PSU - Rondea

SilverStone SX1000 SFX-L Power Supply Review

Our Verdict

The SilverStone SX1000 is the strongest small-form factor PSU available in the market today. It offers high efficiency and good performance, keeping its noise output low under normal operating conditions.

For

+ Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
+ Extremely high power density
+ High build quality
+ Efficient platform
+ Highly efficient 5VSB rail
+ Good transient response
+ Tight enough load regulation at 12V
+ Long hold-up time
+ Low inrush currents
+ 2x EPS and 6x PCIe connectors
+ Fully modular

Against

– Expensive
– No OTP
– High turn-on 5VSB voltage
– Low efficiency at light loads
– Long Power-On time (>150ms)
– PF could be higher with 230V
– Noisy under high loads

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Specifications and Part Analysis

The SilverStone SX1000 is the only one of its kind so far, so it easily takes the crown in the high capacity SFX-L category, and will be included in our best PSU picks article. If you need a super-strong yet compact power supply, you should definitely take a good look at the SX1000. It can easily support a strong gaming system without any compromises, and as long as you keep the load below 700W, its noise output won’t bother you unless you are super sensitive. The only, major, downside is the high price, which in the US market exceeds 300 dollars.

Silverstone recently introduced its SX PSU line, consisting of two SFX-L units with 750W and 1000W capacity. It is impressive to see a compact dimensions PSU deliver so much power. The SX1000 has 969W-per-liter power density, which is among the highest we have seen so far. To make sure that it can deliver its full power without any problems, Silverstone equipped it with two EPS and six PCIe connectors. Thankfully, all cables are fully modular, so you will be able to use only the ones you need.

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Product Photos

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Because of the high power density the temperatures at the internals will be high, so Silverstone decided to go with a double ball-bearing fan, which might be noisier than a similar spec FDB fan, but it is able to withstand much higher operating temperatures, without sweating. Besides capacitors, the cooling fan is among the most important parts inside a power supply, so you should pay great attention to its quality. If the fan fails early, the PSU will get high stress and it can even fail, if there is no over temperature protection.

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Product Photos

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Specifications

Manufacturer (OEM)	Enhance Electronics
Max. DC Output	1000W
Efficiency	80 PLUS Platinum, Cybenetics Platinum (89-91%) *
Noise	Cybenetics Standard+ (35-40 dB[A]) *
Modular	✓ (fully)
Intel C6/C7 Power State Support	✓
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load)	0 – 50°C
Over Voltage Protection	✓
Under Voltage Protection	✓
Over Power Protection	✓
Over Current (+12V) Protection	✓
Over Temperature Protection	✗
Short Circuit Protection	✓
Surge Protection	✓
Inrush Current Protection	✓
Fan Failure Protection	✗
No Load Operation	✓
Cooling	120mm Double Ball Bearing Fan (B1201512HB)
Semi-Passive Operation	✓
Dimensions (W x H x D)	125 x 65 x 130mm
Weight	1.39 kg (3.06 lb)
Form Factor	SFX-L, EPS 2.92
Warranty	5 Years

* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements, the PSU falls into these efficiency and noise categories.

Power Specifications

Rail	3.3V	5V	12V	5VSB	-12V
Max. Power	Amps	25	25	83.3	3
Watts	125	999.6	15	3.6
Total Max. Power (W)	1000

Cables & Connectors

Fully Modular Cables
Description	Cable Count	Connector Count (Total)	Gauge	In Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (300mm)	1	1	16-22AWG	No
4+4 pin EPS12V (410mm)	2	2	16AWG	No
6+2 pin PCIe (410mm+150mm)	3	6	16-18AWG	No
SATA (310mm+195mm+95mm+95mm)	2	8	18AWG	No
4-pin Molex (310mm+195mm+195mm) / FDD (+100mm)	1	3 / 1	18-22AWG	No
AC Power Cord (1370mm) – C13 coupler	1	1	16AWG	–

There are plenty of cables and connectors, including two EPS, six PCIe, and eight SATA connectors. There is even a Berg connector, which should be replaced though with a 4-pin Molex. Very few users need a Berg/FDD connector, and the ones who need it can get an adapter. So why waste a 4-pin Molex for a rarely used FDD connector.

Cable length is short since this is a small form factor PSU, destined for an equally small chassis. Nonetheless, the distance between the peripheral connectors is impressively long, showing that Silverstone took into account any possible cable management and root issues.

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Cable Photos

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Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we’re about to discuss.

`General Data`	–
Manufacturer (OEM)	Enhance Electronics
PCB Type	Double Sided
`Primary Side`	–
Transient Filter	4x Y caps, 4x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV
Inrush Protection	NTC Thermistor MF72 5D-15 (5 Ohm) & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)	1x
APFC MOSFETs	2x Infineon IPW60R099C6 (600V, 24A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.099Ohm)
APFC Boost Diode	1x USCi UJ3D06520TS (650V, 20A @ 152°C)
Bulk Cap(s)	2x Rubycon (400V, 470uF each or 940uF combined, 3,000h @ 85°C, USK)
Main Switchers	4x Toshiba TK20A60W (600V, 20A, Rds(on): 0.155Ohm)
APFC Controller	ATK AT6103ZSPC
Resonant Controller	ATK AT6301ZTSF
Topology	Primary side: APFC, Full-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
`Secondary Side`	–
+12V MOSFETs	8x Infineon BSC014N04LS (40V, 125A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 1.4mOhm)
5V & 3.3V	DC-DC Converters: 4x Infineon BSC018NE2LS (25V, 97A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 1.8mOhm) PWM Controller(s): uPI Semi uP3861P
Filtering Capacitors	Electrolytic: 2x Rubycon (3-6,000h @ 105°C, YXG), 2x Rubycon (6-10,000h @ 105°C, ZLH) Polymer: 8x Unicon (2,000h @ 125°C, UPL), 13x (5,000h @ 105°C, UPT)
Supervisor IC	Weltrend WT7527RA (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG)
Fan Model	Globe Fan B1201512HB (120mm, 12V, 0.45A, Double Ball Bearing Fan)
`5VSB Circuit`	–
Rectifier(s)	1x Silan Microelectronics SVF2N70MJ FET (700V, 1.3A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 6.5Ohm)
Standby PWM Controller	ATK AT6002H

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Overall Photos

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The platform’s design is interesting and clean, despite the high power density. Enhance Electronics, the OEM, used quite large heat sinks on the primary side, with perforations on the APFC heat sink to allow airflow to the components installed below it. In addition, there are two main transformers, installed in parallel, to handle the unit’s increased power output.

It is impressive to see a full-bridge design in a small form factor power supply. An LLC resonant converter is also used for higher efficiency. We find synchronous rectification for the +12V rail on the secondary side, and the minor rails are generated through a pair of DC-DC converters.

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Transient filter

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The first part of the EMI filter is on the AC receptacle and consists of two Y caps. The second part, on the main PCB, includes two Y and four X caps and a pair of CM chokes. There is also an MOV for protection against voltage surges. The unit’s large inrush currents are suppressed by an NTC thermistor and bypass relay combo.

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The PSU uses a single bridge rectifier which was impossible to identify without completely removing the heat sink that it was bolted on. So we left this fight for another time.

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APFC converter

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The APFC converter uses two Infineon FETs and a single boost diode (USCi UJ3D06520TS), among the strongest we have seen so far. The bulk caps are by Rubycon, and their combined capacity is high at 940uF. Finally, the APFC controller is an AT6103ZSPC IC.

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Main FETs and primary transformer

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The main FETs are arranged into a full-bridge topology. An LLC resonant converter is also used to boost efficiency. The LLC resonant controller is an AT6301ZTSF IC.

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12V FETs and VRMs

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Eight FETs regulate the +12V rail, and four FETs handle the minor rails. Infineon provides all, so they are of high quality. The common PWM controller for the DC-DC converters is a uPI Semi uP3861P IC.

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Filtering caps

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There aren’t many electrolytic caps on the secondary side, but the ones that Enhance used are of high quality. Lastly, the increased number of polymer caps is by Unicon.

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Modular board front

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Nine polymer caps are installed on the face of the modular board, forming a secondary ripple filtering layer.

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The rectifier on the primary side of the 5VSB converter is an SVF2N70MJ FET, while the standby PWM controller is an ATK AT6002H IC.

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The board that hosts the DC-DC converters for the minor rails also hosts the supervisor IC, a Weltrend WT7527RA.

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Soldering quality

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Soldering quality is good in general. There are some spots with increased solder, but they do not affect performance and reliability.

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Cooling fan

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The fan is by Globe Fan and uses a double ball-bearing to last for long, even under increased operating temperatures.

MORE: Best Power Supplies

MORE: How We Test Power Supplies

MORE: All Power Supply Content

SilverStone FARA B1 Pro Review

Introduction

I would like to thank Silverstone for supplying the review sample.

SilverStone has a pretty diverse range of FARA cases, with the B1 Pro variant we are reviewing today offering a semi-translucent, solid front and small air vents along with four ARGB fans. Otherwise, it is meant to be a mainstream chassis with just a black version available, but you may opt for the non-Pro version, which is cheaper as it lacks ARGB fans. Besides the B1, there are also the V1 M for mATX boards or the R1 with a mesh front, for example.

Specifications

SilverStone FARA B1 PRO
Case Type:	Mid-Tower
Material:	Steel, plastic, and tempered glass
Weight:	5.75 kg
Slots:	7
Drive Bays:	1x Internal 3.5″ 4x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:	Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX
Dimensions:	207 mm (W) x 446 mm (H) x 401 mm (D), 37 Liters
Front Door/Cover:	N/A
Front Fans:	3x 120 or 2x 140 mm (3x 120 mm ARGB fans pre-installed)
Rear Fans:	1x 120 mm (1x 120 mm ARGB fan pre-installed)
Top Fans:	2x 120/2x 140 mm (optional)
Bottom Fans:	N/A
Side Fans:	N/A
Front Radiator:	240 mm / 280 mm
Rear Radiator:	120 mm
Top Radiator:	240 mm
Bottom Radiator:	N/A
Side Radiator:	N/A
I/O:	2x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0 1x Headphone 1x Microphone
Fan/LED Controller:	Separate ARGB controller
Compatibility:	CPU Cooler: 165 mm GPU: 322 mm PSU: 160 mm

G.Skill Teases New Dual Chamber Tempered Glass ITX Chassis

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Popular memory maker G.Skill just announced its first PC case ever, the Z5i, a mini-ITX enclosure that features dual tempered glass side panels and a vertical form factor, with enough room to fit a triple slot RTX 3090. So, not-so-mini-ITX I guess.

G.Skill’s first go at building an ITX chassis looks very competitive against other rivals in the market. The layout of the case is both conventional and rather unique. The chassis functions on a dual-chamber design, with one chamber dedicated to the mini-ITX motherboard and SFX PSU, and the other is completely dedicated to a discrete graphics card.

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On both sides of the case, you have angled tempered glass side panels that are 4mm thick. They swing out like doors when opened and can easily be taken off their hinges by pulling them upward. The rest of the case is made out of a single piece of brushed aluminum. The front I/O is made up of dual USB 3.0 ports and a single 3.1 Type-C port.

For cooling, there are two 140mm intake mounts for dual 140mm fans or a single 280mm radiator, depending on your configuration. Again, not so mini-ITX in practice, but it’s a nice option for people that want a powerful PC in the most compact form factor possible. The intake is aluminum but features a lot of triangle-like holes, so airflow shouldn’t be a problem. At the top is a full mesh opening, allowing hot air to escape.

For storage, the Z5i has three 2.5-inch slots for SSDs or smaller HDDs. The first two are located directly behind the intake fans and sit in between the two chambers, the final one is located inside the graphics card chamber.

The case also includes a G.Skill logo with RGB lighting, as well as an RGB light bar that bounces light off your desk. All told, it’s an attractive looking take on a large ITX case.

Pricing and availability are unknown at this time, but we’ll see about reviewing one when they become available.

$fractal-design-ion-gold-850w-power-supply-review$

Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W Power Supply Review

Our Verdict

The Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W is on the cheaper end, uses a modern platform and has functional protection features, but its overall performance is not as high as in competing offerings.

For

+ Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
+ Good price given its specs
+ Quiet enough operation
+ Good ripple suppression
+ Properly tuned protection features
+ Alternative sleep mode support
+ High PF readings
+ Compatible with the alternative sleep mode
+ Adequate distance between peripheral connectors
+ Fully modular with 2x EPS and 6x PCIe connectors

Against

– Mediocre transient response
– No tight load regulation
– Lower than 17ms hold-up time
– Low efficiency with light loads
– Not efficient 5VSB rail
– Increased EMI emissions below 1 MHz

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Specifications and Part Analysis

Although the Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W uses a modern platform provided by High Power, its overall performance cannot go toe-to-toe with most offerings in this category. Nonetheless, this product’s real strength is value, offering a high performance per price ratio. The best PSUs, like the new Corsair RM850x, the Seasonic GX-850 and the XPG Core Reactor 850, offer notably higher performance levels, but also cost notably more than the Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W. Moreover, the Fractal Design Ion Gold 850W still comes with a functional set of protection features, which is vital for power supplies.

The fresh Ion Gold line, by Fractal Design, comes in four flavors, with capacities ranging from 550W to 850W. These products are more affordable versions of Fractal Design’s Ion+ Platinum models, with both lines being manufactured by High Power. They use the same platform with some component changes. This review will take a detailed look at the strongest member of the Ion Gold family, which also features a fully modular cable design in addition to its 850W capacity.

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Product Photos

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Externally, the Ion Gold 850W looks identical to the Ion+ Platinum 860W. You’d have to look at the power specifications table to distinguish them. Although, one key difference is the lack of a switch at the modular panel, which in the Ion+ model is used to toggle the semi-passive operation on and off. The modular panel has the same number of sockets (eleven) as the Ion+ model.

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Product Photos

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Specifications

Manufacturer (OEM)	High Power
Max. DC Output	850W
Efficiency	80 PLUS Gold, Cybenetics Gold * (87-89%)
Noise	Cybenetics A- (25-30 dB[A]) *
Modular	✓ (fully)
Intel C6/C7 Power State Support	✓
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load)	0 – 40°C
Over Voltage Protection	✓
Under Voltage Protection	✓
Over Power Protection	✓
Over Current (+12V) Protection	✓
Over Temperature Protection	✓
Short Circuit Protection	✓
Surge Protection	✓
Inrush Current Protection	✓
Fan Failure Protection	✗
No Load Operation	✓
Cooling	140mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (DYNAMIC X2 GP-14)
Semi-Passive Operation	✗
Dimensions (W x H x D)	150 x 85 x 150mm
Weight	1.63 kg (3.59 lb)
Form Factor	ATX12V v2.53, EPS 2.92
Warranty	7 Years

* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements, the PSU falls into these efficiency and noise categories.

Power Specifications

Rail	3.3V	5V	12V	5VSB	-12V
Max. Power	Amps	22	22	70.8	3
Watts	120	850	15	3.6
Total Max. Power (W)	850

Cables & Connectors

Fully Modular Cables
Description	Cable Count	Connector Count (Total)	Gauge	In Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm)	1	1	18AWG	No
4+4 pin EPS12V (600mm)	1	1	16AWG	No
8 pin EPS12V (600mm)	1	1	16AWG	No
6+2 pin PCIe (560mm+150mm)	3	6	16-18AWG	No
SATA (510mm+155mm+155mm+155mm)	2	8	18AWG	No
4-pin Molex (500mm+155mm+155mm)	1	3	18AWG	No
AC Power Cord (1370mm) – C13 coupler	1	1	18AWG	–

The Ion Gold 850W has some small differences in cable configuration compared to the Ion+ Platinum 860W. One of the EPS cables is shorter, only hitting 600mm. In addition, there are two fewer SATA connectors and one less 4-pin Molex connector. On the other hand, the Ion Gold’s peripheral connectors have the proper distance (150mm) between each other.

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Cable Photos

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Component Analysis

We strongly encourage readers unfamiliar with power supplies to read our PSUs 101 guide, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, before progressing. This will allow you to better understand the components we’re about to discuss.

`General Data`	–
Manufacturer (OEM)	High Power
PCB Type	Double Sided
`Primary Side`	–
Transient Filter	4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x Champion CM02X (Discharge IC)
Inrush Protection	NTC Thermistor & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)	2x GBU1506 (600V, 15A @ 100°C)
APFC MOSFETs	2x Infineon IPA60R120P7 (600V, 16A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.12Ohm)
APFC Boost Diode	1x Infineon IDH08G65C5 (650V, 8A @ 145°C)
Bulk Cap(s)	2x Nichicon (400V, 330uF each or 660uF combined, 2,000h @ 105°C, GG)
Main Switchers	2x Infineon IPA60R180P7S (600V, 11A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.18Ohm)
APFC Controller	Infineon ICE3PCS01G
Resonant Controller	Champion CM6901X
Topology	Primary side: APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
`Secondary Side`	–
+12V MOSFETs	6x Infineon BSC027N04LS (40V, 88A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 2.7mOhm)
5V & 3.3V	DC-DC Converters: 8x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.5mOhm) PWM Controller(s): ANPEC APW7159C
Filtering Capacitors	Electrolytic: 10x Teapo (1-3,000h @ 105°C, SC) Polymer: 19x Teapo
Supervisor IC	WT7527RA (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG)
Fan Model	Fractal Dynamic X2 GP-14 LLS (140mm, 12V, 0.40A, 2,000RPM, Rifle Bearing Fan)
Fan Controller	STC STC15W408AS
`5VSB Circuit`	–
Rectifier	1x P10V45 SBR (45V, 10A)
Standby PWM Controller	ExcellianceMOS EM8569D
`-12V`	–
Rectifier	1x KEC KIA7912PI (-12V, 1A)

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Overall Photos

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The Ion Gold 850W uses the same platform as the more high-end Ion+ Platinum 860W unit, but has some parts differences that lower both the efficiency and the cost. The bulk caps have lower capacity, and the switching FETs on the primary side are different. On the secondary side, the 12V rail is regulated by six FETs, while the Ion+ unit with similar capacity uses eight FETs with lower RDS (on) values. However, the DC-DC converters for the minor rails are identical.

The filtering caps aren’t as high quality as the Ion+ model, which uses Japanese caps exclusively and has a much larger number of polymer caps. Finally, the unit’s fan is advertised as a long-life sleeve bearing, so we can assume that it uses a rifle bearing. The more expensive Ion+ units use fluid dynamic bearing fans.

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Transient filter

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The unit’s transient/EMI filter is complete. It also includes an MOV for protection against voltage surges. The large inrush currents are suppressed by an NTC thermistor and relay combo, which has satisfactory performance with 115V input. But with 230V input, we measured quite high inrush currents.

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Bridge rectifiers

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Two GBU1506 rectifiers transform the incoming AC signal to fully rectified DC. They can handle up to 30 Amps combined so that they won’t have a problem supporting this PSU.

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APFC converter

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The APFC converter uses two Infineon FETs and a single boost diode provided by the same manufacturer. The bulk caps are by Nichicon and don’t have enough combined capacity to provide a longer than 17ms hold-up time.

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A side-board hosts the fan controller (an STC STC15W408AS MCU), the supervisor IC (WT7527RA), and the APFC controller (an Infineon ICE3PCS01G).

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Main FETs and primary transformer

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The main FETs, two Infineon IPA60R180P7S, are installed into a half-bridge topology. An LLC resonant converter is also used for increased efficiency. The resonant controller is a Champion CM6901X, which is typically used in high-efficiency platforms.

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12V FETs and VRMs

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Six Infineon FETs handle the 12V rail, which feeds a pair of DC-DC converters for the minor rails’ generation.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Filtering caps

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The electrolytic filtering caps are provided by Teapo and belong to its low-end SC line. Thankfully, the Ion Gold 850W also uses a large number of polymer caps for ripple filtering purposes.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

5VSB circuit

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The standby PWM controller is an Excelliance MOS EM8569D IC. The rectifier on the secondary side is a P10V45 SBR. We also spotted two FETs, which might switch the 5VSB rail to 5V when the PSU is in operation.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

High Power uses a dedicated -12V rectifier IC in its high-end platforms. This is a good thing, since the aforementioned IC offers basic protection features, so the PSU won’t fail if anything goes wrong in this insignificant rail.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Modular board front

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

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Several Teapo polymer caps are installed on the modular board. As you will notice by the corresponding photos, there is room for way more, but this would further increase the cost without offering notable gains in ripple suppression.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Soldering quality

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Soldering quality is strong, with no noticeable loose parts or misalignment.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Cooling fan

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The cooling fan has sufficient specifications, and if it uses a quality rifle bearing, it should manage to outlive the Ion Gold 850W’s seven-year warranty.

MORE: Best Power Supplies

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Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti review: more 4K for more of your wallet

Nvidia goes back to 4K for more than $1K

Last year’s Nvidia RTX 3080 was the first GPU to make 4K gaming finally feasible. It was a card that delivered impressive performance at 4K, especially for its retail price of $699 — far less than the 2080 Ti cost a generation earlier. That was before the reality of a global chip shortage drove the prices of modern GPUs well above $1,000. Now that the street prices of RTX 3080s have stayed above $2,000 for months, Nvidia is launching its RTX 3080 Ti flagship priced at $1,199.

It’s a card that aims to deliver near identical levels of performance to the $1,499 RTX 3090, but in a smaller package and with just 12GB of VRAM — half what’s found on the RTX 3090. Nvidia is effectively competing with itself here, and now offering three cards at the top end. That’s if you can even manage to buy any of them in the first place.

I’ve spent the past week testing the RTX 3080 Ti at both 4K and 1440p resolutions. 4K gaming might have arrived originally with the RTX 2080 Ti, but the RTX 3080 Ti refines it and offers more headroom in the latest games. Unfortunately, it does so with a $1,199 price tag that I think will be beyond most people’s budgets even before you factor in the inevitable street price markup it will see during the current GPU shortage.

Hardware

If you put the RTX 3080 Ti and the RTX 3080 side by side, it would be difficult to tell the difference between them. They look identical, with the same ports and fan setup. I’m actually surprised this card isn’t a three-slot like the RTX 3090, or just bigger generally. The RTX 3080 Ti has one fan on either side of the card, with a push-pull system in place. The bottom fan pulls cool air into the card, which then exhausts on the opposite side that’s closest to your CPU cooler and rear case fan. A traditional blower cooler also exhausts the hot air out of the PCIe slot at the back.

This helped create a quieter card on the original RTX 3080, and I’m happy to report it’s the same with the RTX 3080 Ti. The RTX 3080 Ti runs at or close to its max fan RPM under heavy loads, but the hum of the fans isn’t too distracting. I personally own an RTX 3090, and while the fans rarely kick in at full speed, they’re certainly a lot more noticeable than the RTX 3080 Ti’s.

Nvidia has used the same RTX 3080 design for the 3080 Ti Model.

That quiet performance might have a downside, though. During my week of testing with the RTX 3080 Ti, I noticed that the card seems to run rather hot. I recorded temperatures regularly around 80 degrees Celsius, compared to the 70 degrees Celsius temperatures on the larger RTX 3090. The fans also maxed out a lot during demanding 4K games on the RTX 3080 Ti in order to keep the card cool. I don’t have the necessary equipment to fully measure the heat output here, but when I went to swap the RTX 3080 Ti for another card after hours of testing, it was too hot to touch, and stayed hotter for longer than I’d noticed with either the RTX 3080 or RTX 3090. I’m not sure if this will result in problems in the long term, as we saw with the initial batch of 2080 Ti units having memory overheating issues, but most people will put this in a case and never touch it again. Still, I’m surprised at how long it stayed hot enough for me to not want to touch it.

As this is a Founders Edition card, Nvidia is using its latest 12-pin single power connector. There’s an ugly and awkward adapter in the box that lets you connect two eight-pin PCIe power connectors to it, but I’d highly recommend getting a single new cable from your PSU supplier to connect directly to this card. It’s less cabling, and a more elegant solution if you have a case window or you’re addicted to tidy cable management (hello, that’s me).

The RTX 3080 Ti inside my case.

I love the look of the RTX 3080 Ti and the pennant-shaped board that Nvidia uses here. Just like the RTX 3080, there are no visible screws, and the regulatory notices are all on the output part of the card so there are no ugly stickers or FCC logos. It’s a really clean card, and I’m sorry to bring this up, but Nvidia has even fixed the way the number 8 is displayed. It was a minor mistake on the RTX 3080, but I’m glad the 8 has the correct proportions on the RTX 3080 Ti.

At the back of the card there’s a single HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. Just like the RTX 3080, there are also LEDs that glow around the top part of the fan, and the GeForce RTX branding lights up, too. You can even customize the colors of the glowing part around the fan if you’re really into RGB lighting.

Just like the RTX 3080, this new RTX 3080 Ti needs a 750W power supply. The RTX 3080 Ti even draws more power, too, at up to 350 watts under load compared to 320 watts on the RTX 3080. That’s the same amount of power draw as the larger RTX 3090, which is understandable given the performance improvements, but it’s worth being aware of how this might impact your energy bills (and the cost of your PC build to run it).

1440p testing

I’ve been testing the RTX 3080 Ti with Intel’s latest Core i9 processor. For 1440p tests, I’ve also paired the GPU with a 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 monitor. This monitor supports refresh rates up to 240Hz, as well as Nvidia’s G-Sync technology.

I compared the RTX 3080 Ti against both the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 to really understand where it fits into Nvidia’s new lineup. I tested a variety of AAA titles, including Fortnite, Control, Death Stranding, Metro Exodus, Call of Duty: Warzone, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and many more. You can also find the same games tested at 4K resolution below.

All games were tested at max or ultra settings on the RTX 3080 Ti, and most exceeded an average of 100fps at 1440p. On paper, the RTX 3080 Ti is very close to an RTX 3090, and my testing showed that plays out in most games at 1440p. Games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and Watch Dogs: Legion all have near-identical performance across the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090 at 1440p.

Even Call of Duty: Warzone is the same without Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology enabled, and it’s only really games like Control and Death Stranding where there’s a noteworthy, but small, gap in performance.

However, the jump in performance from the RTX 3080 to the RTX 3080 Ti is noticeable across nearly every game, with the exception of Death Stranding and Fortnite, which both perform really well on the base RTX 3080.

RTX 3080 Ti (1440p)

Benchmark	RTX 3080 Founders Edition	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition	RTX 3090 Founders Edition
Benchmark	RTX 3080 Founders Edition	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition	RTX 3090 Founders Edition
Microsoft Flight Simulator	46fps	45fps	45fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	147fps	156fps	160fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DLSS)	154fps	162fps	167fps
CoD: Warzone	124fps	140fps	140fps
CoD: Warzone (DLSS+RT)	133fps	144fps	155fps
Fortnite	160fps	167fps	188fps
Fortnite (DLSS)	181fps	173fps	205fps
Gears 5	87fps	98fps	103fps
Death Stranding	163fps	164fps	172fps
Death Stranding (DLSS quality)	197fps	165fps	179fps
Control	124fps	134fps	142fps
Control (DLSS quality + RT)	126fps	134fps	144fps
Metro Exodus	56fps	64fps	65fps
Metro Exodus (DLSS+RT)	67fps	75fps	77fps
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla	73fps	84fps	85fps
Watch Dogs: Legion	79fps	86fps	89fps
Watch Dogs: Legion (DLSS+RT)	67fps	72fps	74fps
Watch Dogs: Legion (RT)	49fps	55fps	56fps

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla performs 15 percent better on the RTX 3080 Ti over the regular RTX 3080, and Metro Exodus also shows a 14 percent improvement. The range of performance increases ranges from around 4 percent all the way up to 15 percent, so the performance gap is very game dependent.

Even when using games with ray tracing, the RTX 3080 Ti still managed high frame rates when paired with DLSS. DLSS uses neural networks and AI supercomputers to analyze games and sharpen or clean up images at lower resolutions. In simple terms, it allows a game to render at a lower resolution and use Nvidia’s image reconstruction technique to upscale the image and make it look as good as native 4K.

Whenever I see the DLSS option in games, I immediately turn it on now to get as much performance as possible. It’s still very much required for ray tracing games, particularly as titles like Watch Dogs: Legion only manage to hit 55fps with ultra ray tracing enabled. If you enable DLSS, this jumps to 72fps and it’s difficult to notice a hit in image quality.

The RTX 3080 Ti stays quiet during heavy loads.

4K testing

For my 4K testing, I paired the RTX 3080 Ti with Acer’s 27-inch Nitro XV273K, a 4K monitor that offers up to 144Hz refresh rates and supports G-Sync. I wasn’t able to get any of the games I tested on both the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090 to hit the frame rates necessary to really take advantage of this 144Hz panel, but some came close thanks to DLSS.

Metro Exodus manages a 14 percent improvement over the RTX 3080, and Microsoft Flight Simulator also sees a 13 percent jump. Elsewhere, other games see between a 4 and 9 percent improvement. These are solid gains for the RTX 3080 Ti, providing more headroom for 4K gaming over the original RTX 3080.

The RTX 3080 Ti comes close to matching the RTX 3090 performance at 4K in games like Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Gears 5, and Death Stranding. Neither the RTX 3080 Ti nor RTX 3090 is strong enough to handle Watch Dogs: Legion with ray tracing, though. Both cards manage around 30fps on average, and even DLSS only bumps this up to below 50fps averages.

RTX 3080 Ti (4K)

Benchmark	RTX 3080 Founders Edition	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition	RTX 3090 Founders Edition
Benchmark	RTX 3080 Founders Edition	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition	RTX 3090 Founders Edition
Microsoft Flight Simulator	30fps	34fps	37fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	84fps	88fps	92fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (DLSS)	102fps	107fps	111fps
CoD: Warzone	89fps	95fps	102fps
CoD: Warzone (DLSS+RT)	119fps	119fps	129fps
Fortnite	84fps	92fps	94fps
Fortnite (DLSS)	124fps	134fps	141fps
Gears 5	64fps	72fps	73fps
Death Stranding	98fps	106fps	109fps
Death Stranding (DLSS quality)	131fps	132fps	138fps
Control	65fps	70fps	72fps
Control (DLSS quality + RT)	72fps	78fps	80fps
Metro Exodus	34fps	39fps	39fps
Metro Exodus (DLSS+RT)	50fps	53fps	55fps
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla	64fps	70fps	70fps
Watch Dogs: Legion	52fps	55fps	57fps
Watch Dogs: Legion (DLSS+RT)	40fps	47fps	49fps
Watch Dogs: Legion (RT)	21fps	29fps	32fps

Most games manage to comfortably rise above 60fps in 4K at ultra settings, with Microsoft Flight Simulator and Metro Exodus as the only exceptions. Not even the RTX 3090 could reliably push beyond 144fps at 4K without assistance from DLSS or a drop in visual settings. I think we’re going to be waiting on whatever Nvidia does next to really push 4K at these types of frame rates.

When you start to add ray tracing and ultra 4K settings, it’s clear that both the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090 need to have DLSS enabled to play at reasonable frame rates across the most demanding ray-traced titles. Without DLSS, Watch Dogs: Legion manages an average of 29fps (at max settings), with dips below that making the game unplayable.

DLSS really is the key here across both 1440p and 4K. It was merely a promise when the 2080 Ti debuted nearly three years ago, but Nvidia has now managed to get DLSS into more than 50 popular games. Red Dead Redemption 2 and Rainbow Six Siege are getting DLSS support soon, too.

DLSS also sets Nvidia apart from AMD’s cards. While AMD’s RX 6800 XT is fairly competitive at basic rasterization at 1440p, it falls behind the RTX 3080 in the most demanding games at 4K — particularly when ray tracing is enabled. Even the $1,000 Radeon RX 6900 XT doesn’t fare much better at 4K. AMD’s answer to DLSS is coming later this month, but until it arrives we still don’t know exactly how it will compensate for ray tracing performance on AMD’s GPUs. AMD has also struggled to supply retailers with stock of its cards.

That’s left Nvidia in a position to launch the RTX 3080 Ti at a price point that really means it’s competing with itself, positioned between the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090. If the RTX 3090 wasn’t a thing, the RTX 3080 Ti would make a lot more sense.

The RTX 3080 Ti comes close to RTX 3090 performance.

Nvidia is also competing with the reality of the market right now, as demand has been outpacing supply for more than six months. Nvidia has introduced a hash rate limiter for Ethereum cryptocurrency mining on new versions of the RTX 3080, RTX 3070, and now this RTX 3080 Ti. It could help deter some scalpers, but we’ll need months of data on street prices to really understand if it’s driven pricing down to normal levels.

Demand for 30-series cards has skyrocketed as many rush to replace their aging GTX 1080 and GTX 1080 Ti cards. Coupled with Nvidia’s NVENC and professional tooling support, it’s also made the RTX 30-series a great option for creators looking to stream games, edit videos, or build games.

In a normal market, I would only recommend the RTX 3080 Ti if you’re really willing to spend an extra $500 to get some extra gains in 1440p and 4K performance. But it’s a big price premium when the RTX 3090 exists at this niche end of the market and offers more performance and double the VRAM if you’re really willing to pay this much for a graphics card.

At $999 or even $1,099, the RTX 3080 Ti would tempt me a lot more, but $1,199 feels a little too pricey. For most people, an RTX 3080 makes a lot more sense if it were actually available at its standard retail price. Nvidia also has a $599 RTX 3070 Ti on the way next week, which could offer some performance gains to rival the RTX 3080.

Either way, the best GPU is the one you can buy right now, and let’s hope that Nvidia and AMD manage to make that a reality soon.

Photography by Tom Warren / The Verge

ssupd Meshlicious Review – Doubling Down on Mesh

Introduction

I would like to thank ssupd for supplying the review sample.

ssupd is a sister brand of Lian Li, and their first case, which we get to review here, is the Meshlicious. ssupd stands for “sunny side up design” because “nothing beats the feeling of cooking the perfect sunny side up egg and the warm feeling and satisfaction you feel after eating it. We hope building PCs will bring the same warm feeling”.

This case doesn’t hide its core functional design aspiration as it comes with fine mesh panels on all but a side, which allows for a compact ITX case with excellent cooling potential while still offering as much dust filtration as possible. You may pick from either white or black, and ssupd also offers the black variant in a bundle with a PCIe 4.0 riser cable.

Specifications

ssupd Meshlicious
Case Type:	SFF ITX Chassis
Material:	Steel, fine mesh and tempered glass
Weight:	N/A
Slots:	3 (up to 4 wide)
Drive Bays:	3x 2.5″ SSD (2x with full-ATX PSU) 2x 3.5″ HDD or 4x 2.5″ SSD (with Small Form Factor GPU)
Motherboard Form Factors:	Mini-ITX
Dimensions:	245 mm x 166.4 mm x 360 mm, 14.67 L
Front Door/Cover:	N/A
Front Fans:	2x 120 or 2x 140 mm (1x 120 mm fan pre-installed)
Rear Fans:	N/A
Top Fans:	N/A
Bottom Fans:	N/A
Side Fans:	N/A
Front Radiator:	up to 280 mm
Rear Radiator:	N/A
Top Radiator:	N/A
Bottom Radiator:	N/A
Side Radiator:	N/A
I/O:	1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C 1x USB 3.0
Fan/LED Controller:	N/A
Compatibility:	CPU Cooler: Up to 73 mm height with 3-slot GPU / 53 mm height with 4-slot GPU Full length GPU: Up to 334 mm length & 155 mm tall Small Form Factor GPU : Up to 211 mm length PSU: 170 mm SFX, SFX-L or ATX PSU (with front fans) / Up to 160 mm ATX PSU (with traditional AIO position)

Win this RTX 3070 + i7-11700K gaming PC worth £2799!

It is competition time again – this time, we have teamed up with Punch Technology to give away a high-end gaming PC worth £2799! Featuring hardware from Patriot, Cougar, Palit, Intel and Gigabyte, with an RTX 3070 and i7-11700K, this PC will be ready for any game you can throw at it.

Watch via our Vimeo channel (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

The full specifications for this PC include:

CPU: Intel Core i7-11700K
Graphics card: Palit GeForce RTX 3070 GamingPro
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z590 VISION D Intel Motherboard
SSD: Patriot VPN100 1TB M.2
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel RGB 32GB DDR4
Case: Cougar Gaming Blazer case
Cooling: Cougar Gaming AQUA ARGB 360mm AIO-Cooler
Power supply: Cougar Gaming GEX 850W 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular PSU

TO WIN:

This competition is being hosted via Gleam, so all you need to do to enter is follow the instructions below. Alternatively, you can head to the competition directly on Gleam.

KitGuru Giveaway

This competition is open to UK residents only. The competition runs from Monday the 24th of May until the 7th of June. Shortly after closing, a winner will be announced on KitGuru.net. In compliance with GDPR, your entry data will be deleted after the competition is closed and your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to everyone entering! We’ll be back in a few weeks to announce a winner.

Become a Patron!

USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

Soon, the majority of portable PCs won’t need to be equipped with an ugly barrel jack and a proprietary power brick to charge. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has just announced (via CNET) that it’s more than doubling the amount of power you can send over a USB-C cable to 240 watts, which means you’ll eventually be able to plug in the same kind of multipurpose USB-C cable you currently use on lightweight laptops, tablets, and phones to charge all but the beefiest gaming laptops.

Previously, the USB-C Power Delivery spec tops out at 100 watts, and it’s definitely held the industry back a tad — for example, while my own Dell XPS 15 can technically charge over USB-C, it needs 130W of power to charge and run at full bore simultaneously. Some manufacturers have sold off-spec USB-C adapters (I have a Dell dock that outputs 130W), but they don’t always come bundled with machines and generally have a fixed, non-detachable cable to prevent against misuse.

But with 240W of power — something that the USB-IF is calling “Extended Power Range” or EPR for short — you could theoretically charge an full-fat Alienware m17 gaming laptop over USB-C.

You’ll need new USB-C chargers and cables to take advantage of the new spec, of course, though you should hopefully be able to tell which is which: “All EPR cables shall be visibly identified with EPR cable identification items,” reads part of the USB-IF’s requirements for the new spec. A cable will need to support up to 5A and 50V to be compliant.

Judging by the photos below, it looks like manufacturers may need to tweak their charger designs as well:

There will still be exceptionally beefy laptops that demand more than 240W of power, of course. 330W power supplies still come standard with some machines, and there are always exotic machines that require more than one power supply to function. Gaming desktops generally require far more power, with a 650W PSU or higher PSU required for the latest desktop graphics cards, and 240W may not be quite enough for the latest game console from Sony and Microsoft.

On the other hand, some computers are getting more efficient as the years go by. Case in point: the colorful new iMac comes with a 143W power adapter. In a year or two, it’d be a viable candidate for USB-C power.

Et Tu, RAM? Computer Memory Price Hikes Are Coming

(Image credit: Micron)

High demand for PCs and, importantly, desktop PCs has already resulted in increased graphics card, PSU, HDD, and SSD pricing, but apparently, now DRAM is getting even more expensive, too. According to a new report from Taiwan, memory prices are set for double-digit growth in the coming months.

Contract memory prices are projected to increase by 10% – 20%, DigiTimes reports (based on a Seeking Alpha story). According to the report, memory prices may rise by up to 25%, depending on the kit. Keeping in mind that demand is high and DRAM is transiting to DDR5 memory, the increase is not surprising.

Most enthusiasts who buy premium memory kits shouldn’t be particularly worried — high-end memory kits already carry a hefty price tag. Hence, a 10% increase in DRAM IC prices isn’t too extreme. However, every penny counts when it comes to mainstream desktop and laptop PCs, so this is where that 10% – 25% contract price hike gains importance. In fact, even a 2% to 5% increase in the bill-of-materials (BOM) can increase the price of a laptop by a significant sum.

DRAM quotes are not alone when it comes to price hikes, according to the report. Prices of NAND memory have also increased by 10% so far this year, and given the current Chia Coin farming craze, it’s easy to expect that trend to continue.

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

After putting the Mirror Maze system together last fall, I needed a break from all the work that goes into a high-end custom build. Plus, I had plenty of PC cases to review. So when Singularity Computers reached asking if we were interested in checking out its Spectre III chassis, I didn’t immediately jump at the chance. But the more I thought about the case, the more I envisioned just what a system in this stunning case could look like, and the itch to build just wouldn’t go away. So I agreed to take on the case, started getting together a list of other parts I’d need and, well, here we are.

I’ve been planning ‘Blue Shift’ for the last few months, and in contrast to what we would usually do, this build doesn’t use the latest next-gen hardware. I don’t have a Ryzen 5000 CPU or an RTX 3000 GPU, and I’d rather the limited stock of those parts go to one of our readers. With everything going under waterblocks in this build anyway, does it really matter if the silicon is hiding underneath is the absolute latest and greatest?

Because this is a more fun (and far more complex) build than we typically do for case reviews, I’ll slow the pace down and look at each step in detail. I’m also leaving the full parts list till the end, because it’s last-generation hardware, and regardless, this build is all about cooling and aesthetics. So without further ado, lets dig in.

What is the Singularity Computers Spectre III?

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Most cases cost about $100, stepping up to $200 if you’re shopping premium, and $300 if you’re shopping for a premium ITX case. But Singularity Computers’ Spectre III is a jaw-dropping $1400.

That’s expensive. Really expensive. But the Spectre III is also unlike most other cases out there. For one, it’s designed solely for custom liquid cooling. And instead of being a sealed box for your parts, it’s an open chassis meant to show off your hardware as attractively as possible. Featuring CNC-machined, anodized aluminum and an absolutely massive acrylic reservoir/distribution plate, this case really is unlike anything else that’s out there.

The case also comes flat packed. For details on what that looks like and how to assemble the chassis, check out our Assembling Singularity Computers’ Spectre III feature.

Theme Reveal

If you haven’t guessed already from the build’s name (Blue Shift), the central color theme for this build is going to be blue. Red is a color that I feel is overused in gaming product design. I could have chosen green, but settled on blue as a classic choice with oddly calming qualities.

Of course, I could have chosen any number of other colors, or gone with opaque or exotic cooling fluids, but out of respect for the Spectre III’s absolutely stunning, material-focused design I decided to dial the unconventional styling of the Mirror Maze build back and go for a more classic and timeless theme. Because of this, I’ll be sticking to EKWB’s Nickel-plated Torque fittings, paired with transparent blue fluid – a classic color combination that you simply cannot go wrong with.

Step 1: Preparing the CPU Block

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Yep, you read that right. We have to prepare the CPU block. Not because there’s anything inherently wrong with EKWB’s Magnitude CPU block, but in service of the Blue Shift theme. So, I popped off the top of the block so that I could swap the accent plate from the pre-installed silver color, to blue.

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

This plate sits below the acrylic cover, which makes it perhaps a bit scary to replace as it requires not only breaking the factory-tested seal of the CPU block’s internal gasket, but also re-tightening the acrylic afterwards. Acrylic can crack easily, so I was careful not to overtighten the block’s top upon re-installation. But you shouldn’t be getting into custom watercooling with this amount of acrylic if you’re aren’t prepared to take things slow and steady.

Step 2: Motherboard Preparation

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

I already had the 12-Core AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB of Corsair memory, and two 1 TB Samsung SSDs installed onto the Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula motherboard, but I had two other things I still needed to do here: install the CPU block and disconnect the chipset fan.

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

You see, as this is an open system, I wanted it to be as quiet as possible. The chipset fan, which sadly shows up on nearly all AMD X570 motherboards, generally isn’t very loud compared to most systems, but I found that in the Mirror Maze system, it was the loudest component, and that was in a closed chassis. So naturally, I did the only sensible thing: tear the board apart so that I could disconnect it. Whether this is wise with regards to thermals remains to be seen, but I’ll be sure to touch on that again in the testing section later on.

Meanwhile, while I had the motherboard’s shroud off anyway, I also routed the EKWB Magnitude CPU block’s D-RGB cable underneath it for a tidier end result.

Step 3: Motherboard Installation

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Dropping the motherboard into the Spectre III case was simple. First, I had to install the standoffs. The holes for these are pre-threaded in the acrylic, so I had no fear of having to work these in. Then, I placed the case on its back, laid the motherboard in place, and fastened it with the required screws. I also connected up the GPU riser cable.

Step 4: GPU Installation

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Installation of the GPU was a breeze too. It simply slotted right into the GPU riser I had installed earlier and fastened with a spacer and two screws on the IO bracket. I already had the waterblock installed on the GPU from the last build, but if you’re curious how to go about that, check out our how to install a GPU waterblock feature using this specific card.

Step 5: Radiator Installation

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

I then proceeded to install the radiators. First, I installed the Noctua NF-A12 Chromax.Black.Swap fans onto them, using four black anti-vibration grommets per fan. I made sure to pay careful attention to where I wanted to route my cables: behind the radiators.

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Then, I dropped the radiators into place. For the front radiator, I aligned its height to have its ports match the height of the ports on the distribution plate so that I could easily achieve clean tubing runs here later. The top radiator I simply placed in the middle, where I liked it most aesthetically, though I did have to move this later in the build to line up with ports.

Of course, at this point I also had to tidy up the cables for the fans. Luckily, the Spectre III comes with a neat little fan and RGB hub, which has D-RGB and PWM fan inputs, with outputs for six PWM fans and three D-RGB devices. I connected up all six fans here, along with the three RGB strips of the Spectre III.

Then, I shoved all the cables neatly behind the radiators, using zip ties where necessary to keep things in place and looking tidy. These zip ties can be fixed in place using the long screws the fans use to attach to the radiator.

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Step 6: PSU Installation

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

For power, I went with the new be quiet! Dark Power 12 power supply. On-hand we have a 750W unit, which isn’t overly powerful, but it’s perfectly enough for powering our Ryzen 9 3900X and RTX 2080 Super, along with the six fans and RGB devices in our system.

Step 7: Cable Management

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

Because I’m planning on using an external power supply when filling time comes, I’m happy to get all the cables installed at this stage already. So, I removed the cover on the rear and got to work.

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

First, I test-fit the cable combs to ensure I was using the correct ones. They come with an adhesive backing, which I removed to stick them in place. Then, I proceeded to install the custom Cablemod ModFlex cables with Pro aluminum combs, which was an oddly meditative task. It was time-consuming, but with a beautiful end result.

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

That said, although I’m pleased with the end result, in hindsight I would get cables with more combs. For this set of Cablemod cables, I got three aluminum combs on the 24-pin ATX cable, two on the EPS cable, and five on the PCIe power cable. I’d bump those numbers up by one more just so you can chuck a comb at the bottom of the cable, after the Spectre III’s cable management system near the power supply, as it’s quite a messy view going into there, and one comb on each cable could do wonders to tidy it up without making a lot more work of it.

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

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(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

I also connected up the D-RGB cables of the CPU and GPU blocks using an EKWB D-RGB splitter, connecting it to the bottom D-RGB header of the motherboard. I also hooked up the power button, power LED, and water pump headers at the bottom of the motherboard. The case does not have any front IO, so there was none of that to worry about.

(Image credit: Niels Broekhuijsen, Tom’s Hardware)

At this point, the system was looking great, and I decided to call it a day. Building the custom loop would have to wait for the next day. But for you, that’s just a click away to the next page.

Current page:

Spectre III Assembly

Next Page Building the Cooling Loop

	Sapphire Toxic Radeon RX 6900 XT EE	PowerColor Liquid Devil Ultimate RX 6900 XT	Asus ROG Strix RX 6900 XT Top	ASRock RX 6900 XT OC Formula	Radeon RX 6900 XT
Base	?	?	?	2125 MHz	1825 MHz
Game	2375 MHz	2305 MHz	2375 MHz	2165MHz	?
Boost	2500 MHz	2375 MHz	2525 MHz	2295 MHz	2250 MHz
Performance Game	2525 MHz	2480 MHz	–	2365 MHz	–
Performance Boost	2730 MHz	2525 MHz	–	2475 MHz	–
Cooling System	Hybrid	Custom LCS	Hybrid	Triple-Fan	Triple Fan

AZZA Cast 808
Case Type:	ATX Full-Tower
Material:	Steel, aluminium
Weight:	10.9 kg
Slots:	6x horizontal / 3x vertical
Drive Bays:	1x Internal 2.5/3.5″ 2x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:	Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX
Dimensions:	470 mm x 220 mm x 460 mm
Front Door/Cover:	N/A
Front Fans:	3x 120 or 2x 140 mm (optional)
Rear Fans:	1x 120 mm (1x 120 mm AZZA Hurricane III ARGB Fan included)
Top Fans:	N/A
Bottom Fans:	N/A
Side Fans:	N/A
Front Radiator:	360 mm / 280 mm
Rear Radiator:	120 mm
Top Radiator:	N/A
Bottom Radiator:	N/A
Side Radiator:	N/A
I/O:	1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C 2x USB 3.0 1x Headphone 1x Microphone
Fan/LED Controller:	PWM fan hub
Compatibility:	CPU Cooler: 165 mm GPU: 360 mm PSU: ATX

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Specifications and Part Analysis

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Power Specifications

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Transient filter

APFC converter

Main FETs and primary transformer

12V FETs and VRMs

Filtering caps

Modular board front

Soldering quality

Cooling fan

Introduction

Specifications

Our Verdict

For

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Specifications and Part Analysis

Product Photos

Product Photos

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Power Specifications

Cables & Connectors

Cable Photos

Component Analysis

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Transient filter

Bridge rectifiers

APFC converter

Main FETs and primary transformer

12V FETs and VRMs

Filtering caps

5VSB circuit

Modular board front

Soldering quality

Cooling fan

Hardware

1440p testing

RTX 3080 Ti (1440p)

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RTX 3080 Ti (4K)

Introduction

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Watch via our Vimeo channel (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

What is the Singularity Computers Spectre III?

Theme Reveal

Step 1: Preparing the CPU Block

Step 2: Motherboard Preparation

Step 3: Motherboard Installation

Step 4: GPU Installation

Step 5: Radiator Installation

Step 6: PSU Installation

Step 7: Cable Management

State of the ATX12VO Union

Useful Tech or Much Ado About Nothing?

Introduction

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World’s Fastest Radeon RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards

Introduction

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