions from AMD’s partners will be minimal. In about …

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Even though Advanced Micro Devices will allow its partners to build their own versions of AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards, it will not let them significantly alter specifications of such graphics adapters. As a result, the difference between the original Radeon R9 Nano and custom versions from AMD’s partners will be minimal.

In about three months from now Advanced Micro Devices will allow its partners to build custom versions of Radeon R9 Nano graphics adapters. The only thing that AMD’s partners will be allowed to modify is the cooling system of the product. Producers of graphics adapters will not be able to increase clock-rates of their Radeon R9 Nano or significantly adjust printed-circuit boards, reports Expreview web-site.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_1

Custom versions of AMD Radeon R9 Nano will have to preserve form-factor of the graphics card and should be compliant with mini-ITX standards. Thermal design power of partner’s Radeon R9 Nano graphics cards will have to be the same as TDP of AMD’s version.

AMD Radeon R9 Nano-based graphics boards from AMD’s allies will use fully-fledged “Fiji” graphics processing units with 4096 stream processors, 256 texture mapping units, 64 raster operations pipelines and 4096-bit HBM memory bus.

amd_radeon_r9_nano

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like custom versions of AMD Radeon R9 Nano will not be significantly different compared to AMD’s own graphics adapter. What we can expect are graphics adapters with hybrid or liquid cooling systems, which will have higher overclocking potential than AMD’s own Radeon R9 Nano. Keeping in mind that “Nano” graphics cards have different voltage regulator module compared to AMD Radeon R9 Fury X, even modified “R9 Nano” graphics adapters with advanced cooling systems will not have overclocking potential on par with the top-of-the-range product.

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MSI readies Intel Z170 mini-ITX mainboard with premium features https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/msi-readies-intel-z170-mini-itx-mainboard-with-premium-features/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/msi-readies-intel-z170-mini-itx-mainboard-with-premium-features/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2015 21:22:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265239 MicroStar International is preparing to release one of the industry’s first premium mainboards for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” microprocessors in mini-ITX form-factor. The new motherboard will support all features essential for modern high-performance personal computers and will even have overclocking capabilities. The MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC platform is based on the Intel Z170 core-logic set …

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MicroStar International is preparing to release one of the industry’s first premium mainboards for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” microprocessors in mini-ITX form-factor. The new motherboard will support all features essential for modern high-performance personal computers and will even have overclocking capabilities.

The MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC platform is based on the Intel Z170 core-logic set and is designed for Intel’s latest central processing units powered by the “Skylake” micro-architecture in LGA1151 form-factor. The mainboard comes with five-phase voltage regulator module for CPU as well as 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, reports TechPowerUp.

msi_z170_mini-itx

The new Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard features two DDR4 memory slots, one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, one high-performance M.2 connector (with PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface) for solid-state drives on the reverse side of the PCB, one SATA Express connector, four Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports, 8-channel audio, six USB 3.0 ports and so on.

The mainboard has rich networking connectivity options, including a Gigabit Ethernet controller as well as a mini PCI Express card with Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 support.

The MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard belongs to MSI Gaming lineup of products and thus supports basic overclocking capabilities, including DDR4 Boost technology and CPU tuning features.

msi_z170_mini-itx_1

The new mini-ITX mainboard from MSI will be among the first small form-factor platforms for Intel “Skylake” processors. The motherboard will hit the market in the coming weeks. Pricing of the MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC is unknown, but it is unlikely that it will be too expensive.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Just imagine, a mini-ITX system featuring a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700K processor, an AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics card, a Samsung SM951 512GB M.2 solid-state drive, 32GB of high-performance DDR4 memory at 3200MHz as well as a 6TB high-performance WD Black hard disk drive. Sounds like a dream PC, isn’t it? This is what the MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard allows one to build.

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AMD Radeon R9 Nano: Extreme performance in mini-ITX form-factor https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-radeon-r9-nano-leading-edge-performance-in-mini-itx-form-factor/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/amd-unveils-radeon-r9-nano-leading-edge-performance-in-mini-itx-form-factor/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:58:11 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265121 Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday introduced its highly-anticipated AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics card, which combines massive performance with relatively low power consumption and ultra-small form-factor. The new graphics card uses fully-fledged “Fiji” graphics processor and its peak compute performance even exceeds that of Nvidia Corp.’s GeForce GTX Titan X. Small form-factor, unbeatable performance The …

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Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday introduced its highly-anticipated AMD Radeon R9 Nano graphics card, which combines massive performance with relatively low power consumption and ultra-small form-factor. The new graphics card uses fully-fledged “Fiji” graphics processor and its peak compute performance even exceeds that of Nvidia Corp.’s GeForce GTX Titan X.

Small form-factor, unbeatable performance

The AMD Radeon R9 Nano is not a small brother to the flagship Radeon R9 Fury X, but a graphics card that offers nearly similar performance, which means that it is essentially a competitor. The miniature graphics adapter sports “Fiji” graphics processing unit with 4096 stream processors, 256 texture mapping units, 64 raster operations pipelines and 4096-bit interface for high-bandwidth memory operating at 1GHz. The board carries 4GB of HBM memory with 512GB/s bandwidth.

amd_radeon_r9_nano

Compute performance of the AMD Radeon R9 Nano is 8.2TFLOPS, which just 5 per cent below that of the top-of-the-line Radeon R9 Fury X and which is considerably higher than compute performance of Nvidia’s flagship offering, the GeForce GTX Titan X (6.2TFLOPS).

According to AMD, the Radeon R9 Nano is at least 30 per cent faster than any mini-ITX graphics card available today (i.e., Nvidia GeForce GTX 970) in various games in ultra-high-definition 4K (3840*2160) resolution. Thanks to ultimate compute performance of the novelty, that difference will only increase over time as games take advantage of compute capabilities of GPUs.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_perf

AMD’s “Fiji” graphics processing unit based on the GCN 1.2 architecture fully supports all modern technologies and application programming interfaces, including DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, OpenCL 2.1, Vulkan, Mantle, FreeSync and other.

“With the Radeon R9 Nano graphics card, AMD is enabling 4K class gaming in your living room in an exceptionally quiet, ultra-small design built to excel in today's games and on the latest APIs like DirectX 12 and Vulkan,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager of product, computing and graphics business unit at AMD. “There simply is nothing else like it.”

State-of-the-art design

The miniature AMD Radeon R9 Nano uses 6” printed circuit board specially developed for high-end graphics cards. The card will fit into any mini-ITX system that is compatible with dual-slot graphics adapters.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_2   amd_radeon_r9_nano_3

The board features 4+1-phase voltage regulator module based on high-end solid-state chokes as well as International Rectifier’s IR3564B dual-output digital multi-phase controller used on advanced mainboards. The VRM is extremely sophisticated and features additional chokes to stabilize and clean power in a bid to ensure stable operation in rather extreme conditions. The card has one 8-pin auxiliary PCI Express power connector.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_6

Too cool-down the card, which can dissipate up to 175W of power, AMD developed a special cooling system featuring one vapour chamber, numerous heat-pipe, an aluminum radiator and a 90mm fan that can exhaust heat in multiple directions. The cooler looks similarly to the one used on the Radeon R9 Fury X and features brushed aluminium finishes and multiple metal parts in order to ensure minimal vibration. The fan reportedly produces 42dBa of noise.

The graphics adapter features three DisplayPort 1.2a outputs as well as one HDMI 1.4 connector.

Price and availability

AMD’s partners will begin to sell the Radeon R9 Nano graphics boards under their own brands starting from the 10th of September. The manufacturer suggested retail price of the Radeon R9 Nano will be similar to that of the Radeon R9 Fury X: $649 in the U.S., £509 in the U.K. and €629 in Eurozone.

amd_radeon_r9_nano_1

In the first three months of availability, all AMD Radeon R9 Nano will be manufactured by a contract maker under supervision of Advanced Micro Devices and then sold to partners. Three months from now select AIB suppliers may release their own mini-ITX graphics cards based on the “Fiji” graphics processing units similar to AMD’s Radeon R9 Nano.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Small form-factor, limited power consumption, extreme compute performance and great performance in games make AMD’s Radeon R9 Nano a very attractive product. Its MSRP is rather high, but its competitors – AMD Radeon R9 Fury X and Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti – consume more power and are larger. Therefore, if you are building a mini-ITX PC to play video games in 4K UHD resolution, you really don’t have a lot of choice here.

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Intel readies ‘5×5’ upgradeable mini PC form-factor with LGA socket https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/intel-readies-5x5-upgradeable-mini-pc-platform-with-lga-socket/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/anton-shilov/intel-readies-5x5-upgradeable-mini-pc-platform-with-lga-socket/#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2015 13:02:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=264564 Intel Corp.’s NUC [next unit of computing] small form-factor PCs offer decent performance and are rather small. Unfortunately, such systems come with limited choice of processors and cannot be upgraded. By contrast, mini-ITX systems support all types of CPUs, can be upgraded, but are considerably larger. In a bid to offer small dimensions and a …

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Intel Corp.’s NUC [next unit of computing] small form-factor PCs offer decent performance and are rather small. Unfortunately, such systems come with limited choice of processors and cannot be upgraded. By contrast, mini-ITX systems support all types of CPUs, can be upgraded, but are considerably larger. In a bid to offer small dimensions and a choice of CPUs, Intel proposes a new mini PC form-factor: 5×5.

Intel’s 5×5 is an all new form-factor for upgradable personal computers that has around 0.85 liters volume and around 39mm height. The core component of the 5×5 platform is a new mainboard with 140mm*147mm (5.5”×5.8”) dimensions, around 30 per cent smaller than mini-ITX, but considerably larger compared to motherboards inside NUCs. The mainboard has an LGA socket, two SO-DIMM slots, an M.2 connector for solid-state drives, a port to plug Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card, a SATA port, two USB 3.0 connectors, two HDMI outputs, Gigabit Ethernet and so on.

intel_5x5

According to Intel, 5×5 mainboards will support all processors with 35W and 65W thermal design power, which gives a broad choice of components to system integrators or end-users. Unfortunately, the Intel 5×5 platform does not support any PCIe x16 slots for graphics cards, unlike mini-ITX, which will prevent gamers from adopting such systems.

The newly-announced Intel 5×5 form-factor will require new PC chassis and new CPU coolers. However, it will provide PC makers and DIY end-users with a lot of flexibility in terms of possible configurations, something that NUC simply does not offer. It is unlikely that a lot of people upgrade SFF PCs in general, but an ability to install different processors is an important feature.

intel_5x5_1

At the Intel Developer Forum 2015 the chip designer demonstrated a prototype of a 5×5 mainboard equipped with an LGA1150 socket for “Haswell” and “Broadwell” processors. Commercial systems will likely feature LGA1151 sockets for higher-performing “Skylake” central processing units. Moreover, Intel might consider adding its “Alpine Ridge” controller to the design in order to enable USB 3.1 type-C and Thunderbolt connectivity. Such port could allow addition of ultra-fast solid-state drives and external graphics solutions, something that gamers and creative professionals will appreciate.

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Intel 5×5 prototype mainboard. Image by hardware.hdblog.it.

Intel does not reveal when the first 5×5 systems are set to hit the market, but it is possible that the first PCs adopting the new form-factor will become available already next year if Intel starts to produce 5×5 mainboards itself or persuades makers of motherboards to make such products.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Intel’s 5×5 form-factor sits between mini-ITX and NUC. It is not as flexible as the former and is not as small as the latter. The only tangible benefit that the 5×5 has over NUCs is a wide choice of microprocessors, which is good, but is it enough for the industry to embrace a new standard? The new 5×5 platform makes a great sense from Intel's business point of view. The amount of Intel's content per one 5×5 box can be extremely high (an expensive LGA CPU with high-performance integrated graphics, an SSD, network and USB controllers [should Intel decide to integrate “Alpine Ridge”], etc.). Furthermore, inability to upgrade graphics sub-system will force consumers who demand better performance in video games to switch the entire box instead of just graphics adapter, which shrinks upgrade cycles. But will the industry bite? Only time will tell.

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Fractal Design Node 202 https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/fractal-design-node-202/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/fractal-design-node-202/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2015 12:38:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=260400 Fractal Design offers its new Mini-ITX Node 202 either as a bare case or paired with its Integra SFX 450W PSU. When you consider how few SFX PSUs there are on the market it probably makes sense to go for the combo package, if only to save yourself hassle. This is a small form factor …

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Fractal Design offers its new Mini-ITX Node 202 either as a bare case or paired with its Integra SFX 450W PSU. When you consider how few SFX PSUs there are on the market it probably makes sense to go for the combo package, if only to save yourself hassle.

This is a small form factor case that measures 377mm wide x 330mm deep x 82mm high when it is laid down flat. Stand it on end using the foot and the official dimension increase to 385mm x 332mm x 125mm, however compared to a tower case the Node 202 is amazingly compact and has a volume of 10.2 litres.

P1000087 P1000078P1000081P1000090 P1000098  P1000093   P1000095

On the other hand if you compare the Node 202 to a truly tiny system such as Intel NUC, MSI Cubi or Gigabyte BRIX then Node 202 actually looks quite large so it is very much a matter of your personal perspective.

This raises the question of how you will use your shiny new PC. The Node 202 does not have an optical drive bay (so you can forget about playing Blu-ray) which means the Node 202 isn't quite an obvious candidate for a media centre PC that you might first think. The unexpected thing is that Fractal Design is aiming the Node 202 at the general PC market and states it ‘can house a capable gaming build.'

Specifications

  • Motherboard support: Mini-ITX
  • Expansion slots: 2
  • Included fans: None
  • Fan mounts: 2x 120mm in graphics chamber
  • 5.25″ drive bays: None
  • Internal drive bays: 2x 2.5″
  • Dimensions: 385mm x 332mm x 125mm

It is certainly true the Node 202 can accommodate a proper gaming graphics card (up to 310mm in length) and the Integra SFX PSU has the necessary pair of 6+2 power connectors.

The biggest drawback is that Node 202 only has 56mm of clearance for the CPU cooler so you are pretty much obliged to use a stock Intel air cooler (or similar after market cooler) and there is no scope to install an all-in-one liquid cooler.

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Pentium Anniversary G3258, Sapphire ITX Compact R9 285 graphics and an SSD storage drive. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Fractal Design Node 202‘s cooling capabilities.

For stress testing we use a mixture of Prime95 and FurMark to create the maximum heat output. Prime95′s ‘Small FFTs’ setting allows us to stress our CPU. FurMark’s ‘GPU Burn-in’ mode creates the maximum amount of load our GPU is ever likely to see.

Test System:

  • Processor: Intel Pentium Anniversary G3258
  • Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Pro
  • CPU cooler: Intel air cooler
  • Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3-1600MHz
  • Graphics card: Sapphire ITX Compact R9 285
  • Power supply: Fractal Design Integra SFX 450W PSU
  • Storage drives: Samsung 840 SSD
  • OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit

Thermal Performance Test Procedures:

  • The case’s default fan configuration is used to give an accurate interpretation of the out-of-the-box performance.
  • The Fractal Design Node 202 is supplied without any fans.

Cooling Performance
The Node 202 suffers on the cooling front, however the same is true of most small form factor PCs. In this case the dual core Pentium G3258 starts at a relatively warm 44 degrees but the temperature only rises to 61 degrees under extreme load. No doubt a Core i5 or i7 would have got significantly hotter but that wouldn't have proved very much.

On the graphics side of things the Sapphire ITX R9 285 idled at 41 degrees and rose to 78 degrees under extreme duress. There is absolutely no cause for concern with those figures.
Fractal Node 202 Temperature Graph

Acoustic Performance
Fractal design supplies the Node 202 without any case fans (there is an 80mm fan in the PSU) and while you can add two 120mm fans in the graphics side of the case we choose not to do so. This means we were using just the fans on the stock Intel CPU cooler and Sapphire graphics card.

At idle the system was effectively silent but under load we could clearly hear the fans spinning up as the hardware got hotter. Using benchmark software to stress components is a worst case scenario and while the fan noise was clearly audible it didn't cause any problems.

Fractal Node 202 Noise Graph

Closing Thoughts

Building a PC in the Fractal Node 202 is slightly fiddly as you first remove the chassis from the top and bottom covers. Next you install your Mini-ITX motherboard and after that you install and secure a PCI Express riser card to the divider that separates the two halves of the case.

Once the graphics card is installed you connect the various cables and here we wish that Fractal Design would include two short SATA cables to help keep everything tidy.

Fractal-Node-202-Review-KitGuru

Once the build is complete you reinstall the chassis in the bottom cover (which requires a bit of practice) and then close up the top of the case.
overclockers logo 250px
Buy Direct from Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss the review on our Facebook page, over HERE. Prices are £69.95 inc vat for the barebones unit and £119.99 inc vat for the unit with Integra 450W SFX PSU.

Pros:

  • Smart appearance.
  • Supports a proper 310mm gaming graphics card.
  • The ventilated panels in the case have full dust filtering.
  • The top and bottom panels use steel stiffening and the construction is nice and rigid.
  • Graphics card support block works well.
  • Fractal Design gives the option of a matching 450W SFX power supply.
  • Two 2.5-inch drive bays.

Cons:

  • There is only 56mm clearance for the CPU cooler.
  • Cleaning the dust filter above the CPU require the removal of the top cover.
  • Installation is the usual small form factor fiddle.
  • It would help if Fractal Design included two short SATA cables.
  • Replacing the bottom cover requires care to get the ports to correctly align with the front panel.

KitGuru says: A decent small form factor chassis that would benefit from better CPU cooling.
WORTH BUYING

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Gigabyte unveils two GeForce GTX 960 graphics cards for mini-ITX PCs https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/gigabyte-unveils-two-geforce-gtx-960-graphics-cards-for-mini-itx-systems/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/anton-shilov/gigabyte-unveils-two-geforce-gtx-960-graphics-cards-for-mini-itx-systems/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2015 03:01:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246313 Gigabyte Technology has quietly introduced its new GeForce GTX 960 graphics adapters designed for small-form-factor mini-ITX systems The new add-in-cards will be among the rarest graphics solutions in the industry that weds performance with tiny dimensions. The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 graphics cards – the GV-N960IX-2GD and the GV-N960IXOC-2GD – carry Nvidia GM206 graphics chip …

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Gigabyte Technology has quietly introduced its new GeForce GTX 960 graphics adapters designed for small-form-factor mini-ITX systems The new add-in-cards will be among the rarest graphics solutions in the industry that weds performance with tiny dimensions.

The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 graphics cards – the GV-N960IX-2GD and the GV-N960IXOC-2GD – carry Nvidia GM206 graphics chip with 1024 stream processors, 2GB of 7GHz GDDR5 memory, two DVI, an HDMI and one DisplayPort output. The adapters use solid-state capacitors and other high-quality components to ensure maximum reliability. The cards require one six-pin PCIe power connector and space for dual-slot cooling system to provide overclocking headroom.

The GV-N960IX-2GD graphics card can operate at 1152MHz/1203MHz base/boost GPU frequencies, whereas the GV-N960IXOC-2GD is rated to run at 1190MHz/1253MHz base/boost clock-rates.

gigabyte_geforce_gtx_960_itx_1

The graphics GV-N960IX-2GD/N960IXOC-2GD utilize similar advanced cooling systems with two copper heatpipes that directly contact the GPU and take away heat rapidly and efficiently. The fan speed is adjusted according to real-time GPU temperature in a bid to minimize noise level where possible.

The length of Gigabyte’s mini GeForce GTX 960 graphics adapters is just 17cm, which makes them compatible with all computer chassis, including small form-factor mini-ITX cases.

gigabyte_geforce_gtx_960_itx_2

Thanks to rather high performance of Nvidia Corp.’s GeForce GTX graphics processing unit, Gigabyte’s new graphics solutions will be great optios for gamers with SFF builds who still want to have proper performance in games.

Pricing of Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 for mini-ITX builds will vary depending on the region.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The new graphics cards from Gigabyte will compete against a similar offering from Asustek Computer. Since all graphics adapters are very similar, expect the manufacturers to adjust their prices to make their solution look better in the eyes of potential customers.

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Asrock unveils ultimate mini-ITX: Intel X99, O.C. socket, USB 3.1, 802.11ac, M.2 https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asrock-unveils-ultimate-mini-itx-intel-x99-o-c-socket-usb-3-1-802-11ac-m-2/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asrock-unveils-ultimate-mini-itx-intel-x99-o-c-socket-usb-3-1-802-11ac-m-2/#comments Sat, 14 Mar 2015 11:21:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=240012 Asrock, one of the world’s largest makers of mainboards, this week announced an ultimate mini-ITX mainboard that can not only enable small form-factor desktops with performance on par with full-size workstations, but also leading-edge functionality not found on many high-end PCs nowadays. The Asrock X99E-ITX/ac is the industry’s first mainboard in mini-ITX form-factor designed for …

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Asrock, one of the world’s largest makers of mainboards, this week announced an ultimate mini-ITX mainboard that can not only enable small form-factor desktops with performance on par with full-size workstations, but also leading-edge functionality not found on many high-end PCs nowadays.

The Asrock X99E-ITX/ac is the industry’s first mainboard in mini-ITX form-factor designed for Intel Core i7 “Haswell-E” microprocessors for high-end desktops (HEDTs). Thanks to the power provided by up to eight x86 cores, small-form-factor (SFF) systems built using the X99E-ITX/ac will offer tremendous performance in games and professional applications. Unfortunately, due to SFF constraints, there is a nasty sacrifice that Asrock had to make.

The new Asrock X99E-ITX/ac motherboard is equipped with modified LGA2011-3 socket with additional pins (also known as the O.C. socket) that supports Intel’s latest HEDT chips and allows to significantly increase their core voltages (Vcore) for maximum overclocking potential. The socket is narrower than desktop LGA2011-3 sockets, hence, it may not be compatible with all retail PC coolers. Since the mainboard is very tightly integrated, Asrock only could mount two 288-pin DDR4 DIMM slots for memory, thus, sacrificing quad-channel memory mode that Intel Core i7 Extreme processors support. While dual-channel DDR4 memory sub-system at 2133MHz provides up to 34GB/s of bandwidth, many heavily-threaded and bandwidth-hungry applications will clearly not be able to use the whole potential of Intel’s “Haswell-E” central processing units.

asrock_X99E-ITX_ac_Box-2

But while a compromise had to be made with memory configuration, Asrock made no compromises when it comes to functionality of the motherboard. The X99E-ITX/ac features one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, one enhanced M.2 slot that uses PCIe 3.0 x4 interconnection and provides up to 4GB/s of bandwidth for high-end solid-state drives, one SATA Express connector, four Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports, two USB 3.1 ports (powered by the Asmedia ASM1352R controller), six USB 3.0 ports, two Intel Gigabit Ethernet controllers, Wi-Fi 802.11ac wireless network controller, 7.1-channel audio and so on. The mainboard is built on an advanced printed circuit board and uses high-quality components for maximum reliability and durability. Asrock also bundles a special mini-ITX case-compatible CPU cooler with its platform.

Asrock will showcase its X99E-ITX/ac at the upcoming CeBIT 2015 trade-show in Hannover, Germany, next week. Pricing of the new motherboard is unknown, but since it is currently the world’s only LGA2011-3 mainboard in mini-ITX form-factor with plenty of features, we are talking about the price north from £200/$250.

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KitGuru Says: The Asrock X99E-ITX/ac is, without any doubts, the most advanced mini-ITX mainboard announced so far. It is clearly not ideal: it does not support quad-channel DDR4 memory or multi-GPU configurations, it uses a custom server LGA2011-3 socket and therefore is not compatible with loads of PC coolers, it lacks USB 3.1 type-C ports. Moreover, while the usage of O.C. socket on a mini-ITX mainboard is a nice marketing move, it is unlikely that its capabilities will ever be used on this particular model. People who buy mini-ITX platforms want to build small form-factor systems, whereas increasing Vcore north from 1.2V – 1.3V requires rather extreme (and large) cooling solution. But even keeping in mind all the potential weaknesses the X99E-ITX/ac has (there are not a lot of them, though), if you need a high-performance SFF system, this is the motherboard to buy.

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Aerocool Xpredator Cube Case Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/henry-butt/aerocool-xpredator-cube-case-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/henry-butt/aerocool-xpredator-cube-case-review/#respond Wed, 12 Nov 2014 10:03:27 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=220035 Today we are going to take a look at another new case from Aerocool, the Xpredator Cube. Like the Strike-X Cube that we reviewed recently, the Xpredator Cube is a micro-ATX model which is targeted at those users looking to build a compact gaming system,  with room for powerful components. We were quite impressed with the …

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Today we are going to take a look at another new case from Aerocool, the Xpredator Cube. Like the Strike-X Cube that we reviewed recently, the Xpredator Cube is a micro-ATX model which is targeted at those users looking to build a compact gaming system,  with room for powerful components.

We were quite impressed with the Aerocool Strike-X Cube when we reviewed it recently, so we are excited to see how the Aerocool Xpredator Cube compares.  It is very similar in many ways to the Strike-X, featuring the same basic steel chassis with different plastic fascias.

intro

Specifications:

  • Case Type: Cube Case
  • Material: 0.7mm
  • Motherboards: Micro ATX / Mini ITX
  • Chassis Dimensions (W x H x D): 280 x 380x 350 mm
  • 5.25” Drive Bays: 1 (Exposed)
  • 3.5” Drive Bays: 3 (Hidden, Internal 3.5” HDD Tray)
  • 2.5” Drive Bays: 5 (Hidden, Internal 3.5” HDD Tray and Under ODD rack)
  • Expansion Slots: 4 Slots
  • Max length space available for PCI slots: 320mm (345mm – Without Front Fan)
  • I/O Ports: 2 x USB3.0 , HD Audio+ MIC, 2 x Fan Controller
  • Height limit for CPU coolers :Support Max. Height Of 162mm For CPU Cooler (187mm- Without Top Fans)
  • Fans (Front): 1 x 200mm Fan Included
  • Fans (Rear): 1 x 140mm Black Fan Included
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