Mounting your GPU vertically is the latest trend in PC building, but the implementations are often a little lacklustre — either too close to the glass panel, too saggy, or not compatible with many cases. EKWB’s latest vertical mount aims to fix these issues.
The bracket is called the ‘EK-Loop Vertical GPU Holder – Shifted’ and the GPU is shifted further inwards to the system for better cooling performance of air-cooled graphics cards. However, ‘shifted’, in this instance, means that the GPU is shifted inwards slightly towards the front of the case, making the bracket compatible with closed-back expansion slot cases.
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(Image credit: EKWB)
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(Image credit: EKWB)
But of course, EKWB is a watercooling company, so their primary interest is in that department. As such, the bracket bolts into the top of the motherboard standoffs, giving it plenty of structural rigidity to avoid a sagging GPU — an important feature with vertical mounts for EKWB, as unstable GPUs can lead to issues with the tubing and fittings during transport.
EKWB says this bracket makes systems safe to transport with all the tubing and fitting bits installed, and while we will take their word on that, if you can drain systems with custom loops for long journeys, we always recommend you do and refill it at the destination.
(Image credit: EKWB)
However, in all the things this vertical mount bracket does right, there’s one thing it doesn’t do: PCIe 4.0 — this bracket is only rated up to the PCIe 3.0 standard.
The bracket comes with all the mounting screws you need and an angled DisplayPort 1.4 cable.
Pricing is set at $75 with immediate availability. This makes it about $20 to $30 more expensive than many other brackets on the market, but given its strengths, we’d say it’s not a crazy premium for a proper vertical GPU mount implementation.
The EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB offers some of the best cooling performance in a closed-loop cooler, while making use of push+pull radiator fan configuration. It does so at the expense of higher decibel levels, so make sure to read up on how to make use of your motherboards’ BIOS settings for fan curves.
For
Sophisticated pump design
Six fans operate in push+pull
Includes aRGB/PWM fan hub
Against
Noisy when fans operate at full speed
Mounting has to account for added thickness
Features and Specifications
EKWB, the Slovenian company which specializes in custom watercooling components and kits, has expanded into the closed-loop AIO market, with the six-fan, push+pull EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB being the latest addition to its AIO line. And while it requires a bit more planning for logistics and case mounting, the cooler’s style and performance notably follow EKWB’s primary DNA.
Specifications
Thickness
1.13″ / 28.7mm (3.25″ / 82.6mm w/fans)
Width
4.75″ / 120mm
Depth
15.6″ / 394mm
Pump Height
2.5″ / 63.5mm
Speed Controller
BIOS
Cooling Fans
(6) 120 x 25mm
Connectors
(7) 4-Pin PWM
(7) 3-Pin aRGB
(1) SATA
Weight
83.0 oz / 2355g
Intel Sockets
115x, 1200, 2011x, 2066c
AMD Sockets
AM4
Warranty
5 years
Web Price
$200
Features
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Following up on EKWB’s original EK AIO lineup, the AIO Elite 360 D-RGB ships with six cooling fans for push+pull operation. Most AIOs make use of a push configuration, meaning the fans force air through the radiator to dissipate out the back. The second set of fans included with the AIO Elite 360 ‘pulls’ the warmed air through the radiator, assisting in the exhaust dissipation much as you’ve probably seen on several big air coolers over the years.
Mounting hardware includes support for most Intel sockets and the addition of AMD’s AM4. The inclusion of an aRGB + PWM fan hub provides centralized lighting and fan RPM control and utilizes a set of PWM and aRGB accessory cabling.
A small syringe of EK-TIM Ecotherm compound tags along to round out the usual installation components.
EKWB covers the AIO Elite 360 D-RGB with a five-year warranty.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The pump of the EKWB AIO Elite 360 D-RGB looks similar to previous versions of EK AIO models, although it brings a much more sophisticated approach by combining angled, mirrored finishes and dark, opaque acrylics. The reflective EK logo provides the only aRGB lighting accent on the pump housing, taking a ‘less-is-more’ approach on lighting accents. A pair of 90-degree swivel fittings allows rotation and movement during pump installation and radiator mounting.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The base plate of the EK AIO Elite 360 is a solid sheet of satin milled copper, which ships with a patch of pre-applied thermal compound already in place. The additional syringe of EK-TIM Ecotherm compound is a nice addition for system builders who need to re-mount the EK AIO Elite after the first original installation or for any hardware upgrades in the coming years during (or after) the 5-year warranty period. EKWB claims an updated and more efficient pump unit is used for the new Elite 360.
Cabling to support the operation of the pump unit includes an aRGB lighting header for the EK logo backlighting and a 4-pin PWM for pump impeller control.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The base of the EK AIO Elite 360 is milled extremely flat; we are not able to see light peeking between our steel rule and the copper contact plate. A flat surface combined with an alternating ‘X-pattern’ seating of the mounting hardware should provide for a uniform thermal compound mounting patch when we remove the pump from the CPU’s integrated heat spreader (IHS).
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Removing the cooler after installation can provide an indication of the success (or failure) of thermal compound spread between the cooler and the top of the CPU and integrated heat spreader (IHS). The EK AIO Elite 360 seated very well atop our i9-10850k.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The EKWB AIO Elite 360 D-RGB arrives with six 120mm Vardar S fans, which are both aRGB and 4-pin PWM managed.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Using three fans to push air into the radiator, while also making use of the three additional fans to extract and exhaust the warm air makes for a push+pull setup, which allows for optimal thermal performance. Of course, the cooler can operate with only three fans like a typical AIO, but then we ask, why would you spend extra for three more fans?
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The AIO Elite 360 utilizes a relatively standard aluminum radiator, which has threaded machine screw mounts on both sides for the 120mm Vardar S fans to anchor to.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
PWM and aRGB lighting control of the EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB are managed via the provided fan hub to simultaneously control lighting and fan speed for the connected components, which can include the pump. The hub makes use of a PWM and aRGB header for motherboard and lighting control, or via other modules set up as part of your PC’s lighting and fan control ecosystem. When powered, the EK center logo shines with the same aRGB lighting accents seen on the pump housing.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Installation of the EK AIO Elite 360 is very similar to most other 360mm liquid coolers, with the exception of the extra fan depth required from the push+pull setup. This means that additional clearance is necessary inside cases, so plan to account for that extra inch or 25mm of fan thickness.
Big Chungus is one of the most interestingly named PC cases we have seen in a long time. In a market where a series of letters and numbers often make PC cases sound more like a robot from a sci-fi movie rather than somewhere to house your expensive hardware, having an actual name is refreshing. ‘Big Chungus’ was originally a viral meme in case you were wondering, but does this huge show case live up to its name and can it rival some of the other similarly priced open-air display chassis the market has to offer? We find out today.
Watch via our Vimeo channel (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
The case we are looking at today is the Kolink Big Chungus Unit Edition, on the box it is labelled as “V2” since it is an updated version of the original Big Chungus that released earlier this year. Kolink claims that the V2 Unit Edition improves on the original as it includes five 120mm dual Ring ARGB PWM fans (single ring fans in the original), as well as a black, anodised aluminium stand that comes pre-installed to the base of the cassis, the original had a red anodised aluminium stand that the user self-assembled. Other than that, the two look almost identical.
When Big Chungus arrives, you instantly notice the sheer size of the case, the box is almost a two-man job to carry, it is huge. Once out of the box and stood on the desk, the Big Chungus lives up to its name as it stands 668mm tall and 336mm wide. For the system build, I immediately thought about cramming in a load of custom water cooling to show off what this case is capable of since it is marketed as a showpiece chassis after all.
Kolink Big Chungus Unit Edition Features:
Large and unorthodox ATX form factor with a unique appearance designed for displaying and showcasing extravagant and extreme PC builds.
Open chassis layout with four sides of the case covered with tempered glass panels allowing airflow and an unrestricted view of internal components.
Unit Edition is an updated version of the original Big Chungus and includes five 120mm dual ring ARGB fans pre-installed along with two RGB lighting strips at the base and an RGB fan controller with remote control.
Steel chassis frame with a black anodised aluminium base that comes pre-installed, unlike the original red aluminium base that had to be assembled by the user.
Potentially supports front-mounted radiators up to 480mm long (360mm officially), top radiators up to 240mm, floor mounted radiators up to 360mm and/or a total of up to ten 120mm fans (4 x front, 2 x top, 1 x rear and 3 x floor), no support for 140mm fans.
Motherboard support includes ATX/E-ATX or Micro-ATX, maximum CPU cooler height is 175mm, maximum graphics card length is 335mm, as well as power supplies up to 220mm long.
Front panel connectivity consists of 1x USB 3.1 Type C, 1x USB 3.1 type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 3,5mm Audio In/Out and a power button.
Fans possible in total: 4x 120 mm (front side), 2x 120 mm (cover), 1x 120 mm (back side), 3x 120 mm (floor)
Pre-installed: 4x 120 mm (front, PWM, digitally addressable RGB-LEDs), 1x 120 mm (back panel, PWM, digitally addressable RGB-LEDs)
Fan/ARGB controller/Hub: Outputs 10x 6-pin (ARGB/PWM), 2x 3-pin ARGB (5VDG), Inputs: 1x 3-Pin ARGB (connection with motherboard), 1x PWM 1x SATA power (for power supply)
Radiator mountings: 1x max. 360 mm (front side), 1x max. 240 mm (cover), 1x max. 120 mm (back side), 1x max. 360 mm (bottom)
Power supply: 1x standard ATX
Expansion slots: 7
Drive Bays: 2 x 2.5″/3.5″ + 2 x 2.5″
I/O Panel: 1x USB 3.1 Type C, 1x USB 3.1, 1x USB 2.0, 1x Audio In/Out
Maximum graphics card length: 335 mm
Maximum CPU cooler height: 175 mm
Maximum length ATX power supply: 220 mm
However, when you start to look at the case in more detail it seems as though there are some shortcomings with the design. Because of its angular design, the case is tall at its highest point but the problem is the depth of the case from front to rear and the useable space it provides. The case isn’t deep enough to allow the installation of a regular pump/res combo upfront so building custom water cooling inside the Big Chungus may not be as easy as we would expect.
Building a system inside the case also throws up some unexpected issues and limitations and makes the installation process frustrating and less enjoyable. There are several fundamental issues with the case such as pre-installed motherboard standoffs that are not removable and a micro-ATX pre-installed standoff that could potentially cause a short with ATX/E-ATX motherboard installations and possible component damage.
Other issues during installation included the LED strips at the base interfering with power supply installation, power supply screws not lining up easily and the power supply blocks half of the LED strip once installed. Cable management on the rear of the motherboard tray is virtually non-existent, there are cable pass-through holes but no cable management channels, tie-down points, eyelets or straps to neaten up cable installation which is annoying since you can see all the untidy cables through the glass panel.
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 under load, we run Aida64 stress tests, stressing CPU, FPU, Cache and GPU 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 Silverstone IceGem 240P, 240mm AIO and the graphics card stock cooling solution.
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 are used to test the effect they have on thermal performance:
Default configuration;
Front panel removed;
Glass side panel removed.
Test system
Chassis: Kolink Big Chungus V2 Unit Edition
CPU: AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X
Motherboard: Gigabyte TRX40 Aorus Master
Memory: 2 x 16GB (32 GB Total) (2 x 8GB Modules + 2 x Dummy modules) Aorus RGB 3600MHz DDR4 memory
Power supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000 1000W 80+ Titanium
CPU Cooler: Silverstone IceGem 240P TR4/TRX40 AIO cooler
Case Fans: 5 x stock 120mm dual ring ARGB
Thermal compound: Corsair TM30
Operating System: Windows 10 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.
Thermal Performance Overview:
Because the Big Chungus is technically an open-air chassis, thermal performance is relatively unaffected by changing the configuration of the case such as removing side or front panels.
Removing the side panel or front panel of an airflow restrictive case usually has a noticeable positive effect on GPU and CPU temperature, but with the Big Chungus, we only recorded a minimal change in the CPU and GPU temperature when removing panels as expected from an open-air chassis.
We omitted any noise level testing from this review as the open layout of the chassis means that noise levels are not affected by changing the case configuration as they would be in more traditional PC cases.
Closing Thoughts
There is no doubt that Big Chungus V2 Unit Edition is a unique looking chassis, however, it is extremely frustrating to work with. During the build process, I was so discouraged by the issues that kept occurring I almost gave up on the build completely. There are so many small niggling issues with the Big Chungus and the build quality isn’t of a high enough standard to warrant the premium £220 price tag the case has been given.
The most annoying and possibly dangerous flaw with the case is the pre-installed motherboard standoffs. This wouldn’t normally be such an issue if the standoffs could be easily removed, but in the Big Chungus the motherboard standoffs are pressed into the steel tray and include a MATX standoff that could potentially contact a component on the rear of an ATX or E-ATX motherboard, short out a circuit and cause damage to hardware.
Another annoying oversight in the design of the Big Chungus is the complete lack of cable management on the rear of the motherboard tray. There are plenty of cable cut-outs in the right places which is great, however, there are no cable channels, eyelets, straps or points to fasten cables down anywhere which is a big disappointment since the case is equipped with glass side panels so the untidy cable management can be seen. Much cheaper cases with solid side panels have better cable management options than this.
Installing the power supply was also problematic with the Big Chungus Unit Edition, the pre-installed LED strips on the base of the case interfered with installation and once the PSU was in position, the screw holes didn’t line up correctly and the power supply blocked off half of the LED strips so the lighting effect glow was only visible from below the front of the case.
The list of issues continues, front panel motherboard connections are multicoloured and look unsightly, AIO installation at the top of the case is very tight, there isn’t much space at the front of the case for a pump/res combo, LED strip power cables are too short, front panel connectivity is sparse for this price range, glass panels are tricky to re-install due to poor alignment and so on.
One thing that the Big Chungus V2 Unit Edition does have in its favour is the appearance, there is no other case you can buy that looks like the Big Chungus V2 Unit Edition. You also get five pre-installed ARGB fans, two ARGB LED strips and an RGB/Fan hub, although this would be expected from a case that costs in excess of £200.
So if you are a fan of the Big Chungus meme and want a PC case that resembles a fat rabbit then this might be the case for you, just make sure you cut out that dodgy MATX motherboard standoff and try not to get too stressed out while building a system inside as I did, maybe play some calming music to keep relaxed.
The Kolink Big Chungus V2 Unit Edition is available to purchase from Overclockers UK now, priced at £219.95 HERE.
KitGuru says: What could be an interesting and unique chassis for showing off exotic builds is seriously let down by build quality and frustrating issues that spoil the build process.
Already last week we tried to explain the confusion of names surrounding the capabilities of the “Thunderbolt / USB 4” sockets of the new ARM Macs with the information available at the time. In the meantime, the first devices with an M1 processor are in customer hands and some have dismantled their copy immediately. A look inside a Mac Mini, which was posted in the eGPU.io forum, sheds some light on the darkness, but complete clarity looks different.
For example, Apple uses two JHL 8040 R components on the motherboard of the Mac Mini, the Intel specification database ARK as Thunderbolt 4 retimer leads. However, according to ARK, these components have already been available since the third quarter , while Intel itself is available for the first time 2020 talked about Thunderbolt 4 and many details even only in the middle 2020 have been published. In the latter context, Intel has the Thunderbolt 4 chips JHL 8540, JHL 8340 (both controller) and JHL That’s then then one then then or another .
The Mac Mini with M1 SoC contains two Thunderbolt 4 retimer components from Intel.
(Image: @itsage / eGPU.io-Forum)
The solution to the riddle: Retimer modules do not contain any protocol logic, but merely process electrical signals passing through the lines qualitatively. Since the user data rate has not changed between Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, there are no differences for such “stupid” components or an older retimer chip design also works with Thunderbolt 4.
Controller logic This does not apply for the logic of the actual controller. Contrary to what was recently suspected, Apple actually integrated the Thunderbolt controller into its own M1 SoC – chap! The unanswered question, however, is why Apple now only advertises it with Thunderbolt 3 capability.
Possible explanations include that the logic of the slightly modified frequencies in which Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 / Thunderbolt 3 differ, not supported. A retimer doesn’t care about the difference, for a logic to be certified according to a standard it looks completely different. Topography extensions such as hubs instead of daisy-chaining must also be supported by a Thunderbolt 4 controller.
It would also be conceivable, however, that Intel launched its Thunderbolt 4 program too late for the first M1 products: middle 2020 all the “regulatory” tests for the products that have just been released should have already run. Or it depends on subtleties such as the increased requirements for screen or PCIe bandwidth support compared to Thunderbolt 3, which an M1 SoC may not be able to meet.
Anyway: That the final naming, although crude confused, but completely correct in itself, has already been explained in detail. And also that there are hardly any differences for users because there are hardly any Thunderbolt 4 peripherals and the maximum data rate remains the same.
AMD with its Radeon RX 6000 series introduces a feature called Smart Access Memory. The promise is that in specific use-cases where the CPU needs to access a lot of the video memory, it can improve frame rates by up to 6%. Announced alongside the RX 6800 series, Smart Access Memory (SAM) is an AMD branding for the Resizable BAR (Base Address Register) feature the PCI-SIG standardized years ago. AMD realized that this feature can be useful in improving gaming performance.
How it Works
Your processor can typically only access up to 256 MB of your graphics card’s dedicated video memory at any given time. This arbitrary limit dates back to the 32-bit era when address-space was at a premium, and interestingly, carried on even into the 64-bit era. Around this time, newer APIs, such as DirectX 11, relied less on mirroring data between the system and video-memory. Obviously, we want to be able to transfer data to all GPU memory, so a windowing mechanism is used whereby your GPU holds 256 MB of its dedicated memory as a scratchpad any CPU-bound data to be juggled in and out of.
Another reason why nobody even saw this as a “problem” was because of the enormous amount of memory bandwidth at the disposal of GPUs (relative to system memory), which makes this jugglery “free.” When it came to the Radeon RX 6800 series, which is up against RTX 30-series “Ampere” GPUs with wider memory buses and faster memory devices, the company finally bit the bullet and implemented the Resizable BAR feature as Smart Access Memory. Since this is a PCI-SIG feature that can be added at the driver-level, NVIDIA announced that it intends to implement this feature as well, via a driver update.
Resizable BAR requires UEFI firmware support, and AMD has artificially segmented its support to just its Ryzen 5000 “Zen 3” processor + 500-series chipset combination, possibly as a means to promote the two. It’s likely that NVIDIA’s implementation is broader as it doesn’t have a CPU + chipset platform of its own, and AMD will follow.
Once enabled, the CPU sees the entire 16 GB of video memory on the RX 6800 series as one addressable block. AMD calculates that this helps with certain game engines which leverage the CPU in their 3D rendering stages (think certain kinds of post-processing, etc.). One possible explanation as to why AMD restricted SAM to its 500-series chipset platform is PCI-Express Gen 4. As such, PCI-Express 3.0 x16 bottlenecks next-gen GPUs by only a single-digit percentage, as shown in our RTX 3080 PCIe Scaling article; so AMD figured all that untapped PCIe Gen 4 bandwidth could be used by SAM without affecting the GPU’s performance during normal 3D rendering. But this doesn’t explain why you need a Ryzen 5000 processor, and why a Ryzen 3000 “Matisse” won’t do.
To enable SAM, you need a 500-series chipset motherboard with the latest UEFI firmware supplied by your motherboard vendor, a Ryzen 5000 processor, and a Radeon RX 6800 series graphics card. Simply enable the “Resizable BAR Support” toggle in the “Advanced” PCIe settings of your UEFI setup program. For these toggles to be available, CSM has to be disabled. This also means that if you’ve been booting from an MBR partition, using CSM, you’ll have to reinstall Windows on a GPT partition. There’s also a conversion mechanism between MBR and GPT, but I haven’t tested that.
In this review, we’re testing using a 500-series chipset motherboard and a Ryzen 9 5900X processor to tell you if Radeon Smart Access Memory is worth the hype and whether it helps the RX 6800 XT gain more against the RTX 3080.
Test Setup
Test System
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard:
ASRock X570 Taichi AMD X570, BIOS v3.59
Memory:
2x 8 GB DDR4-3900 CL16 Infinity Fabric at 1900 MHz
Microsoft is creating a new security chip that’s designed to protect future Windows PCs. Microsoft Pluton is a security processor that is built directly into future CPUs and will replace the existing Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a chip that’s currently used to secure hardware and cryptographic keys. Pluton is based on the same security technologies used to protect Xbox consoles, and Microsoft is working with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to combine it into future CPUs.
This new chip is designed to block new and emerging attack vectors that are being used to compromise PCs, including CPU security flaws like Spectre and Meltdown. Intel revealed back in 2018 that it was redesigning its processors to protect against future attacks, and Pluton is an even bigger step in securing CPUs and Windows PCs in general.
Existing TPMs are separated from CPUs, and attackers have also been developing methods to steal the data and information that flows between a TPM and CPU when they have physical access to a device. Just like you can’t easily hack into an Xbox One to run pirated games, the hope is that it will be a lot more difficult to physically hack into a Windows PC in the future by integrating Pluton into the CPU.
Pluton is the same security found in Xbox One consoles.Photo by James Bareham / The Verge
“We shipped the Xbox which has this physical attack protection, so people can’t just hack it for games etc,” explains David Weston, director of enterprise and OS security at Microsoft. “We learned principles of effective engineering strategies from that, and so we’re taking those learnings and partnering with Intel to build something for the PC that will stand up to that emerging attack vector.”
A number of firms sell kits, or 0-day vulnerabilities, that let attackers gain access to machines and literally crack open PCs to steal critical data that can unlock other ways to get into company systems or access personal information. “Our dream for the future is that’s just not possible on the PC platform,” says Weston.
Pluton is essentially the evolution of the TPM, baked directly into a CPU. “This is a better, stronger, faster, more consistent TPM,” explains Weston. “We provide the same APIs as TPM today, so the idea is that anything that can use a TPM could use this.” That means features like BitLocker encryption or Windows Hello authentication will transition over to using Pluton in the future.
Microsoft’s work with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm also means that Pluton will be updated from the cloud. Updates will be issued monthly on the same Patch Tuesday that regular Windows fixes arrive. The hope is that this should improve system firmware updates for both consumers and businesses that run Windows PCs.
Windows Hello will transition to Pluton in the future.Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
It’s not clear when PCs with Pluton chips will start shipping, but Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm are all committing to build this functionality into their future CPUs. You’ll still be able to build custom PCs with Pluton chips embedded inside, and there should even be support for Linux in the future, too.
“This is a future thing we’re going to build in,” says Mike Nordquist, director of strategic planning and architecture at Intel. “The idea is that you don’t have to look for a motherboard with a TPM chip… so you just get it.” Nordquist says Intel also supports choice for operating systems, and that it doesn’t “want to start doing different things for a bunch of different OS vendors.” There are no firm details on Linux support just yet, but Microsoft already uses Linux with Pluton in its Azure Sphere devices, so it’s likely to be available whenever these chips ship.
New chips and security do mean new fears about DRM, and the fact that processors will now call back to Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure for updates. “This is about security, it’s not about DRM,” explains Weston. “The reality is we’ll create an API where people can leverage it, it’s definitely possible for folks to use that for protection of content, but this is really about mainstream security and protecting identify and encryption keys.”
Microsoft, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm all clearly believe that processors that are continually updated with security built into them is the future for Windows PCs. Spectre and Meltdown were a wake up call for the entire industry, and Pluton is a significant response to the complex security threats that modern PCs now face.
The be quiet! Silent Base 802 offers both a silence-optimized experience and a mesh front panel for when summer kicks in.
For
Excellent interior design
Silent.
Minor thermal penalty for using dampened front panel
Understated looks
Easy panel and dust filter removal for maintenance
Internals can be inverted
Against
Very big
Cable management could use an update
Mesh front feels like a copout
Expensive for the material quality
Features and Specifications
Although 2020 might have mesh-fronted cases dominating our Best PC Cases list, and be quiet! did indeed also introduce such a chassis earlier this year, the company isn’t straying from its roots entirely. The new Silent Base 802 chassis primarily focuses on silence above all else. But, with the avalanche of high-TDP components landing this year and the next, the update brings forth a welcome addition: an optional mesh intake and mesh top cover, to give the Silent Base 802 a little more cooling performance.
Indeed, if you’re not sure you can commit to a mesh chassis or a closed-front chassis, the Silent Base 802 might be just for you, packing both a damping front panel and a mesh front panel in its box. The silent front panel and side panels all come with thick damping material, which should lead to impressively quiet performance – this is staple be quiet! stuff we have here.
But, all that acoustic and thermal versatility doesn’t come cheap: The standard version we’re testing today costs $160, and if you tack on a tempered glass panel, the chassis will run you a steep $170. Let’s find out if it’s worth your money.
Specifications
Type
Mid-Tower ATX
Motherboard Support
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX
Dimensions (HxWxD)
21.8 x 11.06 x 21.22 inches (553 x 281 x 539mm)
Max GPU Length
17.0 inches, 11.3 w/ HDD cage (432 mm, 287 with HDD cage)
CPU Cooler Height
7.3 inches (185 mm)
Max PSU Length
11.34 inches (288 mm)
External Bays
✗
Internal Bays
7x 3.5-inch (3 brackets included)
3x 2.5-inch (3 brackets included)
Expansion Slots
7x + 2x Vertical
Front I/O
2x USB 3.0, USB-C, 3.5 mm headphone, 3.5mm mic
Other
Optional Tempered Glass Panel, Fan Controller, Invertible Layout
Front Fans
2x 140 mm (Up to 3x 140mm, 3x 120mm)
Rear Fans
1x 140mm (Up to 1x 140mm)
Top Fans
None (Up to 3x 140mm)
Bottom Fans
Up to 2x 140 mm
Side Fans
✗
RGB
No
Damping
Yes, Lots
External Tour
Normally, I would begin by touring around the outside of the chassis by describing its looks, but today I’m starting at a different place: the bottom. Why? Because be quiet! hasn’t mounted the feet on this chassis in its shipping box.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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There’s a good reason for this: Once they’re clipped on, the case no longer fits in its box, so they have to come separate. That in itself isn’t a problem as they’re easy to clip on, but once they’re clipped on, the feet are challenging to remove. You can remove them with a flat screwdriver and a bit of violence via the inside of the chassis to get to the clips, but you will damage and scuff some of the internals in the process.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Following the foot attachment, the external tour reveals no major surprises. One thing to note is that the chassis is truly enormous (21.8 x 11.06 x 21.22 inches), and probably one you’ll want to keep under your desk. Of course, there is a simple reason for its size: all that padding and re-routing of air needs to happen somewhere, which in turn helps grow the case’s dimensions.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
In white, I also find that it looks like something straight out of Portal, or the Citadel in Mass Effect. The chassis has this simplistic, elemental sci-fi vibe to it, which I quite like. Much like its acoustic intentions, the chassis also looks calm and quiet. “Are you still there?”
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
You’ll spot the I/O at the top of the chassis, and it does come lavishly equipped. You get two USB 3.0 ports, individual headphone and mic jacks, power and reset switches, an HDD activity LED, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB Type-C port, and a fan controller with three speeds and a PWM mode that detects the signal from your motherboard.
Seasonic, the power supply company, has delivered its first PC case and it is an adventurous piece of work. If you check back to our coverage of the Seasonic Connect power supply and cabling system you might be able to guess where this is going. Syncro Q704 is an E-ATX case that has been designed to work with Connect and the model we have on review is supplied with the Syncro DGC-750 power supply. To say that Q704 is unusual does not do it justice as it has an inverted motherboard tray, four 120mm Nidec fans and a cable system that is unique.
Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
Main features
Seasonic Syncro Q7 features an aluminium body with a tempered glass panel on one side and the Seasonic Connect on the other.
The Connect module functions as a cable management hub, to which the components are directly connected with generally shorter cables.
Inverted motherboard design.
The Seasonic Syncro Q704 model ships with four 120mm Nidec fans.
Syncro Q7 supports up to eight 120 mm cooling fans, as well as various liquid cooling solutions.
Front I/O panel includes USB Type-C
Large removable air filters in the top, front and bottom.
As you will see in our video, Syncro Q704 is dramatically different to a regular PC case. The motherboard tray is inverted and once the power supply and cables are installed you have the basics of a PC that looks different to anything you are likely to have seen before. In particular, the way the cables run from the Connect unit to the motherboard and graphics card is very interesting. We were somewhat disappointed to see the cables that are included with Syncro are the regular black liquorice where we felt this case deserves something truly special. If ever a case was crying out for sleeved cables from the likes of CableMod then Seasonic Syncro is that case.
Testing
To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, Gigabyte RTX 2080 Super and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Seasonic Syncro Q704‘s cooling capabilities.
CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S36 (2,000rpm fans)
Motherboard: ASRock B550 Extreme4
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3600MHz
Graphics card: Gigabyte RTX 2080 Super Gaming OC 8GB
Power supply: Seasonic Syncro DGC-750 Gold
SSD: 240GB Toshiba RC100 M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 10
Cooling Performance
Cooling Performance Overview
During our testing it was clear that Syncro Q704 does a decent job of cooling, but frankly we expected nothing less with four case fans running at 2,150rpm and three 120mm fans on the Celsius S360 cooler. While we are confident the front panel of the case allows cooling air to enter the chamber, and we could see the large filters in each panel have plenty of surface area and offer little obstruction, even so it felt like something odd was going on.
When we slowed the fans from 100 percent to 50 percent we saw the CPU temperature fell by one degree in Time Spy and rose by one degree in Blender. Let’s split the difference and say that temperatures remained constant despite a huge change in fan speed, which means we have a bit of a puzzle on our hands. It is our best guess at least some of the air coming in the front of the case is immediately exiting through the roof.
Closing Thoughts
Seasonic Syncro Q704 is an interesting PC case but the main reason for its existence is to support the Connect power supply and cable module.
This avoids the need to have a bundle of cables running up the back of the motherboard tray but the main benefit is to tidy up the cables that connect to your motherboard and graphics card. By running short cables from the Connect module to your motherboard, Seasonic has made a feature of the cables and we can see this has the potential to look both interesting and appealing. The problem is that the cables supplied with Syncro Q704 are shorter versions of the cables you get with any high end Seasonic power supply and that is something of a disappointment.
The thing is, the Q704 case is a decent piece of work and when you consider it is Seasonic’s first step into the case market we find it is very impressive. The aesthetics, construction, filters, I/O panel and drive bays all pass muster and leave little room for complaint.
Instead we find ourselves taking a step back and looking at the fundamentals of the design. This case supports Connect, which means the cables connections are arranged in a certain area of the case, and that means the best way to shorten the cable paths is to invert the motherboard. That inevitably means you end up with a graphics card that has the cooling fans positioned next to the cooling in the roof of the case, and whether or not that works correctly it looks very unusual and slightly odd.
Having worked with Syncro Q704 we are quite sure the best way to approach this case is with custom loop cooling on both CPU and GPU, and we also think it would be a good idea to add a decent amount of RGB.
You will be able to buy the Seasonic Syncro Q704 with Syncro DGC-750 for £349.90 in December.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
Full dust filtering on all intakes.
Neat design and tidy construction.
Four impressive Nidec fans are included with Syncro Q704.
Seasonic has shown there is room for innovation with a case and power supply combo.
Cons:
You pay a steep price for Q704 and Connect.
The cables supplied by Seasonic are the usual black liquorice.
Gaining access to your HDDs is a fiddly job.
KitGuru says: Seasonic Syncro Q704 is rather expensive but we are happy to see that Seasonic is making waves and shaking things up.
João Silva 2 days ago Featured Tech News, Graphics
It seems that Nvidia is developing an alternative technology similar to AMD’s Smart Access Memory to work on RTX 30 series GPUs. Nvidia’s version will also include support for both Intel and AMD CPUs.
During AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 announcement, the company introduced a new technology named Smart Access Memory. For this technology to work, AMD stated that customers would have to pair a Ryzen 5000 series processor and a Radeon RX 6000 graphics card. Additionally, the motherboard needs to have the AGESA 1.1.0.0 firmware update installed.
Usually, Windows-based PCs can only work with a fraction of the total VRAM of the graphics card, therefore limiting its performance. By using Smart Access memory, the data channel is expanded, allowing the system to fully utilise the bandwidth of the PCIe, increasing performance.
As per Nvidia’s statement to GamerNexus, Smart Access Memory/resizable BAR is “part of the PCI Express spec”, meaning that Nvidia graphics cards can also support such technology. Nvidia has been working on this feature internally, and it will roll out support for Ampere GPUs in “future software updates”. AMD’s own performance projections indicate that it is possible to gain up to 11% performance with Smart Access Memory enabled. According to Nvidia, their internal tests are also “seeing similar performance results”.
It’s not clear if AMD will extend its technology to older AMD processors or Intel CPUs.
KitGuru says: Are you still torn between a new Nvidia or AMD GPU for your next upgrade? Do features like Smart Access Memory factor into your buying decision?
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Home/Component/Cooling/Super Flower introduces the Neon series of CPU coolers
João Silva 3 days ago Cooling, Featured Tech News
It seems that Super Flower is getting back into the CPU cooler market with three new products. Besides the Neon 122 air tower cooler, Super Flower will also launch two Neon AIO liquid coolers – the Neon 240 and the Neon 360.
Starting with the Neon 122, this cooler features a single 120mm ARGB fan with a hydraulic bearing that pushes up to 65 CFM of air through the aluminium heatsink thanks to its maximum speed of 1800RPM. This heatsink connects to the base through four 6mm copper heat pipes that make direct contact with the CPU’s thermal interface.
The top of the heatsink has a silicone diffuser with 24 ARGB LEDs and a brushed aluminium bezel with Super Flower’s logo. Both the ARGB LEDs on the fans and on the silicone diffuser are compatible with MSI Mystic Light, Asus Aura Sync, and other motherboard RGB software. The Neon 122 supports Intel LGA 2066/2011(V3)/115x/1366/775 and AMD AM4/AM3(+)/AM2(+)/FM2(+)/FM1 sockets. Additionally, it’s rated for a 120W TDP.
The Neon 240 AIO liquid cooler, as the name implies, features a 240mm radiator and 2x 120mm RGB fans with a maximum speed of 1800RPM, with each pushing up to 78CFM of air. The Neon 360 features a bigger 360mm radiator, therefore it comes with 3x 120mm ARGB fans with the same specifications as the ones used on the Neon 240. Additionally, the CPU block of both coolers has the Super Flower logo with 12 ARGB LEDs illuminating it.
The ARGB LEDs on the Neon AIO liquid coolers can be synchronized with your system through most motherboards’ RGB software, but there’s also an included RF remote control just in case you don’t use that type of software. Both are compatible with Intel LGA 2066/2011(V3)/115x/1366/775 sockets, as well as AMD AM4/AM3(+)/AM2(+)/FM2(+)/FM1. Additionally, the Neon 360 comes with a bracket to support the TR4 and sTRX4 sockets.
Super Flower hasn’t revealed pricing or availability details yet but we’ll update once that information comes through.
KitGuru says: Have you ever used a CPU cooler from Super Flower? Out of these three, which one would you choose for your system?
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NVIDIA is developing its own “Smart Access Memory” tech for the RTX 30 GPUs
It seems that Nvidia is developing an alternative technology similar to AMD’s Smart Access Memory …
The Supermicro C9Z490-PGW is a solid board to build your socket 1200 system around. The VRMs are more than capable, and once unlocked, performance landed in line with the competition. The appearance may not be for everyone, but many power users will like the 10GbE port and extra PCIe lanes thanks to a PLX chip.
For
Solid 90A power delivery
Server-type features (PXE boot, PLX chip)
Fast 10 GbE and integrated WiFi 6
USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port
Against
BIOS improved, but still feels clumsy
Long boot times
No integrated RGB lighting
Expensive
Features and Specifications
Supermicro is best known to most for server hardware. But over the last few years, the company has dipped its toes in the gaming realm. We’ve seen X99 and X299, as well as Z170 through Z390-based motherboards from the company, culminating with the C9Z490-PGW we have for review today. Like past iterations, the C9Z490-PGW board contains server-level features including PXE boot, four PCIe slots served by a PLX chip, in addition to parts and features we expect on a gaming motherboard.
With an MSRP of $395, this places the C9Z490-PGW squarely in the crosshairs of mid/upper mid-range Z490-based motherboards. Our PGW comes equipped with the full complement of six SATA ports, two M.2 sockets, Aquantia 10 GbE and Wi-Fi 6, a premium Realtek audio solution and more. There’s also the four PCIe slots that use a PLX chip for additional lanes. These are useful for those using multiple video cards, especially with compute workflows.
Performance on this board was on par with any board that follows intel specifications out of the box. To that end, other motherboards (that go beyond the spec) performed better in extended tests. However, you’ll see that the results weren’t that different overall. If you remove the stock turbo limits, then it is no different. Gaming performance was also on par with the other boards. The C9Z490-PGW happily handled our Intel Core i9-10900K CPU at 5.2 GHz without issue. RAM overclocking wasn’t quite set-it-and-go at DDR4 4000, but with a few tweaks, we ran our kit without issue.
Other features on the C9Z490-PGW include onboard power/reset buttons, five 4-pin fan headers, four SATA ports and two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C ports (one Gen2x2/20 Gbps). For those who would like to add RGB lighting to this board, you’re out of luck. There are no onboard headers for lighting, nor any integrated RGB.
Below is a complete list of specifications from Supermicro. Getting past that, we’ll tour around the board in detail.
Specifications – Supermicro C9Z490-PGW
Socket
LGA 1200
Chipset
Z490
Form Factor
ATX
Voltage Regulator
8 Phase (6+2) 90A MOSFETs
Video Ports
(1) HDMI (v2.0a)
(1) DisplayPort (v1.4)
USB Ports
(1) USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20 Gbps)
(1) USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10 Gbps)
(2) USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10 Gbps)
(2) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (5 Gbps)
Network Jacks
(1) 1 GbE
(1) 10 GbE
Audio Jacks
(5) Analog + SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks
✗
Other Ports/Jack
Wi-Fi Antenna
PCIe x16
(4) v3.0 (x16/x0/x16/x0, x8/x8/x8/x8)
PCIe x8
✗
PCIe x4
✗
PCIe x1
(1) v3.0 (x1)
CrossFire/SLI
AMD Quad and 2-Way CrossfireX
DIMM slots
(4) DDR4 4000(OC)
M.2 slots
(2) PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA + PCIe (up to 110mm)
U.2 Ports
✗
SATA Ports
(4) SATA3 6 Gbps
USB Headers
(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C)
(1) USB 3.2 Gen1
(2) USB v2.0
Fan/Pump Headers
(5) 4-Pin (PWM/DC supported)
RGB Headers
✗
Legacy Interfaces
COM, TPM
Other Interfaces
FP-Audio
Diagnostics Panel
2-character and 4 LED
Internal Button/Switch
Power, Reset, Reset CMOS
SATA Controllers
✗
Ethernet Controllers
(1) Aquantia AQC107 (10 GbE)
(1) Intel I219-V (1 GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, MU-MIMO) / BT 5.1
USB Controllers
✗
HD Audio Codec
Realtek ALC1220
DDL/DTS Connect
✗ / ✗
Warranty
3 Years
Starting with accessories, Supermicro includes what’s needed to get started, but not much else. Below is a list of what is included in the box along with the board.
Quick reference guide
Driver disk
(4) SATA cables
Labels for cables
IO plate
Wi-Fi antenna
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Compared to most modern boards in this price range, the Supermicro C9Z940-PGW is far from flashy. A simple matte-black PCB sporting black heatsinks on all of the toasty parts. Contrasting this barrage of black are the silver/metal-colored reinforced DRAM and PCIe slots. The board’s appearance isn’t exactly offputting, but at this price point there are better-looking boards available, especially if shrouds and RGB lighting are your thing.
Speaking of RGB, the C9Z490-PGW doesn’t have any integrated on the board. Instead, it has a single white LED illuminating the SuperO name and a small strip above the rear IO. In fact, the board doesn’t have any RGB headers at all. Any RGB lighting will have to come from third-party ecosystems and controllers. That said, if you’re looking for a board like this in the first place, chances are you won’t miss the lack of lighting and basic styling.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Looking closely at the top half of the board, we’ll start out on the left side. Here we see the black plastic The C9Z490-PGW uses well-apportioned heatsinks covering the VRMs, including other hot-running chips (like the PLX chip just above the top PCIe slot, for example).
Feeding power to the CPU is an 8-pin EPS plug located between the VRM heatsinks. The first of five 4-pin fan headers are located here, just next to the EPS connector. The second header is found just to the right of the DRAM slots. All fan headers support both PWM and DC control fans up to 1A/12W (the manual doesn’t list any power, so we assume the standard).
Next up are the four reinforced DRAM slots that alternate in grey and black (grey slots are the first to be populated). The locking mechanism is single-sided, which is helpful considering the proximity of the top PCIe slot. To the right of these are two more fan headers along with power and reset buttons. Sliding further down the right edge, we see the 24-pin ATX connector along with a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C header.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The C9Z490-PPGW and its Wi-Fi free brother (C9Z490-PG, the W stands for Wi-Fi) come equipped with an 8+2 VRM setup. Power goes through an Infineon XDPE12284C controller (X+Y=8) that feeds six 90A Infineon TDA21490 MOSFETs for Vcore, along with 70A Infineon TDA21535 MOSFETs for the SOC. The phase count may not be as high as others. However, the premium Infineon ICs do a great job at handling our power-hungry Intel Core i9-10900K, even when overclocked to 5.2 GHz.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Moving down to the bottom half of the board, we’ll look at the audio, PCIe slot breakdown and SATA storage. Starting on the left side, we see the Realtek ALC1220 IC, along with a few small audio capacitors. Just above this, under a black heatsink, is the Aquantia AQC107 10 GbE chip. There is some separation of audio bits to the rest of the board. But otherwise, there aren’t any covers on the IC to protect against EMI. That said, this implementation using the premium audio codec should be good enough for most users.
In the middle of the board, we see four full-length PCIe slots, each using reinforcement to prevent shearing and protect against EMI. The four slots work in a x16/x0/x16/x0 or x8/x8/x8/x8 configuration due to the PEX 8747 PCIe Gen3 switch that adds lanes (at the expense of some latency) to the CPU. This configuration is suitable for multi-GPU setups — in particular, compute type loads allowing users to stuff the slots full of cards. For gaming, Supermicro lists AMD CrossfireX as supported, but no mention of SLI. In addition to the four full-length slots is a single x1 size slot that is fed from the chipset.
Wedged between PCIe slots 1/2 and 3/4, are two M.2 sockets. The top socket supports drives up to 80mm, while the bottom up to 110mm. The top slot supports a maximum of PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds while the bottom slot is up to PCIe 3.0 x2. Both sockets only support PCIe-based modules as well as support RAID0 and 1. I would like to have seen at least one of these support SATA-based devices, especially considering there are only four SATA ports available.
As just mentioned, the C9Z490-PGW includes four SATA ports that support RAID0, 1, 5 and 10. All ports should remain enabled regardless of how the M.2 sockets are populated. For this type of board, I would like to have seen all six ports available, giving users more choices in saturating their storage options. In this same area is a 2-character debug LED that’s useful during POST to determine where the system may be hanging.
The bottom edge has a slew of headers including front panel audio, USB and more. In addition to the debug LED above, it also sports a 4 LED debug that stays lit if there is an issue during POST (CPU, DIMM, VGA and BOOT). Along with the debug LED, these can help pinpoint issues that occur before reaching Windows. Below is a list of all headers ordered from left to right.
Front panel audio
SMB to PCIe slots
USB 2.0 header
Standby power header
USB 3.2 Gen1 header
TPM header
Debug LEDs
USB 2.0 header
COM port
Front panel header
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The rear IO is full of inputs and outputs including Wi-Fi, dual Ethernet, audio, USB and video ports. On the video side is a DisplayPort and HDMI port for use with CPUs that have integrated graphics. There are a total of six USB ports out back – two USB 3.2 Gen1 (blue) and four USB 3.2 Gen 2 (one Type-C is Gen2x2, 20 Gbps). Our only concern here is the USB port count sits at six, which may not be enough for some users.
Above the USB ports are the Intel I219-V (left) and the Aquantia 10 GbE LAN ports. The C9Z490-PGW is the least -expensive motherboard that includes a 10 GbE port. The audio stack consists of five analog plugs and SPDIF. Last but not least is the small CMOS reset button.
ID-Cooling continues to show its resolve in offering effective cooling options in the DIY PC space. Many of their previous designs I have reviewed delivered exceptional performance per dollar. Not only that, but them continuously launching such options shows they are well equipped to handle such a cut-throat market segment. At their current pace, it stands to reason that the company’s popularity will only continue to rise.
ID-Cooling’s IS-60 EVO ARGB is the latest cooler to cross my test bench. Featuring a low-profile design that uses two fans and six heatpipes, it packs a hefty amount of metal in a small space with an overall weight of 650 grams including the fans. Still, due to its small size, the TDP rating is limited to 130 watts, so it will be quite interesting to see how well it performs when confronted with our test bench and its rather hot-running 8700K.
Material: Aluminium (fins) Copper (heat pipes) Dimensions: 120 x 122 x 64 mm Heat pipes: Ø6 mm – 6 pcs Weight: 650 g
Fan 1:
Model: ID-12015M12S Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 15 mm Fan Speed: 450–2000 RPM Fan Airflow: 54.6 CFM (maximum) Fan Noise: 13.8–31.2 dBA
Fan 2:
Model: ID-9215M12S Dimensions: 92 mm x 92 mm x 15 mm Fan Speed: 600–2500 RPM Fan Airflow: 44.3 CFM (maximum) Fan Noise: 14–33 dBA
Features:
Low-profile design for ITX cases Heatpipes soldered to base and fins Nickle-plated copper base ARGB lighting via 120 mm fan Motherboard ARGB SYNC Universal mounting hardware for easy installation
Deepcool’s AS500 air cooler punches above its weight class, making it an excellent mid-size alternative to big air cooling for intermediate-to-high CPU core systems with mild to moderate overclocks. Just make sure your case supports the cooler’s 6.75-inch height.
For
Strong cooling potential
Smaller footprint allows for installation flexibility
Silent operation
Against
Cooler height will limit some installations
Features and Specifications
Deepcool’s new single 140mm air cooler, the AS500, resembles half of the company’s Assassin III large tower cooler. If the nickel-plated cooling heatpipes and black accent trim on the AS500 attributes to its proper, tuxedo-like appearance, consider the lighted accent top plate the dynamic aRGB bow tie.
The Deepcool AS500 will be available in UK (£54.99) and European markets around October 20, 2020, arriving sometime in November in the US, for $59.99. With simple installation and support for most current Intel and AMD CPUs (sorry, no Threadripper), the AS500 shines as an intermediate option between budget and large air cooling options.
Deepcool AS500 Specifications
Height
6.75″ / 171.5mm
Width
5.51″ / 140mm
Depth
1.9″ / 48mm
Base Height
1.625″ / 41.3mm
Assy. Offset
0.0″ (centered) (forward 1.0″ / 25.4mm w/fan)
Cooling Fans
(1) 140 x 25mm
Connectors
(1) 4-pin PWM
(1) 3-pin aRGB (5v)
Weight
29.5 oz / 837g
Intel Sockets
115x, 2011x, 2066, 1200
AMD Sockets
115x, 2011x, 2066, 1200
Warranty
3 years
Web Price
$60
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Deepcool ships the AS500 with an assortment of nickel-plated mounting hardware and a universal backplate which provides mounting compatibility with most current Intel and AMD CPU sockets, although AMD Threadripper does not make the list. Spring clips are provided for those wishing to run an additional fan on their AS500 for push/pull operation, while a syringe of thermal paste and an aRGB control module round out the accessory package.
Deepcool covers the AS500 with a 3-year warranty.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The AS500 features a set of five nickelplated heatpipes which converge at the base of the cooler between the mounting plate and a milled baseplate. Tension screws are fixed within the mounting plate bracket, providing simplified installation.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Deepcool provides a 140mm TF140S PWM fan rated at 70.8 CFM at 1200 RPM. The trailing edges of the fan blades are trimmed with fins for directional airflow through the fan chassis and into the cooling tower. The fan itself is not aRGB capable, but it does come equipped with rubberized fan mounts for minimizing vibration noise.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Deepcool makes use of offset heatpipes within the aluminum cooling tower to increase airflow around each thermal conduit. The top bezel of the AS500 is trimmed with an aRGB opaque diffuser and topped with a black top piece. Cabling for the aRGB lighting module runs down a vertical channel cut into the cooling tower to prevent interference of the cabling with the 140mm fan.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
In checking the milling of the baseplate, we can see just a slight bit of convexity, which meets the CPU integrated heat spreader (IHS). This should not be an issue for most installations but could amplify a problem with improper installation or seating of the cooler atop the CPU.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Our installation resulted in an even distribution of thermal compound across the entire IHS face of our Core i9-10850K CPU. This is precisely what we like to see following a cooler install.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Since the Deepcool AS500 is a single tower cooler, it is centered over the CPU and allows for wider compatibility with memory DIMMs which might feature tall heat spreaders, like our Corsair Dominator DDR4-3600 modules, but some installations might still bump into this problem, depending on your configuration and motherboard.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The installation of the AS500 is quite simple, making use of mounting crossbars and the fixed tension springs on the mounting plate which try to automatically align the cooler correctly over the mounting brace.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
While not completely immune to memory interference, the AS500 does a better job than most 140mm coolers. This is nearly always an issue with CPU air cooling solutions featuring large fans, so make sure to do a bit of research and shop accordingly.
If Nvidia has things it’s way, AMD’s latest new performance-boosting technology for RX 6000 “Big Navi” graphics cards might not be a huge advantage, after all.
According to a statement Nvidia gave to Gamer’s Nexus, the company says it will soon enable a feature similar to AMD’s Smart Access Memory (SAM) tech on its Ampere graphics cards. In fact, Nvidia already has the feature working in its labs.
Additionally, Nvidia claims its feature will work equally well with Intel and AMD processors and can use the PCIe 3.0 bus, while AMD has already said that its solution requires an AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor, X570 motherboard, and Radeon RX 6000 GPU to work.
Nivida also suggests that AMD’s feature, which it hasn’t fully detailed yet, merely consists of adjusting PCIe’s resizeable bar feature, which can be done on almost any modern motherboard if the manufacturer exposes the option.
From NVIDIA, re:SAM: “The capability for resizable BAR is part of the PCI Express spec. NVIDIA hardware supports this functionality and will enable it on Ampere GPUs through future software updates. We have it working internally and are seeing similar performance results.”November 12, 2020
AMD says that Smart Access Memory allows the CPU and GPU to share information across a broader PCIe pipe, but the company hasn’t divulged the details of the tech fully yet. AMD merely says that the CPU and GPU are usually constrained to a 256MB ‘aperture’ for data transfers. That limits game developers and requires frequent trips between the CPU and main memory if the data set exceeds that size, causing inefficiencies and capping performance. Smart Access Memory removes that limitation, thus boosting performance due to faster data transfer speeds between the CPU and GPU.
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However, the feature looks akin to the PCIe resizable bar feature, a standard feature of the PCIe spec. Nvidia’s statement surely suggests that the company feels likewise. If the GPU supports it, adjusting this setting in the motherboard BIOS essentially allows mapping of the full frame buffer, thus improving performance.
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Nvidia says its hardware already supports the feature, though it will need to be enabled. Any PCIe-compliant CPU, be it either Intel or AMD, should also be able to use the tech with Nvidia’s graphics cards.
That certainly takes the shine off of AMD’s requirement of an AMD GPU, CPU, and high-end X570 motherboard, especially given that Nvidia plans to enable its competing (yet similar) functionality on all platforms – Intel, AMD, and PCIe 3.0 motherboards included.
Nvidia says that its early testing shows similar performance gains to AMD’s SAM and that it will enable the feature through future firmware updates. However, the company hasn’t announced a timeline for the updates.
It certainly feels like Nvidia is trying to steal AMD’s thunder. If Nvidia’s Ampere silicon experiences similar gains from the Smart Access Memory-like tech, it will definitely complicate matters for AMD’s push to create a walled all-AMD PC gaming garden.
Tool manufacturer iFixit dismantled Microsoft’s Xbox Series X game console and exposed the innards. The teardown makes it clear that the Xbox Series X can be taken apart quite easily thanks to the use of standard screws without glue. In the bottom sits a 130 mm large axial fan, which pushes fresh air through the cooling complex in the housing. The diameter is quite unusual; supplier Delta does not sell the model publicly at least so far – alternatives are likely to come onto the market in the future.
In the In the middle sits a sandwich of two mainboards, a multi-part cooler and power supply. A large aluminum body absorbs the waste heat from the AMD combined processor and GDDR6 memory via a vapor chamber; a metal frame keeps the voltage converters at temperatures. The latter is used to stabilize and shield against electromagnetic radiation, as iFixit explains in the teardown of the Xbox Series X.
Cooler sandwich of the Xbox Series X: The aluminum body on the left guides the Waste heat from the combination processor.
(Image: iFixit)
Cheap standard SSD Microsoft puts an M.2 SSD from Western Digital on the mainboard – the 30 mm short card is very similar to the SN 530 and has, at best, undergone small adjustments. The connection is apparently via four PCI Express 3.0 lanes and not via PCIe 4.0 x2 as assumed. The SN 530 is an entry-level model that can be exchanged very cheaply. The situation is different with the Seagate memory expansions: Pictures from Venturebeat show that the module internally represents a CF-Express card as known from the camera environment. Phisons E 19 – controller relies on two PCIe 4.0 lanes, which have the same transfer rate as four PCIe -3.0 lanes. Microsoft’s so-called Velocity architecture primarily relies on API adjustments to increase speed: It compresses data and allows the GPU to access the memory directly without going through the CPU.
The Xbox Series X has an M.2 connector (M -Key) for a PCIe-SSD.
(Image: iFixit)
Microsoft is taking a different approach than competitor Sony with the Playstation 5: The latter combines a controller it designed itself with flash modules – all four Chips are firmly soldered on, but achieve higher speeds thanks to PCIe 4.0.
The use of an M.2 card makes warranty cases in particular cheaper for Microsoft, since the SSD can be replaced without throwing away the entire motherboard. Users don’t benefit much because they can’t partition the memory and install the operating system. In addition, there are hardly any 19 mm short M.2 cards (M. 2230) – common are 80 mm (M. 2280). The same applies to the built-in UHD Blu-ray drive, which can be exchanged, but contains a daughterboard with an assigned hardware ID – only Microsoft and partners can make meaningful repairs.
Bottom line iFixit awards the Xbox Series X 7 of points for repairability.
(mma)
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