Corsair CX550F RGB Power Supply Review
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The Corsair CX550F offers good performance and high efficiency. The cherry on top for some of you will be the white color option and the RGB lighting.
Pros
- +
Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
- +
Good transient response at 12V
- +
Efficient
- +
Modern platform
- +
Rifle bearing fan
- +
Low leakage current
- +
Low conducted EMI
- +
Compatible with the Alternative Low Power Modes
- +
Fully modular
- +
Highly-customizable RGB lighting
- +
Comes in two colors
- +
5-year warranty
Cons
- —
Not so affordable
- —
Loose load regulation
- —
Lower than 17ms hold-up time
- —
Not fond of the Teapo SC caps that it uses
- —
Short distance between the peripheral connectors
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Corsair CX550F RGB: Price Comparison
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The CX550F is among the best mid-level PSUs featuring RGB lighting. Corsair teamed with HEC for its CX-F line, and it used a modern platform including a quality fan with advanced RGB lighting, meaning that the production costs increased; hence, the CX550F costs more than the category’s average. Nonetheless, besides the eye-candy features, the unit also offers good performance and is not noisy under normal operating conditions.
If you don’t care much about the RGB lighting, which is the main reason to spend more and buy the CX550F, you can also look at the Corsair CX550M and the XPG Pylon 550. Both use less advanced platforms than the CX550F yet still offer higher overall performance. If we had an RGB category in our best PSUs article for mid-level units, the CX550F could be included.
The Corsair CX550F is the lowest capacity member of the corresponding line, which has three members. They all feature RGB lighting and are based on a modern HEC platform. Moreover, they come in two colors, black and white, and all their cables are modular. The CX550F is rated Bronze in the 80 PLUS standard and Gold by Cybenetics. It also has a noise rating of Cybenetics-Standard++ (30-35 dB[A] average noise output). Usually, this unit goes for $90, so it isn’t exactly affordable. However, during the review, Corsair offered it at a lower price of $65.
- Corsair CX550F RGB at Newegg for $89.82
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Corsair sent us a white unit that looks great with the same color modular cables and the RGB lighting effects of the fan.
The RGB lighting can be controlled through the optional Corsair iCUE RGB lighting controller or a compatible mainboard through the included 5V ARGB adapter. If you don’t want to buy the Corsair controller and your mainboard doesn’t support RGB control/sync, you can customize the PSU’s lighting via a push-button at the front.
To cycle through lighting modes, you must press and hold the button mentioned above for about three seconds. If the current mode isn’t rainbow, you press the button shortly to cycle through colors. You should also remember that the push-button won’t work if the PSU is in software control mode, connected to the Corsair controller or the mainboard.
The available lighting modes are: rainbow wave, rainbow, rainbow breathe, rainbow blink, sequential, solid, single blink, and pulse. You also have the option to disable the fan’s lighting.
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Specifications: Corsair CX550F RGB
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|
Manufacturer (OEM) |
HEC |
|
Max. |
550W |
|
Efficiency |
80 PLUS Bronze, Cybenetics Gold (87-89%) |
| Noise | Cybenetics-Standard++ (30-35 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 |
120mm Rifle Bearing Fan (NR120L) |
|
Semi-Passive Operation |
✗ |
|
Dimensions (W x H x D) |
150 x 85 x 140mm |
|
Weight |
1. |
|
Form Factor |
ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92 |
|
Warranty |
5 years |
DC Output
34 kg (2.95 lb)Power Specifications: Corsair CX550F RGB
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| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
| Max. Power | Amps | 20 | 20 | 45.8 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 120 | 549.6 | 15 | 3. 6 |
||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 550 |
Cables & Connectors of Corsair CX550F RGB
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| Modular Cables | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (610mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-20AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (650mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (600mm+150mm) | 1 | 2 | 16-18AWG | No |
| SATA (450mm+115mm+115mm+115mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+100mm+100mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| 4 pin Molex (450mm+100mm+100mm+100mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| iCUE RGB cable (500mm) | 1 | 1 | 28AWG | No |
| Motherboard ARGB cable (300mm) | 1 | 1 | 28AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1380mm) — C13 coupler | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | — |
The PSU’s low capacity doesn’t allow for more than one EPS and two PCIe connectors, with the last installed on the same cable.
However, the number of peripheral connectors is adequate.
All cables are long enough, but as usual, we would like to see longer distances between the peripheral connectors. However, the lack of in-cable caps is good news for most users It is also nice to see thicker 16AWG gauges up to the first PCIe connector for lower voltage drops since the same gauges have to handle a pair of these connectors.
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Component Analysis of Corsair CX550F RGB
We strongly encourage you to 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.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| General Data | — |
| Manufacturer (OEM) | HEC |
| PCB Type | Single Sided |
| Primary Side | — |
| Transient Filter | 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 1x CM chokes, 1x DM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x Discharge IC (CAP200DG) |
| Inrush Protection | NTC Thermistor SCK-037 |
| Bridge Rectifier(s) | 1x GBU10K (800V, 10A @ 100°C) |
| APFC MOSFETs |
2x Infineon IPA60R280P7S (650V, 8A @ 100°C, 0. 28Ohm)
|
| APFC Boost Diode | 1x Cree C3D04060A (600V, 4A @ 160°C) |
| Hold-up Cap(s) | 1x Hitachi (400V, 330uF, 2,000h @ 105°C, HU) |
| Main Switchers | 2x Champion GPT18N50DG (500V, 18A , 0.27Ohm) |
|
APFC Controller |
Champion CM6500UNX & Champion CM03X |
| IC Driver | MPS MP6924A |
| Resonant Controller | MPS HR1001C |
| Topology |
Primary side: APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters |
| Secondary Side | — |
| +12V MOSFETs | 4x Nexperia PSMN8R3-40YS (40V, 50A @ 100°C, 16mOhm @ 175°C) |
5V & 3. 3V |
DC-DC Converters: 8x Potens Semiconductor PDD3906 (30V, 51A @ 100°C, 6mOhm) PWM Controllers: ANPEC APW7073 |
| Filtering Capacitors | Electrolytic: 12x Teapo (1-3,000h @ 105°C, SC) , 2x Nippon Chemi-Con (1-5,000h @ 105°C, KZE) Polymer: 16x Teapo |
| Supervisor IC | Weltrend WT7527 (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG) |
| Fan Model | Corsair NR120L (120mm, 12V, 0.22A, RGB, Rifle Bearing Fan) |
| 5VSB Circuit | — |
| Rectifier | 1x PS1060L SBR (60V, 10A) |
| Standby PWM Controller | Power Integrations TNY290PG |
| -12V | — |
| Rectifier | 1x KEC KIA7912PI (-12V, 1A) |
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Corsair helped HEC build this platform, which is advanced for a merely Bronze unit in the 80 PLUS scheme.
The CX550F manages to be a little above the lowest Gold efficiency threshold in the Cybenetics scale, earning the corresponding efficiency certification. Instead of the typical double-forward topology we usually find in this category, HEC used a half-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter for increased efficiency. Moreover, we see a synchronous design and a pair of DC-DC converters for the minor rails on the secondary side.
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The EMI filtering stage includes all necessary parts, so we expect low EMI emissions. There is also a discharge IC to restrict energy losses on the bleeding resistors. Moreover, there is a MOV for voltage surges and an NTC thermistor for lower inrush currents. The latter is not supported by a bypass relay, which is a bummer.
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The single bridge rectifier can handle up to 10 Amperes.
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The APFC converter uses two Infineon FETs and a single boost diode provided by the CREE. The bulk cap is by Hitachi, which sold its capacitor business to a Chinese brand.
The APFC controller is a Champion CM6500 IC. Another Champion IC, the CM03X, is used to restrict vampire power by cutting off the APFC converter during standby.
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The main FETs are arranged in a half-bridge topology, while an LLC resonant converter boosts efficiency. It is controlled by an MPS HR1001C IC.
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The FETs that regulate the +12V rail are on the solder side of the main PCB.
Four Nexperia FETs are used in total. The minor rails are generated through eight FETs and use an Anpec PWM controller.
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The electrolytic filtering caps on the secondary side are mostly provided by Teapo, and belong to the SC line. A large number of polymer caps are also used for ripple filtering purposes.
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The 5VSB circuit uses a single SBR on its secondary side. The PWM controller is a Power Integrations TNY290PG IC.
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Several polymer caps are installed on the modular board.
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The supervisor IC is a Weltrend WT7527, supporting all essential protection features but OTP (Over Temperature Protection).
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Soldering quality is good
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The cooling fan uses a rifle bearing, so it will last a long time. Its RGB lighting is also of good quality.
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Specifications and Part Analysis
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Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom’s Hardware US, covering PSUs.
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W Power Supply Review
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The new be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 with 1500W max power achieves high performance, but it cannot beat its main opponent, the mighty Corsair AX1600i.
Pros
- +
Full power at 46 degrees Celsius
- +
Good build quality
- +
High overall performance
- +
Good transient response
- +
Efficient
- +
Long enough hold-up time
- +
Low inrush current
- +
Silent operation
- +
Low vampire power
- +
Lots of connectors
- +
Fully modular
- +
Ten-year warranty
Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Today’s best be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W deals
$449
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be quiet! has a strong offering in the super high-end PSU category, the Dark Power Pro 12 with 1500W max power.
It achieves high overall performance, and it remains quiet, even under severe operating conditions. It isn’t as efficient, though, as the Corsair AX1600i, something expected since it doesn’t use at totem-pole PFC converter. Moreover, its overall performance is notably lower than Corsair’s top offering. The Dark Power 12 1500 might take the performance lead from the EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2, which has proven its bullet-proof design, though, though the mining era, but it doesn’t pose a severe threat to the Corsair AX1600i, so it cannot be included in our best power supplies list in the high-Wattage category.
The new flagship line from be quiet! is named Dark Power Pro 12 and lists two members, with 1200W and 1500W max power. Both are made by CWT and use a new platform that features digital control for most of its circuits. According to be quiet! these units can achieve up to 94.9% efficiency, which sounds impressive. They don’t state the input voltage, though, but we can safely assume that it is 230V, because such high-efficiency levels with 115V are super hard to achieve.
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Product Photos
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Both Dark Power Pro 12 units are 80 PLUS Titanium certified, with the 1500W model also featuring a Cybenetics ETA-A+ efficiency rating , which is even tougher to achieve. Moreover, Cybenetics rated the Dark Power Pro 12 1500W as LAMBDA-A-, which means that it is very quiet for such a powerful power supply. Nonetheless, its stronger competitor, the Corsair AX1600i, achieves an even better noise rating (LAMBDA-A).
There are several innovations in this product. For starters, its fan utilizes a frameless design for increased airflow and lower noise output. Moreover, according to be quiet! the fan speed profile is digitally controlled.
Finally, there are six +12V virtual rails in total, combined into one if you use an overclocking key (jumper). Lastly, the individually sleeved cables are an added luxury, which will be highly welcomed by most users.
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Product Photos
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Specifications
Swipe to scroll horizontally
|
Manufacturer (OEM) |
CWT |
|
Max. DC Output |
1500W |
|
Efficiency |
80 PLUS Titanium, ETA-A+ (91-94%) |
|
Noise |
LAMBDA-A- (25-30 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 |
135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (BQ SIW3-13525-HF) |
|
Semi-Passive Operation |
✗ (selectable) |
|
Dimensions (W x H x D) |
150 x 85 x 200mm |
|
Weight |
2. |
|
Form Factor |
ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92 |
|
Warranty |
10 Years |
37 kg (5.22 lb)Power Specifications
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V1 | 12V2 | 12V3 | 12V4 | 12V5 | 12V6 | 5VSB | -12V | |
| Max. Power | Amps | 25 | 25 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 | 45 | 3. 5 |
0.5 |
| Watts | 150 | 1500 | 17.5 | 6 | |||||||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 1500 |
Cables and Connectors
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| Modular Cables | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 16-18AWG | No |
| 8 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 2x (6+2) pin PCIe (600mm) | 5 | 10 | 16-18AWG | No |
| SATA (600mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (600mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (600mm+150mm) / 4-pin Molex (+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 2 / 2 | 18AWG | No |
| 4-pin Molex (600mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| 4-pin Molex (500mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| FDD Adapter (150mm) | 2 | 2 | 22AWG | No |
| Overclocking jumper (620mm) | 1 | 1 | 26AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1360mm) — C19 coupler | 1 | 1 | 17AWG | — |
A large number of cables accompanies the PSU.
This is expected, of course, given the huge capacity. All cables are super long and individually sleeved, with adequate distance between them.
Besides two EPS connectors, you also get ten PCIe ones, so you can easily build the gaming system of your dreams or a powerful workstation.
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Cable Photos
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If you decide not to use the overclocking key jumper, which combined all 12V rails in one, you should pay attention to the scheme shown above. It explains the power distribution of the 12V rail among the PSU’s sockets.
If you need up to two PCIe connectors, use connector A. If you need more, use the connectors marked as B and leave A last. If you follow the above instructions, you will have balanced power distribution.
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.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| General Data | — |
| Manufacturer (OEM) | CWT |
| PCB Type | Double Sided |
| Primary Side | — |
| Transient Filter | 6x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x Champion CM02X (Discharge IC) |
| Inrush Protection | NTC Thermistor SCK-037 (3 Ohm) & Relay |
| Bridge Rectifier(s) | 2x WeEn WNR2560M |
| APFC MOSFETs | 2x On Semiconductor FCH040N65S3 (650V, 41A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 40mOhm) & 2x On Semiconductor FCPF067N65S3 (650V, 28A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 67mOhm) |
| APFC IC Drivers | 2x On Semiconductor NCP81071 |
| APFC Boost Diode | 2x Infineon IDh20G65C6 (650V, 10A @ 140°C) |
| Bulk Cap(s) | 2x Nippon Chemi-Con (400V, 680uF each or 1360uF combined, 2,000h @ 105°C, KMW) & 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (400V, 470uF, 2,000h @ 105°C, KMW) |
| Main Switchers | 4x Alpha & Omega AOTF29S50 (500V, 18A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.  4Ohm) |
|
IC Drivers |
2x Silicon |
| Digital Controllers | 2x Texas Instruments UCD3138A |
| Topology | Primary side: Semi-Digital, Interleaved PFC, Full-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters |
| Secondary Side | — |
| +12V MOSFETs | 12x On Semiconductor NTMFS5C612N (60V, 160A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 1.6mOhm) |
| 5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converters: 6x PWM Controllers: 1x |
| Filtering Capacitors |
Electrolytic: 4x Nichicon (2-5,000h @ 105°C, HD), 2x Rubycon (6-10,000h @ 105°C, ZLH), 2x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (1-5,000h @ 105°C, KZE) |
| Supervisor IC | Weltrend WT7502R (OVP, UVP, SCP, PG) & Weltrend WT7518 (4x channels OCP) |
| Fan Model | be quite! BQ SIW3-13525HF (135mm, 12V, 0. 56A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan) |
| 5VSB Circuit | — |
| Rectifier | 1x IPS ISD04N65A (650V, 4A, Rds(on): 2.2Ohm) FET & 1x PS1045L (45V, 10A) SBR |
| Standby PWM Controller | On-Bright OB5282 |
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Overall Photos
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Although CWT used digital controllers to control the APFC converter along with the primary switching FETs and the +12V regulation circuit, still the minor rails and the 5VSB circuit use analog controllers. Moreover, this platform isn’t as advanced as in the Corsair AX1600i and the Wentai Aidan-T1616 units. There is no Bridgeless totem-pole PFC and GaN MODFETs, a state-of-the-art combination that allows for up to 99% efficiency in the APFC converter.
If you want to learn more about the totem-pole PFC converter, take a look at the review of the AX1600i.
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Transient filter
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The transient/EMI filter has more than enough parts to do a good job. Still, we noticed several high EMI spurs during the EMC pre-compliance test that we conducted.
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Bridge rectifiers
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There are two powerful bridge rectifiers. Combined, they can handle up to 50 Amperes of current.
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APFC converter
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The power supply uses an interleaved PFC converter, meaning that two APFC converters operate in parallel with a phase difference between them. This minimizes input/output current ripple and lowers conduction losses, increasing efficiency, and doubling the effective switching frequency.
Since there was no space on the APFC heat sink, two FETs had to be left out. This is why CWT used two beefy and two standard FETs in this converter. It is a great shame, though, that they didn’t choose a bridgeless totem-pole PFC converter, which would offer up to 3% higher efficiency. The digital control that this PSU has is ideal for this kind of PFC converter.
The bulk caps have a high capacity, 1830uF in total. So we expect a pretty long hold-up time, although this also has to do with the programming of the main PWM controller.
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A pair of driver ICs handle all four FETs of the PFC converter.
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Main FETs and primary transformer
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The four primary switching FETs are arranged into a full-bridge topology. Typically, an LLC resonant converter is also used, to boost efficiency through the lossless switching of the primary FETs.
Lastly, the IC drivers that handle the primary FETs are two Si8233BD, provided by Silicon Labs.
Since there was no room for one large, main transformer, CWT had to use two smaller ones.
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Digital Controllers
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Texas Instruments provides the pair of digital controllers. Their model number is UCD3138A, and this is not the first time we see this type of MCU. One of them handles the APFC converter, and the other one the primary switching FETs and the 12V regulation circuit. One of these MCUs also takes care of the system’s protection features, cooperating with the two analog supervisor ICs.
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12V FETs and VRMs
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Twelve On Semiconductor NTMFS5C612N FETs regulate the 12V rail. They are installed on vertical boards, which are right beside the main transformers, to minimize voltage drops and energy losses.
The DC-DC converters that generate the minor rails are installed on the same daughter-board. In total, six FETs are used, and a single PWM controller. There is no digital control for these rails, unfortunately.
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Filtering caps
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Not many electrolytic caps are used, but most of the caps that CWT used are of high quality. Ripple filtering relies mostly on polymer caps, and there is a massive number of those, 40 to be more specific.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Modular board front
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Many polymer caps are installed on the modular board, along bus-bars that handle power transfers.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Supervisor ICs
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
One of the supervisor ICs is installed on the center of the modular PCB, while the other one is on the solder side of the main PCB.
Weltrend provides both supervisor ICs.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
5VSB circuit
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The 5VSB rail is regulated by the circuit shown in the photos above. It uses analog controllers, as the minor rails. CWT has higher efficiency 5VSB circuits in its portfolio, so we wonder why it didn’t use one of these in such a high-end PSU.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Soldering quality
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Soldering quality is good, as expected in such an expensive product.
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Cooling fan
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The cooling fan uses a frameless design, which helps in producing more airflow. According to be quiet! this design also allows for lower noise output.
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Specifications and Part Analysis
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Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom’s Hardware US, covering PSUs.
The most expensive computer cases — balls, yachts, tables, space and futurism
This material was written by a site visitor and rewarded for it.
Let’s choose a case that is not just a container of iron, but a piece of interior, art, luxury, pathos, prestige and star status. What, there are such cases? And how!
A manufacturer who produces a case for the price of a whole assembly, or even two or three, wants to show his superiority, morally suppress competitors. And competitors can only try to make budget copies with individual elements of an expensive prototype. Why not the engine of progress?
Let’s see what different stores offer today in terms of top cases.
recommendations
A large part of this price niche is occupied by InWin brand products, despite the fact that it also produces budget cases quite successfully and in a large assortment.
The most expensive and most monumental building is, of course, the Z-Tower.
It is a real silver sculpture, weighs 42 kg, can accommodate EATX motherboards and costs $5,000. The body is as open as possible and so cosmic that it is even reluctant to fill it with components. However, there are uncompromising enthusiasts who tried to do it:
The next wonder of the world is the InWin Winbot spherical body. You can buy it for £3600 at overclockers.co.uk. This is a real spherical robot, because. it is equipped with multiple cameras and microphones for facial recognition and voice commands from the starship commander. Weighs 22.5kg, has dimensions within 700mm in each of the three dimensions.
About $1000 will be required to pay for another interesting case, H-Frame 2.0. This is an open case, a Full-Tower with EATX support and a weight of 19kg. The kit includes a SII-1065W power supply. There are three color options.
Another Frame, i.
e. open-type frame case, this is D-Frame 2.0. On Computeruniverse, its price is 1340€. First of all, the frame made of metal pipes and the general industrial appearance attracts attention. Comes with SIII-1065W power supply, supports EATX, weighs 22.5kg, available in three colors, same as H-Frame.
The next model, the InWin 928, is a Super-Tower with a solid «seamless» aluminum base, support for EATX and EEB, bays for two power supplies, weighs 23kg and costs about $1000.
And finally, the last of the luxurious cases from this manufacturer is the InWin 915. It already has a more modest price tag of $500. Attractive with its front and rear rounded aluminum panels, as well as a retractable top panel. Supports EATX, weighs 16.5kg, comes in two colors — black and silver.
Phanteks Enthoo Elite PH-ES916E has a harmonious balance of impressive appearance and wide functionality. It costs from $900 and can accommodate two systems — one EATX format, the second — miniITX and four coolant radiators.
This case is intended, of course, for experienced enthusiasts. It weighs 33kg and is available in two colors — black and grey.
And this case can be called the conceptual antipode of the previous one. This is the Lian li PC-Y6A Odyssey Yacht, a yacht-shaped hull for «only» 320€ (CU). The vessel from Lian Li is designed for miniITX systems, an SFX power supply and a Low-Profile cooler. However, it is quite long at 764mm and weighs 5kg. Available in three colors — black, grey, white.
However, Lian Li does not only make yachts, but also … tables! Yes, this is a table that is also a computer case. And this is not just a PC table, but a premium class among tables. Called DK-05X, sold for £2050 at overclockers.co.uk for example. Supports two EATX systems. Working surface 140x78cm, automatic height adjustment 69-118cm.
Continuing the theme of premium PC tables, it is necessary to remember one more model from another manufacturer.
It is called Vector Custom Design VD01 and costs about 1000€. It is narrower than the previous one, 110x80cm with a fixed height of 75cm. Covered with 8mm tempered glass with a maximum load of 100kg.
Speaking of tables, it’s time to think about other furniture. For example, it is the sideboard that most of all resembles the Thermaltake Level 20 Showcase. This is a huge structure weighing 32kg, with lockers and a mezzanine. Holds a lot of storage. Costs £950 at overclockers.co.uk.
Well, the last model of more or less rectangular shape is the Corsair Obsidian 1000D. The price is at the lower end of the premium segment, 420€ (CU). This is a voluminous, glazed on four sides Super-Tower, weighing 30kg, supporting the installation of as many as 14 fans. Accommodates two systems — one EATX format, the second — miniITX, has two places for power supplies.
Enough rectangles, because we have a real futuristic capsule in line — Cougar Gemini X.
Price from $400. This thing weighs 20kg and holds two systems — one up to the CEB format, the second — miniITX.
Futurism continues and we have the next space object — Deepcool Gamerstorm Tristellar. This is a three-chamber mini-ITX case. Certain components of the system are placed in each of the three chambers, the video card is placed in the upper one, the power supply and drives are in the right one, and the motherboard is in the left one. Each compartment is cooled separately, which is a significant plus. This object weighs 5kg and costs about $350.
And for those who don’t like the 3-star, Deepcool offers a 4-star case, the Deepcool Gamerstorm Quadstellar. This spacecraft is already larger and heavier, 14.5kg. Certain compartments are also assigned to the components, but the EATX board is already placed here. Plenty of storage space. The price is about $400.
*****
This is the High End range, below which the level «for ordinary people» begins.
These are not the goods that are sold in dozens a week, so not every store is able to offer such an assortment. These are not just cases for components, but real monuments of techno-architecture, waiting for their connoisseurs.
As they say, show me your corps and I’ll tell you who you are.
This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.
Completion of a computer, what a modern computer consists of
1. System unit housing
One of the most important components of any computer. It is in this iron box that any computers are assembled, even a home PC, even an enterprise server. When choosing a system unit case, you should pay attention not only to the appearance, but also to the size (form factor), the quality of the material from which it is made, and the functionality. It is from all the components that the complete set of the computer will be assembled.
There are several types (form factor) of system unit cases:
ATX — standard, large case;
Micro Atx Medium case;
Mini-ITX — small case.
When choosing the size of the system unit, you should take into account the dimensions of the motherboard, the dimensions of the components (video card, network card, hard drives, etc.), and also take into account the possible heating of the internal parts of the computer.
In simple words, you should understand that a gaming computer with a powerful video card and a good processor will get very hot. For a gaming computer, I would choose a large case ATX, with additional cooling. If you are building a weak computer for office work, or you need a “thin client”, a small case will be enough for you.
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2. System unit power supply
A very important element of the system unit, which many do not pay attention to when buying a new computer. But in vain, because the stability of your computer depends on the choice of power supply, and if any important work is performed on this computer, then even more so!
- First of all, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer, I do not advise buying a power supply from a little-known manufacturer.
- Next, I advise you to pay attention to the price. A good power supply can’t be cheap! This does not mean that you need to take the most expensive power supply, because there are brands (I will not name them) that they charge for their brand! A cheap power supply can be bought for backup, but not for permanent operation.
- An important factor when choosing a power supply is its power. I will not describe the formulas for calculating the power of the power supply, but I can say for sure — take a power supply with a power of at least 500W.
In the picture below, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the power supply connectors and their characteristics. The power supply is one of the components of the computer that are at risk. It is the power supply that “dies” the fastest. To extend the life of the power supply and, accordingly, the entire computer, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) will help, but more about it below.
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3.
Motherboard
No one will argue with me if I say that the motherboard is the most important component of a computer. And this is not surprising, since all the active parts of the computer are connected to the motherboard.
When choosing a motherboard, you need to know what type of processor you will connect to it. Also make sure that it has connectors for a video card, a network card, connectors for connecting old types of media (if necessary).
There are several forms of motherboard factors that differ from each other in form and technical design. Here’s how they look (click on the picture to enlarge)
Every year more and more new motherboards appear that support the latest components. So don’t be surprised when you buy a new motherboard that it won’t be able to use your old processor or RAM.
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4. RAM
As a friend of mine remarked: “Oh, are these “cartridges for Dandy?” (For those not in the know, there were such game consoles in the 20th century.
).” Yes, indeed, there is a similarity with cartridges for game consoles, but they are much more technologically advanced and more functional.
So, what is RAM? Random Access Memory (RAM) is a temporary storage device used to perform computer tasks. If it is easier to explain, then this is the place where computer programs are launched, data transmitted by the processor is processed, etc. This allows you to significantly increase the speed of tasks and data processing.
Fortunately, progress does not stand still, and along with the crazy speed growth, new form factors of RAM modules appear. Here is a visual picture with the types of modules and the location of the keys
Accordingly, when choosing RAM, you should know which connector is available in the motherboard you have already chosen.
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5. Processor
The processor is the heart of the computer! It is this microcircuit that processes all information data and is responsible for the operation of programs.