Since our initial testing of smartphone audio, I’ve had a lot more time to play with the APx582 from Audio Precision. I’ve also received far more feedback than I ever expected to on this subject. I have made a few changes to the testing …
In its endless rampage of new product releases today, Corsair has also presented the Hydro Series HG10 GPU cooling bracket, a solution for those that want to install an all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling kit on a graphics card. This approach is not new, as other companies have presented similar solutions (some may remember our recent review of the NZXT Kraken G10); however, such solutions would focus on the GPU core and leave the VRM and RAM with just airflow from the fan installed on the bracket, which could become a problem if the VRM heatsinks of power-hungry cards are removed alongside the stock cooler.
Corsair’s press release suggests that the Hydro Series HG10 will not only cool the GPU core but the VRM and RAM chips of your card as well. This is done by keeping the stock cooler’s radial fan and parts of its body, which are still being powered by the graphics card’s fan control circuitry. Essentially, the HG10 seems to be replacing parts of the stock cooler in order to add support for the liquid cooler core. Compatibility wise, there are both good and bad news. The good news are that the HG10 is compatible with all of Corsair’s Hydro series, from the H55 and H80 to the H100i and H110; therefore, it will most likely be compatible with the vast majority of AIO liquid cooling kits from many companies. The bad news are that it requires specific card models, limiting its compatibility with only AMD Radeon R9 290X/290 reference cards (A1 Edition) or NVIDIA GeForce Titan, 780 Ti, 780, 770 cards (N1 Edition). Corsair hinted that there will be more versions for other AMD cards soon, although they did not specify for which models.
The first versions (A1 Edition) will be available this June for $39.99.
Corsair went berserk with new releases today. Announcing nearly a dozen new products is somewhat shocking, even if some of them are upgrades of older successful products. The company also announced three new cases – the portable Mini-ITX Graphite 380T, the versatile Mini-ITX / Micro-ATX Carbide Air 240 and the massive Graphite 780T Full Tower case.
The very shape of the Graphite 380T and the large handle instantly give away Corsair’s intentions; the company aimed to create the ideal Mini-ITX LAN party machine. It is not the smallest Mini-ITX that we have seen but it can house a full size graphics card and advanced cooling options, allowing the creation of a compact yet rather powerful gaming system. With two fans (120 mm and 140 mm) already included, the Graphite 380T has clearly been designed with the presumption that a pretty strong gaming system will be installed inside it. Corsair will be supplying the Graphite 380T in two color combinations; black with red lighting or black/white with white lighting.
The Carbide Air 240 is like a small version of the Carbide Air 540, the very popular cubic case that Corsair released in 2013. Although it has been downsized and can now only fit Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX motherboards, Corsair claims that the Carbide Air 240 can store a lot of hardware, including full-size graphics cards and two 240 mm liquid cooling radiators. Much like its larger sibling, the drives are stored behind the motherboard tray, in the PSU compartment, although their exact number is currently unknown. Corsair announced that the Carbide Air 240 will be available in both black and white.
Last but not least, the new Graphite 780T Full Tower case is perhaps the most interesting addition to Corsair’s line up of cases. It is based on a new aesthetic concept, not an older design, which looks very interesting from the 3D renders that Corsair supplied to us. We have no clear details regarding the size of the case but Corsair claims that it can fit nine hard drives and two 360 mm liquid cooling radiators, therefore its proportions will definitely be greater than any Mid-Tower case, or even the Graphite 760T.
The MSRP and expected release dates of the new cases are summarized below.
| Product | Ship Date | List Price |
| Carbide Series Air 240 | August | $89.99 – $99.99 |
| Graphite Series 780T | September | $179.99 – $189.99 |
| Graphite Series 380T | August | $129.99 |
Corsair’s HX PSU series is of special significance to the company, as it is the first PSU series that Corsair released back in 2006. Corsair today announced its upgraded successor, the HXi series, which brings 80Plus Platinum certified units with Corsair Link support. Corsair announced that the new HXi series would consist of three units, a 750W, an 850W and a 1000W model, thus reducing the audience of the new HXi series significantly, as the vast majority of home computers do not require anywhere near that much power.
Although the press release does not clarify whether the new series will completely replace the current HX series or exist alongside it, it would make little sense for both series to coexist with the current pricing scheme. As the table below depicts, the MSRP of the new HXi series is very similar to that of the older units, therefore the older units will need to receive a major price cut if they are to stay in production.
| Corsair PSUs | |||||
|
HX Series |
HXi Series |
AX Series |
|||
|
Corsair HX750 |
$149.99 |
Corsair HX750i |
$169.99 |
Corsair AX760 |
$179.99 |
|
Corsair HX850 |
$169.99 |
Corsair HX850i |
$189.99 |
Corsair AX860 |
$199.99 |
|
Corsair HX1050 |
$239.99 |
Corsair HX1000i |
$229.99 |
Corsair AX860i |
$229.99 |
On paper, the new HXi units are strikingly similar to the current AXi series as well; fully modular, all-Japanese capacitors, Zero-RPM fan mode, 80Plus Platinum certified and covered by a seven year warranty. The only vital difference is the price, with the new HXi units being significantly cheaper, making the longevity of the current AX and AXi models questionable as well. Whether the new HXi units can also perform as well as the current AXi or even the HX series, we will find out once the first sample reaches our labs.
The new HXi Series will be available at retail in August.
Computex is officially kicking off today and unlike many of the products announced at trade shows, we actually have a full review of the Crucial MX100 that is launching today at Computex. The MX100 is Crucial’s new mainstream drive, replacing the popular M500 while the M550 will continue to serve the higher performance market. With the MX100 Crucial is aiming even lower in terms of price per gigabyte by utilizing Micron’s (i.e. Crucial’s parent company’s) state-of-the-art 16nm 128Gbit MLC NAND. Read on the see how the MX100 stands out with its new 16nm NAND!