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August 19, 2017
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SilverStone Shrinks Depth of Strider Titanium PSUs: 180 mm, Up to 1.5 kW, 80 Plus Titanium

SilverStone has announced its new high-wattage 80 Plus Titanium PSUs for high-performance desktop computers. The new Strider Titanium power supplies are rated for up to 1500 W output. The main selling point of the new power supplies is their depth, which has been shrunk to 180 mm, making them compatible with smaller chassis and builds.

There is an ongoing trend towards miniaturization of all kinds of computers, whether they are mobile or stationary. Nowadays there are enthusiast-class Mini-ITX components (mainboards, PSUs, etc.) and therefore MSI’s recently launched X299M Gaming Pro Carbon AC high-end Micro-ATX motherboard supporting three graphics cards and 10 storage devices does not come as a surprise. Meanwhile, Micro-ATX cases sometimes cannot accommodate large high-wattage PSUs that are usually 220 mm long. As a result, as performance of Micro-ATX is growing, so is demand for smaller high-efficiency ~1 kW power supplies.

SilverStone is responding to this demand with its new ATX12V V2.4-compliant high-wattage Strider Titanium PSUs that comply with the 80 Plus Titanium requirements, are rated for 1100 W, 1300 W and 1500 W output and are 180-mm deep (or long, however you put it). To get the 80 Plus Titanium badge, a PSU is mandated to be at least 94% efficient under a 20%, 50% and 100% load as well as at least 90% efficient under a 10% load. The latter is particularly important for high-wattage PSUs because it helps to take advantage of energy efficiency of modern PC hardware even with a very powerful PSU.

SilverStone Strider Titanium 1kW Series Output Specifications
	SST1100-TI		SST1300-TI		SST1500-TI
	Rated	Combined	Rated	Combined	Rated	Combined
+3.3V	25 A	82.5 W	25 A	82.5 W	25 A	82.5 W
+5V	22 A	110 W	22 A	110 W	22 A	110 W
+12V	92 A	1104 W	108 A	1296 W	125 A	1500 W
-12V	0.3 A	3.6 W	0.3 A	3.6 W	0.3 A	3.6 W
+5Vsb	3 A	15 W	3 A	15 W	3 A	15 W
Total Power	1100 W		1300 W		1500 W

Like the many advanced PSUs these days, the SilverStone Strider Titanium 1 kW power supplies feature a modular design and come with two EPS12V connectors to enable compatibility with 2P server/workstations platforms, as well as with contemporary high-end desktop motherboards such as those based on AMD’s X399 ‘Threadripper’ and Intel’s X299 ‘Skylake-X’ platforms. As for other types of connectors, the new Strider Titanium PSUs have eight 6-2-pin (8-pin) PCIe auxiliary power connectors for graphics cards (just in case you run four AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 boards), 16 SATA power plugs, six Molex power outputs, and one FDD connector. All cables are flat to ensure greater flexibility.

SilverStone claims that the new Strider Titanium 1 kW PSUs can work 24/7 with 50℃ operating temperature and will be absolutely quiet under light loads when their 135-mm fan is off. Meanwhile, even under high loads, the noise levels of the PSUs will not exceed 36 dBA. As for reliability ratings, the new Strider Titaniums are speced for 100,000 hours MTBF. To ensure safety, the power supplies are equipped with over current, over power, over/under voltage, over temperature, and short circuit protection mechanisms.

SilverStone Strider Titanium 1kW Series Connectivity Specifications
Connector type	SST1100-TI	SST1300-TI	SST1500-TI
ATX 24 Pin	1
EPS 4+4 Pin	2
PCIe 6+2 Pin	8
SATA	16
4P Molex	6
Floppy	1

The Strider Titanium SST-1100-TI, SST-1300-TI and SST-1500-TI are already listed by major retailers, including Newegg and others The most affordable model of the new Strider Titanium PSU has MSRP of $299.99/€269.90, whereas the highest-performing 1.5 kW model has suggested retail price of $399.99/€345.50. Meanwhile, the mid-range SST1300-TI is priced at €288.90 in Europe. All new PSUs are covered by a five-year warranty.

Gallery: SilverStone Strider Titanium 1kW Series

Lian-Li releases PC-Q39 Tempered Glass Mini-ITX Tower

On Tuesday, Lian-Li announced a new Mini-ITX Tower chassis with its PC-Q39. A progression from the PC-Q37 case, the PC-Q39 is a bit larger and can now house an ATX form factor PSU, up to 2x120mm radiator, and a triple slot graphics card. The outside of the chassis uses tempered glass on the side with an updated aluminum front panel giving it a high-end look many are after.

Lian-Li PC-Q39

Like its predecessor, the PC-Q39 maintains a dual chamber design separating the motherboard, video card, and heatsink/radiator from the HDD/SSD and power supply. Lian-Li strategically placed dedicated grommets for liquid cooling tubes at the top and bottom of the motherboard tray. Along with five other holes, there are plenty of places to route tubing for the reservoir and pumps, as well as other wiring in the wider second chamber. This setup can make for a much cleaner look and allows for less obstructed airflow in the main chamber. The front panel, located on top of the Q39 (was on the front of the Q37), has been modernized to include a single USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C connector, as well as two USB3.0 ports.

The PC-Q39’s additional size, 15mm wider, allows it to use the more familiar ATX form factor for PSUs, up to 160mm in length. The second compartment also contains a tool-less drive rack holding two 3.5” and one 2.5” drive. Two additional spaces for 2.5” drives are found in the back and on the motherboard tray, for a total of three 2.5” drives.

At the top of the chassis, there is room for two 120mm fans or a 240mm radiator. Additionally, there is space on the bottom of the case for two 120mm fans or a single 140 mm fan for increased airflow in the main chamber. All fan mount points come with a magnetically attached dust filter to slow the buildup of dust inside the case. There are three expansion slots for PCIe devices allowing owners to use video cards with a triple slot cooler and up to 300mm in length. Working in the small case shouldn’t be an issue due to the front, top, and side panels all being removable.

Below is a complete specifications table:

Lian-Li PC-Q39 Mini-ITX Chassis
Model	PC-Q39G WX
Case Type	Mini Tower Chassis
Dimensions	(W)252mm x(H)348mm x(D)346mm
Color	Black
Front/Side Panel	Aluminum / (L) Tempered Glass, (R) Aluminum
Body Material	Aluminum
Net Weight	5.3kg
External Drive Bays	None
HDD/SSD Bays	2x 3.5″, 3x 2.5″
Expansion Slots	3
Motherboard Type	Mini-ITX
System Fan (Optional)	2x 120mm(top), 2x 120mm or 1x 140mm(bottom)
I/O Ports	2x USB3.0, 1x USB3.1 Type-C, HD Audio
VGA Card Support	(L)300mm x (D)60mm
CPU Cooling Support	(H)120mm
PSU Support	ATX PSU,(L)160mm
Radiator Support	Top: 240mm x 80mm x 120mm

The PC-Q39 is available now at newegg.com for $209.99.

Gallery: Lian Li PC-Q39 Mini-ITX Chassis

Silverstone Announces New SFF Chassis: RVZ03 With RGB Light Strip

Silverstone, a familiar face in several enthusiast markets, has announced a new Small Form Factor (SFF) case, the RVZ03. Nestled in its Raven “extreme enthusiast chassis” line, the RVZ03 is an update from their existing RVZ01 chassis from both a styling perspective and the addition of integrated RGB LEDs, giving the lineup its first RGB fix. Silverstone says the Raven Series RVZ03 “…redefines SFF computing with flair.”

The front panel styling differs in appearance versus its predecessor by reshaping the front fascia to give it a more angular shapes as compared to the more plain panel of the RVZ01. The “flair” Silverstone was talking about comes in the form of the RGB LED strip on that front panel. They mention it has the same interior room, supporting Mini-ITX and Mini-DTX motherboards, a standard ATX(PS2) power supply up to 150mm (Silverstone recommends 140mm with flat cables), space for large graphics cards up to 13” (330mm) x 5.88” (149mm) wide, and has “superb air cooling performance”. There is room for up to four 2.5” SSDs or HDDs internally for storage needs. Further, the case can be laid flat or standing up as to fit in whatever space buyers may have.

Looking at the restyled front panel, it holds two USB3.0 ports, 7mm audio and microphone jacks, power/reset buttons, and a drive activity light. The added RGB LED visual is a line running through the front panel of the case, parting the USB/Audio jacks and the Power/Reset buttons on either side. The RVZ03 includes Silverstone’s LSB01 RGB light strip control box for allowing expansion and control over additional RGB strips. RGB LED regulation can be done in two ways. First. via the control box itself allowing to swap between several modes (single color, breathing, gradient, and a rotation of those). The second method is by using motherboard RGB software including AURA Sync, AUR RGB LED, RGB Fusion, and Mystic Light.

Below is a complete list of specifications:

Silverstone RVZ03
	Technical Specifications
Model	SST-RVZ03B
Material	Reinforced plastic outer shell, steel body
Motherboard	Mini-DTX, Mini-ITX
Drive Bay	Internal – 2.5″ x4
Cooling System	Top 1x 120mm fan, 1500RPM, 18dBA Bottom 1x 120mm fan, 1500RPM, 18dBA 1x 120mm fan slot
Expansion Slot(s)	2
Front I/O Port(s)	USB3.0 x2
Power Supply	Optional PS2(ATX)
Expansion Card	Compatible up to 13″(330mm) long, width 5.88″(149mm)
Limitation of CPU Cooler	83mm
Limitation of PSU	150mm
Dimensions	382mm (W) x 105mm (H) x 350mm (D), 14L 15.04″ x 4.13″ x 13.78″
Extras	Support Kensington lock PCIe riser card set x1 RGB light strip control box x1

The RVZ03 comes with two 120mm, 1500RPM, 18dB(a) fans on the top and bottom of the case with space for an additional 120mm fan. Both included fans are bringing fresh air in the case setting up a positive pressure environment. Silverstone says this is to help prevent dust buildup inside the chassis and quietness. The maximum height of the CPU cooler must be 83mm or less. There is also support for using AIO solutions as well.

Gallery: Silverstone RVZ03

The RVZ03 is available in Europe starting today with pricing set at 97.50€ (about $114) excluding VAT. Pricing and availability for the US market was not available at the time of publication.

Alphacool Releases Two New SSD Coolers: Passive HDX-2 and Watercooled HDX-3

This week Alphacool announced the availability of their new M.2 SSD Coolers, the HDX-2 and HDX-3. Some may recall the original HDX M.2 cooler was a simple, passive, clip on heatsink for M.2 SSDs, and was designed to help prevent thermal throttling which has a tendency to plague synthetic test results on some M.2 based drives. With the advent of the HDX-2 and HDX-3, they have moved beyond the simple clip cooler and to using a PCIe x4 card. This design change allowed a full sized heatsink to be mounted on it giving more surface area to cool the attached M.2 device. The HDX-3 takes the HDX-2 and its passive setup a step further and uses a waterblock instead of the large heatsink to remove the heat created from these SSDs.

The dimensions both the of HDX-2 come in at 100 x 81.5 x 20 mm with the HDX-3 being slightly taller at 120 mm while sharing the same width and height. According to Alphacool, the included 4x PCIe card allows a maximum bandwidth of around 3900 MB/s. Existing M.2 drives on the market will not be able to saturate it. Though it is double sided, both M.2 coolers hold one M.2 based device. Contact from the M.2 device to the heatsink is provided by included thermal pads. These thermals pads cover both single and double sided M.2 drives. The HDX-2 and HDX-3 both support up to one 80mm M.2 SSD. Both devices connect to the PCIe slot and mount to the case for a stable platform.

Alphacool HDX-2 and HDX-3 M.2 SSD Coolers
Technical Data	HDX-2	HDX-3
Dimensions (LxWxH)	100 x 81.5 x 20 mm	120 x 81.5 x 20 mm
Material	Aluminum	Copper, Acetal
Threads	N/A	2x G 1/4″
PCIe Form Factor	PCIe 3.0 x4
Compatibility	M.2 2280 PCIe SSDs
Max. Bandwidth PCIe Card	3938 MB/s

The HDX-2 uses large aluminum heatsinks on both sides of the included PCIe card easily covering the M.2 drive it aims to cool. The heatsinks are black with αCOOL and HDX-2 stenciled on it in white as well as having cooling fins to increase cooling area – the heatsinks cover the entire PCB of the PCIe card. The drive is mounted to the PCB, thermal pads applied to the drive, then mount the heatsink to the board.

The HDX-3 block is made of nickel-plated copper with the top made from a single piece of acetal. The block mounts to one side of the PCIe card leaving the other side open. Alphacool says water flows over the entire SSD to help keep things cool. The water enters and exits the block at the opposite end to the PCIe connector using standard G ¼” a threads.

Gallery: Alphacool HDX-2 and HDX-3

Pricing and availability were not listed in the press release.

EKWB Releases New RGB Monoblock for MSI X299 Motherboards

This week, the Slovenian based liquid cooling manufacturer, EKWB (EK Water Blocks) released a new monoblock which is custom made for specific MSI X299 motherboards, and named the EK-FB MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon RGB Monoblock. MSI claims this solution provides up to 30% cooler VRM and CPU temperatures as measured at the back of the PCB. It has a built-in 4-pin RGB LED strip compatible with MSI’s Mystic Light software in order to customize the lighting experience.

Based on the EK-Supremacy Evo cooling engine, EK states it has a high flow design and can be used in systems running a weaker pump. The EK-FB MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon Monoblock directly cools Intel LGA2066 socket CPUs as well as the potentially hot running VRM area on many X299 boards. It does so with direct contact on the both the CPU and MOSFETs with liquid flowing directly over those critical parts inside the block.

Sparing little expense, the base is made out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, with the top constructed of acrylic glass. According to MSI, the cold plate portion of the block has been redesigned to ensure it “…has better mechanical contact with the IHS…thus enabling better thermal transfer”. An example of this is the raised circle where the CPU IHS would be pressed against (see picture below). The required barbs are the common G 1/4″ type.

The included 4-pin RGB LED strip connects to the motherboard’s 4-pin RGB LED header, or to other 3^rd party 4-pin LED controllers. The LED strip cover can be removed and replaced with another compatible RGB LED strip, or flipped around for better cable management, orientation, and aesthetics.

Though the name of this monoblock specifically mentions one specific motherboard, MSI says it is compatible with the following boards in their X299 lineup:

MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon
MSI X299 Gaming M7 ACK

The EK-FB MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon RGB Monoblock is available for pre-order now through the EK Webshop and its Partner Reseller Network. Pricing, including VAT, will be 119.95€. EK says shipping of the pre orders will start on Thursday, July 27th.

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