Boutique Graphics PCs Duke It Out

AVA Direct Hardware

Our system came in a modified black aluminum Cooler Master RC-830 tower case, with a transparent side window and dual 120 mm, 1200 RPM Scythe S-Flex quiet fans. One of the main attributes of the Cool Master RC-830 is its excellent airflow capability, which is achieved via multiple fans throughout the case. The side effect of this setup is the sometimes irritating noise that these fans produce. The Scythe S-Flex fans, however, are equipped with Sony Fluid Dynamic Bearing (S-FDB) technology, which significantly eliminates the friction between the bearing and the shaft, along with an optimized blade shape that makes these fans nearly inaudible in normal computing environments. Furthermore, each fan is accompanied with FilterRight fan filters, which effectively keep dust out of the unit.

Two 120mm Scythe S-Flex fans occupy AVA-Direct's custom side panel window.

On the top of the unit are power and reset buttons, as well as two USB 2.0 ports. Directly below that, the face of the unit has an additional two USB 2.0 ports, alongside audio and IEEE-1394 FireWire connections. Data ports are conveniently located and easily accessible for use with hot swappable peripherals - media devices, external storage devices and so forth - and the headphone and microphone pair is ideal for plugging in your VoIP headset.