Highpoint has introduced a seriously fast RAID card, called the SSD7540, that runs up to eight M.2 SSDs in RAID 1,0 or 10 at PCIe Gen 4.0 speeds. With all eight M.2 slots active, this daughterboard can hit a whopping 32,000 MB/s of sequential throughput.
The SSD7540 slots into a regular PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot, but it can also run on a PCIe Gen 3.0 interface if required. Each M.2 slot gets access to a full four PCIe lanes, but Highpoint doesn’t explain how it achieved it. We assume the card uses a PLX chip built into the board, allowing lane duplication so each SSD can get a full fat Gen 4.0 x4 interface.
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Highpoint SSD7540 (Image credit: Amazon)
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Highpoint SSD7540 (Image credit: Amazon)
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Highpoint SSD7540 (Image credit: Amazon)
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Highpoint SSD7540 (Image credit: Amazon)
For cooling, the RAID card features a beefy black finned heatsink along with a dual-fan design, with each fan dedicated to cooling either the left or right bank of SSDs. Unfortunately, HighPoint hasn’t shared the card’s dimensions, but looking at the pictures, the PCB looks to be the size of a large graphics card – if you plan on buying this RAID controller, make sure your case has adequate room.
This card’s real beauty is its compatibility; all the fancy tricks to get eight SSDs working properly are done all on the daughterboard itself, meaning you don’t need specific software or some special motherboard to run the SSD7540. All you need is a motherboard that supports PCIe Gen 4.0 (or 3.0, but you won’t get 4.0 speeds), and you’re good to go. To control the card and its associated SSDs, Highpoint gives you a web-based management interface that allows you to create RAID arrays, check monitoring data, and more.
The SSD7540 is available for purchase right now, you can grab it for $999.00 on Amazon.com
Fractal Design’s Meshify 2 offers all the space and breathing room you need for modern high-end workstation builds.
For
Interior brilliance
Excellent cooling performance
Understated looks
Easy panel and dust filter removal
Against
Overkill for builds that don’t use watercooling or lots of storage.
Slightly buzzy fan motors
Features and Specifications
With the high-TDP and thermal demands of many recent and upcoming best graphics cards and best CPUs, Fractal Design has done well with the release timing of its new Meshify 2 chassis – this one is ready for the high-heat generating components of 2020 and 2021.
Indeed, the next year or so seems to be prime time for mesh-fronted cases, as these allow tons of airflow into the system, resulting in great thermals. Gone are the days where we could pack a system full of whatever parts we could get our hands on and rely on the case to dampen the noise from the internal components. Instead we now spend a little more time shopping for components that are quiet to begin with, despite their high thermal outputs.
The Meshify 2 is aimed at that kind of shopper. It’s a big boy of an enclosure that’s built to be extremely practical and versatile, offering all the room for expansion that you may need for years to come. There’s no garish RGB or wild design elements here– it’s all simple, clean, and functional above all else.
This is a chassis for grownups who just want something that gets the job done well without drawing too much attention to itself, but still offers all the necessary amenities. And for that, it certainly deserves a spot on our Best PC Cases list. At $139.99 for the variant with tempered glass, or $129 with all steel side panels, this isn’t a budget chassis. But for the performance, features, and sheer componet space you get (the max GPU length is 18.4 inches and brackets for six drives), the Meshify 2 is easy to recommend.
Specifications
Type
Mid-Tower ATX
Motherboard Support
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX, E-ATX (285 mm)
Dimensions (HxWxD)
18.7 x 9.45 x 21.34 inches (474 x 240 x 542mm)
Max GPU Length
18.4 inches (467 mm)
CPU Cooler Height
7.3 inches (185 mm)
Max PSU Length
13.9 inches (353 mm)
External Bays
✗
Internal Bays
11x 3.5-inch (6 brackets included)
4x 2.5-inch (2 brackets included)
Expansion Slots
7x + 2x Vertical
Front I/O
2x USB 3.0, USB-C, 3.5 mm headphone, 3.5mm mic
Other
Tempered Glass Panel, Fan Controller
Front Fans
2x 140 mm (Up to 3x 140mm, 3x 120mm)
Rear Fans
1x 140mm (Up to 1x 140mm)
Top Fans
None (Up to 4x 140mm)
Bottom Fans
Up to 2x 140 mm
Side Fans
✗
RGB
No
Damping
No
Features
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Touring around the outside of the chassis, it’s clear that the Meshify 2 is a Fractal Design chassis. It takes it easy on the styling, offering a somewhat minimalist approach, with the most eccentric detail being the creases in the mesh.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The front IO resides at the top of the chassis and comprises individual headphone and mic jacks, a USB Type-C port, power and reset switches and the mandatory dual USB 3.0 ports.
Removing the panels from the Meshify 2 is easier than on most cases. On the rear you simply pull the tab outwards, which pulls the pegs at the top of the left and right side panels out from their clamps. The panels then swivel out, and can be lifted off the chassis. To put them back on, you simply place the bottom of the panel into place and push the top to close it – that’s it.
The front mesh filter comes off just as easily— pull it open using the Fractal logo as a handle. The top cover also pulls right off, revealing the dust filter underneath. We particularly appreciate how easy it is to remove the panels, as this makes it a breeze to strip the case down to its bare skeleton for easy access to all the spots you may need to get to during assembly.
Internal Layout
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The ease of removing the panels is only a glimpse of Fractal Design’s great PC case design skills. Opened up, the Meshify 2 has a whole host of features internally that set it apart in the market, so let’s go through a few of them.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Starting off, the main motherboard area is good for up to an ATX-size motherboard. You can opt to install wider E-ATX boards up to 285mm in width, but these will cover the cable grommets and thus you’ll have to find a different method to route cables (switch to the storage layout).
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Flip over to the other side, and you’ll find the cable management area. At the top you’ll spot a fan controller, which has six 3-pin voltage-control headers along with three 4-pin PWM headers. But, note that the 3-pin headers here only offer constant voltage, so you’ll want to plug the included fans into your motherboard if you want to control their speeds – this module is more of a 3-port PWM splitter.
Back here there is room for two SSDs on the back of the motherboard tray, and a plastic trim piece covers up the PSU area. Remove this piece, and you’ll spot room for two 3.5-inch hard drives and the longest of power supplies. But what about that support for up to 11 3.5-inch drives that Fractal Design is talking about?
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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Spot that huge plastic slab that’s in front of the motherboard? If you’re building a system that doesn’t use more than four 3.5-inch drives, you can leave it where it is as you can mount a third 3.5-inch drive on the floor of the PSU area too, as well as on the back of this partition.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Leaving it there will offer room to mount a tube reservoir, for which mounting points are supplied on a removable cover piece to the PSU area. A separate part of this cover piece can be removed to make way for longer radiators.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
But, by removing just five screws, you can remove the side partition and bump it over to the left side of the chassis to switch to the storage layout. Three of these screws are accessible from the front, one from up top and one on the bottom, inside. This last one is the trickiest to get to when you move the partition over to this side, but Fractal Design cut a hole in the front panel that you can guide your screwdriver through to reach it, and the entire panel fits seamlessly into place.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Then, flip over to the other side, and you can install up to eight additional hard drives, though only four trays are included in the accessory box.
However, despite offering room for up to eight more hard drives for a total of up to 11 3.5-inch drives, at the front there is still room to house fans and a radiator, provided the radiator isn’t too thick.
Up to the partition, graphics cards can be 315 mm long, which is plenty for most cards. Assuming you don’t have a radiator, hard drives, or reservoir blocking access, GPUs can be up to 467mm long before bumping into the intake fans. Just note that in the storage layout (with the partition moved), GPUs can only be up to 150mm wide if you intend on pushing it into that space.
That Accessory Box Though
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Meshify 2 comes with possibly the largest accessory box ever for a PC case. It’s unnecessarily enormous, becausemost of it is empty. Inside you’ll find the four additional HDD trays, a smaller accessory box with all the screws and bits, and a very detailed manual that covers all the case’s features and how to use them. At the time of writing this manual isn’t available online, but if you intend on building a system in this chassis that pushes it to its limits, the manual can be very helpful in planning your build to find the case’s possibilities and limitations.
The screws and bits include a ton of rubber grommets to mount the HDDs with, to ensure there is some vibration damping, and Fractal Design even goes so far to include one extra motherboard standoff to replace the central anchoring standoff, in case you want to replace it for one that you can turn a screw into. You’ll also find a screw to secure the tempered-glass side panel for when you need to transport the case without its box. And plenty of zip ties are also included.
Cooling
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Being a mesh-fronted chassis, the Meshify 2 is all about airflow and cooling. Fractal Design includes three 140mm fans from the factory, which will be plenty for the vast majority of builds, with one at the rear exhaust and two as front intake.
You can opt to install another 140mm spinner in the front, three at the top, and two at the bottom intake (with the necessary sacrifices that may take, such as removing the hard drive cage). Alternatively, the same number of 120mm fans fit.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
However, radiators need a little more clearance, so you can fit up to a 120mm radiator at the rear exhaust, 420mm radiator at the top (limited to 360 in the storage layout), a 360mm radiator at the front, and a 140mm radiator at the bottom. Again, note that if you want to maximize radiator space, you’ll have to sacrifice either the biggest size at the top or the biggest size at the front intake to ensure the radiators clear each other.
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Dust filters are provided at the top, front and bottom intake, though you may choose to remove the top filter if you’re exhausting here to improve radiator performance without a dust-buildup penalty.
For custom loops, a fill port mount location is provided in the top fan bracket with a 25.4mm (1-inch) diameter.
New members of the Meshify family are easy to identify from their familiar polygon-shaped web front panels, although there are many innovations involved.
Swedish Fractal Design has risen to the ranks of the most popular enclosure manufacturers by following its simple Scandinavian design principles. Now the company has released new versions of its highly popular Meshify series.
Meshify 2 and 2 XL are easily identifiable as members of the Meshify family by their web-based front panels made up of walkable polygons. Efficient air circulation has been one of the product family’s selling points. Meshify 2 has seats for a total of nine 10 or mm or nine 140 mm for the fan
Fractal Design’s new Meshify 2 enclosure overhaul features a much-needed removable nylon dust filter on the front panel, a movable wall to customize the enclosure for different needs, and a fully detachable enclosure roof. The new movable wall at the front of the case can be pulled flush with the motherboard carriage to the right side of the case, or pulled to the left side of the case to accommodate the entire case 14 3.5-inch hard drive and four SSDs. The removable roof, in turn, makes building the assembly even easier.
The basic version of the case will be available in black, gray and white and 2 XL in black. For Black Meshify 2, you can choose a solid side or a tinted glass side. The tinted glass sides are available in two different degrees of tinting. Only the lighter tinted glass side is available for the gray version and the clear glass side for the white version. Meshify 2 XL will only be available with a more or less tinted glass side.
Technical features of Fractal Design Meshify 2 and 2 XL cases:
External dimensions and weight:
2: 542 x 240 x 473 mm (W x H x D), 14, 1 (blind side) or 10, 5 kg (glass side)
2: 315 – 491 mm ( depending on the position of the disc frame and the front fans)
2 XL: 359 – 549 mm (depending on the position of the disc frame and the front fans)
Maximum CPU height of the processor: 185 mm
Maximum length of power supply: 250 mm (hard disk slots in use, not indicated without)
Fan slots:
2: Front 3 x 120 / 140 mm, on the ceiling 3 x 99 , at the bottom 2x 120 / 140 and 1 x on the back 140 / mm mm
2 XL: Front 4 x 132 / 3 x mm, on the ceiling 4 x 99 3 x 132, at the bottom 2x 99 / 140 and 1 x on the back 120 140 mm
Fans: Includes a total of 3x 140 mm Dynamic X2 GP – 14 (
rpm, 68, 9 dB (A), 71, 4 CFM, 0, 71 mm H2O)
Radiator compatibility:
2: In front 360 / 280 mm, on the ceiling 360 / 420, at the bottom 240 / 280 and at the back 99 mm
2 XL: In front 480 / 420 mm, on the ceiling 480 / 420, at the bottom 240 and rear 99 mm
Both cases come on sale immediately. The Recommended Price for Meshify 2 is at a dead end 14, 71 euro and on the glass side 142, 99 euros. The Recommended Price for Meshify 2 XL is set 120, 71 euro.
Apple has finally introduced its first Macs with processors it designed itself: a 13-inch MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and a Mac mini. Apple is promising significant performance benefits over Intel processors and, for the laptops, a huge increase in battery life. (To give you an idea of the level of improvement Apple is touting, Apple claims the new MacBook Pro can get up to 20 hours of battery life.)
They’ll also be able to natively run iOS apps, meaning Macs will theoretically have a lot more software options right from the jump. But before you turn those exciting promises into a preorder, you should know there’s still a big question mark hanging over the new computers.
A render of the Apple M1 embedded in a tiny MacBook motherboard.Image: Apple
The reason they can natively run iOS apps is because the new Apple M1 is based on the Arm instruction set, just like your smartphone, instead of the x86-64 instructions used in Macs and Windows PCs. But the reverse is also true: we’re currently taking Apple’s word that existing Mac apps will work well when they don’t run natively. Yesterday’s was the second presentation in a row where we saw canned demos and unlabeled graphs instead of actual benchmarks and performance comparisons.
We know what we’re getting with Intel. With Arm, we don’t. And while there are good reasons to think Apple has figured it out, history hasn’t always been kind to other manufacturers who have tried Arm-based computers.
Back in 2012, Microsoft launched an Arm-based version of its new-at-the-time Surface tablet, dubbed the Surface RT. It was a thin computer / tablet hybrid, and at $499, it seemed like a promising new Arm-based device.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Confusingly, though, the Surface RT didn’t run the also-new-at-the-time Windows 8. Instead, it ran Windows RT, which was a stripped-down version of Windows 8 that couldn’t run traditional Windows programs. Even Microsoft support reps had trouble explaining what would and wouldn’t work on Windows RT. That confusion probably contributed to the Surface RT’s eventual failure. In its fiscal Q4 2013 earnings, Microsoft recorded a $900 million loss because of Surface RT “inventory adjustments.”
The Surface RT’s failure didn’t stop Microsoft from making more runs at Arm-based Surface computers, though. The company released the Surface Pro X last year, which has an Arm processor co-developed by Microsoft and Qualcomm. We thought the hardware looked great, and once again, the Arm processor let Microsoft make it thinner than the Intel-powered Surface Pro. But while Windows itself was well-optimized for Arm, many apps were slower than they would be on an Intel computer and some didn’t work at all.
Tom Warren found that a newer second-generation Surface Pro X had fewer app compatibility issues than the original, but some apps still didn’t work, including Adobe’s Creative Cloud (with Photoshop and Lightroom).
The Lenovo Flex 5G, one of the rare Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx laptops to make it to market.Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
It’s not just Microsoft that has struggled with Arm-based computers. Samsung released the Surface-like Galaxy Book 2 in 2018, but you likely won’t be shocked to hear that The Verge’s Dan Seifert had problems running certain apps. My colleague Cameron Faulkner ran into similar issues while reviewing the Lenovo Flex 5G in July. Microsoft is still working to improve Windows’ app compatibility on Arm with x64 emulation. We’re optimistic, but we’re not close to recommending Windows on Arm over Windows on Intel options. And while budget Google Chromebooks can often run perfectly well on Arm, most have adopted Intel and AMD these days.
Apple seems extremely confident in its transition to Arm-based processors, though. Apple has already removed all Intel-based MacBook Airs from its product lineup — despite introducing a new Intel-based Air back in March. While Microsoft, Lenovo, Samsung, and others have always offered a choice between Arm and Intel, Apple expects to transition the whole Mac product line to Apple silicon in about two years.
The company’s sending a clear message that Arm is the future of Mac, and big software companies like Microsoft and Adobe are already listening: Photoshop is coming next year, Lightroom is coming next month, and Microsoft Office is on the way. Other developers who want to make Mac apps are also going to have to get on board.
Apple may be able to avoid some of the same app-compatibility traps other manufacturers have run into. Microsoft, for example, badly assumed developers would embrace its Windows Store by releasing universal apps that would work across both Arm and Intel. That’s an option for Apple developers, too, but the company also has its Rosetta 2 that can translate apps designed for Intel chips to Arm when you first install them, or on the fly afterward if necessary. Apple says some Intel apps can even run faster on its new chip that way, at least compared to the Intel chips in its previous-gen Macs.
And again, M1 is able to run the vast library of iOS apps natively, giving users access to a huge potential volume of functional apps — though you’ll need to sling a pointer around because the Macs don’t have a touchscreen.
I’m very interested to see if these new Macs are as good as Apple promises they’ll be, as I think I’m going to be in the market for a new Apple laptop soon. My personal Mac is an early 2014 11-inch MacBook Air. I love it, but it’s starting to chug on basic internet browsing and the battery can’t hold a charge for much more than an hour or two.
If the new MacBooks are as capable as Apple says they are and can run most apps without much issue, they might be hard for me to pass up. The MacBook Air, in particular, caught my eye, as I currently use my old MacBook Air mostly for surfing the web and writing.
But if there are just as many app-compatibility issues as other Arm-based computers have run into, I might try to squeeze another year out of my beloved personal machine and wait for developers to catch up. I wouldn’t consider an Intel-based Mac anymore, though, as Apple seems fully committed to this transition to its own silicon.
The new Silent Base 802 is positioned in the size range of large mid-tower enclosures.
Be Quiet! has officially released the Silent Base 802 tower case, which it teased earlier this fall, as a successor to the one released a couple of years ago 801 for the model. The novelty is located in the collection between the Dark Base 900 and – 801 models. The Silent Base 802 is designed to suit the user’s needs and is able to provide either good airflow or good sound-absorbing properties with its replaceable roof and front panels. The inner panels of the housing use a 10 sound-absorbing mat.
Like the Dark Base 900 model, the Silent Base 802 motherboard carriage is a removable model and can be installed upside down if necessary. that the processor base is located in the center of the case and the option card slots are located at the top, respectively. The storage drive bays are modularly implemented on the front of the housing, i.e. they can be removed and repositioned individually. The case comes with mounting options for three 3.5-inch or seven 2.5-inch drives – additional slots are available as an option. As standard, the housing is cooled by three 90 Pure Wings 2 fans – there are seven fan slots in total. The front panel has a four-position fan controller for six fans.
Technical specifications:
External dimensions: 539 x 240 x 553 mm (W x H x D)
Front panel: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, microphone, headphone, fan control
3.5 “disc slots: 7 pcs (3 included in the case)
2.5 inch disk slots: pcs (7 included with the case)
Expansion card slots: 7 + 2 pcs
Maximum length of additional cards: 287 – mm mm ( depending on the location of the disk cage)
Maximum CPU height: 185 mm
Current maximum source length: 288 mm
Fan slots: Front 3 x 90 / 140 mm, on the ceiling 3 x 120 90, at the bottom, in the power supply cover and at the back 1 x 120 / 140 mm
Fans: Pure Wings 2 PWM (max: 1000 RPM, 18, 8 dBA, 61, 2 CFM); 2 x 140 mm in front, 1 x 140 mm rear
Radiator compatibility: max 360 or 449 mm in front, max 240 or mm in the ceiling, max 140 mm behind
Silent Base 802 will be available in black and white, with a window and a metal side. The cases will be available in November 13. day. The suggested retail price of the window model is 169, euro and windowless 159 (EUR)
Coolers based on Intel’s Cryo Cooling technology improve the company’s odds-unlocked 10. generation Core processors overclocking potential at most loads.
Intel’s Cryo Cooling has been featured in new liquid cooling solutions released by EKWB and Cooler Master. In this news article, we’ll take a quick look at what it’s really about.
Intel Cryo Cooling technology is based on a combination of the company’s software, hardware and firmware features. It naturally requires a technology-enabled cooler, a compatible motherboard, a multiplier-unlocked to operate. next-generation Core processor and the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility overclocking app. 10. next-generation processors also require a new firmware version to make the technology work as intended. You can find a list of currently supported motherboards at the end of the news.
Coolers that support Cryo Cooling technology are based on a thermoelectric peltier element (TEC, Thermal-Electric Cooling), in which an electric current is used to cool the cold plate. The hot side of the Peltier element, in turn, remains to be cooled by the liquid collector itself, be it an AIO or custom liquid circuit. The consumption of the Peltier element and thus the heat output is about 200 watts. The Peltier element allows the processor temperature to be lowered below room temperature and even below zero degrees under certain conditions. To prevent condensation, the Intel control unit constantly monitors not only the ambient temperature and processor load, but also the humidity and controls the operation of the element based on them. The user is also given the opportunity to adjust the operation manually instead of automatically.
Intel does not promise any specific clock frequency or performance for the processors supported in its documents, but promises that the technology will improve overclocking results, as cold silicon is able to bend to higher clock frequencies at lower voltages than warm silicon. At the same time, a new overclocking version of Velocity Boost technology was also released: OC-TVB or Over-Clocking Turbo Velocity Boost. OC-TVB allows the user to set separate coefficients for processor cores at low temperatures, the temperature limit at which to move to lower coefficients, and how many steps to lower coefficients the processor should then move.
According to Intel’s own tests, coolers using Cryo Cooling technology are either clearly better or, at their weakest, only slightly weaker than traditional liquid cooling, depending on the load. With Comet Lake processors below 100 watt loads (most games, low-scaling applications) Cryo Cooling collars are said to keep the processor temperature at about 20 – degrees lower than the liquid scooter and 100 – 180 watt loads (some games, medium loads) 5 – 20 degrees lower. 180 – 230 watt loads Cinebench, Prime 95 on all cores) Cryo Cooling should be roughly flush with the fluid circuits and eventually over 230 watt loads (overclocked Cinebench, Prime 95 with all cores) discard it sparingly.
Source: Intel slideshow, not publicly available for download
Fractal Design has produced a long, long, LONG list of the changes they made to the Meshify S2 to create the Meshify 2, however we can save you a huge amount of time and trouble. The best way to understand Meshify 2 is to look at the superb Define 7 and then mentally add a Mesh front panel. It sounds simple and we have to say, the result is excellent.
Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
Main features
Iconic angular mesh design with a bold, stealth-inspired aesthetic
Dual-layout design for more flexible configuration options and vastly increased storage capability
Spacious, adaptable interior accommodates ATX/E-ATX motherboards up to 285 mm in width
Includes 6 HDD/SSD trays, 2 SSD brackets, and one universal Multibracket for mounting up to 9 drives
Expandable to 11 trays and 4 SSD brackets with 3 Multibrackets installed in the top and bottom for a max of up to 18 drives in Storage Layout
Modular chassis design with removable top panel assembly opens up to fully expose the case interior on three sides
New front panel design with hinged removable mesh and tether-free bezel
Nylon front filter can be removed from the mesh to further increase airflow
Nine 120/140 mm fan mounts with three Dynamic X2 GP-14 fans supplied
Support for radiators up to 360 mm in front, 420 mm up top, or 280 mm in the base
Included Multibracket converts any unused fan position to an HDD, SSD, pump or reservoir mount
Ventilated PSU shroud with two-part removable cover and additional SSD/multi-bracket mounts
Bridgeless expansion slots ensure obstruction-free connections and allow for a more centred vertical GPU installation via the new Flex B-20 PCIe riser (sold separately)
Two vertical GPU slots for use with the Flex VRC PCIe riser (available separately)
Three front USB ports including one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
Ultra-slim Nexus+ 2 fan hub with three PWM and six 3-pin connections logically placed in-line with cable channels
Tool-less, top-latching side panels offer quick access. Optional screws (concealed beneath front bezel) secure TG panels for transit and/or deter unwanted removal
Easy-to-clean high airflow nylon filters on the front, top and base with full PSU coverage and convenient front access
Detachable PSU cable shield and integrated cable guides with Velcro straps simplify cable management
We cover the features of this case in a fair amount of detail in our video but one aspect that took us by surprise is that our white sample is actually traditional Fractal Design black and white. The other thing that was unexpected came to light as we dug into Meshify 2.
The floor of the case is riveted in place and it is different to the floor of the Define 7. Add in the fact that the front I/O panel has also changed slightly and the result is that you cannot pull the front panel off the Define 7 and install the panel from the Meshify 2. That might be a minor pain for owners of the Define 7 who fancy a change to Mesh but it is a larger pain for reviewers who imagined they could swap panels around and do some back-to-back comparisons.
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 Fractal Design Meshify 2‘s cooling capabilities.
Graphics card: Gigabyte RTX 2080 Super Gaming OC 8GB
Power supply: Seasonic Focus PX850W Platinum
SSD: 240GB Toshiba RC100 M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 10
Cooling Performance
Cooling Performance Overview
Fractal Design Define 7 does a perfectly decent job of cooling, however it is always clear the emphasis is on low noise levels, a clean aesthetic and a reasonable level of air flow. By contrast the Meshify 2 is all about cooling and air flow, and the results speak for themselves. When the case interior is set to the Open mode you have clean, unobstructed paths that will deliver results for gamers with high-end PCs. No doubt it would be a different story with the Meshify 2 in Storage mode but that is only to be expected and does not detract from the point that Meshify 2 is very impressive.
Closing Thoughts
Reviewing a flawed product is relatively easy as the reviewer can point out problems, suggest fixes and generally get excited about the perceived foolishness of the designers and developers who have been involved.
By contrast a product such as the Fractal Design Meshify 2 is terribly dull to work with as it is based on a very good case – the Define 7 – that has been enhanced to deliver improved air flow. As far as the enthusiasts and gamers are concerned this is a one way bet where we gain a benefit and lose almost nothing.
This leads to a situation where your reviewer flogs along, checking features and confirming the claims made by Fractal Design and we end up with a balance sheet that is very lopsided. On the negative side we have an absence of RGB lighting, a mixed colour scheme and a single screw that is awkward to access. We know full well that a large part of the KitGuru audience has little time for RGB so that is more of an observation than a genuine complaint.
On the positive side we have the option to install a huge number of fans and radiators, an absurd number of storage drives and any graphics card we can imagine. In addition, Fractal Design includes a decent number of drive mounts and three 140mm fans so you are unlikely to have to buy any accessories unless you are building an extreme PC. If you do want to buy accessories they are available, but the price you are being charged includes a very fair level of hardware and accessories.
Fractal Design has simply done a very good job with Meshify 2.
We don’t yet have a buy link for the Meshify 2 but the UK MSRP is £128.99 for the tempered glass model (as reviewed).
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
Superb air flow.
Excellent tool-free design.
Monumental support for SSDs and hard drives.
You can pack in a huge range of fans and radiators.
Fully filtered.
Good value for money.
Cons:
This white case has a black interior.
Changing the case to Storage Mode is slightly fiddly.
Removing the drive cage in the floor of the case may take some work.
KitGuru says: Fractal Design has improved their design by leaps and bounds. Meshify 2 is superb.
At Apple’s keynote yesterday, a lot was said about the innovations of the first three ARM machines. The M1 chip, which Apple first introduced in MacBook Air, MacBook Pro inches and Mac mini are used, among other things, should offer the best battery life of all Macs and beat any comparable PC in terms of performance. However, Apple’s choice of design, which is completely based on the old Intel variants of the three new machines, also leads to compromises. You notice it when you take a closer look at the specifications.
You could also say that Apple is saving the specs. So Apple uses the old (and extremely dusty) in both the new MacBook Air and the new MacBook Pro p webcam while in the iPhone 11 For example, it has long been used as a front camera 12 Megapixel sensor with 4K capability is used. At least, Apple promises, the quality of the image processing will improve because you are using a brand new Image Signal Processor in the Mac.
Apple Silicon: Of ARM processors and the future of the Mac | Comment on the “One More Thing” keynote According to Apple, it provides “noise reduction, greater dynamic range, improved automatic white balance and face recognition with machine learning”. The users would look “great on video calls”. Tests have to show whether this is true; It is clear, however, that the measly sensor has massive limitations – and there would have always been room for a better webcam.
Thunderbolt and eGPUs The new Thunderbolt 4 connection technology is still not included in the M1 Macs – although many observers expected it was. Instead, Apple continues to use Thunderbolt 3 as in the current Intel Macs. These are referred to as “Thunderbolt / USB 4”. They pack up to 40 Gb / s in Thunderbolt-3 Mode or up to 10 Gb / s in USB 3.1 Gen 2 mode. DisplayPort and of course charging of the machine are supported via the ports. There are only two of these in all M1 machines. This also applies to the MacBook Pro with 13 – inch screen. That can be very close. The Mac mini also has two traditional USB-A ports. It is possible that the company is still working on the implementation of Thunderbolt 4, which initially depends heavily on Intel hardware as usual. At least nice: All Macs still have a 3.5-inch jack for audio.
No longer possible in the future is the use of eGPUs for games or graphics-intensive applications. Their support was deleted without comment, as can also be seen from the specs. The Blackmagic eGPU sold by Apple is only listed as a compatible accessory for Intel machines. A corresponding confirmation came shortly afterwards from Apple itself. If you need full graphics power, you should also pay attention to the variant of the computer you are buying. The cheapest variant of the MacBook Air with 256 GByte SSD has only seven instead of eight graphics cores – Apple obviously switches one off here in the SoC.
GPU and upgrades You can completely forget the upgrade capability of the new ARM Macs. Neither RAM nor SSD are exchangeable; they should be soldered or part of the SoC and are probably also “married” to the motherboard via the Secure Enclave. Accordingly, one should consider using the GByte variants with a sufficiently large SSD. GPU and CPU also share the memory, the GPUs manage without their own RAM.
New Macs with Apple Silicon (20 Photos)
Apple’s first Mac with its own M1 CPU is the new MacBook Air.
With the MacBook Pro, the upgrade options are also limited compared to the Intel version. Intel machines allow up to 32 GByte RAM or 4 TByte SSD. With the M1 model it is only 18 GB of RAM or 2 TB of SSD. Apple places the machines in its product matrix where the entry-level MacBook Pro models with Intel chips were previously to be found; the company continues to sell the Intel variants.
Peltier cooling is experiencing an unexpected comeback – according to EK, Cooler Master is now also presenting an ambitious cooling solution. While EK uses a water cooler with an integrated Peltier element with the EK-QuantumX Delta TEC, Cooler Master uses the technology in the MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub-Zero, however, for AiO cooling.
Both products still have more in common than you might think. Because both the EK cooler and the Cooler Master AiO cooling use Intel’s Cryo Cooling technology. It should reach temperatures below the ambient temperature – and thus enable higher clock frequencies with lower voltage. Intel uses a combination of hardware, software and firmware. On the hardware side, a Thermoelectric Unit (TEC) – i.e. a Peltier element – is used. This sits directly above the bottom plate of the cooler and measures 45 x 52 mm. Temperature, dew point and humidity sensors in the cooler provide the necessary data for controlling the Peltier element. A seal underneath the cooler is supposed to prevent condensation.
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Although there is not even a small cover over the cooler the pump developed by Cooler Master is a separate element. Cooler Master recommends placing them on the front and the 360 – mm radiator to be mounted under the cover. The 120 – mm fans are pre-assembled just like the pump cover. These unlit SF 120 R fans work with 650 – 1. 900 RPM. Cooler Master makes the radiator out of aluminum.
The socket compatibility is very limited. The MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub- Zero is only intended for Intel LGA 1200 (where LGA 115 x of the mounting holes is actually identical). And not every LGA – 938 – motherboard is recommended, but a list of boards is provided that meet the “KOZ + & OC” requirements.
With the MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub-Zero should primarily be achieved with high frequencies due to the low temperatures. However, the AiO cooling with Peltier element was not designed for maximum power loss. The manufacturer states directly that the CPU temperature difference between the MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub-Zero and a conventional AiO cooling shrink with increasing CPU power loss. While under 100 W Power loss 20 – 30 K difference should be possible, the difference shrinks above 180 W to below 5 K. For over 230 W sees Cooler Master then a tie between MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub-Zero and normal AiO cooling.
The price comparison reveals that the MasterLiquid ML 360 Sub-Zero significantly more expensive than one conventional AiO cooling with 349 -mm radiator will. The price indicated is 349, 99 Euro.
The ASRock A320M-HDV R4.0 got a lot of attention recently when the sub-$100 motherboard was spotted running an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. Now, the motherboard is in the spotlight again, as ASRock has seemingly prepared a new firmware for it to support Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) and Ryzen 4000 (Renoir) CPUs.
As per the Chiphell forums, the A320M-HDV R4.0 has successfully housed the Ryzen 9 5950X, AMD’s 16-core flagship Zen 3 chip, despite A320 motherboards not receiving official Ryzen 5000 support. ASRock has been one of the few motherboard vendors that informally provides support for newer Ryzen processors on long-forgotten AM4 motherboards. Apparently, the A320M-HDV R4.0 happily accepts Ryzen 5000 chips as long as it’s on the P4.03 firmware, which is dated November 3. The latest available firmware on ASRock’s website for the A320M-HDV R4.0 is P4.00, so we suspect that the P4.03 is an alpha firmware that was inadvertently leaked.
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A320M-HDV R4.0 (Image credit: Chiphell Forums)
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A320M-HDV R4.0 (Image credit: Chiphell Forums)
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A320M-HDV R4.0 (Image credit: Chiphell Forums)
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A320M-HDV R4.0 (Image credit: Chiphell Forums)
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A320M-HDV R4.0 (Image credit: Chiphell Forums)
On a sidenote, the P4.03 firmware reportedly adds support for Renoir as well. A Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G APU was sighted on the A320M-HDV R4.0 with a whopping FCLK up to 2,166 MHz. Due to the nature of Renoir’s design, the Zen 2 APUs have more forgiving memory controllers and it’s not a coincidence that the world record for fastest DDR4 memory (DDR4-6666.6) was set with a Ryzen 7 4700GE, another member of the Renoir army.
It’s unclear if the situation with the A320M-HDV R4.0 is an isolated occurrence or if ASRock is secretly working on new firmwares for the brand’s other 300-series motherboards. We’ve reached out to the motherboard vendor for comment.
Intel has launched its first WiFi 6E-capable M.2 wireless card, the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210. As of writing, we’re only seeing it shipping from China. It comes in a M.2 2230 form factor and supports both the 802.11ac and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 & Wi-Fi 6E) protocols. If you have a laptop or desktop motherboard with an M.2 WiFi module, this M.2 card will fit right in.
Of course, the real beauty of this card is its ability to run the new WiFi 6E standard. The Federal Communications Commission passed this upgrade to WiFi 6 just this year. WiFi 6E devices to operate on the 6 GHz band, rather than just the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This will provide users a massive boost in bandwidth and speed.
Beware though, you need to have a WiFi 6E-capable router, such as the new Asus ROG Rapture, said to be the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E-capable router.
Still, Wi-Fi 6E is a very new standard, and devices supporting it, like the Intel AX210, are only just starting to come out. Expect plenty of routers to support this device, and all more Wi-Fi 6E devices to come out by next year when the standard goes fully mainstream.
In the same way that EK has launched a liquid cooling block equipped with the technology Intel Cryo Cooling to reduce the temperatures of the 10th generation Intel Core processors onwards, Cooler Master has chosen a different path and created the ML 360 Cryo , one AIO cooling with radiator of 360 mm which features the same technology in a more end-user friendly package.
Although we will have to take into account the same considerations as with the EK system , where insight is needed between system software, hardware, and even motherboard BIOS , is known for all the simplicity of installation of an AIO unit compared to a completely customized liquid cooling, especially if we choose rigid tubes.
In this way, we find that, for the purposes of practicality of use, we will have the required cooling levels for frequencies that can reach 5.8GHz , which are usually reserved for liquid nitrogen, in a package that differs little from a standard AIO liquid cooling.
Keep in mind that we will soon have a review of this liquid cooling system based on Intel Cryo Cooling technology , so that we can accurately evaluate its performance and the advantages it offers compared to more traditional refrigeration systems.
End of Article . Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
Jordi Bercial
Avid enthusiast of technology and electronics. I messed around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.
Home/Component/CPU/Ryzen 9 5900X spotted running on AMD 300-series motherboard
João Silva 1 hour ago CPU, Featured Tech News
Despite claims that Ryzen 5000 processors wouldn’t be supported on 300-series motherboards, screenshots of a Ryzen 9 5900X running on an A320 motherboard have been spotted on a Chinese forum.
AMD has only officially announced support for Ryzen 5000 processors on 500-series and 400-series motherboards, leaving 300-series motherboard owners out of the loop. According to AMD, the reason behind not adding support for older motherboards was because some motherboards didn’t have enough flash memory to store all the necessary data to include support for all the new AMD processors. Back when the Ryzen 3000 launched, some vendors worked around this issue by removing some GUI elements from the BIOS to free up space for the BIOS updates.
Image credit: Chiphell
As per the images shared on Chiphell (via TechPowerUp), it’s possible to run a Ryzen 5000 series processors on a 300-series motherboard. The images show a Ryzen 9 5900X running on a modded ASRock A320M motherboard. Additionally, Brko on Overclock.net claims to know someone that has a “beta BIOS with AGESA code that supports Zen3” for an X370 Gigabyte motherboard.
Taking AMD’s statement regarding the Ryzen 5000 series motherboard compatibility into consideration, there’s a big chance that these BIOS were modded. This means that they won’t be supported by the motherboard vendors, but if they get a public release and all goes well, you will be able to run a new Ryzen 5000 processor on your old 300-series motherboard, which is pretty neat.
KitGuru says: Do you have an AMD 300-series motherboard? Would you like to receive support for the Ryzen 5000 processors on your motherboard?
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There has been a long talk about the SSD units that we can find in the new generation of consoles, both by Sony and by Microsoft, but in something that low the point of view of the repairability of the console puts Microsoft above is the fact that, as has already been seen in different disassemblies of the console, Microsoft has mounted an M.2 SSD drive . on the console motherboard.
This is important, since, being an element wear, the fact that the PlayStation 5 has the SSD soldered to the motherboard itself -as well as the slot M.2. disabled at console launch – it is a disadvantage compared to the M.2 module. with which the Xbox Series S has, which can be replaced when it eventually fails, as with any storage unit based on NAND memories, since they have a finite life.
In any case, this should not be a factor that determines the purchase of one or another console, but it is something that can allow a higher capacity unit to be mounted a few years later, especially when the warranty has expired , since this requires disassembly the console completely, as we can see in the Modern Vintage Gamer video under these lines.
In this way , it also shows in a way that the Velocity architecture that Microsoft has used for the new generation of Xbox consoles is relatively agnostic when it comes to SSD drives , for example Sony has made use of even a custom controller for higher speeds.
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
Jordi Bercial
Avid tech and electronics enthusiast. I messed around with computer components almost since I learned to ride. I started working at Geeknetic after winning a contest on their forum for writing hardware articles. Drift, mechanics and photography lover. Don’t be shy and leave a comment on my articles if you have any questions.
The computer hardware market is full of small and large companies. Some of them are brands that download finished products from China, changing only their logos, while others are industry giants who often produce components not only for themselves, but also for smaller entities. Taiwan MSI can certainly be included in the second group, and the company itself is available on all continents of the world. The Taiwanese portfolio is really extensive – graphics cards, motherboards, CPU coolers, cases, laptops, seats, monitors, peripherals and much more. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in one of MSI’s largest facilities. We are talking about the Baoan factory located in the Chinese metropolis Shenzhen.
MSI Shenzhen Baoan is a factory established in 2000 year. We are talking about an object of approximately 200 000 m², which translates into even 49 football pitches.
We visited MSI Shenzhen factory. This is where Gaming
is born
The first reports of the incident appeared on Reddit, and we now have the official statement of the company. Last week, on November 5 2020 in the afternoon, at the factory MSI Shenzhen Baoan in southern China saw a massive fire, and as the photo above shows, a dark cloud of smoke was visible in the sky far from the scene, and the Taiwanese argue that safety procedures were in place right away and emergency services were called. employee injuries as well as damage to production lines. MSI promises to increase the education and training of personnel in the interest of safety.
MSI MPG Z Test 490 Carbon EK X – Water-cooled motherboard
MSI Shenzhen Baoan is a factory established in 2000 of the year I had the pleasure of visiting two years ago. You can read more about the complex and see HERE. In short, we are talking about an object of approximately 200 000 m², which translates into even 49 football pitches. Graphics cards, motherboards and ready-made computer sets are produced here. In the latter case, we refer to both those signed with the MSI badge, as well as other large companies available on the market. The Taiwanese emphasize that all units in the factory are operating normally. However, taking into account the size of the complex and the fire itself, the finished products could be damaged, and this may have a direct impact on their availability in stores.
Source: Reddit, MSI
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