EKWB might be known for its high-end custom watercooling loop parts, but not long ago, the company figured that the AIO market might be suited to them too. It started with the EK-AIO D-RGB, then followed the EK-AIO Elite. Now, the company is following suit with the EK-AIO Basic, bringing Slovenian watercooling to systems designed on smaller budgets.
At launch, these AIOs are only coming in 240mm and 360mm variants, either with two or three all-black 120mm fans. These fans spin at speeds between 550 and 2200 RPM, which is a decent range with a lavish top end you’ll likely rarely need to address. Noise per fan is rated at 33.5 dBA at full speed when they’ll produce 2.89mm of static pressure and 77CFM of flow if unimpeded.
(Image credit: EKWB)
Being budget-oriented AIOs, the radiators are made of aluminum and only the cold plate is made of copper for better thermal performance. This is mixed metal, but it’s a recipe used in almost all other AIOs on the market, and with the right corrosion inhibitor in the fluid, proven not to be an issue in closed loops.
The pump, meanwhile, is rated to spin at 850 to 2600 RPM, so you can lower its speed when the CPU isn’t under load.
(Image credit: EKWB)
No RGB is present on this unit, but despite being the most budget-oriented option with pricing to match, the pump cover looks as classy as the more premium units and will look good in many systems. At least to me, this looks like a clean, minimalist AIO that doesn’t shout ‘budget’ with its looks, and that’s a good thing!
Pricing is set at $90 for the EK-AIO Basic 240 and $120 for the 360mm variant, and both are available for order directly from EKWB immediately.
Corsair’s 5000X RGB is a beast of an enclosure, offering a solid foundation for big, majestic RGB builds – but you have to throw in a lot of extra fans for it to make sense over the less-costly Obsidian 4000X.
For
So much tempered glass
Added side intake for better thermal performance
Big, majestic, powerful looks
Easy to work with
Against
Needs extra intake fans to make sense over 4000X
Expensive
Specifications and Features
When Corsair announced its Obsidian 4000 Series cases, we particularly liked the glass 4000X for its superb RGB implementation and clean appearance, but it had one big drawback over the 4000D Airflow: thermals. With the Obsidian 5000X we have on the test bench today, Corsair addresses these concerns with an added intake on the right side of the case to aid the restricted front glass intake.
But priced at $204.99, there’s a steep premium you pay for this performance potential – and I say potential, because the chassis doesn’t come with the added fans you need to get the increase in thermal performance. The real question is, does this new model deserve a spot on our Best PC Cases list?
Specifications
Type
Mid-Tower ATX
Motherboard Support
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX
Dimensions (HxWxD)
20.5 x 9.6 x 20.5 inches (520 x 245 x 520 mm)
Max GPU Length
16.5 inches (420 mm)
CPU Cooler Height
6.7 inches (170 mm)
Max PSU Length
8.9 inches (225 mm)
External Bays
✗
Internal Bays
4x 3.5-inch; 2x 2.5-inch
Expansion Slots
7x + 2x
Front I/O
2x USB 3.0, USB-C, 3.5 mm Audio/Mic Combo
Other
4x Tempered Glass Panel, Fan PWM Splitter, RGB Controller
Front Fans
3x 120 mm RGB (Up to 2x 140mm, 3x 120mm)
Rear Fans
1x 120mm (Up to 1x 120mm)
Top Fans
None (Up to 2x 140mm, 3x 120mm)
Bottom Fans
✗
Side Fans
None (Up to 3x 120mm)
RGB
Yes, fans & controller
Damping
No
Warranty
2 Years
Features
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Touring around the outside of the chassis, it’s clear that this is a bigger case than the 4000X, and it sits on the larger side of ATX cases. This, of course, is the result of making the case slightly deeper to make room for the side intake, and the case is also slightly taller to make space for thicker radiators at the top.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Weirdly, despite being a case built for RGB, this dark tint and lavish quantity of glass make the chassis quite elegant. Just beware, the white version of the case doesn’t have nearly as dark a tint, so you’ll have to get a lot craftier to get the internals in that case to look good.
Tempered glass is featured not only on the left side, but also the front, top, and right side of the chassis. The glass comes with quite a dark tint, which although it will hide much of your internal components, does have a few benefits: It hides ugly cables in plain sight. You won’t need to get choosy with a pretty motherboard or GPU, and it masks unused space as well. All you’ll see through these panels is the RGB lighting of your components inside. Of course, you’ll need a lot of RGB if you wish to show off the inside of your PC, but it won’t blind you if you overdo it.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The front IO resides at the top of the case, and consists of power and reset switches, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type-C port, and a headphone/mic combo jack. We typically prefer to see separated jacks for audio instead of combo jacks, but the truth is in general you should avoid using top IO for audio anyway for the best audio, due to interference.
The 5000X’s side panels come off by undoing two thumbscrews at the rear and pulling the back of panels out of their clips. The top and front panels come off simply by gently pulling them out of their clips, off the chassis.
Internal Layout
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Inside the main compartment of the Corsair 5000X, there is room for up to ATX-size motherboards, GPUs up to 420 mm long and CPU coolers up to 170mm tall. The space at the front of the case goes largely unused, though is of course necessary to create the clearance required to add the side intake.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Peek behind the case under the PSU cover, and you’ll find room for a PSU up to 225 mm in length, along with two 3.5-inch hard drives. The back of the motherboard tray offers three trays for additional 2.5-inch drives, though all-in-all, this setup will leave storage enthusiasts wanting, and I expected more 3.5-inch storage space from a case this big.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The rear of the system is covered up by a metal door, which will work well to hide the cable clutter to keep things looking clean and tidy through the glass side panel.
Cooling
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
When it comes to cooling, I feel like the Corsair 5000X RGB exists mostly because the 4000X RGB was so restricted for intake that thermals suffered. Of course, acoustic performance was great, but it’s the look of the glass that people are after. In that way, the 5000X RGB takes the 4000X RGB with its beautiful glass front panel, keeps it, and adds a side intake pointed away from the user to aid with intake, which should thereby result in great looks, great thermal performance, and decent noise levels – the best of all three worlds. We’ll see how this works out in practice.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
If you want to populate all the fan slots, you’ll be busy for a while as you can fit another three fans on the side, three 120mm spinners at the top (or 2x 140), and another 120mm or 140mm spinner at the rear exhaust. Of course, your AIO will probably take care of the top exhaust, but that still leaves another four fan slots open.
At the back of the motherboard tray there is a fan controller that splits a PWM signal into six headers, and an RGB header. The three included fans are connected to each of these controllers, leaving you room for three more.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
And that’s where the problem comes in with this case. To use the added cooling potential it has over the 4000X, you need to purchase another three fans for the side intake, or else you might as well skip this case and go for the cheaper and smaller 4000X.
Filters are provided on all the fan locations.
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That being said, if you’re buying this for a liquid-cooling build, there is ample radiator space with up to 360mm radiators at the top and front, with a 120mm rad at the rear exhaust. The spec sheet also lists a third 360mm radiator spot at the side intake, but that will only work if you remove the shroud, and you’ll have to keep the radiator thin to avoid running into the GPU.
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For thick radiators, Corsair includes a replacement shroud part to give more space at the front, but you’ll have to either sacrifice the hard drive cage or use a smaller PSU if you go that route.
The Consumer Electronics Show officially begins this week. Thankfully, the Consumer Electronics Association capitulated in July and switched the whole thing over to being online-only. But it’s hard to know what CES is even supposed to be without giant convention halls filled with ostentatious displays, blinking lights, and hordes of exhausted and smelly people in off-the-rack suits. Whatever happens, you will be able to find all our coverage right here.
The chief executive of the CEA Gary Shapiro told the Wall Street Journal that his organization did its best to try to translate some of the experience online. I can tell you that many on our staff here at The Verge are absolutely dreading being made to click through 3D software models of booths like we’re playing the worst Myst remake ever.
But my guess is that it’ll be a lot smoother than that and really the thing we’ll miss the most is that it will be harder to serendipitously stumble upon some strange or clever new gadget at a tiny booth in the back reaches of the Sands convention center.
The CEA has smartly limited official keynote presentations to 30 minutes a pop. That should mean we’ll get to the announcements more quickly and have to spend a little less time hearing vague hand-waving about innovation. We’ll be covering those live (though without liveblogs), so stay tuned starting today and through the first half of the week.
The main CES keynote will come from Verizon (so expect 5G talk), but the usual suspects like Sony, Samsung, LG and others will have their own presentations. One consequence of moving the entire show online is that companies seem to be stretching out their announcements to fill the suddenly larger virtual space. So although CES’s official start is this week, many of the biggest announcements have already happened. This year’s TV announcements are essentially half-finished thanks to Samsung and Sony going so early.
This year, there will be a few trends to watch for. In TVs, 8K will continue to be everywhere but the real showdown is going to be between more traditional OLED TVs and Mini LED. But the real thing to watch for is HDMI 2.1, the new iteration of the spec that has the necessary bandwidth for more advanced gaming features. It ought to be everywhere this year. Oh, and LG has already shown off its weird concepts this year — transparent TVs are cool.
LG’s bendy TV for 2020LG
There will be plenty of 5G talk, but since this isn’t a phone show much of it will amount to more promises. Verizon is doing the keynote, however, so perhaps it will have something to say about improving its lackluster 5G network, which can often be slower than LTE. (Verizon’s 4G LTE network remains great, at least.)
Laptops and PCs will likely show up with their usual mix: a few weird concepts and a lot of decent spec bumps. I’m going to keep an eye out for two things: whether AMD can pick up more models from Intel and whether Intel can get a critical mass of “Evo” laptops with decent battery life. Because like it or not, the stunningly good Arm-based MacBooks are going to loom like a shadow over the whole proceeding. Perhaps a few companies will take a shot at making a better Arm-based Windows laptop, too.
As for smart home stuff, there’ll be the usual mix of oddities like smart toilets and improvements to the basics like fridges, ovens, and smart lights. I do wonder if there will be a small lull this year as we await the new CHIP industry standard that should reduce fragmentation in how these things communicate with each other.
Image: JBL
One thing we’ll definitely keep an eye out for is health gadgets — and that eye will be extremely skeptical. CES is always the place where quackery and technology team up, but this year my worry is that more than a few overzealous companies will try to make COVID-specific pitches for their gadgets.
Last and perhaps least: phones. CES is rarely a phone show, and this year the fact that Samsung will be announcing its flagship Galaxy S21 just afterwards will tamp those announcements down further. I suspect we’ll see a lot of low and mid-range phones that bring down the cost of access to 5G, but I doubt anybody will try to front-run Samsung.
There may be surprises, too! You never know. We’ll be covering it all from the safety of our homes, so stay tuned. I’ll send out more newsletters than usual this week to try to keep up. And speaking of keeping up, below are the CES and CES-adjacent announcements that have already happened.
TVs
┏ Samsung’s 2021 TVs have dramatically better picture, thanks to Mini LED. Samsung’s big bet on Mini LED continues, including more dimming zones. Not having the chance to see Samsung’s TVs in person is one of my bigger regrets this year, because it is doing so much to try to innovate with LED tech instead of just going to OLED like everybody else.
But to me, the best thing Samsung did was tout a whole new set of accessibility features. In particular I like that its TVs will give users the option of enlarging the ASL bubble that appears on the lower-right of the screen. But it’s doing much more than that.
┏ Samsung made a solar-charging Eco Remote for its latest TVs. Samsung also made a lot of noise over the environment and here I was less sympathetic. If one were to do a study of the extra carbon cost of building this remote with its solar panel and integrated battery versus just letting users replace a couple of AA cells every so often, I wonder which would come out ahead.
┏ LG imagines a bed with a hidden see-thru OLED TV set. I dunno LG, a semi-transparent TV is cool enough on its own that adding a motorized gimmick and suggesting it go at the foot of a bed is just gilding the pixel lily.
The screen achieves 40 percent transparency, LG Display says, which is an improvement over past transparent LCDs the company claims achieved only 10 percent transparency. … LG imagines the screen sitting at the foot of a bed, where it can rise up partially or in full to show information or videos while retaining a view of the other side of the screen.
┏ Watch this flexible LG gaming TV bend from flat to curved. Okay I dig this.
┏ Sony’s 2021 TV lineup runs Google TV and fully embraces HDMI 2.1. Sony’s TV lineup is a little less flashy but a lot more functional this year. It’s switching over to Google TV from Android TV, for one thing. And I love this bit about the legs:
Sony has also focused on small touches, like adjustable legs that can be configured to allow enough space for a soundbar in front of the TV without obstructing the picture. Going down the lineup, you lose certain niceties (like an antireflective coating exclusive to the 8K set), but all of the TVs support Dolby Vision HDR.
┏ Roku says Roku TV was best-selling smart TV OS in North America for 2020.
Other very good big screens
┏ Acer’s latest gaming monitors include its first with HDMI 2.1. At some point, I am going to need to figure out a way to play PS5 games without using the main television for hours on end — there’s other people who want to watch TV. This looks like a great, overkill solution for that which could also serve as a really solid gaming monitor. Not cheap, though, and as Cameron Faulkner points out it is getting awfully close to “just buy an actual TV instead” territory.
In terms of specs, the standout product is the new Nitro XV28, a 28-inch 4K monitor with an IPS display and a 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium. It’s Acer’s first gaming monitor to use HDMI 2.1 ports, giving it the spec (assuming you’re using an HDMI 2.1-compliant cable) to support up to 4K gaming at 120 frames per second with variable refresh rate (VRR). … So, not only is this a solid option for PC gamers hoping to squeeze the most out of their Nvidia RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, it’s an option about which PS5 and Xbox Series X owners can be equally excited.
┏ Mercedes-Benz unveils its absolutely massive 56-inch ‘Hyperscreen’ display. CES is nothing if not a show about screens, and I am sad that I won’t have a chance to go behold this screen (which is technically three screens) in person.
┏ Sony is going to start selling its Mandalorian-like virtual set displays. I’ll take two.
Audio
┏ These are Sony’s first 360-degree audio speakers. These speakers look really interesting! I do wonder how they sound, of course. I also wonder just how much content is really going to support 360-degree audio.
┏ Sony’s 360-degree audio is coming to streaming video.
┏ JBL’s new stereo amplifier pairs retro looks with modern connectivity. Click through and look at this thing. It’s very pretty!
The JBL SA750 is a new stereo amplifier pairing modern streaming technologies like Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast with a design that wouldn’t look out of place in a hi-fi rack from the ‘60s or ‘70s. It’s got a set of reassuringly chunky-looking dials and switches as physical controls, an understated display, and its sides are covered with wood veneers. The amplifier, whose release coincides with JBL’s 75th anniversary, will cost $3,000 when it goes on sale beginning this May.
┏ JBL’s Bar 5.0 Multibeam is an all-in-one soundbar with Virtual Dolby Atmos.
┏ The JLab JBuds Frames are open-ear headphones you clip to your glasses.
PCs
┏ LG’s 2021 Gram laptops feature Intel’s 11th-Gen processors. There are “Evo” laptops, Intel’s badge for devices that meet certain benchmarks for battery life and included features. As Monica Chin notes, LG might have exceeded those benchmarks in at least one category:
LG claims you could see up to 19.5 hours from the Gram 17, Gram 16, and 16 2-in-1. That’s a claim I’d usually be skeptical of, but I will say the 2020 Gram 17 had some of the longest battery life I saw from a laptop last year. It lasted around 10 hours of my daily workload (which is fairly intense). So LG knows what it’s doing when it comes to efficiency, and there’s reason for optimism.
┏ Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 hands-on: promisingly boring. Last year Samsung and Google did their level best to steal the CES show with a very red, very pretty Chromebook that ended up being very disappointing. This year Samsung is retrenching — this laptop is not a successor at all. As Monica Chin calls it, it’s a “regular-ass Chromebook.” Nothing wrong with that as long as it’s executed well. We’ll see.
┏ Lenovo’s new IdeaPad 5 Pro includes AMD Ryzen mobile processors. Lenovo is joining the 16:10 aspect ratio club, which is the hottest laptop screen club even though it’s not quite as fancy as the 3:2 aspect ratio club.
┏ Lenovo’s new Yoga all-in-one has a rotating display for better TikTok videos and Twitter scrolling. Sure, the monitor rotates and that’s rare in AIOs, but I am jealous of the feature that lets you plug in your laptop and make the two computers a little more symbiotic.
Of particular note is how Lenovo is taking advantage of USB-C with the Yoga AIO 7. Plug in your laptop with a USB-C cable, and you’ll be able to use the Yoga AIO 7’s hardware — including the display, speakers, mouse and keyboard, power supply, and even the integrated hard drive — directly with your laptop.
┏ Lenovo chases dream of making a PC Nintendo Switch with the LaVie Mini concept. Another concept that is unlikely to actually end up on store shelves, as Mitchell Clark notes:
Most, like Alienware’s UFO concept from last year, don’t ever end up making it to market, as these prototypes are often less about making viable consumer products and more about experimenting with new ideas and form factors and getting the requisite press attention during CES. Some do go on sale but don’t end up appealing to enough gamers to really make an impact, like Razer’s Edge or the initial Nvidia Shield handheld.
Gadgets and gizmos
┏ LG’s newest cordless vac automatically empties itself. I don’t know if LG will actually sell this or not — the company loves doing weird concept stuff at CES. I do know that I very much hate emptying out my vacuum so having a stand that does it for me is very appealing. Probably not appealing enough to actually buy the thing, but appealing enough for me to pay attention. That, after all, is the point of weird concept stuff.
┏ Intel launches RealSense ID, facial recognition tech that uses the company’s depth-sensing cameras. As Ian Carlos Campbell, Intel has been trying to make RealSense a Real Thing that gets included in devices for a long time now.
Intel’s RealSense tech has been knocking around for several years, popping up in odd, tech demo use cases like inserting your face into Fallout 4, and more useful ones like unlocking a laptop with Windows Hello. Intel suggests this new application of RealSense could be used in a variety of settings, like ATMs, registers, and smart locks. What the company doesn’t mention is the other popular use of facial recognition: governments and law enforcement agencies tracking and profiling people.
┏ I hope to someday sit in Kohler’s new voice-activated smart bath. If your bathtub doesn’t have color-changing lights and a literal fog machine built in, well, Kohler has the solution for those pressing problems.
┏ The 2021 Moto G Stylus, Power, and Play focus on big batteries, bigger screens, and low prices. Of all of these, the one I’m most interested in is the Power. At these price points, it seems unlikely that these phones could compete with flagships in any way. That’s true except in one case: the Power might have battery life that’s hard for any phone to beat.
┏ Kensington’s SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 dock has all the ports you could need. Monica Chin:
Thunderbolt 4 is here, and so is the first fully powered Thunderbolt 4 docking station. Kensington’s SD5700T includes a whopping 11 ports, 90W of power delivery, and transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. It provides either one 8K output at 30 Hz or two 4K outputs at 60 Hz. … Make no mistake: This is a fancy dock. It’s listed for $289.99 on Kensington’s site.
Thermaltake first showed us their Mini-ITX The Tower 100 case during a virtual Expo that replaced Computex in 2020 and we were intrigued, especially when we learned the price was around the £90/$90 mark. Fast forward six months and as we prepared for a virtual CES, and the delayed launch of The Tower 100, we were truly surprised when Thermaltake offered KitGuru a world exclusive review of this intriguing case. Naturally enough we accepted with almost indecent haste.
Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 4K HERE
Main features
Minimise the iconic The Tower 900 to support Mini-ITX
Tool-free tempered glass panel x3
Pre-installed 120mm standard fan x2
Supports the latest PC hardware
Front I/O ports with 2x USB 3.0 and 1x Type-C
Specification:
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX. Expansion slots: 2. Included fans: 1x 120mm top exhaust, 1x 120mm rear exhaust. Fan mounts: 1x 120mm/140mm on PSU cover, 1x 120mm/140mm roof, 1x 120mm/140mm rear. Radiator mounts: 120mm roof. 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None. Internal drive bays: 2x 3.5-inch/4x 2.5-inch, 2x 2.5-inch. Dimensions: 463mm H x 266mm D x 266mm W.
Once you have removed the glass panels you will find that building a PC inside The Tower 100 is relatively easy as you have good access to the Mini-ITX motherboard. On the other hand, it is questionable to claim the glass panels are tool-free as you first have to unscrew the top cover of the case before you can remove the glass. Our video shows you chapter and verse on the subject, including the bizarre cable routing we used for our Seasonic Focus PX-850.
The other reason we state it is easy to build a PC inside The Tower 100 is that you have very few options. You might install a 120mm AIO cooler on your CPU or you might go for an air tower, and that is pretty much the end of the matter. We were slightly surprised that Thermaltake does not include any RGB with the Tower 100 as the glass would show lighting to good effect however this clearly keeps costs low and certainly reduces complexity.
While The Tower 100 is rated as a Mini-ITX chassis we calculate the volume at 31 litres so it is fairly large. On the plus side you have plenty of space for the power supply, CPU cooler and graphics card. You have a great many options with your build and should have no difficulty arriving at a combination of parts that deliver decent performance.
Testing
To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Thermaltake The Tower 100‘s cooling capabilities.
The ambient temperature during our testing was a mere 15 degrees Celsius so you should add five or six degrees to our figures to get representative temperatures however the takeaway is that The Tower 100 is absolutely fine. Our Sapphire RX 6800 XT was effectively breathing fresh air and was completely happy, and it was clear the Noctua NH-U12S had no difficulty cooling our Ryzen 5 5600X.
The downside is that The Tower 100 has pretty much zero noise reduction and when you crank up the fans it gets pretty darned noisy. If you were keen to improve cooling while keeping the fans speeds low, it might be interesting to experiment with a fan installed on the power supply shroud.
Closing Thoughts
Here at KitGuru we love a decent Mini-ITX chassis such as the Cooler Master NR200P, however we acknowledge the expense of an SFX power supply and the hassle of cramming your hardware into a tiny space.
Thermaltake has gone down a different route with The Tower 100 which is relatively large for an ITX build but still small enough that you can place it on your desk without it looking ridiculous. The major design choice is an ATX power supply which is necessarily quite large with long cables. The good news is that while it seems you should be able to see all the hardware through the three glass panels, in fact the mess is contained in the lower compartment and behind the back panel.
Where we applaud Thermaltake is in their decision to go for mesh on every panel and also to employ a huge number of dust filters to ensure your PC can breathe while also keeping the innards clear. We are so used to seeing Thermaltake cases with huge slabs of glass and arrays of RGB fans that The Tower 100 comes as a welcome relief.
Our major complaint about The Tower 100 is that it is rather noisy, and we hope there is scope to work on fan locations to improve air flow at low fan speeds. We are treating The Tower 100 as Thermaltake’s first serious bid to build a small chassis and we hope we can expect more of the same in the future.
We don’t yet have a retail link, but you will be able to buy The Tower 100 for approximately £92.49 in Snow White and £83.24 in Black, converted from USD MSRPs.
Pros:
The Tower 100 is more mesh than glass and has decent air flow.
Air filters on every panel.
Interesting looks and quirky style.
Good access to the components and a relatively easy build.
Cons:
Supplied 1,200rpm fans are quite noisy
The user manual is fairly basic.
Relatively large for an ITX chassis.
Cable routing requires some thought.
KitGuru says: Thermaltake’s The Tower 100 is novel and interesting, but above all it breathes well and does a decent job.
It’s called Tower 100 the new case from Thermaltake designed for even powerful mini-ITX configurations, especially showcase the hardware thanks to three tempered glass panels.
by Manolo De Agostini published 09 January 2021 , at 15: 01 in the Peripherals channel Thermaltake
Thermaltake announced Tower 100 , a new compact case designed for motherboard-based configurations mini-ITX . The new chassis, nevertheless, offers ample space for both cooling solutions and for installing large video cards like many of the latest proposals from Nvidia and AMD.
Tower 100 is characterized by three 4mm thick tempered glass window panels , with options for cooling at the top and bottom of the case (two pre-installed fans from 120 mm and 1000 RPM, one at the top and one at the bottom), as well as in the classic rear position. Frontally, in the external upper part, we find a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C, two USB 3.0 Type A and the audio jacks.
The case supports additional fans including one from 120 / 140 mm at the top, one from 120 / 140 mm above the power supply cover and one from 120 / 140 mm in the back. Those who want to liquid cool the CPU can do so by placing the radiator from 289 mm of an AIO solution at the top. If you prefer an air cooler, Thermaltake allows you to install tall models up to 190 mm.
As regards the space for video cards, a maximum length of 330 mm allows you to install many of the cards on the market, but clearly it will be your concern to make sure you purchase a model with the appropriate size. Behind the motherboard tray is room for two 3.5-inch or four 2.5-inch drives, but you’ll have to sacrifice a fan. Alternatively there is the option to mount two 2.5 inch drives sideways.
As can be seen from the videos and photos released by the manufacturer, the inside is rotated by 90 degrees, so the I / O outputs are positioned at the top of the case , under a removable panel and accessible through openings. Finally, the case supports standard ATX power supplies at the bottom. At the moment we do not know the price of the Thermaltake Tower 100, while two colors will be available , black and white.
NZXT, maker of PC accessories and cases, has revised its Mini-ITX case, and it’s now available for purchase. In November, we broke the news that the H1 was being recalled for safety concerns. This was due to a number of reports of motherboards being shorted out and potentially starting a fire, due to two screws that attach the PCIe riser assembly to the chassis.
This issue has reportedly been corrected in a new revision of the case. NZXT ensures that this new revision will not suffer from the same issue as before.
“The H1 has been updated to address the safety issue and is once again available for sale. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolved this matter,” it said in a blog post.
Those who already own the H1 case can request a free repair kit by going to NZXT’s H1 recall website. The repair process is straightforward, and there’s also a video that explains the steps to apply this repair kit. These repair kits started shipping out as of December 28.
The H1 case is up for sale again, but now in its revised version, over on NZXT’s website. However, we’ve yet to see go back up on Amazon or Best Buy, two online retailers who sold the original H1 case.
NZXT’s H1 comes in both matte white and matte black and retails for $350. If you’re wondering why this case is so expensive, it is equipped with a 650w SFX PSU and 140mm AIO liquid cooling.
On a personal note, I’m glad to see that this case is going back on sale, as I’ve wanted one for quite some time. Our NZXT H1 review praised the chassis’ small build, premium cooling and easy use, landing it on our Best PC Cases page. I originally planned to pull the trigger on an H1 and rebuild my PC over the 2020 holiday season, but the recall made that impossible.
If you’re looking for a slick-looking Mini-ITX case with decent airflow and don’t mind the premium, the H1 is worth a glance now that it should be safe to use.
Dynatron raises an RL AIO capable of cooling up to 250 W with only two fans of 12 cm, the Dynatron L kit 15.
This morning we saw Thermaltake launch a new RL AIO kit , in his case with two models that differed in whether they had an LCD screen or not integrated in the CPU block. In this case, the Dynatron L 15 comes only in a format of 240 mm long , making use of some high static pressure fans to achieve dissipation up to 250 W with only two of them.
The Dynatron L 15 is a kit RL AIO for both Intel and AMD processors (although there is no mention of AM4) which features two fans that spin between 600 and 2400 RPM. The air flow generated through the heatsink fins is 23 to 92 CFM, reaching a loudness, at the same time, of 16 to 38 dBA .
The The company has not disclosed prices or availability, although since it does not have ARGB LEDs either, it should not go out of price.
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Pablo López
With 15 Years ago I started overclocking my PC to get every extra FPS I could in games and scratch a few milliseconds in SuperPi, while I was constantly posting about hardware on the Geeknetic forum as a user and reader. Surely they were so fed up with continually reading me on the forum that I became part of the writing team, where I continue to report on the latest in technology. Astrophysics and PC games are the hobbies that, after hardware, cover most of my free time.
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XPG has given us a glimpse at the new hardware it intends to launch during CES 2021 next week. Besides PC components and new software, one of XPG’s main highlights will be an Intel Xe powered gaming ultrabook.
The XPG Xenia Xe is a gaming ultrabook designed in collaboration with Intel, featuring a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a FullHD resolution and an 87% screen-body ratio. Equipped with an XPG 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD and either an Intel 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1165G7 processor with Iris Xe Graphics, the Xenia Xe has a maximum battery life of 16 hours. The “premium and elegant CNC anodized aluminium chassis” gives the laptop a modern and minimalistic design, measuring 11mm at its thinnest and weighing 1.65Kg.
XPG is also getting ready to launch two new applications. The XPG Prime is used to connect multiple XPG devices so users can conveniently customise lighting effects, RGB, and the device’s functions. The other application is XPG Grit, a training software application that helps users push themselves to the next level in FPS games. Through the use of “training modules and analysis”, users will train their skills in different scenarios while the software gathers data of their training sessions. Based on the data collected, the software will then suggest the settings to use and which exercises will help users improve.
At CES 2021, XPG will also be showing two mid-tower chassis: the Defender Pro E-ATX and the Starker Air ATX. We already talked about the Defender Pro, which we considered a “solid mid-tower chassis with great airflow that shouldn’t break the bank”. The Starker Air is an airflow focused version of the original Starker, featuring an innovative dust filter, vertical VGA installation, mesh front panel, and ARGB. The Starker Air will be available in both black or white.
There’s also a new AIO liquid cooler from XPG coming up. The Levante Pro will take advantage of XPG Nidec-powered Vento Pro 120 PWM fans and Asetek’s 7th generation pump with PWM control to cool the massive 360mm radiator. Additionally, it will come with a 2.1-inch LCD display on the pump cap, allowing users to monitor their system components, or display customised images and GIFs.
XPG will also focus on portable storage, introducing the SD Express Card and the SE900G RGB external SSD. The SD Express Card is expected to be available in Q2 2021, and will be compliant with the new SD7.0 specification and support PCIe Gen3x1, offering read/write speeds of up to 880/400MBps. The rugged SE900G RGB external SSD will be even faster through the use of its USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface, delivering read//write speeds of up to 2000Mbps.
Finally, XPG will also showcase the already available Gammix S70 PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, and Adata’s next-gen DDR5 memory modules.
KitGuru says: What do you think about the Xenia Xe gaming ultrabook? Will you be checking out the CES 2021 announcements next week?
Despite the persistently poor availability of graphics cards, the manufacturers occasionally introduce new models of the GeForce RTX – 30 – series before. Some of these have already been mentioned in advance, but the go-ahead should be given when availability is given. At least in homeopathic doses, this should now be the case – in addition, the CES will be at the beginning of next week 2021 into the house, which is also used by some manufacturers for product announcements.
MSI gives a preview of what was already expected via social media post. In the case of the mainboards, you are already working with EK Water Blocks for water cooling (and as a monoblock also for the processor) and, as the Sea Hawk EK series, will probably also do this with the graphics cards. ASUS has also entered into a collaboration with EKWB and offers some cards with a pre-installed water cooler. But it could also be that MSI is further deepening its cooperation with Corsair and installing their Hydro-X water cooler in addition to AiO coolers.
On 13. January MSI will present its innovations as part of a “Tech for the Future” event. In addition to a few PC components, it can be expected that the focus will be on notebooks. AMD and Intel offer new processors (Cezanne and Ryzen 3090 and Tiger Lake-H) and NVIDIA transfers its ampere- GPUs in mobile variants in the notebooks.
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At EVGA we know the previously presented AiO and water-cooled graphics cards of the GeForce RTX – 30 – series already. The GeForce RTX 3090 K | NGP | N Hybrid Gaming is the spearhead of the product range at EVGA and is with a larger one Radiator (360 instead of 240 mm) for the AiO cooling. The maximum potential of such a card can certainly only be squeezed out of such cards by using extreme cooling methods such as liquid nitrogen. EVGA offers BIOS versions for this, which have a maximum power limit of 450 W have. Professional overclockers even get special versions that are completely unlimited. Then it doesn’t matter which cooler the manufacturer delivers the card with, as it will be replaced one way or another.
But Here, too, one goes a step further equips this card with a pre-assembled full-cover water cooler. Details about the card are not yet available, but the values for the GeForce RTX 3090 K | NGP | N Hybrid Gaming, which is then simply equipped with another water cooler. The name addition Hydro Copper is added.
EVGA and many other manufacturers reveal a veritable flood of different models of the GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3080, GeForce RTX 3070 and GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The willing buyer has the choice between differently complex air, AiO and water cooling and accordingly the prices range from 589 Euro for inexpensive GeForce RTX models 3060 Ti up to almost 2. 500 Euro for expensive models of the GeForce RTX 3090.
Thermaltake already has a new all in one liquid cooling kit, the TOUGHLIQUID, and it comes in two versions and up to 3 different sizes.
This new Thermaltake RL AIO kit incorporates some new fans of 12 cm, plus a version with an LCD screen showing additional system information. This is something that we already saw in other manufacturers such as NZXT, but that little by little more brands are encouraged to launch this feature. As far as we are concerned now, the new RL AIO kits Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID come in two versions; the Ultra and the ARGB .
The first one incorporates an LCD screen in the CPU block that shows information in real time from the different sensors we want, how to show fan speed, processor or water circuit temperature … The ARGB version incorporates numerous lights to configure them with the software prepared for it and give the computer a different touch.
The Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra comes in formats of 240 and 360 mm , while the ARGB version is also expanded in size 280 mm . Ultra version fans are TOUGHFAN 15 Turbo reach 2500 RPM, while those of the ARGB version stay at 2000 RPM.
Both versions will be available, in any of their formats, during the first quarter of this 2021.
Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 280 mm: $ 209. 99
Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 360 mm: $ 239. 99
Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID ARGB 240 mm: $ 99. 99
Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID ARGB 280 mm: $ 129. 90
Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID ARGB 360 mm: $ 149. 99
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
Pablo López
With 15 years ago I began to overclock my PC to get every extra FPS I could in games and scratch a few milliseconds in SuperPi, while I was constantly posting about hardware in the Geeknetic forum as a user and reader. Surely they were so fed up with continually reading me on the forum that I became part of the writing team, where I continue to report on the latest in technology. Astrophysics and PC games are the hobbies that, after hardware, cover most of my free time.
Home/Component/Cooling/Thermaltake announces ToughLiquid AIO CPU liquid coolers
João Silva 9 mins ago Cooling, Featured Tech News
Thermaltake is expanding its portfolio of cooling products with the addition of the ToughLiquid series of AIO CPU watercoolers. With Thermaltake’s new line of high-performance AIO CPU watercoolers, the company will launch five models, with radiators ranging from 240mm to 360mm.
The ToughLiquid series coolers will come in two different flavours: ToughLiquid Ultra and ToughLiquid ARGB Sync. All coolers come equipped with ToughFan fans in 120mm or 140mm sizes depending on the radiator.
Featuring redesigned 240mm and 360mm radiators to offer more fin surface area, the ToughLiquid Ultra comes equipped with ToughFan 12 fans, with a maximum speed of 2500RPM to offer a “stronger airflow for enhanced cooling”. These fans feature 2nd gen hydraulic bearings and LCP blades capable of operating at low noise while maintaining maximum cooling performance. Additionally, the AIO cooler block comes with an integrated pump, a full copper base plate, and features a 2.1-inch LCD screen that can monitor your system’s components or display lighting effects and GIFs when using Thermaltake RGB Plus 2.0 software.
The ToughLiquid ARGB Sync will be available in 240mm, 280mm, and 360mm form factors, featuring similar ToughFan 12 fans (ToughFan 14 fans if using a 280mm radiator) with the same LCP blades and hydraulic bearings, but with a maximum speed of 2000RPM. The pump of these budget-friendly watercoolers features a rotatable RGB LED cap with a 360° rotational orientation that users can configure using the built-in controller, allowing users to change between lighting modes, fan and pump speeds, and colours. You can also synchronise the ARGB LEDs using your motherboard RGB software to match the rest of your system.
The Thermaltake ToughLiquid AIO CPU water coolers will release during Q1 2021. The ToughLiquid Ultra 240 will be available for $209.99, while the ToughLiquid Ultra 360 will cost $239.99. The ToughLiquid ARGB 240, 280, and 360 will be priced at $119.99, $129.99, and $149.99, respectively.
KitGuru says: Have you ever owned a Thermaltake AIO CPU watercooler? Which Thermaltake ToughLiquid cooler would you choose for your system?
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Thermaltake is refreshing its range of AiO cooling with two new series. The new Toughfan 12 fans are used for both Toughliquid Ultra and Toughliquid ARGB Sync. In addition, the AiO cooling is noticeable either through a display or through A-RGB lighting on the pump cover.
The Toughliquid Ultra is provided with a 2.1-inch display. This LCD allows the monitoring of various components, the display of effects and the display of GIFs. The new software TT RGB Plus 2.0 is used for setup. Within this series, models with 240 – and with 360 – mm radiator are initially coming onto the market. In any case, the Toughfan 12 fans serve as fans. Thermaltake developed these fans as robust high-speed fans. The maximum speed is specified as 2. 500 rpm. The fans are not illuminated. Thermaltake also uses redesigned radiators with a larger cooling surface.
If you don’t need the display, but value an illuminated pump cover, you could use the new Toughliquid ARGB Sync models. The display gives way to six addressable RGB LEDs that illuminate the Thermaltake logo. To ensure that it is always correctly aligned, the cover can be rotated by 360 degrees. The lighting can be synchronized with suitable mainboards via the 5V + -A-RGB connection. In this series Thermaltake offers in addition to 240 – and 360 – mm models the intermediate size with 280 – mm radiator on. For the models with 120 – mm fans, as with the Toughliquid Ultra series, Toughfan 12 is used, but the maximum speed should be limited to 2. 000 rpm.
At least on the North American market, the two new AiO cooling series should be available this year. Thermaltake is guaranteed a two-year guarantee there. The US prices are stated as follows: The Toughliquid Ultra 240 should 209, 99 US dollars and the Toughliquid Ultra 360 239, 99 cost US dollars. For the Toughliquid ARGB Sync 240 119, 99 US dollars, for the Toughliquid ARGB Sync 280 129, 99 US dollars and for the Toughliquid ARGB Sync 360 149, 99 US dollars. Should euro prices become known, we will submit them later.
Among Lenovo’s announcements at CES 2021 also a desktop with adjustable display, and two new monitors that mix compactness with elegance. The details.
by Nino Grasso published 07 January 2021 , at 15: 01 in the Systems channel Lenovo Yoga
The Chinese company has formalized new products, including notebooks (which we talked about separately), all-in-one desktop PCs and monitors . Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 is a display computer rotating, designed to take up as little space on the desk as possible, and its announcement was accompanied by those of Lenovo L 24the-30 and Lenovo L 27is-30 , two sleek and slim monitors, both with IPS panels.
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 is a desktop all -in-one very interesting not only for the design, inspired and elegant thanks to the small size of the frames, but also and above all because of the rotating support that allows you to use the computer not only horizontally, but also vertically. The user can change modes with the push of a single finger, and can also activate the display remotely via smartphone or tablet, without turning on the PC. In the future, through a software update, it will be available to play content on the screen via the internet, with the Yoga AIO 7 which can be transformed into a 4K Smart TV.
The computer uses a certified audio system JBL Harman, positioned under the display and embellished with a soft-texture design for the outside. Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 will be sold in Cloud colors Gray and Moon White, and comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, as well as a detachable 5MP webcam. The all-in-one computer will allow you to upload a notebook or transfer files via drag-and-drop with a single cable.
The integrated display is a 27 “4K IPS that looks very promising: it offers a color gamut of 99% both in the DCI-P3 standard and in the Adobe RGB standard. On the hardware level we will have CPU up to AMD Ryzen 7 4800 H, and GPU up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, while Alexa will be integrated into the operating system natively with the possibility of activating it through the exclusive use of the voice .
Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 price is starting from 1. 599 dollars, with availability expected globally (in some markets) in February 2021 The computer is already available in the Chinese market.
New Lenovo monitors
Lenovo L 24the-30 and Lenovo L 27is-30 are two monitors with extremely compact dimensions and a definitely recognizable appearance. They use In-Plane Switching (IPS) displays from 24″ is 27 “ and are designed for the main destinations of use, such as films, online browsing, work, and even for video games. They offer “vivid images”, according to Lenovo, and a wide viewing angle thanks to the presence of IPS panels, along with a dedicated cable management system and a smartphone holder integrated within the design.
Lenovo L 24the-30
The monitor stand is made of metal, with the model from 24 “which offers a two-tone finish, while the one from 27 “is proposed in Graphite Gray. Both monitors offer a thickness, in the panel part, of maximum 7.1mm , while the reduced bezels offer an almost edgeless design. On the front of the technical specifications we have the support of the Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) and a refresh rate of 75 Hz with AMD FreeSync compatibility. There is also the TUV Rheinland certification for the reduction of blue light emissions.
Lenovo L 27is-30
The price of Lenovo L 24the-30 will be 159, 99 dollars , with availability expected in March 2021. Lenovo L will also arrive in the same period is-30 , at a price of 189, 99 dollars in the US market. Prices and details for the Italian market will be announced in the future.
Lenovo has a new Yoga computer out, but it’s not a laptop — it’s the new Yoga AIO 7 desktop. But while it may look like a standard all-in-one desktop, like its more portable cousins, the Yoga AIO 7 does have a display trick up its sleeve: the entire screen can rotate around, transforming the 27-inch landscape monitor into a vertical form factor.
Of course, the ability to rotate a display isn’t a wholly new idea. Standalone desktop monitors have offered the feature for years, making it easier for users to display content that’s better suited to a taller panel like Twitter feeds, long documents, or TikTok videos. But it’s far rarer to see the concept on an all-in-one computer.
The Yoga AIO 7 in its standard mode.Image: Lenovo
The idea is reminiscent of Samsung’s Sero TV from last year, a similarly rotating product that scaled up the idea to a full-sized 43-inch television in response to the popularity of vertical video formats from apps like Instagram and TikTok (which, in turn is directly due to the ubiquity of smartphones with video cameras). Lenovo seems aware of the potential for a vertical TV, promising a future software update that will effectively let the AIO 7 double as a full-fledged 4K smart TV.
As for the specs, the Yoga AIO 7 offers a choice between two 27-inch 4K panels (one regular and one that meets Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color standards); a choice between AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800H and Ryzen 5 4500H CPUs; Nvidia’s integrated RTX 2060 GPU; either 16GB or 32GB of RAM; and a mix of PCIe and HDD storage options (topping out at a 1TB SSD and a 2TB hard drive, respectively).
Of particular note is how Lenovo is taking advantage of USB-C with the Yoga AIO 7. Plug in your laptop with a USB-C cable, and you’ll be able to use the Yoga AIO 7’s hardware — including the display, speakers, mouse and keyboard, power supply, and even the integrated hard drive — directly with your laptop.
The Yoga AIO 7 is already available in China (where its called the Yoga 27), but it’ll be out in “select markets” in February starting at $1,599.
A few days before the virtual edition of CES begins 2021, some manufacturers such as ADATA have already shown which products will be the ones to officially launch during a of the largest and most important electronics fairs in the world.
Through its XPG gaming brand; The company has shown a wide catalog of news that includes XPG Xenia Xe notebooks from 15, 6 “, with 11th generation low voltage Intel Core processors. These laptops, although sold as gaming equipment, include integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, so they will not be a very suitable solution for those looking to play at full performance, but rather as an ultrabook more focused on general use and with high autonomy, up to 16 hours.
XPG Gammix S 70, an NVMe SSD with PCIe 4.0 that reaches 7. 400 MB / s, plus DDR5 modules
The ADATA XPG Gammix S 70 is an SSD in M.2 format with NVMe and PCIe Express 4.0, a drive that can reach 7. 349 MB / s read and 6. 400 MB / s of writing, both sequential, next to 650. 000 Random Read IOPS and 740. 000 Write IOPS of the same type.
In addition, the company will also show its first ADATA DDR5 modules running at 1.1v and up to 8. 400 MT / s
Gaming boxes and AiO coolers
Other products that ADATA will show are its gaming boxes XGP Starker Air and XPG Defender Pro, the first will come with ATX support and the second will support E-ATX boards. In both cases, they will be semi-tower boxes with support for high-performance cooling and ARGB lighting in their fans and also in the case itself.
You will be accompanied by the XPG Levante, an All in One liquid cooling with a 2.1 “LCD screen integrated into the water pump to be able to display system information. XPG Vento PRO 120 PWM fans are manufactured by the legendary Nidec and with RGB.
And also a “Gaming” gum: XPG Gaming Gum
Yes, ADATA will also use the most important electronics fair in the world to announce its latest product for the gaming market: a chewing gum.
Under the name of XPG Gaming Gum comes the latest “occurrence” with the tagline Gaming, a chewing gum designed for gamers that contains ingredients such as caffeine (supposedly nte to improve concentration) and lutein (antioxidant that, they say, is beneficial for the eyes and prevents inflammation while improving sharpness). This product was already shown in March, but it seems that now it will hit the market.
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