NZXT announced the next-generation of its Crafted Series Phantom line of premium gaming PC cases. The first model in the lineup is the Phantom 820. This ATX full-tower features a stylish new design that builds on the "edgy" design scheme of the original series. Measuring 210mm x 473mm x 490mm (W x H x D), the ATX full-tower case is designed for XL-ATX, E-ATX, ATX, mATX, and uITX motherboards. The case is designed with enough room for multiple 35 cm-long graphics cards, and water-cooling equipment, for which additional room can be made by removing portions of the drive cages.

The case includes room for four 5.25-inch drive bays, and six 3.5-inch (convertible to 2.5-inch) drive trays spread across two detachable cages. There are a total of nine expansion slots. The motherboard tray is surrounded by rubberized ducts that help with cable and coolant tubing management. Ventilation includes 200 mm front-intake, 200 mm side intake (below an acrylic window), 140 mm rear and top exhausts. Ample front-panel connectivity is included, with a number of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, in addition to audio. Made primarily of SECC, the Phantom 820 uses high-grade gunmetal ABS exteriors. Backed by a 2-year warranty, the Phantom 820 is priced around US $250. Find reviews at the sources.Sources: High Tech Legion, Hardware Canucks

Cubitek, a manufacturer of PC chassis, is pleased to announce their new line of chassis - ICE Series. Including 5 new models, these ICE Series chassis using a 2.5 (mm) extrusion aluminum construction are stronger than standard aluminum cases, yet thinner than other extrusion aluminum chassis on the market. This unique build gives ICE Series a strong frame while still keeping a more lightweight design.

Rampage IV GENE continues the legacy of Republic of Gamers motherboards by delivering gamers with enhanced performance that places a premium on fidelity and speed. SupremeFX III EMI-shielded audio guarantees better in-game sound, Intel Ethernet LAN and ROG GameFirst technology boost online multiplayer performance, while ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II digital voltage regulation promotes improved overclocking.

The board further uses Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET Power Block MOSFETs for added durability and heat resistance. Unlike budget micro ATX boards, it supports 2-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX.

ASRock showed off pictures of the first socket LGA2011 motherboard in the compact micro-ATX form-factor, the ASRock X79 Extreme4-M Within its small board footprint of 240 x 240 mm, the X79 Extreme4-M offers almost every feature the platform has to offer. To begin with, the LGA2011 socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM that makes use of high-grade solid-state chokes, and driver-MOSFETs. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, two on either sides of the socket. All four expansion slot bays available to the mATX form-factor are made use of, with three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one legacy PCI.

The electrical configuration of the three PCI-Express slots appears to be x16, x8, x16 (permanent). The chipset is cooled by an active fan-heatsink. All six of its SATA ports are wired as internal ports, with two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. Connectivity features include 8+2 channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via header), one gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, and legacy PS/2. The CMOS can be reset from the rear panel. The board will be driven by UEFI firmware.

Sharkoon introduces two micro-ATX cases, which despite its compact form factor, can contain graphic cards up to 36 cm in length: The Sharkoon MS120 mATX and the Sharkoon 140 mATX are especially aimed at gamers who are looking for a handy companion at LAN parties and at the same time not wanting to miss out on extra-long graphics power.

The two black finished cases differ in their front fan configurations: The MS120 is equipped with two blue illuminating 120 mm front fans behind a mesh insert. The MS140 instead features a blue illuminating 140 mm front fan. The MS120 is a little taller at 375 mm than the MS140 at 368 mm.

Users on a budget who are looking for an aluminum tower will find one available from Sharkoon: The ATX tower Sharkoon AL4 and the Micro ATX tower Sharkoon AL2 score with a reasonable functional range, stable processing and a simple yet elegant design in brushed aluminum.

The ATX tower Sharkoon AL4 is available in either titanium or silver and offers space for four optical drives, four 3.5 inch devices and seven expansion cards. A 3.5 inch bay is externally accessible. Screwless mounting of the hard drives occur through the decoupled quick-locking mechanisms. Cooling of the hard drives take place through a 120mm blue illuminating fan, which sits behind a mesh window in the front panel. The backside allows two 80mm fans to be retrofitted. An audio and two USB2.0 ports are provided in the front. The Sharkoon AL4 measures 470 x 420 x 190 mm (L x H x W) and weighs 3.2 kg. The tower is designed for graphic cards up to 27 cm long and CPU coolers up to 15 cm high.

Giving the Rampage II GENE a competition, ASUS has now unveiled Maximus II GENE - the second high-performance micro ATX motherboard that is part of the company's Republic of Gamers line-up. Based on the Intel P45 Express Chipset, the Maximus II GENE delivers overclocking friendly environmnet for the Intel Core 2 Extreme/Quad/Duo platform. The board has four DDR2 1300/1200/1066/800/667 MHz memory slots (up to 16 GB), two PCI-Express x16 slots for CrossFire setups, 7 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, a built-in SupremeFX X-Fi 8 channel sound from Creative and a lot more. As with the ROG Rampage II GENE, the Maximus II GENE offers a wealth of other high-end features including MemOK!, CPU Level Up, Keyboard-TweakIt, Extreme Tweaker, iROG, Loadline Calibration, LCD Poster, EPU-6 Engine, and Voltiminder LED. Also, inside the package of every motherboard, ASUS has kindly included full-version of Kaspersky anti-virus, and a license for Futuremark 3DMark06 Advanced Edition. ASUS is mum on the pricing and availability date of the Maximus II GENE mATX board.

A photo has emerged showing a prototype Micro ATX motherboard from MSI, based on the Intel's X58 chipset. Dubbed the MS-7593 the board comes with six DDR3 slots supporting triple channel, two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (SLI compatibility is at present unknown), 7 SATAII ports, 8 channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet and an on board power switch. Further details such as availability and pricing are currently unknown.Sources: TechConnect , PC Online

Famed for its LANParty JR "junior" series high-end mATX motherboard lineup, DFI is preparing an addition: the JR 790GX-M3H5. This one features the AM3 socket, made for the latest AMD processors supporting DDR3 memory. Respecting the constraints this form-factor has, the board goes on to cover every feature one would expect from a larger ATX motherboard, which is the ideology behind the LANParty JR.

The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase VRM circuit. Expansion includes two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrically x8 when both are populated), a PCI-E x1, and a PCI slot. The 790GX IGP is assisted by 128 MB of DDR3 sideport memory. Display outputs include DVI-D and HDMI. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II ports with RAID support. This board will hit the shelves by the end of April.Source: VR-Zone

Nowadays workspace is constantly getting smaller, which means your pc has to move with the times! The future of Micro ATX cases has arrived, The Tethys.
This stylish and innovative case breaks the conforms of the usual. This case has been made to the highest possible quality to provide you with the satisfaction you are looking for in a small, yet powerful package. Complete with its own integrated LCD display to provide you with all the information you need to keep your system at optimal. No matter the challenge, this case will be sure to deliver what you want, when you want.