ATX - Page 14 of 14

ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 in the test: How tough is the gaming case?

Page 1: ASUS TUF Gaming GT 360 in the test: How tough is the gaming case?

The ASUS TUF series now even includes PC cases – including the TUF Gaming GT 501 . The midi tower should be robust and durable thanks to steel up to 1.5 mm thick, a special coating and particularly resilient carrying handles. And of course, neither gaming optics nor gaming features should be missing.

As the first ASUS case we recently have the ROG Strix Helios tested. The striking flagship model has a number of clear strengths, but also a handsome price of around 260 Euro. But there are significantly cheaper ASUS cases – from the TUF series. The TUF Gaming GT 301 is even below the 100 – Euro mark. But we have the TUF Gaming GT 501 in the test, the currently best equipped TUF model. The TUF series originally started with mainboards and promised particularly robust models.

ASUS also wants this DNA with the TUF Gaming GT 501 pour in. Up to 1.5 mm thick and galvanized steel is advertised, a special coating that is supposed to help against scratches and the two handles made of woven cotton, which are up to 30 should withstand kg. The look of the case is characterized by an industrial style – and of course the TUF Gaming GT 501 be designed to accommodate gaming hardware and to cool it adequately. The case is delivered with four pre-assembled case fans and has numerous air openings in the front.

The TUF Gaming GT 360 costs only about half as much as the ROG Strix Helios: It is currently available in stores for around 135 euros to have. That applies at least to the black variant. The more conspicuous white variant costs around 150 Euro.

In the unpacked & touched video we take a first look at the case:

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ASUS submits the TUF Gaming GT 501 instructions, warranty information, mounting material, cable ties and a cover are included. An opening in the power supply unit cover can be closed with this plastic plate. It is somewhat unusual that the dust filters for the cover and front are not pre-assembled, but are also delivered as accessories, so to speak. The front dust filter is made of textile, but there is a magnetic dust grille for the cover, which is a bit wider meshed.

Before we start the actual test, here are the key data of the housing in tabular form:

CPU cooler height (max according to manufacturer):

Price:

round 135 Euro

Key data:
Designation:	ASUS TUF Gaming GT 501
Material:	Steel, tempered glass, plastic
Dimensions:	251 x 545 x 552 mm ( W x H x D)
Form factor:	ATX, Micro- ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX (10 ”x 10. 9 “)
Drives:	4x 3.5 / 2.5 inches (internal), 3x 2.5 inches (internal)
Fan:	3x 120 / 2x 140 mm (front, 3x 120 mm pre-installed), 1x 120 / 140 mm (rear wall d, 1x 140 mm pre-installed), 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm (cover, optional)
Radiators (maximum according to the manufacturer):	Front: 360 / 280 mm, cover: 360 / 280 mm , Back panel: 120 / 140 mm
18 cm
Graphics card length (maximum according to the manufacturer):	42 cm
Weight:	approximately 10, 5 kg

< > ASUS TUF Gaming GT 501 in the test: How tough is the gaming case?

External appearance (1 )

Sharkoon Elite Shark CA300T: massive and massive E-ATX case (video update)

When two parcels with Sharkoon cases reached us today, we were amazed. Because they were about twice as heavy as we are used to from Sharkoon cases. Contents of the packages: Two brand new Elite Shark CA 300 T.

This case is advertised by Sharkoon as a gaming case for enthusiasts. The Elite Shark CA 300 T becomes predominant made of steel and complemented by two glass side panels. The case weight of 14, 7 kg suggests a relatively high material thickness. The front design is noticeable at first glance. A geometric pattern runs through the steel front. Three RGB-LED fans in the 137 – mm format sit behind the front and ensure that this pattern is even more noticeable.

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The side I / O panel also benefits RGB lighting – especially since it ensures that the two USB 3.0 ports, the USB 3.1 Type-C connection and the audio jacks can also be found in the dark. Finally, the 120 – mm fan illuminated on the rear wall. The lighting can be controlled via the software of a compatible mainboard (5V-D-Coded-G or 5V-DG).

When using water cooling, the Elite Shark CA 300 T maximum one 420 – mm front radiator and a 300 – mm lid radiator. Sharkoon gives the case for E-ATX mainboards, up to 16, 5 cm high CPU cooler and up to 42, 5 cm long graphics cards (40 cm with front fan) free. The Elite Shark CA 300 T offers space for seven 2.5-inch drives or four 3.5-inch hard drives. The right side of the glass is tinted black in the area of the power supply chamber. While the view into the power supply chamber is blocked, the back of the mainboard tray remains visible. According to Sharkoon, SSDs with RGB lighting should come into their own. There is a hinged cable compartment and a sliding cable cover for the cables.

Sharkoon brings the Elite Shark CA 300 T in black and white on the market. We received test samples in both colors. The RRP is independent of the color variant 140, 90 Euro. The massive Sharkoon case is sometimes already listed cheaper in stores.

Update 03. 11. 2020: In the unpacked & touched video we present the Elite Shark CA 300 T now closer. The detailed test will follow in the next few days.

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Key data:
Designation:	Sharkoon Elite Shark CA 300 T
Material:	Steel, tempered glass, plastic
Dimensions:	23, 5 x 52, 0 x 50, 5 cm (W x H x D)
Form factor:	Mini -ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
Drives:	4x 3.5 / 2.5 inches (internal), 3x 2.5 inches (internal)
Fan:	3x 120 / 140 mm (front, 3x 120 mm pre-installed), 1x 120 mm (rear wall, pre-installed), 3x 120 / 2x 140 mm (cover, optional)
Radiators (maximum according to manufacturer):	Front: 360 / 420 mm, cover: 360 / 280 mm, back wall: mm
CPU cooler height (maximum according to manufacturer):	16, 5 cm
Graphics card length (maximum according to manufacturer):	40 cm (with front fan)
Weight:	approximately 14, 7 kg
Price:	round 137 Euro

ASRock Z490 Taichi in the test: A good choice for overclockers

Page 1: ASRock Z 464 Taichi in the test: A good choice for overclockers

After a long period of abstinence, it is time again to devote yourself to a Taichi model from ASRock. The test for the ASRock TRX 40 Taichi was almost a year ago. Now, however, we are not only moving from the HEDT to the mainstream platform, we are also moving from AMD to Intel. Because with the Z 490 Taichi offers ASRock an interesting motherboard for Intel’s LGA 1200 – processors that are said to be good for overclocking . In this test we will find out whether this is really true.

With the ASRock Z 490 PG Velocita (Hardwareluxx test) we already had an upper-class model in our hands, which did average in the test. So we are already curious whether the ASRock Z 490 Taichi will be more convincing, especially when it comes to overclocking. When the technical characteristics of both models are compared, numerous similarities can be identified. The only difference is that the Z 490 Taichi goes one better in some places. This is not by chance, because the Z 490 Taichi costs around 95 Euro more than the Z 490 PG Velocita.

From the basic structure, the Z look like 490 PG Velocita and the Z 490 Taichi looks very similar, although ASRock has adapted the colors a bit, but the ATX format remains true to it. Instead of red and black, ASRock has the Z 490 Taichi uses the colors gold and black, which makes a good visual impression.

Technical details

The ASRock Z 490 Taichi was given the following technical properties:

Chipset

Memory expansion

PCI-Express

PCI

audio codec

and connections

The data of the ASRock Z 490 Taichi in the overview
Southbridge / CPU features
Mainboard format	ATX
Manufacturer and Ident ung	ASRock Z 490 Taichi
CPU socket	LGA 1200 (for Comet Lake-S)
Power connections	1x 24 – ATX pin	2x 8-pin EPS 12 V
phases /Do the washing up	16 piece (14 x for CPU, 2x for RAM)
Price	from 343 Euro
Website	ASRock
Intel Z 490 Express chipset
Memory banks and type	4x DDR4 (dual-channel), max. 4. 666 MHz
Max. 128 GB UDIMM Non-ECC (with 32 – GB-UDIMMs)
SLI / CrossFire	SLI (2-Way), CrossFireX (3-Way)
Onboard features
2x PCIe 3.0 x 14 (electrical with x 16 / x8) via CPU 1x PCIe 3.0 x 16 (electrical with x4) via Intel Z 490 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 via Intel Z 343
–
SATA (e), SAS and M.2 / U.2 interfaces	6x SATA 6 GBit / s via Intel Z 490	2x SATA 6 GBit / s via ASMedia ASM 1061 1x M.2 with PCIe 4.0 x4 via CPU (only with Rocket Lake-S!) 3x M.2 with PCIe 3.0 x4 via Intel Z 490 (M-Key, 32 Gbit / s, 2x shared)
USB	1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (external) via ASMedia ASM 3242 3x USB 3.2 Gen2 (2x external, 1x internal) via Intel Z 490 9x USB 3.2 Gen1 (5x external, 4x internal) 4x via ASMedia ASM 1074, 5x via Intel Z 490 4x USB 2.0 (4x internal) via Intel Z 490
Graphic interfaces	1x DisplayPort 1.4 1x HDMI 1.4b
WLAN / Bluetooth	WiFi 802. 11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax over Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 CNVio, dual band, max. 2.4 GBit / s, Bluetooth 5.1
Thunderbolt	–
LAN	1x 1 GBit / s LAN via Intel I 219 – V 1x 2.5 GBit / s LAN via Realtek RTL 8018 BG-CG
8-Channel Realtek ALC 1220 Codec ESS Saber 9218 DAC (front audio) 5x 3.5 mm audio jacks 1x TOSLink
FAN header	1x 4-pin CPU-FAN header (adjustable)	1x 4-pin CPU-FAN / WaKü-Pump header 6x 4-pin chassis FAN / WaKü header (adjustable)
LED lighting	I / O panel cover, PCH, right side of the PCB 2x 4-pin RGB header 2x 3-pin RGB header (addressable)
Onboard comfort	Power button, reset button, clear CMOS button, BIOS flashback button, debug LED,

The supplied accessories

Mainboard manual including driver and software DVD
Software Setup Guide
four SATA cables
two M.2 spacers and three M.2 screws
2T2R WiFi antenna

various ASRock Taichi stickers

ASRock cable tie

2-Way-SLI-HB-Bridge

Torx screwdriver

ASRock Taichi Postcard

The ASRock Z 490 Taichi doesn’t come with any special delicacies, it just gets the usual additions. In addition to the obligatory mainboard manual, the driver and software DVD and the software setup guide, ASRock also included four SATA cables, of course the WiFi antenna and two M.2 spacers including three M.2 screws . Although the topic of multi-GPU is becoming less and less important, we also found a 2-way SLI HB bridge in the packaging. The enclosed Torx screwdriver is required to dismantle the M.2 cooler. But also some ASRock Taichi stickers and an ASRock Taichi postcard are included.

< > ASRock Z 490 Taichi in the test: A good one for overclockers Choice

Features and layout (1)

Asus ROG Z11 Mini ITX Chassis Review

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.

Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

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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.

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.

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WD Black AN1500 2TB AIC SSD Review

Simon Crisp
4 hours ago
Featured Tech Reviews, Reviews, SSD Drives

The latest addition to WD’s Black performance/gaming range is the AN1500, an AIC (add-in card) drive using two NVMe SSD drives built into a RAID 0 array together with a PCIe Gen 3.0 x8 interface and customisable RGB lighting.

WD’s Black AN1500 comes in three capacities; 1TB, 2TB (the drive we are reviewing here) and the flagship 4TB model. Internally the AN1500 uses a pair of WD PC SN730 NVMe SSDs built-in a RAID 0 array, the hardware array is controlled by a Marvell 88NR2241 IC.

Officially all three drives have same the same Sequential read/write figures of up to 6,500MB/s and 4,100MB/s respectively. Random 4K performance is stated as up to 760,000 IOPs for reads and up to 690,000 IOPS writes for the 1TB drive, the 2TB and 4TB drive have an up to 780,000 IOPS rating for reads with writes at up to 700,000 IOPS for the 2TB model and up to 710,000 IOPS for the 4TB drive.

Power consumption is stated as up to 15.7W active for reads and up to 12.8W for writes with an 8.5W figure when the drive is idle.

There are no endurance figures for the AN1500 on the spec sheet but the 1TB model of the SN730 drive that is inside it has a rating of 400TBW. WD back the AN1500 with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

Usable Capacities: 2TB.

NAND Components: SanDisk 96-Layer 3D TLC.

NAND Controller: 2 x WD in-house.

RAID Controller: Marvell 88NR2241-BWW2.

Interface: PCIe Gen3.0 x8.

Form Factor: HHHL (Half-Height, Half Length) AIC (Add-in-card).

Dimensions: 13 x 72 x 176mm.

Drive Weight: 210g.

Firmware Version: 10271043.

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Check Also

Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB Case Review

A compact ATX budget case packed full of RGB!

B450 R2.0: ASRock shows three new B450 boards

After Gigabyte started adding new B 550 – also new B 450 boards, ASRock is now taking up this idea and has listed three new boards on its website. The B 450 M Pro4, the B 450 Pro4 and the B 450 M / ac, i.e. three budget boards. ASRock has marked the new models with an “R2.0” for the more recent revision, so that confusion can be excluded.

You really have to find the differences between the three new offshoots with a magnifying glass . In all three R2.0 models, ASRock has minimally expanded the CPU power supply and uses an additional performance level. For the rest of the equipment, the manufacturer continues to rely on the same features, but has given the new versions a different coat of paint that comes across as more modern.

So brings the ASRock B 450 Pro4 R2.0 is the only new ATX model, of course, with more expansion slots, namely two mechanical PCIe-3.0-x 16 – and that four PCIe 2.0 x1 slots. Six SATA 6GBit / s and two M.2 M-Key connections enable storage expansion. Of course, some USB interfaces of the current generations are also available (apart from USB 3.2 Gen2x2, of course).

As a smaller version, ASRock also offers the B 450 M Pro4 R2.0 in the more compact Micro-ATX format, where of course less space is available. But at least one PCIe 3.0 x 16, PCIe 2.0 x 16 ( mechanical) as well as PCIe 2.0 x1 for system expansion. In this case, too, there are two M.2 M-Keys and four natively connected SATA 6GBit / s ports. A common feature is the onboard sound with the Realtek ALC 892 / 897 and also the gigabit LAN port and three graphics outputs: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort and D-Sub with the ATX and HDMI 1.4, DVI-D and D-Sub with the Micro-ATX model.

Third and last in the group is the ASRock B. 450 M / ac R2.0, which is very similar to the first version. ASRock has also added another CPU coil here. But apart from that, everything stayed with the tried and tested. One each PCIe 3.0 x 16 and PCIe 2.0 x 16 (mechanical), plus four SATA 6GBit / s, of course also four DDR4-UDIMM memory banks for a memory expansion up to 64 GB. In this case, however, only an M.2 M-Key interface with PCIe 3.0 x4 connection made it onto the board.

In addition to a Gigabit LAN socket, there is a WLAN-AC module is included, as you can see from the model name. Compared to the two Pro4 versions, the B 450 M / ac R2.0 has fewer USB ports and is limited to six USB 3.2 Gen1 and USB 2.0 .

In all three cases, no information on availability and price is available. However, the prices will very likely be close to the first versions.

We thank our community member Reous for pointing this out to this news!

SiFive Announces HiFive Unmatched Development Platform Based on RISC-V Architecture for ITX Size

HiFive Unmatched is equipped with a SiFive Freedom U 740 system circuit based on the RISC-V architecture, which includes four U 74 cores and one S7 core.

In the world of processor architectures, everyone is familiar with x 86, ARM, and even MIPS, but RISC-V has received less attention today. RISC-V is the latest processor architecture based on the Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) principle maintained by the University of California, Berkeley campus

. SiFive is a processor design company founded by the developers of RISC-V. It has brought to market several different RISC-V cores that provide an easy stepping stone to an open processor architecture without having to design your own chip. The company is now expanding its PC-side offering by launching a complete RISC-V development platform in Mini-ITX size.

The development platform, dubbed HiFive, is built on a Mini-ITX size motherboard. The motherboard contains a SiFive Freedom U 740 system circuit (4x U 74 core, 1x S7 core), 8 GB of DDR4 memory soldered to the motherboard, 32 Mt Quad SPI Flash memory and microSD card reader. Expansion slots include one PCI Express x 16 connector (x8 electronically) and M.2 slots for SSD (M-key) and WiFi card (E-key). The motherboard connector range includes a gigabit network connector, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A connectors, and one MicroUSB console connector. Power is supplied to the system board by a conventional 24 – pin ATX power connector.Source: SiFive

Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB Case Review

The budget PC case market is absolutely flooded with options, though many of them can be very sketchy in terms of build quality and are quite frankly not worth wasting your money on. However, there are some bargains to be had in this sector – just recently KitGuru reviewed the brilliant Phanteks Eclipse P360A priced at under £65, while the MSI MAG Forge 100 series costs around £50-£60 and is another solid choice. Today we look at the Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB, coming at just £43.99. How does it stack up against the competition? Let’s find out.

Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB Features:

Compact ATX form factor design, both shorter and slimmer from compared to a traditional ATX mid-tower case, taking up less desktop space, but slightly wider at 210mm for improved cooling performance and cable management.
High airflow design with full-length mesh panel allowing almost unrestricted airflow entry at the front of the case.
Easy to use Integrated digital ARGB lighting, software free with a built-in controller and the option to connect directly to compatible motherboard 5v headers for system-wide synchronisation.
Integrated power supply shroud to hide away unsightly cables with a full-size tempered glass left-hand window panel to show off your clean build.
Support for high specification gaming systems including up to ATX size motherboards (Mini ITX/Micro ATX /ATX) and high-end graphics cards with a maximum length of 300mm.
Space for storage devices comprises of up to three 2.5-inch SSDs as well as two 3.5-inch HDDs – enough to fulfil most user’s needs.
Supported cooling hardware includes the installation of up to a six 120mm fans (3 x front, 2 x top, 1 x rear) water-cooling radiator support up to 240mm in length (front 120/240, top 120/240, rear 120)
Four 120mm ARGB fans and 2 x front panel RGB LED strips included with front panel RGB control button.

Full Specifications:

Case Form Factor: Mid Tower
Motherboard Type: Mini ITX / Micro ATX / ATX
Dimensions (WxHxD): 210 x 455 x 380 (mm)
I/O Panel: USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, Mic x 1 / Audio x 1, RGB Control Button
3.5″ Drive Bay: 2
2.5″ Drive Bay: 3
Expansion Slots: 7
Cooling Fan Support: Front 120mm x 3 (ARGB fans x 3 pre-installed) Top 120mm x 2, Rear 120mm x 1 (ARGB fan x 1 pre-installed)
Maximum Number of Fans: 6 Max.
Water Cooling Support: Front 240mm / 120mm, Top 240mm / 120mm (Max. component height on motherboard is 40mm) Rear 120mm
Graphics Card Length: 300 (mm) / (Only fans at the front panel) 270 (mm) (Radiator with fans at the front panel) (Horizontal graphics card slots are compatible with RTX 3080/3070.)
CPU Cooler Height: 165 (mm)
PSU length: 160 (mm)
Onboard Lighting System: Integrated Lighting with Addressable RGB LEDs and Dynamic Lighting Effects in the Front Panel
RGB Sync with M/B: Yes

The Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB claims to offer all the features and benefits of more expensive premium cases, but in a more compact and affordable chassis. Once removed from the packaging, the size of the MX410 is instantly noticeable – this is much smaller than regular mid-tower ATX cases, measuring just 210mm x 450mm x 380mm (W x H x D) which isn’t much more than some Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX cases.

Before the system build began, we had concerns about whether the installation of an AIO at the front is possible at all while using a high-end graphics card. With the stock fans installed at the front of the case there is only 310mm of space to play with, and our Aorus RX 5700XT measures 290mm. Therefore, our only option is to install the AIO at the top of the chassis which also looks very tight for AIO installation.

There are also some concerns about build quality and the design of the case. A small amount of the filter fabric has not been trimmed correctly and is found poking out of the mesh front panel. At the back of the case, the plastic PCIe slot cover is poorly designed a single screw in the centre of the cover means that the ends can easily come away from the case, while the shape of the cover makes it awkward to remove the thumbscrew by hand.

Space inside the power supply shroud also looks very restricted too, it will almost certainly be impossible to connect and disconnect modular cables with the HDD cage fitted, and there doesn’t look to be much space at all for cables to be hidden with the HDD cage installed in the PSU shroud. The HDD cage also completely blocks off the lower front fan so airflow to any HDDs will be virtually non-existent.

Installing the system inside the Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB turned out to be less problematic than we initially thought. Space for AIO installation is very tight at the top of the case with a high-end motherboard installed. A motherboard with smaller VRM heatsinks and without a rear I/O shroud may offer more space for AIO installation in the roof of the case.

As expected, installing a modular power supply would be difficult with the 3.5-inch HDD cage fitted to the case, so we removed the HDD cage to allow for more space. This could be a problem if your budget only stretches to allow for mechanical HDDs in the system, however, SATA and M.2 SSDs are more affordable these days so it may not be such a big issue leaving the 3.5-inch HDD cage out.

Other than the minor issues mentioned, installing a full-size ATX system with a big high-end graphics card didn’t turn out to be such hard work. Novice system builders may find it challenging building an ATX system inside such a compact chassis, but for anyone with experience the job isn’t so difficult and it looks neat in the end, with enough space for high-end hardware and tidy cable management.

Thermal Performance Testing

As with every KitGuru case review, thermal performance is important, therefore we shall measure this by running a series of tests to record CPU and GPU temperatures under load.

To simulate thermal performance in gaming we will run 3Dmark Time Spy benchmark in a loop for 20 minutes with the case in various configurations. With this data, we can compare how each scenario affects thermal performance.

We will compare the system’s thermal capabilities with a liquid-cooled solution for the CPU, using a Cougar Aqua 240, 240mm AIO and the graphics card stock cooling solution. We will then measure thermal performance using a CPU Tower (Noctua NH-D15) with the case in the same configurations.

During thermal performance testing, only stock case fans will be used unless otherwise specified. All fans and pumps (where applicable) will be set to their standard fan curve profile as controlled by the motherboard.

All temperature measurements are presented as Deltas – the ambient temperature has been deducted from the CPU/GPU temperature giving us a Delta.

The following configurations will be used to test the effect they have on thermal and acoustic performance:

Default configuration;
Front panel removed;
Glass side panel removed.

Test System

Chassis: Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master
CPU Cooler: Cougar Aqua 240 240mm AIO/ Noctua NH-D15
Memory: 16 GB (2 x 8 GB + 2 dummy modules) Aorus RGB Memory DDR4-3600
Graphics: Aorus AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
Storage Drive: 500 GB Corsair MP600 PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD
Power Supply: Adata XPG Core Reactor 750 GOLD 750W
OS: Windows 10 version 1909

Note: 240mm AIO cooler was installed in the roof of the case with fans fitted in a push configuration exhausting air out of the case.

Note: The Noctua NH-D15 used in this test was configured in single/central fan specification due to CPU cooler/case Height restriction.

Thermal Performance Overview:

The Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB is an airflow focused case with a mesh panel that spans almost the entire front of the case. The mesh aims to provide almost unrestricted airflow into the system to improve thermal performance and component temperature under load.

Our thermal performance test using both an AIO closed-loop CPU liquid cooler and a CPU tower cooler shows that the high airflow front panel of the MX410 Mesh-G RGB is doing the job of keeping internal system temperature well under control.

A fluctuation of just 2-3 degrees Celsius average delta temperature was recorded during our testing with the case in various configurations.

Closing Thoughts

While we did come across some minor issues with the build quality and some small difficulties during the system installation, the Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB has no fundamental problems that make us believe that it is a poor case, it is quite the opposite. Cougar has to be commended for squeezing ATX motherboard support into such a compact ATX form factor – the dimensions of the case are comparable to other Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX chassis on the market, taking up a similar footprint of desk space.

This does mean that installation of certain components such as an AIO cooler or a long, high-end graphics card is slightly compromised. However, we still managed to squeeze in a 240mm AIO in the roof of the case, as well as our Aorus RX 5700XT which is a 2.7 slot graphics card measuring 290mm long. With our high-end B550 Aorus Master motherboard and its large VRM heatsink and I/O shroud, it made the AIO a very tight fit and the long GPU meant the AIO could only fit up top and not in the front of the case.

That said, it did all fit inside this very compact chassis which is impressive. 3.5-inch HDD installation was also compromised since we had to remove the HDD cage to fit our ADATA XGP Core Reactor 750w modular power supply. This isn’t such a problem as there is still space for three 2.5-inch drives and M.2 device don’t take up any case space.

As well as being compact, the MX410 Mesh-G RGB is very affordable at around £45 currently. The build quality may not quite live up to the more mid-range cases from the likes of Phanteks, be quiet!, Fractal etc, but it has several more premium features we’d expect to see, such as a tempered glass side panel, handy cable management options and lashings of RGB.

You may not be getting the best build quality possible but the chassis feels solid when all panels are installed, so we can’t knock it too hard, it is just the little finishing touches that slightly let it down. However, if your budget for a case is tight and you want the features such as tempered glass and addressable RGB, this may be a worthy candidate for your next budget gaming build.

The Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB is available to purchase from Amazon UK now, priced at £43.99 HERE.

Pros:

Super compact ATX form factor.
Plenty of RGB included.
Great airflow.
Budget price tag

Cons:

Questionable build quality in certain areas.
AIO and PSU installation can be a tight squeeze.

KitGuru says: The Cougar MX410 Mesh-G RGB is the new benchmark for ultra-budget cases with its super-compact ATX form factor, tempered glass and array of RGB lighting.

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HiFive Unmatched: Mini-ITX board with RISC-V processor

RISC-V designs are on the advance and are already used in many chips as co-processors – often without the hardware user knowing. SiFive is a startup that is currently driving development particularly aggressively. As a hardware open source development, RISC-V is just as important a step as Linux is in the software world.

SiFive offers numerous different Core IPs that can be found in the online designer have the various RISC-V designs configured in a SoC. With the HiFive Unmatched, a new developer hardware platform was presented today, which is intended to support developers of RISC-V software. A Freedom U 740 is used as the processor, which combines four U7 and one S7 core. It is therefore a Linux-compatible 42 – bit processor.

SiFive uses this on a mainboard in mini-ITX format. Not only the standard format should help in the simple implementation of a new development platform, but also the available connections. The board is connected to a power supply unit via an ATX connection. There is also a PCI Express slot (PCIe 3.0 x8, physically x 16), Gigabit Ethernet and four USB ports.

8 GB of DDR4 memory are installed on the board and there are 32 MB QSPI-Flash available. Linux can be started from a microSD memory card. Faster storage can be accommodated in two M.2 slots, each with four PCIe 3.0 lanes.

The HiFive Unmatched is delivered with an SD card on which a bootable Linux is located. In addition, there are the most important system developer packages so that developers can get started right away. SiFive names the price 665 US dollars for the HiFive Unmatched. Advance sales should begin shortly.