With the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings series of fans occupying Be Quiet!’s £18/€20 top-spot, the need arises for fans which still offer excellent performance but at a lower price point. Cutting costs by using cheaper components and bundling less accessories isn’t always a good decision but when price points have to met, costs have to be cut. Be Quiet! are aiming for a similar balance of good performance and low noise operation that their Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans offer but at a fraction of the price with their Shadow Wings SW1 series of fans.

There are 11 variants of the Shadow Wings series with sizes ranging from 80mm to 140mm. Each 80, 92, 120 and 140mm version features a PWM model as well as a mid-speed model or more. The 120mm version is available in low (800 RPM), mid (1,500 RPM) and high (2,200 RPM) speed versions, all of which we will be testing today. A mid-speed (1,000 RPM) version of the 140mm fan will also undergo our test procedures. A rifle bearing is used by the Shadow Wings giving them a MTBF of 200,000 hours. Be Quiet!’s unique airflow-optimized fin structure ensures a balance of good airflow and low noise operation. Rubberised fan mounts and a screw-less mounting system make the Shadow Wings series of fan easy to work with and quiet.

Retailing for around £11/€11,90 for the 120mm versions and £12.49/€13,90 for the 140mm version and backed by a 3 year warranty, Be Quiet! could have a mid range contender in the Shadow Wings series of fans.

The post Be Quiet! Shadow Wings Series Fan Review appeared first on eTeknix.

With the emphasis on small form factor (SFF) computing continuing to grow, the requirement to cool these space-constrained system grows alongside. Users who prefer a small chassis which can be easily hidden but still offers plenty of expansion for their needs also require thought by cooling manufacturers when they come to design a CPU cooler for every market. Enermax have done exactly that by offering a CPU cooler which appeals to a wide variety of markets. The ETD-T60-VD will keep SFF users happy by using a low profile, top-down design while people who like flashy lights and extravagant styles inside their system will love the multi-coloured Vegas Duo fan.

Enermax’s ETD-T60-VD may not be your typical low profile CPU cooler. It utilizes 6 6mm high performance heatpipes which cross each side of the down-facing aluminium fin array. Performance enhancements such as Enermax’s patented VGF (Vortex Generator Flow) and VEF (Vacuum Effect Flow) technologies ensure that the ETD-T60-VD won’t falter when it comes to thermal loads. Nickel-plating ensures the lifespan of your CPU cooler is kept to a maximum while the down flow style of the ETD-T60-VD can help enhance the longevity of your motherboard components such as the MOSFET and North Bridge. Enermax use one of their highly regarded 120mm T.B. Vegas Duo fans which operates from a 4-pin PWM connector and features mutli-coloured, circular LED lights to produce an eye-catching style.

The ETD-T60-VD retails for around £45/€48/$49.99 meaning that it will have to offer excellent cooling performance to win over the low profile CPU cooling market. Compatibility with all modern Intel and AMD sockets except LGA 2011 ensures that almost anybody can make use of Enermax’s pinnacle of low profile CPU cooling. So can Enermax offer the competitive performance necessary to survive in a competitive market?

The post Enermax ETD-T60-VD Low Profile CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

With the CPU cooling market dominated by dual tower air coolers and All-In-One liquid cooling units, there is very little chance for the brands which don’t offer the aforementioned coolers to compete in the enthusiast segment. Alpenföhn have been working hard to release a variety of coolers which suit everybody’s needs since they truly emerged onto the scene in 2010 with their popular Matterhorn. After a relatively short period of time in the limelight of the CPU cooling market, Alpenföhn feel that they are ready to challenge for the cooling crown with their dual tower K2.

The K2 is not too dissimilar to the other dual tower coolers which dominate the air cooling market. It features a pair of aluminium fin arrays which are optimized to work effectively with lower speed fans by utilizing performance-enhancing features. What does set the K2 apart from its counterparts is its set of 8 6mm heatpipes. Yes, you heard me correctly, 8! Each heatpipe transfers heat away from the copper base to the aluminium fin array which makes for some effective heat transfer potential when 8 are combined. A centre 140mm fan is accompanied by a 120mm fan on the front side of the K2. Operating at a maximum of 1100 and 1500 RPM, respectively, and making use of Alpenföhn’s wing-boost blade design airflow should be very accommodating. Controlled by a 4-pin PWM connector which can reduce the fan speed to less than 30%, the fans look as if they offer the perfect balance between noise output and performance.

Alpenföhn offer compatibility with all modern Intel and AMD sockets straight out of the box. Retail pricing for the K2 is £59.99/€64,90 making it very similarly priced to Phanteks’ PH-TC14PE, Thermalright’s Silver Arrow and Noctua’s NH-D14. With competitors like those 3 any CPU cooler is going to have to perform admirably to avoid sinking in this enthusiast market. Does Alpenföhn’s 1378g K2 have what it takes to gain the air cooling crown?

The post Alpenföhn K2 Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Prolimatech’s Megahalems is a cooler which has been around for many years. It has long been a favourite in the enthusiast market due to its ability to offer excellent performance when coupled with the correct fan, a choice which Prolimatech leave down to the end user. Limited compatibility has always been its let down with only a select few sockets being natively supported in the cooler’s out-of-the-box configuration. Prolimatech aim to solve the compatibility issues with their Megahalems Rev. C cooler so that it can become a force to be reckoned with.

The Megahalems is a single tower CPU cooler which is split down the centre by an air pressure-enhancing channel. 6 nickel-plated, U-shaped, 6mm copper heatpipes connect the flat, nickel-plated base to an aluminium fin array. 2 pairs of fan clips allow users to install a pair of 120 or 140mm fans of their choice in a single or push-pull configuration. Prolimatech also offer separately-available 38mm wide fan clips for users looking to unleash some extreme cooling potential with 38mm thick fans. At a height of 158.7mm and weight of 790g without fans, the Megahalems can certainly be considering beastly in size when it comes to single tower CPU coolers.

Prolimatech solve previous issues on the Rev. C by offering native support for all modern Intel and AMD sockets excluding LGA 2011 which requires the use of separate mounting hardware. With a retail price of £46.99/€51,90 without fans, the Megahalems is rapidly approaching the pricing territory which is held by the dual tower CPU coolers. Can Prolimatech’s updates to their tried and tested Megahalems prove that it is still a worthy option in a dual-tower dominated segment of the market?

The post Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. C CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Be Quiet! are making a large push in the cooling market by carrying over the experience that they have gained in other areas to unlock a pathway to success. We recently took a look at their premier fan series, the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings series and were thoroughly impressed by them, especially the acoustic results. Can the pinnacle of their CPU cooler line-up, the Dark Rock Pro C1, live up to the high expectations set by their impressive fans?

Be Quiet! employ a dual tower heatsink with a pair of 120mm fans. 7 6mm copper heatpipes combine with a nickel-plated base to extract the heat produced by a CPU. Dark nickel plating is used for both the heatpipes and base giving them an enthusiast-black appearance. Heat-conduction voids are filled by the utilisation of Shin-Etsu’s high quality X-23-7762 thermal paste. A pair of Be Quiet!’s 120mm  Silent Wings PWM fans which operate at 1,700 RPM provide airflow for the heat to be dissipated from the 44 aluminium fins in each tower. One of the more unique additions is the full-aluminium cover which connects both towers together providing them with extra stability. This removable cover also doubles up as an appearance-enhancing feature to an alreay attractive CPU cooler.

The £54.19/€67,90 Dark Rock Pro C1 is backed by a 3 year manufacturer warranty. Be Quiet! offer support for all modern Intel and AMD sockets including LGA 2011 via a separately available bracket. Can Be Quiet!’s 1550g Dark Rock Pro C1 bring home the CPU cooling crown?

The post Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro C1 Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Arctic have been in the CPU cooling market for many years now. Their success has come in the form of the extremely popular budget-orientated Freezer 64 and Freezer 7 Pro. GPU cooling success is produced via their constantly updated Accelero range which has won many awards and is now implemented on a number of graphics card manufacturer’s custom-cooled designs. Competitive price vs. performance has been Arctic’s main goal in both the CPU and GPU cooling market in recent years with it leading to great success. Now Arctic are going to challenge in a higher performance segment of the market with their Freezer i30.

The Freezer i30 utilizes 4 8mm copper heatpipes in a H.D.T (Heatpipe Direct Touch) design. Arctic claim that this configuration is capable of a 320W cooling capacity. 48 aluminium fins of 0.5mm thickness form the cooling tower from which heat is dissipated. Arctic’s 120mm 1,350 RPM PWM fan operates at a low noise level of 0.3 sone making the Freezer i30 both quiet and capable.

The Freezer i30 supports Intel sockets 1155/1156 and 2011 making it a little scarce on the compatibility front. Priced at around £31/€28,90/$49.99 with widespread availability and a 6 year warranty, the Arctic Freezer i30 is sure to appeal to system builders looking for a mid range cooler on a budget. Will our testing show the Freezer i30 as a good option?

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With an increase in the popularity of small form factor computers and a growing number of enthusiasts in the HTPC market, Cooler Master understand the importance of branching out to these consumer’s specific cooling requirements. Should the use of a micro ATX or mini ITX chassis really impede one’s choice of CPU cooler and henceforth overclocking goals? Cooler Master have shown their opinion on this question; an assertive ‘no’. Their GeminII SF524 aims to increase the cooling boundary that low profile CPU coolers were thought to be limited by.

Utilizing no fewer than 5 6mm copper heatpipes, thermal energy transfer shouldn’t impose a bottleneck on this 105.4mm tall cooler. The electroplated copper base transfers heat away from the CPU in a balanced fashion reducing the probability of CPU ‘hot-spots’ occurring. A 3-tiered top-down style aluminium fin stack provides the heat dissipation medium while retaining 47mm of RAM clearance beneath. Cooler Master’s 1300 RPM fan, which can be reduced to an operational speed of 900 RPM with the supplied low-noise adapter, ensures that noise levels are kept to a minimum. Motherboard cooling is another key element of the GeminII SF524′s top-down design.

With fittings for 140mm and 120mm fans supplied, Cooler Master make certain that users have freedom in their choice of fan. Support for all modern AMD and Intel sockets, other than LGA 2011, allows the GeminII SF524 to appeal to a large target audience. Retailing for around £36/€39,90, Cooler Master could have a great low-profile, heat extracting and noise-eliminating option in the GeminII SF524. Read on to find out if this is the case.

The post Cooler Master GeminII SF524 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Be Quiet! are quickly emerging as one of the premier cooling and power supply manufacturers on the market. Their high quality power supplied have gained many awards thanks to their balance between performance and price. Cooling is a relatively new section of the market that they have delved into in recent months. Their current cooling line-up consists of high performance CPU coolers including the Dark Rock Pro, top-down CPU coolers and a variety of enthusiast-grade case fans. Today we will be looking at their premier range of case fans, the Silent Wings 2 (previously know as Dark Wings DW1) series.

80mm, 120mm and 140mm fans form the Silent Wings 2 series making them an option for a wide variety of users. The 120mm and 140mm version that we are testing today operate at speeds of 1,500 RPM and 1,000 RPM, respectively. Quiet operation is key for the Silent Wings 2 series with the 120mm version being rated for 50.5 CFM at 15.7dbA and the 140mm version shifting 60.4 CFM of air at just 15.8 dbA. This combination of airflow and silence is achieved via the airflow-optimised surface structure of each fan blade. A FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) with copper core and vidually balanced fan wheel gives the Silent Wings 2 fans a MTBF of 300,000 hours.

Priced at around £18/€19,90 with a 3 year warranty for both the 140mm and 120mm versions, the Silent Wings 2 fans must offer competitive performance to survive in the enthusiast segment of the market.

The post Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2 (Dark Wings DW1) Series Fan Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Innovation has always been one of the biggest motives behind Prolimatech’s design. With the rest of the market sticking to traditional single or dual tower designs or delving into the area of All-In-One watercooling units, Prolimatech chose not to follow suit by using their design team’s creativeness. Brands such as Noctua, Thermalright and Phanteks have proven the effectiveness of dual-tower heatsinks, but very few companies have used 2 towers which combine the standard upright and versatile down-draft orientations.

The 2 individual towers are positioned perpendicularly to one another and are connected by 6 6mm copper heatpipes which are plated by nickel. Each aluminium fin array is capable of housing a 120 or 140mm fan allowing users to choose their preference between performance or silence. The top-down style stack offers a diverse range of benefits such as being able to effectively cool the RAM and motherboard components. Backed-up by its upright partner, the pair of slimline towers should offer an acceptable quantity of surface area, allowing effective heat dissipation to take place.

Retailing for £59.99/€59,90/$79.99 without any fans, Prolimatech have entered a highly competitive market in which lie dual-tower coolers that won’t give the Genesis an easy victory. With a heatsink mass of just 800g, the Genesis isn’t your standard scale-busting dual-tower monster. Compatibility with all modern Intel and AMD sockets including LGA 2011 via separately available screws reduces compatibility headaches for potential buyers. Can the Genesis’ unique design boost it into pole position in the CPU cooling market?

The post Prolimatech Genesis CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Fractal Design have their sights set on the glory that other case manufacturers have achieved. Their product lines continue to grow while they frequently keep their case range fresh. Offering a case for almost every segment of the market, Fractal Design have experienced healthy growth in their popularity and prestige since they first emerged onto the consumer market. Sleek and elegant design with performance to flaunt has been the concept behind many of their successful cases such as those of the Define series. Today we will be looking at one of their latest cases which continues this trend and builds on it, the Arc Midi.

The goal of Fractal Design’s Arc Midi case is to combine “stellar performance” with “stylish, minimalistic looks” which create an understated elegance. The stellar cooling performance comes in the form of 3 140mm fans supplied and mounting locations for another 5. No fewer than 8 2.5/3.5″ HDD/SSD mounting trays form the drive expansion options in conjunction with a pair of 5.25″ bays, one of which can be converted to an external 3.5″ bay. The removable upper drive cage clears the way for gargantuan graphics cards up to 470mm in length while CPU cooler clearance is ‘slightly’ more limited at 180mm. Utilizing 5 cable management grommets with numerous routing options, Fractal Designs make it easy for users to keep their system internals neat and tidy.

The Arc Midi’s aluminium-resembling exterior creates an extremely elegant appearance. Interior contrast of white PCI shields and HDD trays in comparison to the all black structure ensures that elegance isn’t lost upon entry. Even the fan’s design coincides with the black and white style. Front panel USB 3.0 makes an appearance proving that elegance and performance aren’t the only offerings with the Arc Midi; functionality is also present.

Priced at around £69.41/$100/€85 Fractal Design’s Arc Midi could be a serious contender in an elegance-driven, performance-orientated, price-conscious consumer market.

The post Fractal Design Arc Midi Mid-Tower Chassis Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Prolimatech are continually expanding their product line-up to ensure they have a cooler which to suit everybody’s needs. In recent years they have experienced great success in the high end segment of the market with their enthusiast-adored Megahalems and extremely innovative Genesis. Many of their coolers offer excellent performance at the expense of size. What about those who want enthusiast-grade cooling potential without the dimension headaches? Enter, Prolimatech’s Panther.

The Panther is Prolimatech’s first attempt at a cooler which utilizes four nickel-plated 6mm heatpipes as a heat transferral method. A narrow aluminium fin stack with fins of “mathematically calculated thickness” provides the heat dissipation medium. Prolimatech’s decision to use a narrow fin stack allows the cooler’s interference with tall RAM modules or VRM heatsinks to be kept to a minimum. Airflow comes via the red 120mm PWM LED fan which is capable of rotating between 800 and 1600 RPM.

Retailing for €39,90/$55 and offering compatibility for Intel’s LGA 1155/1156 and AMD’s AM2, AM2+ and AM3 sockets, have Prolimatech hit a price vs performance sweet spot with their Panther?

The post Prolimatech Panther CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Since its release in 2009, Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 Plus has gained a well-deserved ‘legendary’ status among a significant proportion of system builders. The concoction of enthusiast level performance and a ridiculously low price tag made the Hyper 212 Plus a legendary CPU cooler in every sense of the term. As times change though, so do prices. After a steady increase in price over the past few months, the Hyper 212 Plus has become a slightly less desirable product than it once was. Do you think that Cooler Master are happy with that? Oh no! To retain the price vs performance crown which the Hyper 212 Plus has held for so long, they have now introduced its successor, the Hyper 212 EVO.

The Hyper 212 EVO is very similar to its predecessor in terms of design. It utilizes 4 6mm copper heatpipes which converge to form a H.D.T (heatpipe direct touch) base. The heatpipes employ Cooler Master’s patented Continuous Direct Contact (CDC) technology which they claim will “act as a virtual vapor chamber that dissipates a large amount of heat”. Our testing will give you an idea as to whether their claims are true or not. An aluminium fin stack which is supposedly optimized to provide the perfect balance between high and low fan speeds will dissipate the heat carried through it by the CDC heatpipes. A 120mm PWM fan provides the Hyper 212 EVO’s airflow and is capable of pushing 66 CFM of air at a speed range of 600-1600 RPM (600-2000 RPM for the non-European version). Cooler Master claim that their fan’s “unique wave-shaped blade design” offers excellent airflow. Hopefully this claim is true as the Hyper 212 EVO is sacrificing 400 RPM of its fan speed in comparison to its predecessor.

Retailing for the low price of £23.98/€29,90/$35, the Hyper 212 EVO should appeal to budget conscious enthusiasts or overclockers, provided its performance is up to scratch. Support for all modern Intel sockets including LGA 2011 and all AMD sockets including FM1, Cooler Master have made sure that anybody can use their Hyper 212 EVO with minimal hassle. Can the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO live up to the high expectations its predecessor created?

The post Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Around 2 months after releasing their highly successful Phantom 410, NZXT are back at it again. This time they’re going big! Since their entry into the market in 2004, we have seen many hits from the gamer serving manufacturer, but, chassis wise, certain extreme enthusiasts’ needs haven’t always been tended to, up until now that is. Today we will be looking at the first chassis in NZXT’s new ‘Switch’ line-up, the gargantuan Switch 810.

The Switch 810 isn’t your normal full tower chassis. It features innovative characteristics such as NZXT’s proven-successful right-mounted HDDs, a ‘hybrid’ cooling design and a rear IO LED for added convenience. Support for a wide range of motherboard form factors including the enthusiast-grade E-ATX and XL-ATX form factors ensures that this case won’t be a letdown in that department. The 9 PCI expansion slots and 35+cm of VGA card clearance make a quad-SLI/Crossfire system a reality with the Switch 810. A whopping 12 cable management cut-outs, 10 of which feature a rubber grommet ensures that even the most high-end of systems will remain neat and tidy without cable interference. Storage expansion comes in the form of 4 tool-less 5.25” drive bays, 1 hot-swap HDD/SSD bay which converts from a 5.25” bay and 6 internal 2.5/3.5” drive bays split between a pair of easily removable cages.

Space for internally mounted 420/360, 240 and 140mm radiators simultaneously, with push-pull fans, means that this behemoth has some extreme cooling potential in its arsenal. Out-of-the-box cooling consists of a 140mm intake fan, a 140mm fan mounted internally on the upper HDD cage and 2 140mm exhaust fans. Up to 10 140/120mm fans can be installed in the Switch 810 proving that it has some extreme air cooling capabilities to offer. Another unique feature is the addition of a front panel SD card reader along with the standard variety of connections.

The black and white versions both retail at just under £150/€170 and feature a large acrylic side panel window. The Switch 810’s bang for buck factor seems to be competitive, but will our more thorough inspection prove otherwise?

The post NZXT Switch 810 Full Tower Chassis Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Enermax have decided to take a daring entry into the CPU cooler market. Their debut line-up consists of a tower style cooler and a top-down style, low profile variant. A pair of actual heatsinks creates the line-up but Enermax have intelligently created 5 different products by bundling the tower style ETS-T40 with 3 different fan variations and the top-down style ETS-T60 with 2 unique fan configurations. Today, we will be looking at the tower style ETS-T40-VD which is bundled with Enermax’s extremely popular Vegas Duo fan. Be sure to keep an eye out for our review of the ETS-T60-VD soon!

The ETS-T40-VD is built around a single tower design consisting of 4 direct touch, 6mm copper heatpipes and an aluminium fin array. Enermax claim to have reached a “New Milestone” with their heatsink’s 0.09°C/W thermal resistance. The 3 innovations responsible for this value of thermal resistance are Enermax’s patented Stack Effect Flow (SEF), Vortex Generator Flow (VGF) and Vacuum Effect Flow (VEF). A single 120mm Enermax TB Vegas Duo fan is bundled with the ETS-T40-VD which utilizes the 4-pin PWM connector and is capable of reaching 1800 RPM while shifting up to 76 CFM of air.

Compatibility comes in the form of support for every modern Intel and AMD socket other than LGA 2011. At 160mm in height and weighing around 610g for the cooler alone, Enermax’s ETS-T40 cooler range should fit perfectly in most mid tower and above cases. Enermax have also included an extra pair of fan clips for enthusiasts who want to unlock every ounce of potential from the ETS-T40 heatsink.

With a retail price of around £37/€35 for the Vegas Duo version or less than £30/€30 for versions equipped with different fans, Enermax could have a CPU cooler which brings the aesthetic appeal to the table, but leaves the extortionate price tag behind.

The post Enermax ETS-T40-VD CPU Cooler Review appeared first on eTeknix.

Perhaps Akasa are a brand better known for their aggressively priced CPU coolers and enthusiast level peripherals, but as some of you may know they have also diversified into the case market in recent years. It has been a while since Akasa last released a full tower chassis but they aim to mark their return with a bang in the form of the Venom Toxic.

The Venom Toxic is a full tower chassis which, thanks largely to its huge dimensions, supports a wide variety of components including the gargantuan E-ATX and XL-ATX motherboard form factors. Motherboard support isn’t the only weapon in the Venom Toxic’s arsenal though. 6 external, tool-less 5.25″ bays, 1 of which can be converted into an external 3.5″ bay, and 6 internal 3.5/2.5″ HDD/SSD bays ensure that even the most avid computing enthusiast’s storage requirements will be tended to. Enthusiast grade quality is again shown in the form of 10 tool-less PCI slots and an abundance of cable management grommets, ensuring a clean system even when all 10 expansion slots are populated.

Akasa supply the Venom Toxic with a pair of 230mm fans, one of which features a white LED design, and a single 140mm fan from their award-winning Viper series. If the out-of-the-box cooling configuration isn’t enough, the Venom Toxic’s mesh side panel can accommodate an extra quartet of 120mm fans or a single 230mm variant in addition to the possibility of a 120/140mm bottom mounted fan. Water cooling is a clear option with the masses of space available internally to install a 240mm and multiple 120/140mm radiator without any modifications. Not to see their extreme cooling potential undone, Akasa’s full tower chassis allows users the flexibility of installing the largest CPU coolers and most high end graphics cards on the market with a whopping 185mm and 330mm of clearance, respectively.

The inclusion of a 20W per channel (40W combined), dual-channel fan controller is yet another useful feature which can help save an end user money and expansion slots. USB 3.0, eSATA and the standard USB 2.0 front panel connections are a combination that will most certainly be viewed as acceptable by the majority of the enthusiast market.

With an eye-catching design and street price of around £96/€125, Akasa’s Venom Toxic looks as though it offers a large amount of bang for your hard earned buck, but is this actually the case (pun intended)?

The post Akasa Venom Toxic Full Tower Chassis Review appeared first on eTeknix.