Corsair Blog

Force Series™ SSDs continue to offer blistering performance with an awesome combination of read and write speeds. We are continually working with SandForce® to support and improve our SSD line up. We noticed that even after our most recent firmware update for our SF-1200 based Force Series SSDs (released November 2010), that a small number of users are still having issues relating to startup and hibernation. In some cases these issues relate to how certain systems boot up or recover from a hibernation state. We're currently qualifying several firmware versions to evaluate their reliability and effectiveness at addressing these issues. However, they're not ready for release at this time.

We determined that some users with these startup and hibernation issues can benefit from using a work around. Many motherboard BIOS have a feature that occurs during the POST process relating to boot speed called Quick Boot, or Fast Boot, or some similar variation of this term. We've found that activating this setting may contribute to these start up and hibernation issues.

Computer enthusiasts are more demanding than your average computer user. For those users we've recently introduced Vengeance 2000MHz DDR3 memory, available in 4GB, 6GB, and 12GB kits.

According to www.dictionary.reference.com, an enthusiast is defined as:

noun

1. a person who is filled with enthusiasm for some principle, pursuit, etc.; a person of ardent zeal: a sports enthusiast.
2. a religious visionary or fanatic.

The Graphite Series 600T side panel window kit comes with both windowed and mesh inserts so you can customize it the way you want. The window insert comes pre-installed on the side panel kit, providing the ability to see all your installed components. If you choose to swap from the window to mesh insert (only requiring a philips head screwdriver), it will provide improved air flow to your system.

Since our Vengeance™ DDR3 memory kits overclocked well when I tested them originally, I decided to see how well the 16GB kit would overclock. The Vengeance 16GB CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 kit is high density and uses four 4GB modules, so I chose to pair it with the new 2nd genereation Intel® Core processor family (Sandy Bridge). This new platform allows for memory clock speeds all the way up to 2133MHz. It also has a fairly strong memory controller which is required to run 16GB at high speeds.

For the CPU I chose the Intel® Core™ i5-2500K, along with an ASUS® P8P67 PRO motherboard. To power the machine the Corsair Professional Series Gold™ AX1200 was chosen, along with the Corsair Hydro Series™ H70 for cooling the processor. At stock settings the Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 kit is rated at 1600MHz, with timings of 9-9-9-24. Just like the previous Vengeance kits I tested for overclocking, these were rated at 1.5 volts. This meant that raising the voltage should allow for even higher overclocks.

For those of you considering a new headset, keep in mind that the new Gaming Audio Series HS1A gaming headset sounds great with MP3 players and mobile phones too.

Due to a recent iPod tragedy, I am currently using my Droid X for all my mobile music. As I was loading the MP3s into my phone, I had a brief flashback to the recent PAX East gaming event. We had one of our new HS1A analog headsets set up at our booth for people to sample. We had some good lossless MP3s playing and quite a few people listened and were very impressed with them. What stuck with me was how many people said “Wow, is this a noise cancelling headset too?”

Neoseeker, Corsair Gaming Audio Series™ SP2200 2.1 PC Speaker System Review — "The speakers sound great and have a very wide range of volume output. I found that for every day use I could set the volume to around 1/4th and the audio was plenty loud.. If I set it to about half way, it was uncomfortably loud, though it still sounded very clear. These speakers should be loud enough for you to hear them anywhere in your house, or possibly even your neighbor's house; something to keep in mind."

Guru3D, Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-power 2.1 PC Speaker System Review — "So in conclusion, the SP2500 offers a lot for your money. It is an easy to use and easy to setup kit. The control pod / DSP is the cherry on top of the cake. The speaker audio quality really is extremely good with much clarity, great mid tones and a deep, although not perfect bass provided by the subwoofer. In pale comparison to you average desktop speaker kit, this set is a mile and half away in terms of better quality and sheer capacity."

KitGuru, Gaming Audio Series SP2500 Review — 9.5 out of 10 rating —"The Corsair SP 2500 2.1 Speakers are the best ‘computer’ oriented speakers we have heard, especially in this price range. They outclass the Razer Mako THX speakers which have been a firm favourite with KitGuru staff for many years now. The bass is punchy, controlled and capable of rocking your teeth out of their sockets. This low end impact is well matched with a dynamic, refined mid range and restrained treble delivery.

While they are being marketed by Corsair as primarily focused on the gaming market, we feel the potential audience is much wider. Discerning music lovers with a demand for a clear, focused, yet powerful sound would be well advised to shortlist these in regards to a potential upgrade. "

Neoseeker, Hydro Series™ H60 Review — "During our internal testing of the Cosair H60 it was able to perform at the same efficiency level as top rated air coolers such as the Thermlaright Ultra-120 and Titan Fenrir EVO, prior to overclocking. However, once we starting increasing the processor's voltage and frequency level, the H60 proved to be more efficient than all the tested air coolers. This allowed it to perform better than the Thermalright Ultra-120 in our overclocked CPU testing. This is an impressive feat, because the 120 has been the most efficient cooler in our testbed for some time."

TweakTown, Hydro Series™ H60 Review — "Corsair delivers a winner in the all-in-one liquid cooling segment with the release of the H60. This is supposed to be the "middle child" of the trio of coolers. Both the pricing and the naming pretty much set that in our minds right out of the gate. I am really taken by surprise to see the fantastic results of what a few changes to the series can do for this cooler. The new head design with a more direct injection of coolant to the cold plate along with a superior mounting system really rear up and show what they can do in this instance."

And finally, we have Overclock3D.net who wax poetically for nearly three quarters of an an hour about our SP2500 Speakers...

Our new Vengeance™ line of DDR3 memory is extremely popular. Due to strong demand from end users, we are now offering Vengeance modules in cerulean blue in addition to the original black. These color offerings provide Vengeance users with more options to enhance the aesthetics of their system.

If you want to mix a black and blue kit of our Vengeance memory, you are in luck — the Vengeance 1600C9 kits are specifically designed to work in

Our Graphite Series 600T mid-tower case is equipped with an easily accessable fan controller on the exterior of the case. This short guide will show you how to properly connect this fan controller to the fans in your new case.

Locating the Fan Controller Cables

The fan controller knob is on the top of the case, and is pictured below. This knob controls the speed of the fans connected to the fan controller. Turning the knob to the left lowers the fan speed, while turning the knob to the right raises the speed.

We are pleased to announce the availability of the Graphite Series™ 600T Side Panel with Windowed and Mesh Inserts today. It's actually been on our store for a couple of weeks now, and the enthusiast response could not be better.

The default configuration comes with a clear window to allow you to show off all your hardware, but for performance seekers we also include a mesh insert that can be easily swapped out in it's place. The mesh insert can house up to four 120mm fans, and includes rubber grommets on the fan mounts to prevent vibration transfer to the chassis.

The new Hydro Series™ H60 CPU cooler easily mounts to any AMD AM2, AMD AM3, Intel® LGA 1155, Intel LGA 1156, Intel LGA 1366, and Intel LGA 775. These instructions cover mounting the unit on an Intel X58 based motherboard. The mounting technique is the same for all supported Intel platforms.