The Corsair company declared a release of a new PC framework, called Carbide SPEC-04 Tempered Glass. The difference between this chassis and its reference model lies in the side panel, made out of tempered glass.



The specialty possessing the 492 x 201 x 433 mm dimensions is intended for mini-ITX, microATX or ATX system boards. It can hold up to seven 370 mm expansion cards. The maximum CPU cooling system height should be 150 mm, and the power supply unit must not be longer than 225 mm.


Carbide SPEC-04 Tempered Glass offers enough space for three 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives. It’s supplied with one 120 mm fan featuring red LED-backlighting. All in all, one can mount up to five 120 mm fans, as well as the liquid cooling system with the 240 mm heatsink.


Connectivity is ensured by the USB 3.0 (x 1), USB 2.0 (x 1) ports and a jack for a mic and headphones.


Corsair supplied its novelty with a 2-year warranty and estimated it to cost 69 EUR.

Fractal Design approved itself as a reputable manufacturer of PC chassis long time ago. Nowadays, the company’s inventory embraces four lines of cases, intended for varied customer groups. Curiously enough, Arc series is a twin-brother of Define series in terms of framework, although it is differentiated by an improved ventilation. The Arc XL is a large-scale representative of the line, featuring a sleek design and offering huge integration facilities.



Basic Features


Fractal Design Arc XL is a full-tower chassis featuring 572x232x552 mm dimensions. The case is made of black steel with plastic inclusions. Its internal layout is ready to accommodate all types of motherboards, including the largest formats (XL-ATX, E-ATX, ATX, mini-ITX, micro-ATX). Storage section is rich in four 5.25-inch drive cages (external) and ten 3.5/2.5-inch cages (internal). The availability of nine expansion slots allows for the creation of various graphics and multimedia configurations.


A …

The efforts of Gigabyte engineers culminated in the release of the Radeon HD 7970 Super Overclock, also known as GV-R797SO-3GD. This is a monstrous construction with height of 64 mm (3.5 expansion slots) and a cooling system WindForce 5X. As well as preparing to be released GeForce GTX 680 SOC, the new adapter uses a five high-speed (> 4000 rev / min) fan size of 40 mm, copper evaporation chamber, and five copper heat pipes.



WindForce 5X – is one of the most expensive VGA-coolers, except for models with water blocks and liquid cooling system. It will allow to overclock Gigabyte GV-R797SO-3GD up to frequencies of 1155/7620 MHz. However, neither the temperature nor the noise performance of video card can be considered satisfactory: 85 degrees under load and 91 ° C for overclocking with increased voltage, and 8000 rpm in a heavy-duty (1185 MHz, 1.375 V) explains the situation.


Printed circuit board Radeon HD 7970 SOC is reinforced with five polymer capacitors NEC / …