MaximumPC 2007 04

Say Hello to DTX

AMD introduces a new motherboard

formfactor for small rigs

Although most of the cases in this

feature are geared toward comput-

ing enthusiasts—aka people who

use more than one PCI slot on their

motherboard—there’s no denying the

escalating trend in small formfactor

(SFF) boxes. AMD’s certainly not over-

looking the market—the company just

introduced a new motherboard spec,

dubbed DTX, that it hopes will become

the de facto SFF standard.

As it stands, SFF boards run the

gamut from proprietary designs, to

micro-ATX, to BTX (Intel’s flagging

board standard, which never caught on

with the AMD crowd). DTX mobos will

run about two inches smaller in width

than their micro-ATX counterparts. The

spacing of the motherboard mounting

holes will still allow installation in ATX-

based cases, although these boards

aren’t likely to populate many gaming

rigs—DTX-based motherboards are

spec’d for just two expansion slots. On

the plus side, the DTX specification will

include support for all processors.

But AMD didn’t create the speci-

fication just to flip the proverbial bird

at Intel; DTX could come as a boon for

manufacturers, especially those looking

to cut costs on motherboard creation.

When ATX-based motherboards are cut

from a single printed circuit board (PCB),

the result is two motherboards per panel,

with a good amount of wasted PCB left

over. By contrast, manufacturers can

chip four DTX boards out of a single

PCB, which might very well encourage

greater adoption of the standard.

Industry-wide adoption will be

AMD’s biggest hurdle—it might even

require Intel to jump on board, lest DTX

follow the same path to irrelevance

as... well... Intel’s BTX spec.

LIAn-LI

PC-343B

It’s built like a friggin’ tank!

Cubes have figured promi-

nently in many of nerddom’s

best moments: Hellraiser’s

Puzzle Box and Star Trek ’s

Borg immediately come to

mind. And now you can add

Lian-Li’s PC-343B modular

case to the list because

this chunky black square

represents a monster of PC

configurability—on wheels,

mind you.

With space for up to 18

5.25-inch devices or 30 hard

drives, two water-cooling

radiators or power supplies,

and up to 11 fans, this case

is perfect for the person

who can never have too

much hardware.

Configuration-wise,

the PC-343B comes with a

series of replacement pan-

els, including three different

options for the top “win-

dow”—pure acrylic, a grill, or

fans. now that’s foresight.

Still, for a case that

seemingly has everything,

the PC-343B lacks front-

panel eSATA support. And

we’re curious why Lian-Li

went with thumbscrews

for the PCI slots instead

of screwless mounting.

Adding insult to injury, the

exterior of the case is prone

to scratches.

If you want a true “build

it yourself” kind of machine,

look no further than the PC-

343B; just don’t use it as a

footrest. Trust us.

$250, http://www.thermaltake.com

TherMALTAke MOzArT TX^9

MAXIMUMPC

$350, http://www.frozencpu.com KICKASS

LIAn-LI PC-343B

9

TherMALTAke

MOzArT TX

Beauty. Simple beauty

Thermaltake was wise to

name this case the Mozart

TX, for its design is equal

to the virtuoso’s musician-

ship—spectacular. Only the

most meager of flaws detract

from the whole, if at all.

This entertainment-

center case is by no means

petite—it’s truly geared for

someone who wants an all-

in-one solution that’s capable

of anything. And to that end,

the Mozart TX certainly deliv-

ers. There’s a ton of space to

work with, including room for

up to 10 12cm fans, five 5.25-

inch components, and seven

3.5-inch hard drives (add

three more if you use the

included additional rack).

The bays themselves

use screwdriver-free mounts,

and installing PCI cards is a

breeze with the pleasant tool-

free clips. We have to ding

the case for allowing only

one power supply, and the

secondary side of the case

(the side without the mother-

board) seems underutilized.

Still, the Mozart

fares quite well against

its competitors. While

we might ultimately wonder

about the kind of person

who needs a case this size,

we applaud Thermaltake’s

ability to accommodate such

excess in style.

18”

20.25”

28.25”

13”

a spotlight on

CasEs

 MAXIMUMPC april 2007