Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1286



Over the last few months, Purav and I have been keeping an eye on new technology across the case and cooling industry. In the next few pages we will show off some of the newer cases, power supplies and heatsinks that have peaked our particular attention.

Zalman TNN-500A


Click to enlarge

We first saw the Totally No Noise case in September, around the same time as Computex. The case still has not quite penetrated the market and has undergone some changes, but it is making its way to the US and Europe; slowly but surely. The TNN-500A is unique because it contains no active cooling components. Heat from the CPU, video card and motherboard is dissipated solely via heat pipes.


Click to enlarge

As sort of an added bonus, the lack of fans on the TNN-500A also significantly lowers the power draw (particularly on the 12V rails). In fact, our TNN-500A sample runs a stable Athlon 64 with Radeon 9700 Pro on less than 200W (although the integrated power supply supports up to 300W).


Click to enlarge

A solid block of copper sits on the CPU, and is then sinked by 6 heatpipes anchored onto the 7mm aluminum chassis. Without moving components, the case is able to sink 150W!

We have a full review of the TNN-500A coming up in the near future, but we thought we would take a few pictures to gaze over before we release our very in depth analysis.



TTGI Cases

In our opinion, SuperFlower (also TTGI in the US) could be one of the most underrated PC case companies around.  How come you haven't heard of them?  SuperFlower does a lot of OEM stuff that ends up labeled as something else.  Our Kingwin 436-WM from last year is identical to SuperFlower's SF-201 chassis.  Many of the excellent qualities of Lian Li's cases are found in the SuperFlower/TTGI design.

A few months ago we took some pictures of another neat case, the TT-101.  Even though it is a SFF case, there are many similarities between the SF-201 and the TT-101 including acrylic bezels and forward USB/1934/LineIn /LineOut. 


Click to enlarge

TTGI also has several updates on the TT-201 design; The TT-561.  Many of the smaller annoyances like issues with the power button have been corrected; as well as the acrylic bezel in front has been widened to ward damage.  The rear 80mm exhaust has also been replaced by a single 120mm fan (which at a lower RPM sounds considerably quieter than the dual 80mm fans on the TT-201).  However, the largest advantage of the TT-561 over the TT-201 is the 0.7mm steel construction.  The 201 and 301 remain our favorite cases, but for those on a budget the TT-561 retains almost all of the advantages of the TT-201 but costs $20-$30 less. 


Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge


CaseArts

Sometimes when we evaluate a case in a review, we find it hard to give a certain case an excellent rating because, unfortunately, it looks terrible.  The computer industry constantly stresses function over form; which is not much of an issue except when you are talking about your monitor or computer case. Over the last couple years, a startup company has been working very close with TTGI/SuperFlower and Cheiftec/Chenming to take cases with excellent design features, and then give them a custom paint job.  The thought seems almost bizarre at first, but the results more or less speak for themselves.


Click to enlarge

Obviously CaseArts does not appeal to everyone; there is a $20+ premium per case for the paint job. 


Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge

You can find out more about CaseArts here at their website.



Zalman Power Supplies

Zalman has been working very hard on destroying the myth that you need 9000W power supplies to run your system stable.  We were very impressed by our last Zalman ZM400A-APF power supply which we reviewed several months ago in a power supply roundup. 


Click to enlarge

Wattages

 

3.3V

5V

12V

-12

-5

+5vsb

combined theoretical

actual combined

advertised  total

Zalman ZM400A-APF

92.40

200.00

180.00

9.60

1.50

10.00

292.40

235.00

400.00

Zalman ZM400B-APF

92.40

200.00

216.00

9.60

1.50

10.00

292.40

235.00

400.00

Even though the advertised total wattage of the new power supply is still 400W, there is actually a significant increase of 36W on the 12V rail between the ZM400A and ZM400B.  The overall rating remains the same because the 3.3V, 5V and 12V rails are combined for a 380W limit.  However, since the 3.3V and 5V rails are used less frequently now, the increase in 12V is not hampered by the 380W limitation.

The ZM400B is not BTX ready, unfortunately.  Look forward to seeing the newest Zalman 400B in our next power supply roundup.



OCZ Power Supplies

OCZ has changed a lot over the last two years; they have been a long time producer of memory, but now are refocusing attention on power supplies and cooling products.  Their newest creation, the OCZ PowerStream, is a very large, enthusiast oriented power supply geared as an alternative to PC Power and Cooling units. 

Wattages

 

3.3V

5V

12V

-12

-5

+5vsb

combined theoretical

actual combined

advertised  total

OCZ PowerStream

92.40

150.00

396.00

6.00

2.50

10.00

???

???

???

We placed "???" in some of the fields for wattage because the final specifications have not yet been released.  To our knowledge, there will be 3 models of the OCZ PowerStream, and the most capable should be able to clear 620W.  Most systems are not capable of drawing more than 300W of power, so the PowerStream may seem a bit excessive unless you can really tax the 12V rails.

Our sources in OCZ also revealed the new unit will have a few neat features, including copper shielding on the ATX cable (similar to Enermax power supplies), load controlled fan and variable pot.  The load controlled fan is somewhat unique; the RPM on the exhaust are dependant on how many amps the system is drawing.   The OCZ PowerStream is also BTX compatible.  Look forward to hearing more about the OCZ PowerStream in upcoming months.



TTGI Power Supplies

It isn't too often we label a power supply as "sexy", but in the instance of the newest TTGI/SuperFlower power supplies, we can make an exception.  Several months ago, in our recent power supply roundup we took a look at a few power supplies from TTGI/SuperFlower, and they all performed reasonably well.  A few weeks ago, we caught a glimpse of some of TTGI's newest creations, aluminum PSU enclosures with 140mm fans!

We have seen 120mm fan cooled PSUs in the past, and they operate reasonably well, operating on the principle that at lower RPMs the fans can move the same amount of air as 80mm fans on high RPMs. 

Wattages

 

3.3V

5V

12V

-12

-5

+5vsb

combined theoretical

actual combined

advertised  total

TTGI   14CM-TT-450TS

105.60

210.00

324.00

9.60

2.50

12.50

315.60

223.00

450.00

We were a bit wary of the specifications of the 14CM-TT-450TS at first; the 5V and 3.3V rails seems particularly high.  However, the most important 12V rail seems very much in line with what we expected. 


Click to enlarge

One small feature the newer TTGI power supplies incorporate are electrical switching fan controls.  We criticized many power supplies in the past for the poor interference we received when we physically switched the fan speeds.  It looks like TTGI/SuperFlower is on the track to successfully solving this dilemma. 


Click to enlarge

Look forward to seeing some of the TTGI power supplies in upcoming roundups!



Enermax


Click to enlarge

We have always relied on Enermax for high performance, well manufactured (and usually expensive) power supplies. Enermax quietly unveiled their newest "Coolergiant AX" power supplies, which have all the trimmings we would expect from Enermax; copper shielded components, SATA connectors, smart fans, etc. However, the newest and probably most interesting function is the addition of a separate 12V rail for the CPU.

Those who have some EE knowledge (or those who learned the importance of a good the hard way) know what havoc a dirty rail can play on the memory, motherboard and processor.

Wattages

3.3V

5V

12V (1)

12V (2)

-12

+5vsb

combined theoretical

actual combined

advertised total

Enermax Coolergiant AX

112.20

200.00

192.00

180.00

9.60

12.50

312.20

280.00

480.00

The idea of a separate 12V rail for the processor appeals to us. For some reason Enermax was very generous to the 3.3V and 5V rails, but at the same time they leave much peak headroom for the two separate 12V lines. If the Coolergiant AX performs well in the lab, it could be the definitive power supply for P4 overclockers. Also look forward to the Coolergiant AX in upcoming roundups.



Gigabyte Coolers

We all know and love Gigabyte as a long time motherboard manufacturer.  Since Computex 2003 we have seen them diversify with many new products; laptops, optical storage, and most recently, cooling.  A few months ago, Gigabyte introduced their first "3D Cooler"; an Athlon 64, Athlon XP and Pentium 4 heatstink-fan (HSF) combo. 


Click to enlarge

The cooler has been very well received in the lab.  Originally, our 3D cooler ran a little loud; when we first powered the HSF up it registered over 40dBA.  However, the unit comes with a variable fan control, so we were able to turn the speed way down safely.  Even with the RPMs all the way down we were able to keep our non-overclocked Athlon 64 3200+ less than 40 degrees C.

Look forward to seeing more Gigabyte coolers hitting the US and European markets in upcoming months.  



CoolerMaster Coolers

Proof that the Gigabyte 3D cooler works well can be seen by the number of similar models cropping up.  A few days ago, CoolerMaster unveiled their heatsink based on a similar design to the Gigabyte 3D cooler.  Take a look at CoolerMaster's Hyper6.


Click to enlarge

The CoolerMaster design looks like it has some advantages over the Gigabyte version.  Particularly, it uses six heatpipes instead of four.  There is also an aluminum sink in the center of the tower.  Unfortunately, the Hyper6 does not come with a fan or fan control.  There are mounting brackets on the top of the sink allow for an 80mm fan. 

This spring and summer look to be very exciting for new case and cooling technology.  Look forward to more case and power supply reviews in the next few months!

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now