Tt eSPORTS CONTOUR

The smartphone revolution was huge for gamers. No longer are we chained to a TV or PC monitor to get our gaming fix. And today’s mobile devices are powerful enough to handle PC and console games from just a few years ago. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a major gaming franchise that hasn’t made the leap to smartphones and tablets in one form or another (excluding, of course, first-party Nintendo franchises–we’re still scratching our heads over that missed opportunity). But for those who’re looking for anything more than a casual experience, touchbased controls are oftentimes maddeningly inaccurate and force you to cover the screen with your thumbs.

Aerocool Aero-500

Aerocool is back with another one of its new Aero cases, which are part of the company’s PGS A series. This case, the Aero-500, looks a lot like the Aero-800 (reviewed last month), which looks a lot like the Aero-1000 (reviewed in the June 2015 issue). Now before you convince yourself that you’re seeing triple, realize that the Aero-500 differs from its fellow Aero cases in a few ways, so if the Aero-1000 and Aero-800 weren’t quite what you were looking for, perhaps this impressive case is just what the enthusiast ordered.

Fractal Design Node 202

Nowadays, HTPC cases come in a variety of shapes and sizes. On one hand, you have the tiny, handheld cases that are “big” enough for a computer on a card. On the other, you can go with a case so large that it lets you stuff a full-fledged high-end system inside. Fractal Design’s Node 202 falls somewhere between these two extremes, but one thing is clear as soon as you unbox it: This case looks the part.

MSI Nightblade X2

Many barebones PC kits feature an ultra-compact or exceptionally slim design that doesn’t leave room for full-size graphics cards. The GPU limitations mean that most barebones kits are relegated to home office duty. MSI’s Nightblade X2 is a different breed of barebones kit that supports a dualslot GPU up to 290mm long—enough space to fit a GeForce GTX 980 Ti. With that said, we imagine power users who’ve built their own gaming rigs might question why someone wouldn’t just pick all the off-the-shelf parts for complete control over what goes into the build. MSI designs the Nightblade X2 inside a compact mini-ITX case, so it’s much smaller than a conventional gaming system. MSI also optimizes the layout and cooling to ensure peak performance. Accomplishing the same precision in a DIY build would require lengthy component consideration.

AION Poseidon

Last month, we took an in-depth look at the AION Mars, a mini-ITX system with custom liquid cooling. And while the Poseidon is also a member of the AION lineup, it’s safe to say that this rig is a completely different, much bigger beast. Housed in an In Win 909 (an E-ATX chassis), the Poseidon is capable of quad-SLI and features your choice of Haswell-E processor. Liquid cooling is part of the package too, as is only befitting for a rig named after the god of the sea.