Happy holidays to all you SFF fans out there. I wanted to take a moment to let you know about some of the content we're working on for SFF.Network, and thank you for supporting us. Having recently joined the SFF.Network team, I have truly learned to appreciate the support of our readers and members. You have made me a better writer, editor, and reporter, and I love getting your feedback in our forums.
We've been working hard to make sure SFF.Network is one of the best spots on the Internet to get SFF information, and are working even harder to make sure our community is well supported for their builds, buys, and mods.
I also want to thank all of the companies that have reached out and showed support for SFF.Network by providing us review samples, direct contacts, info, and support. SilverStone, Noctua, ID-Cooling, Zotac, and MSI all have helped support SFF.Network and our community, and have not asked for a single thing in return.
So let's see what's coming up.
Pre-Built Tests
- It's a dark time for the GPU buyer, and many people have resorted to buying pre-built rigs to get them through it. We spent over $1,100 to get our MSI Aero 3060 Ti for testing so we feel your pain. We want to help with that. We've reached out to multiple manufactures to send us their very best pre-built SFF machines that can game, create content, and give our community options. Zotac provided us a Magnus One (Thank you Zotac), and the review will be up this week. MSI is sending us a really neat creator PC to take a look at, and Corsair might just send us one of their One series machines. We're finding that unlike the pre-builts of old, many of these systems are well thought out, well built, and very good options.
Case Reviews
- Sitting next to me on the test bench is the new SilverStone Sugo16 that SilverStone provided us for review. Next to it I have the Thorzone Mjolner, Hyte Revolt 3, SSUPD Mehlicious, and we have more cases on the way to test and do builds in. To this end we purchased 15 Noctua fans, half-a-dozen air coolers, 4 different AIOs, built a high-heat 9900KS based ITX test bed, and were provided two brand new SFX and SFX-L Silverstone PSUs for testing (Thanks you to the fine people at SilverStone). Aside from standardized testing for thermal performance, we're also going to be doing builds within the cases to show how to maximize their potential.
- I have a stack of coolers ready for testing. Now that we've got our test bench setup and methodology in place, we're going to get started. Noctua has provided us with both a Chromax U12A and D15S that we will be putting through their paces. ID-Cooling is sending us 4 of their new SFF coolers to take a look at. We've even purchased several coolers to form the baseline including several AIOs. When a case comes to us, we will have a cooler that can maximize it. We're going to be doing testing at various wattage levels to help find the limits of these coolers, and help users know what to expect. As SFF cooling is often simply about finding a cooler that fits rather than finding the absolute highest performer, we're hoping to bring a bit more perspective then the average cooler review. Many of these coolers will be featured in our example builds.
- We want to really show what's possible in the SFF world, and will be doing some example builds. These builds will run the gamut in terms of value and hardware, and are designed to show what's possible. Coming up we have a Ghost S1 build that shows the potential of upgrading a B450 / R5-2600 machine to a Ryzen 5000 series. We have a ThorZone Mjolner build as a console replacement. We're also work on a build I'm calling the Red Cube of Power featuring a Ryzen 5950X and 6800XT in a Silverstone Sugo16.
- We're going to be doing GPU reviews, but not just of new GPUs. We're going back in time and looking at older GPUs, the experience they provide, and show how to tune for modern games. We all know how hard it is to get a GPU right now, so we want to help you maximize what you already have.
- We've just started to enter the CPU review arena but we're doing it a bit differently. Providing AMD and Intel reps send us their latest and greatest, we will be looking at them through the lens of the SFF builder. Sure the 12900K is the fastest gaming CPU you can buy, but is it the fastest when you have to limit it to a 47mm cooler? What's the best SFF case to optimize for it? Does it behave differently depending on the chipset? What happens when we aren't using open test benches for them? These are all questions we want to answer to help guide SFF users.
- SilverStone has sent their 1000 Watt SFX-L and 750 Watt SFX Platinum line PSUs over for testing and review, and we plan to put them through our Cerberus X based test rig. It's machine specifically built to torture PSUs with an X299 platform, and SLI/Cross fire video cards. We can easily pull 900 to 1000 watts from the wall with it depending on the configuration. But that alone wouldn't make it a PSU tester. We've built it so that the ONLY exhaust in the case is the PSU. Cable management? Stuff them in. Sound foam to pack in the heat? Double layered. Inefficient GPUs that dump heat in the case? We put two of them in. This one is going to really put the PSU to the test.
- While we can't quite afford a $50K fan tester like Gamer's Nexus, we are upgrading our test equipment to get the most accurate results we can. We've gotten new tools including professional air temperature thermometers, calibrated sound level meters, a new test platform, and standardized parts for testing. We're trying to get as close as we can to give you the most accurate information.
Return of the Podcast
- We finished our behind the scenes testing of the SFF.Network podcast and are bringing it back. We're going to be addressing industry topics, forum threads, and a lot of behind the scenes related things.
- Can you say Computex? Right now we're setting up plans to get to the 2022 Computex trade show. It's a grand adventure and we will bring you fresh coverage of all things SFF. We're also planning a return to CES though this may have to wait till 2023 due to pandemic.
YouTube Channel
- It's a bit early on, but we're planning a return to YouTube. Right now, the format is still being worked out, but we want to be a go-to source for SFF info. Should we film artistic style like Optimum tech? Should we deliver just the facts like R-tings? Tell us in the comments. You might find some of SFF.Network content duplicated or expanded on in my personal channel, The Gamer Way as I build that channel up to whatever it will become.
- We're going to continue to cover the news for all things SFF, and even somethings that aren't, but are fun.
So there is a quick look at some of the things we have planned. Keeping spreading the word about our site and community. It helps more than you know. We want to support SFF makers and fans, and be a place where all PC enthusiasts feel welcome...even if they use a full size case. ^_^
