There have been many discussions on the interwebs of whether or not traditional air cooling is efficient enough and if it can provide enough performance or if water cooling can supersede it and offer things that air cooling just can’t. Noise, power draw, reliability, performance and pure price are among common categories mentioned in these discussions. The camps are still divided but the manufacturers aim at the middle and hopefully will change that. A few years ago we started seeing hybrid all-in-one liquid cooling kits showing up on the market. The first models where still very closely related to traditional water cooling; however, soon after we started seeing more complete and pre-assembled kits taking over. And the benchmarking wars began.

Testing liquid and water cooling devices is rather different from testing air cooling devices. There are different things to consider and focus on. As we primarily focused on air cooling in this section, devices like the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 are difficult to pin against traditional water cooling or air cooling as it is very difficult to accomplish a level playing field. However, we would like to like to see how well they perform and how well they perform compared to air coolers.

Antec explored the opportunity in a new market as well and developed the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920. The cooler was released January 2011 and is what we will be reviewing today. The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 620 is the little brother of the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920. The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 620 was released in April 2011 and we will also be reviewing it soon.

This type of hybrid cooler, if you even can call it that, has gained interest in the enthusiast market and grabbed a foothold quickly. They resemble a water cooling system much more then a air cooling system but they are less complex from a user standpoint. Because of the size and simplicity they usually resemble the performance of an air cooler much closer, So far.

The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 separates itself from the field with a rich feature set. We will get into more detail about those features along the way but for now, lets get started with a little into who Antec is and hear what they say about the KÜHLER H₂O 920:

About Antec

Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators.

The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 provides maximum-performance liquid cooling for your CPU in a quick, easy-to-install package. Unlike traditional liquid cooling systems, this self-contained unit comes prefilled and requires zero maintenance. The dual 120 mm Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fans and 3rd generation copper coldplate ensure quiet, efficient cooling, while the 49 mm thick radiator is equipped to handle the highest performing CPUs on the market. Lastly, the included software helps you monitor and control the KÜHLER H₂O 920’s performance and allows you to customize its stylish RGB LED. Designed to unlock the maximum potential of your CPU, the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 delivers exceptional cooling when you need it the most.

Features:

• Included software provides essential tools to control and monitor the KÜHLER H₂O 920
• Non-corrugated easy-bend tubes for maximum flexibility in radiator positioning
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) radiator fans
• Customizable RGB LED creates brilliant illumination
• Cooling Liquid – Safe, environmentally-friendly, anti-corrosive
• Copper Micro-Channel cold plate
• 25,000 hours (MTTF)
• LGA 2011 compatible

Supported Sockets:

*Intel LGA 2011 Mounting bracket is now included

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Packaging:

Specifications:

Next: Speed Tests, Conclusion

(Note: this is not the GeneZ gen 3, which is looking forward to Ivy Bridge with full PCIE 3.0 compatibility, but will require a PCI-E gen 3 CPU, which will be Ivy Bridge).

Z68 is the latest of cougar point based socket 1155 chipsets that combines most of the features of the preceding chipsets while adding some new ones. It has the Integrated Video capability of H67, the overclocking capability of P67, and workstation Virtual IO capabilities (Vt-d) like the Q67/C200 series products.

Adding on to that, the Z68 brings Lucid Virtu graphics to the table and Intel’s (RST) SSD caching capabilities to give your system more features and performance without breaking the bank.

Lucid Virtu enables a combination of the integrated graphics core present in all Core I 2nd generation chips with a discrete video card for when gaming power is needed. There are two methods, combined and discrete. The first allows the user to use the integrated controller until 3D graphics mode is needed, then the discrete power kicks in. Discrete mode uses the added in video card (and monitor is connected to that card. This allows the PC to use discrete cards 24/7 but still have access to AVX encoding features of the CPU.

In the last Z68 review this was not a good trade off unless you routinely encode 1080P video into ipod format. For transcoding (one codec to another), or 1080P to 720P the difference was minimal. So the 2-10% performance detriment across the board was not worth it to save 100% of the time in ipod conversion and no time to slower conversion in high def transcoding.

SSD caching uses up to a 64GB SSD in combination with a regular HDD, giving you the low latency and performance of an SSD with the previously low cost and large capacity of a mechanical drive. It sounds incredible a way to purchase cheap SSDs and get high performance benefit. This gets tested in this review.

ASUS

ASUS comes from the last four letters of the word “Pegasus.” A mythical winged horse, it has been chosen for the company’s name because it represents Strength, Creative Spirit, and Purity. Winged (or even terrestrial) equine science is not something you will find in abundance here at TechREACTION, but rigorous testing and evaluation of manufacturers’ PC-related products is. Strength is definitely an attribute ASUS brings to the table, being the largest motherboard manufacturer in the world. Creative Spirit is epitomized both by being early to market with new technologies as well as the aesthetics they put into their product designs. Purity is exemplified by the total package experience. Products that go above and beyond what one expects, and a knowledgeable staff to help get you working or playing beyond your expectations.

Republic of Gamers

For years since its establishment, ASUS aimed to put an ever-greater emphasis on PC gaming. This process resulted in the 2006 founding of the Republic of Gamers brand (ROG), formed for the sole purpose of delivering the most innovative hardcore hardware for truly dedicated gamers. 
 
Since then, the efforts of the ROG team have led to a constant flow of PC gaming technology that has become legendary among enthusiasts for its performance. ROG is more than just hardware, though – we take an active part in the global gaming community, helping develop the industry by sponsoring events such as QuakeCon, BlizzCon and Dreamhack. Worldwide media have recognized ROG as a leader in PC gaming, with many of our products winning awards and gaining very positive feedback from hardware pros. 
 
With this great response from gamers and the industry, ROG has all the resources it needs to keep working on enabling even better experiences – technology never sleeps, nor should the action!

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Next: A look at the Antec Three Hundred Two

Powered desktop speakers like the XD3 must also fully integrate with your entire sound system and outboard accessories. The XD3 has the capability to handle multiple inputs, you can switch instantly between your computer as a source or other more portable platforms such as iPods, phones and other media players via the 1/8″ stereo Auxiliary input. The XD3 also has a convenient headphone jack which allows you full control through the front panel power switch and volume adjustments. How well will they actually stack up in our testing? Read on and find out …

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Next: XD3 Speakers and Installation

The 500R has support for USB 3.0 and 2.5” SSDs is built-in, while thumb screws on the side panels and tool-free drive installation should mean quick and easy installation of your hardware. Corsair has also integrated dust filters, which can be quickly removed for easy maintenance, keeping your system as clean as possible. Now that the love fest is over, let’s see if the Corsair 500R actually lives up to the same high standard we hold for all of Corsairs products.

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Next: A look at the Corsair Carbide 500R

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Next: A look at the Bitfenix Raider

The Briskie mouse is designed for prolonged, ambidextrous use. The ergonomic shape offers an excellent grip and control. The mouse is also equipped with a DPI adjustment button, giving you four adjustable resolutions (800/1000/1200/1600 dpi). For easy portability, a wireless receiver can be snapped into the bottom of the mouse.  We will be putting the combo through the paces and see how well it does when we are finished playing with it.

Packaging:

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Next: The Enermax Briskie, Usage, and Conclusion.

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Next: A look at the Thor V2

Arctic has been a well recognized and respected name in the custom PC building world for many, many years due largely in part to their PC cooling solutions. These solutions range from case fans, heat sinks, and of course their renowned thermal compound (MX family, please take a bow).

Unknown to some in the PC world, Arctic, under the guise of Arctic Sound, has been in the business of putting out audio devices to the public for a few years now. These products include headphones, headsets, speakers, and earphones. Some geared toward the hardcore audiophiles, and some targeted at the casual market. Today we take a look at one of their casual market target products, the E461-BM Earphones.

Do these earphones live up to the reputation of Arctic’s other products in terms of quality and reliability? Lets take a look.

Packaging & What’s Inside

The E461-BM comes in a small grey box with the earphones’ specifications shown on the back.

The E461-BM is silver with replaceable black silicon caps. There are six pairs of replaceable caps in total with sizes small, medium, and large. A pair of medium caps come pre-attached to the earphones out the box.

The cables of the earphones are black, and measure about 51 inches (129.54 centimeters) in total per our own measurements. The length of the cables from the buds to the in line controller (more on that later) is approximately 13 inches(33.02 centimeters).

The earphones come with a 3.5mm TSSR plug which allows you to use the earphones as both a microphone and a listening device. A TSSR supported port is needed if you wish to utilize the microphone capabilities, otherwise the E461-BM will only work as headphones. The earphones also come with a Y splitter for use with PCs.

The earphones also are bundled with a number of cable management options. These include a cable clip to attach to your person when you are using the earphones, a silicone cable winder which keeps the earphone wires nice and neat when you aren’t using them, and a travel case.

One of the more interesting features of the E461-BM is the in-line remote control. The remote is located on the earphone cable, and can be used to pause/play video, or music selections as well as select next, or select previous track. In regards to phone calls, the remote can initiate voice dialing, answer, end, or refuse calls. This function is said to only work, with Apple’s line of iDevices.

Next Page: Testing & Performance