Thermaltake is expanding its case portfolio with the new Divider TG case series. Consisting of four chassis of differing sizes, the new Divider cases are characterised by their tempered glass front panel, triangular tempered glass side panel with a vent, and patented PCIe expansion slot system.
Ranging from ITX to ATX cases, the Divider TG series includes the Divider 500TG, 300TG, 200TG, and 100TG models. Both 500TG and 300TG will be available in both black and white (Snow), while the 200TG and 100TG will only be available in black. The 300TG will have a standard and an ARGB variant, but the 500TG will only be available with ARGB. The smaller 200TG and 100TG will only come in non-ARGB variants.
The first Divider series case to release will be the 300TG, a mid-tower chassis supporting ATX motherboards that allows you to showcase your system thanks to the use of 3mm tempered glass panels. Capable of fitting a graphics card up to 360mm long when a radiator is installed at the front (390mm without it), this case comes with a riser GPU support bracket to avoid any sagging. The “patented rotational PCI-E slots” allows users to mount the graphics cards to their liking, be it horizontally or vertically. Moreover, the 300TG cases come with 2x 2.5/3.5-inch drive bays and 5x 2.5-inch drive bays for your storage devices.
ARGB variants come with 3x ARGB 120mm fans at the front, and another 120mm fan at the rear. The non-ARGB variants only come with a single 120mm fan at the rear. Users can mount up to 3x 120mm fans or 2x 140mm fans on the front, a 120mm fan at the rear, up to 2x 120mm fan on the side, and a 120/140mm fan on the top. Radiator support is fairly similar to the fan support, allowing users to install a 360/280mm front radiator, 240mm radiator on the side, and a 120mm radiator at the rear.
This case features dust filters on the top, bottom, front, and right side panels, preventing dust from getting into your system. The built-in PSU shroud improves the PSU cooling while also hiding the cable clutter. The front I/O panel includes a USB-C 3.2 port, 2x USB-A 3.0 ports, an audio-in 3.5mm jack, and an audio-out 3.5mm jack. The RGB fans can be synchronised through the included ARGB controller and connected to a motherboard compatible with RGB software such as ASRock Polychrome, Asus Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light, and others.
The Thermaltake Divider 300TG cases will launch in February. The remaining Divider TG cases will release later this year. The Divider 300TG will be priced at $79.99, the Divider 300TG Snow at $84.99, the Divider 300TG ARGB for $109.99, and the Divider 300TG ARGB Snow for $114.99.
KitGuru says: Which Divider 300TG chassis would you like to build in? Are you interested in any of the other Divider TG cases?
I would like to thank Thermaltake for supplying the review sample.
The Thermaltake Divider 300 TG ARGB is a mainstream chassis with a clean design that includes a few unique elements. Its focal points are certainly the three ARGB fans behind the front glass panel and the two-part steel and glass side panel. The Thermaltake Divider 300 series is available in either black or white, and interested customers may pick between the ARGB variant or simpler version sporting fewer fans without LEDs. We were given both color variants of the Divider 300 ARGB for review, so you will see a mix of colors used in this article.
Specifications
Thermaltake Divider 300 TG ARGB
Case Type:
Mid-Tower
Material:
Steel and tempered glass
Weight:
8.47 kg
Slots:
7
Drive Bays:
2x Internal 2.5/3.5″ 5x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:
ATX / Micro-ATX / ITX
Dimensions:
475 x 220 x 461 mm
Front Door/Cover:
N/A
Front Fans:
3x 120 or 2x 140 mm (3x 120 mm aRGB fan pre-installed)
Rear Fans:
1x 120 mm (1x 120 mm regular fan pre-installed)
Top Fans:
1x 120/140 mm (optional)
Bottom Fans:
N/A
Side Fans:
2x 120 mm (optional, instead of 3x 2.5″ drives)
I/O:
2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C 1x Headphone 1x Microphone
As the expected launch of Intel 500-series motherboards approaches, Z590 boards have been pictured ahead of their announcement. The latest set of leaks include four ASUS motherboards: the ASUS Z590 Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial, the ASUS Z590 Maximus XIII Hero, the ASUS Prime Z590-A, and the ASUS TUF Z590-Plus WiFi.
The ASUS Z590 Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial looks like it will be the flagship 500-series motherboard from the Taiwanese manufacturer, featuring an embedded EK waterblock over the CPU socket and another on the chipset, lots of RGB lighting, and a silver PCB shielding that fuses with both waterblocks. As per the picture from @harukaze5719, this E-ATX motherboard features 2x PCIe x16 slots, one PCIe x4 slot, multiple USB internal connectors, from which 2x are USB 3.2 Gen2, 2x 8-pin Aux power connectors, 2x PCIe M.2 interfaces, and an LED display.
Jumping over to the ASUS Z590 Maximus XIII Hero, it has some similarities to the Z590 Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial. It also features an E-ATX form factor, RGB lighting, 2x 8-pin Aux power connectors, and 2x PCIe M.2 interfaces, but it comes with one extra PCIe x16 slot, one less USB 3.2 Gen2 interface, and a “less shielded” PCB. Instead of white, this model features a black and dark grey design similar to the ASUS Maximus XII Hero.
Image credit: @harukaze5719, @VideoCardz
Regarding the ASUS Prime Z590-A and the TUF Z590-Plus WiFi ATX motherboards, as shared by VideoCardz, both are aimed for mid-range systems, featuring 2x PCIe M.2 slots, smaller chipset and VRM heatsinks than the Maximus XIII motherboards, and a 4-pin and an 8-pin Aux power connectors. Besides the fact it features 3x PCIe x16 slots instead of just 2, the white-themed Prime motherboard also looks to feature more RGB lighting than the black-themed TUF board.
Intel is expected to introduce its 500-series motherboards at CES 2021.
KitGuru says: Are you a fan of ASUS motherboards? Out of these four motherboards, which one would you use for a Rocket Lake-S system?
In the Thermaltake case, the motherboard tray is rotated 90 from normal, making it easy for the tower-type case to support long graphics cards.
Thermaltake has started its own share of CES with a new case. Named The Tower 100, the case promises to provide the user with plenty of space in a small area.
The Tower 100 case is, as the name implies, a tower-like case, but designed for the mini-ITX size class, it requires little space underneath. The housing is only 266 millimeters wide and deep, but it has a height of almost 463 e.g. There is a tempered glass panel on three sides of the case, but on the sides part of the width is dedicated to ventilation. The housing also focuses on dust filtration with magnetic filters.
The motherboard is mounted in the case 90 inverted, which allows even long graphics cards to be used in the case. The clearest disadvantage is that the housing only supports one 120 radiator in the ceiling.
Technical features of Thermaltake The Tower 100:
External dimensions: 266 x 462, 8 x 266 mm (L, K, S), volume 32, 75 liters
Weight: 6.1 kg
Material: SPCC steel, tempered glass
Front panel connections: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C x 1, USB 3.0 Type-A x 2, microphone and headphone connectors
Compatible motherboards: Mini-ITX
Disc slots: 2 x 2.5 ”, without rear fan 2x 3.5”
Expansion card slots: 2
Maximum video card dimensions: length 330 mm
Maximum height of the processor roller: 190 mm
Power supply location: ATX (max. Length 180 mm)
Fans: 100 Fans on the roof and rear 120 x 120 x 25 mm, 1000 RPM, 16 dBA)
Fan locations: On the ceiling 120 / mm , on the rear panel 120 / mm mm, in the power supply cover 120 / / mm mm
Radiator locations: 120 mm on the ceiling
The Tower 100 case comes in both black and white Snow. The company will announce its exact launch date and price closer to release, but at least for North America, enclosures are still expected this month.
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti beats last year’s RTX 2080 Super and costs $300 less. It’s a great option for the $400 GPU market, though once again we expect it will sell out quickly for the next couple of months.
For
Great price/performance ratio
Attractive pricing (if it stays in stock)
Efficient, cool, and decent overclocking
DLSS 2.0 makes it even faster
Against
8GB VRAM can be limiting
Good luck finding one in stock
No LEDs (if you like bling)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition Review
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti brings the entry price for Ampere GPUs down to $400, because apparently the GeForce RTX 3070, GeForce RTX 3080, and GeForce RTX 3090 weren’t selling out fast enough. Maybe that’s not fair, but round four of the Nvidia Ampere architecture seems destined to repeat recent history and sell out within minutes of launch. The fact that this is now the best price to performance ratio in GPU land makes it one of the best graphics cards, and it currently occupies seventh place on our GPU Benchmarks hierarchy, not counting any Titan cards. Maybe if you’ve been really good (or you’re really lucky), you’ll be able to procure one this side of 2021. [Update: Yup, the RTX 3060 Ti sold out fast. Here’s our advice on how to buy an RTX 3060 Ti (or other new Nvidia GPU).]
Not a whole lot has changed relative to the RTX 3070. Both the RTX 3060 Ti and 3070 use the same GA104 GPU, but the 3060 Ti has fewer functional units enabled. You get the same 8GB of GDDR6 memory, clocked at the same 14Gbps. Meanwhile, the GPU core has 38 SMs enabled, versus 46 SMs on the 3070, making the 3060 Ti theoretically around 17 percent slower. Clock speeds also factor in a bit, as the boost clock on the 3060 Ti is 3.5 percent lower, so in general, the largest performance gap will be about 20 percent — and as we’ll see, it’s often quite a bit less than that.
GPU Specifications
Graphics Card
RTX 3060 Ti
RTX 3080
RTX 3070
RTX 2080 Super
RTX 2060 Super
Architecture
GA104
GA102
GA104
TU104
TU106
Process Technology
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
TSMC 12FFN
TSMC 12FFN
Transistors (Billion)
17.4
28.3
17.4
13.6
10.8
Die size (mm^2)
392.5
628.4
392.5
545
445
TPCs
19
34
23
24
17
SMs
38
68
46
48
34
GPCs
5
6
6
6
3
GPU Cores
4864
8704
5888
3072
2176
Tensor Cores
152
272
184
384
272
RT Cores
38
68
46
48
34
Base Clock (MHz)
1410
1440
1500
1650
1470
Boost Clock (MHz)
1665
1710
1725
1815
1650
VRAM Speed (Gbps)
14
19
14
15.5
14
VRAM (GB)
8
10
8
8
8
VRAM Bus Width
256
320
256
256
256
ROPs
80
96
96
64
64
TMUs
152
272
184
192
136
TFLOPS FP32 (Boost)
16.2
29.8
20.3
11.2
7.2
Tensor TFLOPS FP16 (Sparsity)
65 (130)
119 (238)
81 (163)
89
57
RT TFLOPS (approximate)
39.7
58.1
39.7
31.6
23.8
Bandwidth (GBps)
448
760
448
496
448
TDP (watts)
200
320
220
185
185
Dimensions
242x112x38 mm
285x112x38 mm
242x112x38 mm
267x116x38 mm
229x113x38 mm
Weight
1031g
1355g
1034g
1278g
975g
Launch Date
Oct-20
Sep-20
Oct-20
Jul-19
Jul-19
Launch Price
$399
$699
$499
$699
$399
The specs tell the same story relative to the previous generation Nvidia Turing GPUs. The 3060 Ti has quite a bit more theoretical compute performance than the RTX 2080 Super, and more than doubles the compute performance relative to the RTX 2060 Super. We know GPU prices are all kinds of screwed up right now, but it’s worth remembering that the 2060 Super had the same official $399 price as the 3060 Ti. Power requirements are slightly higher than the 2060 Super, but lower than the 2080 Super.
Of course, theoretical specs don’t always jive with real-world performance. One of the big changes with Ampere is that the INT32 cores can now do FP32 calculations as well. However, there’s a decent amount of INT32 work in most games, so a good chunk of the potential FP32 performance is used up elsewhere. Still, with the other architectural changes, we expect the 3060 Ti to perform roughly on par with the 2080 Super, which means it will also be significantly faster than the 2060 Super.
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Meet the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition
There are no surprises in regards to the design and aesthetics of the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition: It’s identical to the RTX 3070 FE, except for the small text that now says RTX 3060 Ti. It’s a reasonably compact card that will fit in most cases, measuring 9.5 inches long. If you’re doing a mini-ITX build, plan accordingly, but most ATX and micro-ATX cases should be fine.
With a reduced TDP of 200W, and considering what we saw from the 3070, cooling and noise shouldn’t pose any problem. We’ll get to the hard numbers later, but let’s just say that the 1665 MHz boost clock is very conservative at stock, and there’s a decent bit of overclocking headroom as well.
Connectivity consists of the same triple DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and single HDMI 2.1 port that we’ve seen on other Ampere Founders Edition models. You can use up to four monitors, and there’s some ventilation on the rest of the IO bracket.
Somewhat interesting is that even the RTX 3060 Ti Founder Edition continues to use Nvidia’s 12-pin power connector. Again, we’re not quite sure what the point is, particularly since it just takes a single 8-pin PEG connector on one end and passes that through to the 12-pin connection. Even better is that Nvidia had concept renderings of the 3070 with an 8-pin connector. It doesn’t really matter, as the adapter cable is included in the box, but it’s also completely unnecessary. The 3080/3090 at least changed the PCB and have the 12-pin connector mounted in such a way that it uses a bit less area. Not surprisingly, none of the AIB partners seem interested in pushing the 12-pin agenda, so if you really don’t like it, there will be plenty of other options.
MORE: Best Graphics Cards
MORE: GPU Benchmarks
MORE: All Graphics Content
Current page:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition Review
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.
For CES 2021, Thermaltake isn’t only launching the new Tower 100 Mini chassis, but also a series of Divider cases. On show today is the Divider 300TG, which has a somewhat unusual ATX layout.
In terms of footprint, the case is no different than most ATX mid-towers, measuring 220mm wide, 475mm tall and 461mm deep. Where it differs is with its divided side panel that’s half tempered glass, half sheet metal and comes with a side intake/exhaust for added airflow.
To aid with vertical GPU mounting, the PCIe slots on the chassis can rotate 90 degrees, as this helps the user place the GPU a little further from the side panel for better airflow. However, the question is, why vertical-mount the GPU if the side panel covers up most of it?
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Next to an ATX motherboard, the case has room for GPUs up to 390mm (360mm with radiators), 180mm power supplies (220mm without the PSU cage), two 3.5-inch drives and five 2.5-inch SSDs.
For cooling, the ARGB variant of the cases pack three RGB intake fans that spin at up to 1,000 RPM. Both ARGB and non-RGB variants pack a non-RGB exhaust fan that also spins at up to 1,000 RPM.
The Divider 300TG’s front I/O consists of discrete audio jacks, power and reset switches, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB Type-C port.
Pricing for the Divider 300TG is set at $80 for the base black version and $85 for white. To add the three RGB fans to the cases, add $30 to these base prices. The 300TG will be available in the U.S. later this month. Thermaltake will release other Divider Series models to compete with the best PC cases “later this year,” its announcement said.
The GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a substantial performance boost to the high-end $500 market, basically matching the previous gen RTX 2080 Ti. Let’s just hope supply comes a bit closer to meeting demand this round (don’t hold your breath).
For
Excellent performance
Reasonable price (for now)
Runs cool and quiet
DLSS 2.x continues to impress
Against
Only 8GB GDDR6 14 Gbps
Concerns about supply
We need to see AMD’s Big Navi
No bling (could be a pro for some)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition Review
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition is here — or at least it will be on October 29, and we can provide a full review today. Following in the footsteps of the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3090, this is the third of the new Nvidia Ampere architecture GPUs. In terms of performance, price, and features, these new GPUs rank at the top of our GPU benchmarks hierarchy and are some of the best graphics cards right now. Except, they’re still almost impossible to find in stock. Will the RTX 3070 suffer the same fate at launch, and how does it stack up against the other current and previous-gen GPUs? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Fundamentally, the GeForce RTX 3070 will be similar in a lot of ways to the RTX 3080 and 3090 … except, not really, because changes to the core counts, memory capacity, and memory speed can all have a pretty significant impact on performance. Nvidia claimed during the Ampere reveal in September that the RTX 3070 was “faster than the RTX 2080 Ti,” which would be an impressive result if it’s true. It has more cores and higher TFLOPS ratings, but less memory and bandwidth. Here’s the block diagram for GA104 along with the full spec sheet for the Ampere GPUs, along with the RTX 2070 / 2070 Super that the newcomer replaces.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
GPU Specifications
Graphics Card
RTX 3090
RTX 3080
RTX 3070
RTX 2070 Super
RTX 2070
Architecture
GA102
GA102
GA104
TU104
TU106
Process Technology
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
Samsung 8N
TSMC 12FFN
TSMC 12FFN
Transistors (Billion)
28.3
28.3
17.4
13.6
10.8
Die size (mm^2)
628.4
628.4
392.5
545
445
SMs / CUs
82
68
46
40
36
GPU Cores
10496
8704
5888
2560
2304
Tensor Cores
328
272
184
320
288
RT Cores
82
68
46
40
36
Base Clock (MHz)
1395
1440
1500
1605
1410
Boost Clock (MHz)
1695
1710
1725
1770
1710
VRAM Speed (Gbps)
19.5
19
16
14
14
VRAM (GB)
24
10
8
8
8
VRAM Bus Width
384
320
256
256
256
ROPs
112
96
96
64
64
TMUs
328
272
184
160
144
GFLOPS FP32 (Boost)
35581
29768
20314
9062
7880
TFLOPS FP16 (Tensor)
142 (285)
119 (238)
81 (163)
72
63
RT TFLOPS
69.5
58.1
39.7
27.3
23.8
Bandwidth (GBps)
936
760
512
448
448
TDP (watts)
350
320
220
215
185
Launch Date
Sep-20
Sep-20
Oct-20
Jul-19
Oct-18
Launch Price
$1,499
$699
$499
$499
$499-$599
The RTX 3070 is both a big step up from the previous-gen cards it replaces, as well as a relatively large step down from the RTX 3080. On paper, it has about 32 percent less compute than the RTX 3080, and 41 percent less bandwidth. For comparison, the 2070 had 25 percent less compute than the 2080 but had the same bandwidth. Compared to the RTX 2070, however, the 3070 should be a significant jump in performance. It has over 150 percent more FP32 compute and 67 percent more RT TFLOPS, though it still only has the same 448 GBps of bandwidth. Going into the review, we were very curious to see how the 3070 would stack up against the previous-gen cards in real-world benchmarks, and Nvidia’s claims of beating the RTX 2080 Ti seemed unlikely.
It’s also interesting to note the massive difference in power requirements compared to the RTX 3080. There’s a 100W gap in TDP, and we know from our testing that the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 can use every bit of their power budgets. This is the first Ampere GPU where we have a basically direct TDP comparison point with the previous-gen Turing GPUs. Both the RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2080 have 215W TDPs, so this will finally be Nvidia’s chance to prove that, yes, Ampere actually can be significantly more power efficient than Turing.
Meet the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition
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The design and aesthetics of the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition are similar in many ways to the RTX 3080 and 3090 Founders Editions — it’s just nowhere near as large. You get the finned radiator look on the main body, with dual fans that include a built-in rim to improve static pressure, all in a dark gray color with silver highlights. There are several noteworthy differences between the 3070 FE and the 3080/3090 FE, however.
First, both fans are on the same side of the cooler (the side that normally faces down in a typical ATX case). There’s also no ‘X’ silver cross on the side that faces up. Instead, a large grooved rectangular piece with a cutout at the back of the card allows the air to still flow through the radiator fins. Nvidia talked a lot about redesigning the 3080/3090 to handle the higher TDP. Obviously, the 3070 isn’t in the same category of power and heat, and being a smaller card, it perhaps wasn’t as beneficial. The card still runs cool and quiet, as we’ll see later.
The other big change in terms of aesthetics is that there’s no lighting at all, RGB or otherwise. The GeForce RTX logo on the top of the card is pretty tame compared to some graphics cards, though for some people, this would be a positive change. There’s also only a small RTX 3070 logo on the side of the card, which is a bit weird to me as there’s a ton of room for a larger logo. All of Nvidia’s previous-gen 20-series Founders Edition models at least had a green GeForce RTX logo on the top edge, and the 3080 and 3090 have RGB logos (though the tool to configure the RGB lighting still hasn’t been released). The RTX 3070 eschews all such nonessentials and just provides the basics as far as looks go.
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There’s not a lot to say about the rest of the card. It has the same triple DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and a single HDMI 2.1 port and can drive four monitors without trouble. The rest of the IO bracket is for the front fan’s exhaust, but the bracket is silver instead of the matte black finish used on the 3080 and 3090 FE cards.
The RTX 3070 Founder Edition also uses Nvidia’s new 12-pin power connector, but this time, instead of a y-combiner that takes dual 8-pin PEG connectors, it’s just a single 8-pin port that’s converted to a 12-pin port. Was this really necessary? I mean, I sort of like the extension cable because it’s far easier to leave it connected and just detach the 8-pin connector. But then again, I swap GPUs pretty much daily, so my usage is not at all like a typical user. Also, the 12-pin connector is basically the same length as an 8-pin connector and is only a few millimeters narrower, but the orientation is such that putting on an 8-pin connector instead wouldn’t have been a problem.
We haven’t had time to do a full teardown of the 3070 Founders Edition yet, as we wanted to finish benchmarking before taking it apart. We’ll update this section with additional images and commentary in the near future.
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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition Review
In the first week of the new year, once again numerous exciting articles went online on Hardwareluxx.de. We not only tried nerdytec’s Couchmaster Cycon² or AverMedias GC 311 Live Gamer MINI Streaming Capture-Box subjected to a practical test, but also the SilverStone Fara B1 Pro, the MSI MPG Z 490 Gaming Carbon WiFi and the Crucial Portable SSD X6 and X8 tested. A first look at the new ATX 12 We threw the VO standard as well as the SXFI Gamer from Creative, the Chieftronic PowerUp 850 W or the EIZO FlexScan EV 3895. Finally, our critical looks checked the MSI MPG Sekra 100 R for his Practical suitability.
At this point we have summarized all the articles from the last week and provided them with a small sample. With this in mind: Have fun reading!
Wednesday, 30. December 2020: C-Gaming in the living room: nerdytecs Couchmaster Cycon² tried out
That due to the currently ongoing corona pandemic the gaming industry is enjoying an increased influx should not be a secret. Whether handheld, console or gaming PC, more and more video games are finding their way into Germans’ own four walls. Since the majority of gamers do not have their own “man cave”, mostly due to lack of space, the extensive game sessions take place in their own living room. As is well known, it is usually difficult to use a mouse or keyboard on the couch at home, which is why gamers primarily use consoles here. But this is exactly what nerdytec wants to change …
Thursday, 31. December 2020: SilverStone Fara B1 Pro in the test: A-RGB housing with elegant supply air design
SilverStones Fara B1 Pro actually offers the typical mix of A-RGB- Fans and a transparent front, which can lead to cooling problems. At least visually, this midi tower has larger side air inlets. But the four case fans can really treat themselves to enough fresh air …
Saturday, 02. January 2021: A first look at the ATX 12 VO standard
At the beginning of the year there were indications that Intel would use the Single Rail Power Supply Desktop Platform Form Factor ATX 12 VO wants to introduce more broadly. It is already used in many complete systems by numerous manufacturers. But such systems are rarely screwed on and so the contacts with this type of power supply are rather few and far between …
Sunday, 03. January 2021: MSI MPG Z 490 GAMING CARBON WIFI in the test – carbon look incl.USB 3.2 Gen2x2
MSI’s GAMING- (PRO) -CARBON mainboards from the MPG product range (MSI Performance Gaming) are of great interest to many who are willing to upgrade, because they Models in most cases meet the balancing act between good equipment and an acceptable price. So we didn’t miss it and went through the MSI MPG Z 490 GAMING CARBON WIFI our LGA 1200 – Mainboard test course sent …
Monday, 04. January 2021: Crucial Portable SSD X6 and X8 in the test: memory in small format
After we have recently tested several external storage media from the gaming sector with the Crucial X6 Portable SSD and X8 Portable SSD, two external SSDs with USB-C connection in the test, which come very modestly in black and without lighting. Both have a storage capacity of 2 TB and are available on the market in different housing designs. In our article, you can find out why both are different in speed and whether simple and practical housings are still convincing today …
Tuesday, 05. January 2021: Gaming headset with battle mode: SXFI Gamer from Creative in the test
Next With the right keyboard or mouse, audio playback also plays a crucial role for a large number of gamers and can even make the difference between victory and defeat. With shooters in particular, it is important to react to ambient noise. The movement noises of an opponent usually give an indication of where he is currently. In addition, clear and fast communication with your own team members is vital. So it is not surprising that a headset is indispensable for multiplayer. For this reason, Hardwareluxx took a closer look at the new SXFI Gamer headset from Creative and subjected it to a detailed test …
Wednesday, 06. January 2021: Chieftronic PowerUp 850 W in the test – compact gold power supply with good features
With the PowerUp series, Chieftec has now, after PowerPlay, the second series of gaming Power supplies brought onto the market with powerful technology, 80 PLUS gold Efficiency and fully modular cable management should convince. How the PowerUp do, we took a closer look at the 760 W strong top model of the series …
Thursday, 07. January 2021: EIZO FlexScan EV 3895 in the test: Docking station with 38 Customs
Long had to wait, now the time has finally come: with the EIZO FlexScan EV 3895 – BK is the manufacturer’s first ultra-widescreen monitor a curved panel available. The Japanese directly skip the 34 – Customs Format and put on a large 38 – Customs Panel. In addition, a wide range of equipment including an RJ 44 connection is offered . In our review we will clarify whether the entry into the field of curved monitors is successful …
Friday, 08. January 2021: MSI MPG Sekira 100 R in the test: A-RGB-Schick at a tempting price
The MPG Sekira 100 R is one of the most attractive gaming cases from MSI. The E-ATX model is presented with glass and aluminum and illuminates both a strip in the front and four fans with A-RGB LEDs. Nevertheless, the price is pleasantly moderate at around 100 euros …
Friday, 08. January 2021: The smallest of the bunch: AVerMedias GC 311 Live Gamer MINI Streaming Capture Box in the test
If you believe the manufacturer AVerMedia, you can go along with it the GC 120 Live-Gamer MINI-Game-Streaming-Capture-Box fast and simply climb the streaming Olympus. In addition to an HDMI input and passthrough for full HD gameplay, said box should transmit the image without latency and also have PC and Mac connectivity. After we already got the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC 551 and the streaming capture box Live Gamer Ultra GC 553 from AVerMedia, we are now also taking a look at the cheapest model of the Trios …
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.
Last year, AMD released the Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors in one of the most monumental hardware launches of the modern era. This final step completed the Red brand’s ascent back into the forefront of the desktop processor market that began with the launch of the first generation of Ryzen CPUs. While Intel prepares its next move, Z490 and the 10th generation are here to hold the line.
While the 10th Gen Intel Core processors will not support PCIe 4.0 connectivity due to signal integrity issues, many of the Z490 motherboards are designed to support the PCIe 4.0 specification. This is accomplished by adding clock generators to help clean up the signal. Generally speaking, when it comes to long-term platform support, AMD has been the trendsetter. Has AMD’s long support of the AM4 socket on its newer generation processors inspired Intel to take similar steps?
So what is Z490 offering right now? For starters, there has been a large focus on VRM and VRM cooling design. With the top-level Intel Core i9-10900K featuring 10 cores along with HyperThreading, the ability to deliver clean, continuous power is going to be one of the primary factors that separates a good Z490 board from the competition. With the introduction of HyperThreading on Intel’s mid-range line-up, power delivery is going to be vital in all segments.
The AORUS line from Gigabyte spans a broad range of products—laptops, peripherals, and core components. Across the enthusiast spectrum, the AORUS name denotes Gigabyte’s gaming-focused products. The AORUS motherboard range features a consistent naming scheme that includes the Pro, Elite, Ultra, Master, and Extreme motherboards. Within this line up, the Master serves as the high-end mainstream option offering prime features at a high, but attainable price point.
The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra features a robust VRM utilizing 90 A power stages, along with Q-Flash for a redundant safety net for ambitious overclocking. The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra also offers a full-coverage aluminium backplate for added rigidity and additional VRM cooling. This little board should pack a punch, so let’s see how the Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra stacks up against the competition.
2x Antenna ports 1x Q-Flash Plus button 1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI port 1x LAN (RJ45) port 1x USB 3.2 (Gen2) Type-C port 4x USB 3.2 (Gen1) ports 1x USB 3.2 (Gen2) Type-A ports 2x USB 2.0 ports 3x 3.5 mm audio jacks
Audio:
1x Realtek ALC1220 Codec
Fan Headers:
4x 4-pin
Form Factor:
ATX Form Factor: 6.7 in x 6.7 in, 17.0 cm x 17.0 cm
Some of today’s hardware seems to be focused more on looks than performance. As such it’s no surprise to see cases seemingly built to put your gear on display. With that in mind, Thermaltake just announced the Tower 100 Mini enclosure, which is a glass-clad Mini-ITX tower that’ll let the world see your pretty components.
The case features a layout unlike any we’ve seen before, including a 266mm wide and deep square base that towers up to 462mm. This makes it rather big by Mini-ITX standards, but the design is meant to cool well while providing enough glass to show off the internals. Glass is present on three sides of the case, so that it looks good whether you place it on the left or right side of your desk.
The bottom end of the chassis holds the power supply, and the internals are rotated 90 degrees so that the I/O resides at the top of the chassis. The top slides off, after which you slide the glass panels up. All the case’s panels are removable for easy access from all sides.
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Inside, you’ll fit up to Mini-ITX motherboards, a 120mm radiator at the top or CPU coolers up to 190mm tall, standard ATX-size power supplies up to 180mm long and GPUs up to 330mm long.
For cooling, the case features mesh on many sides, and you get eight filters total. That said, you can only fit up to two 140mm fans for airflow and two 120mm spinners come included in these locations.
For storage there is room behind the motherboard for up to two 3.5-inch drives or four 2.5-inch drives, but for any of these, you’ll have to sacrifice one of the fan mounts. Fortunately, two additional 2.5-inch drive mounts are present on the side.
Front I/O consists of discrete audio jacks, two USB 3.0 ports and one USB Type-C port.
Thermaltake hasn’t said anything about pricing yet, but the case will be available in white and black and compete with the best PC cases later this month.
Page 1: MSI MPG Sekira 74 R in the test: A-RGB-Schick at a tempting price
The MPG Sekira 100 R is one of the most attractive gaming case from MSI. The E-ATX model features glass and aluminum and illuminates both a strip in the front and four fans with A-RGB LEDs. Nevertheless, the price falls by around 100 euros pleasingly moderate.
From the MPG Sekira series we could 2019 already the top model MPG Sekira 500 X test. It showed itself with an independent design, which was mainly composed of a two-part front made of glass and aluminum and four huge 193 – mm fans with A-RGB lighting. We rated the case as a coherent gaming case – even if there are more flexible competing models with sometimes better airflow. However, the MPG costs Sekira 475 X over 200 Euro and should therefore exceed the price range for many users.
The MPG Sekira 100 R is supposed to capture a lot of the optical charm of the flagship. This model also has a two-part aluminum and glass front and an elaborate A-RGB lighting system. The 200 – mm fan soft four 120 – mm-A-RGB fans. MSI has also painted the glass lid of the top model. When using lid fans, this should be more of an advantage in terms of cooling.
The price was significantly reduced, however. The MPG Sekira 74 R currently costs around 122 Euro and is so for a significantly larger group of buyers interesting.
In the unpacked & touched video we take a first look at the case:
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MSI provides the housing with mounting material, black cable ties, instructions, brief instructions and a feedback note. The accessories are completed by a practical splitter cable with which up to three fans can be controlled via a single fan connection. To control the four case fans, only two and not four connections are required.
Before we start the actual test, here are the key data of the housing in tabular form:
The latest Vesa in the affordable Fara series is also the smallest in the range.
Silverstone has released a new Fara H1 M case in the micro-ATX size range. The new H1 M is the second microATX-class case in the low-cost Fara series and clearly the smallest case in the series.
The Fara H1 M enclosure focuses on the most efficient air circulation possible in a small size. The front panel of the case is a popular metal mesh today and behind it there are places for two or 140 mm for fans. In addition, the housing has slots for two and the rear panel for one 90 fans. The ventilation openings in the roof and bottom of the housing are protected by removable dust filters
.
Compromises have also had to be made in front of the smaller size of the H1 M. For example, the maximum length of the video card is full 366 mm, but only if no front fans are installed in the case. There are a total of four seats available for the mass media, two of which fit a 2.5-inch drive, one a 3.5-inch drive, and the last either a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drive. The 2.5-inch mounting slots are located on the back of the system board carriage, and the rest are hidden in the bottom of the case next to the power supply.
Silverstone deserves criticism for its range of enclosure front panel connections, which are helplessly obsolete by today’s standards. In addition to the power and reset buttons, the front panel of the case has one USB 3.0 Type-A connector, two USB 2.0 Type-A connectors, and headphone and microphone connectors, and not a single USB Type-C connector.
Silverstone Fara H1 M technical features:
External dimensions: 210 x 392 x 366 (L, K , S), volume 30, 13 liters
Weight: 4, 24 kg
Material: Steel, plastic, tempered glass
Front panel connections: 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A , headphone and microphone connectors
Maximum video card dimensions: length 320 mm (without front fans), width 160 mm
Maximum height of the processor roller: mm mm
Power supply location: ATX (max. Length 160 mm 3, 5-position with frame, 250 mm without)
Fan seats: 2x 120 / 140 mm in front, 2x 90 in the ceiling, 120 mm at the rear
Radiator locations: 120 / 240 mm in front, 120 mm behind
Silverstone has not yet revealed the final price of the Fara H1 M or how soon it will be found on store shelves. However, the company’s Fara series enclosures are typically inexpensive, and with this Oy.fi price monitoring, other models in the series are priced 50 – 60 euro 65 with the exception of the euro B1 Pro model, so the H1 M can also be expected to be located 50 – 50 for the euro
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?
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