Cases, Cooling & PSU News - Page 3

Not that it's practical to take the axial fans from NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4090 and GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards and use them in a DIY CPU cooling setup, but you can get your hands-on the same fans, which is exactly what someone has done with the results shared on the Chiphell forums.

GeForce RTX 4090 axial fans used to cool a CPU, image credit: Chiphell.

The axial fans from the Founders Edition GPUs were used to cool an Intel Core i5-13600KF processor, where the operating temperature dropped considerably when stacked up against traditional cooling. Compared to the Thermalright TL-C12 cooler, the temperature dropped by up to nine degrees Celsius when using NVIDIA's Founders Edition fans during the Cinebench R23 benchmark.

Compared to the Cooler Master Mobius 120P ARGB, a more well-known cooler, temperatures dropped by up to five degrees Celsius.

The days of displays with plenty of junk in the trunk - CRTs from the 1990s and earlier - are well and truly over. The new thing is flat screens built on LCD technology with thin profiles weighing less than 100 pounds. Still, several people swear by the image quality you get with a classic CRT, especially when playing retro games from the MS-DOS era.

The retro Sony Trinitron CRT gaming PC, image credit: János Kerekes (Custom PC).

And with that, János Kerekes has taken the classic Sony Trinitron beige CRT monitor and turned it into an all-in-one water-cooled gaming PC called the Oazis ROG. As featured on Custom PC, this Mini-ITX Intel Core i7 and AMD Radeon R9 Nano rig is impressive and would make for an excellent retro gaming PC.

The glass panel and innards have been removed, which János describes as a "huge headache" due to the precision and Sony using all of the available space inside the Sony Trinitron CRT. It turns out they were massive for a reason. And because CRT monitors are front-loaded in terms of weight, the PC parts had to be arranged in a specific way to maintain an even weight distribution via custom aluminum sheets.

The Cougar Cratus is a new and visually stunning min-tower PC case, with the company describing the angled interior layout as an "industry-first revolutionary innovation."

The new Cougar Cratus PC case, image credit: Cougar.

And it's a pretty straightforward design principle to wrap your head around on account of hot air rising, with the Cougar Cratus creating a cyclical current to ensure the hot air rises and cool air falls for maximum airflow. The image showcases cool air entering the case from the front and underneath, pushing hot air through the top and rear.

The visual look of the Cougar Cratus is quite something, with the case made up of a precision-tooled steel tube frame and four tempered glass panels that are also contoured to match the case's shape. Curved glass is definitely premium stuff for a PC case.

LIAN LI has launched a pair of new RGB products, the most notable being the new STRIMER PLUS V2 12VHPWR cables designed for ATX 3.0 power supplies and GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards.

LIAN LI's UNI FAN AL V2 fans, image credit: LIAN LI.

It features a custom 12VHPWR male connector on the GPU, following the ATX 3.0 standard with improvements to the original design to ensure a stronger connection to the GPU. This is excellent news, as 12VHPWR connectors made so many headlines last year due to potential issues with the connection on the GPU side.

LIAN LI notes that the cables can deliver up to 600W, sustain high temperatures, and even sharper bends. Part of the housing can also be removed to allow for an even greater bend closer to the connector to add additional support for narrow PC cases. The wide array of LEDs (with 8 or 12 light guides) grabbed our attention.

That little note about fans in the headline is in reference to be quiet!'s fun little April Fools announcement from the other day, all about a new range of PC fans powered by AI without fan blades.

be quiet! Light Wings White ARGB fans, image credit: be quiet!

The acclaimed German manufacturer of PC components has brought things back to reality and listened to community feedback with the announcement that the impressive be quiet! Light Wings ARGB fans are now available in white.

White PC components are becoming increasingly popular, making the Light Wings White range a great option for white PC Cases. These are basically the same Light Wings that we know, but now in white - so they feature the same high-performance, low-noise operation with funky ARGB lighting thanks to the stylish LED ring on the fan's inlet.

The new 80 PLUS Gold certified ENERMAX REVOLUTION ATX 3.0 Series of power supplies, available in 1000W and 1200W models, are tailor-made for the next generation of GPUs and high-performance CPUs.

ENERMAX REVOLUTION ATX 3.0 Series of power supplies.

With the GeForce RTX 40 Series from NVIDIA shifting to the new 12VHPWR connector for power, most owners have had to use the adapters for power supplies. With the new REVOLUTION ATX 3.0 Series from ENERMAX, a single native PCIe Gen 5 12+4pin (12VHPWR) cable can supply up to 600W to a graphics card.

These power supplies are ready for GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 4080, and RTX 4090 graphics cards. And for good measure, ENERMAX also includes an extra dual 8-pin to 12+4-pin (12VHPWR) cable for high-performance users to connect an additional graphics card.

With all facets of society and technology looking to implement AI tools and models to improve almost anything you can think of, AI has now made its way into the PC cooling space. Specifically with be quiet!'s new range of Zero Wings AI cooling, which the company describes as its first AI-supported fan.

be quiet! introduces new Zero Wings AI cooling, image credit: be quiet!

On top of the wingless design that does away with the need for fan blades and the introduction of state-of-the-art Controlled Airflow Technology (CAT) which can actively route air through a system, there's FANOS. An admittedly clever and ominous name for the artificial intelligence that sits at the heart of the Zero Wings AI fan system.

A proprietary AI has been trained to identify hot spots within a PC and direct air in those areas to keep cooling at optimal levels. It's a fascinating system that creates a live heatmap of the PC based on thermal sensors and what be quiet! calls "behavioral analysis of the user's habits." Which we assume means playing intensive PC games that put GPUs and CPUs to the test.

Recently Cooler Master debuted its new top-of-the-line case fan, the Mobius 120 OC. With silent performance and an impressive build, there was one area where some might have felt that it was lacking. And that's in RGB lighting, as the Mobius 120 OC has no bright rainbow-colored action.

The new Cooler Master MasterFan 120 Halo 2 series brings epic RGB action to DIY builds.

But don't worry; Cooler Master has got you covered thanks to the debut of the next-gen versions of its popular MasterFan 120 Halo series, with the Halo 2 available in 120 and 140mm sizes. Cooler Master has redesigned the Dual Loop LED fans by increasing the fan size by 10% for better airflow and cooling performance. Which Cooler Master lists as a 58% increase in air pressure.

The frame has also been reworked to improve stability without increasing the fan's overall real estate. The upgraded driver IC is also said to boost cooling performance and minimize overall noise, with a max dBA noise level of 27.

Amazon is getting into the business of selling its own brand PC components, with a new CPU cooler from the Amazon Basics range appearing on the retailer's site.

The resemblance to a certain Cooler Master model is striking to say the least (Image Credit: Amazon)

The Amazon Basics family is, as the name suggests, a no-frills (and wide-ranging) collection of products that does what it says on the tin for a minimal asking price.

However, as Tom's Hardware, which spotted the new product, points out, the CPU cooler appears to be very similar to a Cooler Master model, namely the Hyper H410R RGB.

Cooler Master launched its new top-of-the-line case fan, the Mobius 120 OC. The company claims "near silent operation" alongside high performance and complete control over its settings. The ring blade design on the fan features interconnected blades to improve airflow and structural integrity.

Cooler Master Mobius 120 OC case fan

And to reduce vibration, the Cooler Master corner mount design includes rubber feet for stability and keeping the fan quiet when in use - with RPM speeds of up to an impressive 3200.

On top of that, the Mobius 120 OC is a case fan that will go the distance with a dual ball bearing design, and a metal motor hub, meaning it'll last you multiple upgrades and GPU and CPU generations - it comes with a lifetime warranty.