iBUYPOWER Thermaltake System Features Intel Core i7 920 Processor, 6 GB
DDR3 Memory and 128GB SSD

El Monte, CA – December 08 2009 – iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator in gaming PCs, is excited to
announce it is the only systems integrator to offer the new Thermaltake Level 10 enclosure. The
unique case was designed in partnership with the BMWGroup Designworks USA., and provides
gamers with to increased configurability, unmatched aerodynamics, and a revolutionary case design
sure to turn heads.

"We are constantly searching for the best components, cases and peripherals to use in our systems,"
said Darren Su, Vice President of iBUYPOWER. "The Level 10 system is just another example of our
drive to offer gaming rigs that can deliver the performance and aesthetics our customers demand. "

iBUYPOWER outfitted the breathtaking Level 10 with cutting-edge technology to match its stunning
exterior. The new system will feature the Intel Core i7 920 Processor, 6GB of DDR3-122 Memory,
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 – 2GB, 1 TB of storage space and a 128 GB SSD for speedy boot times.
iBUYPOWER customers can also upgrade their new Level 10 system with a Killer Xeno Gaming
Network Card, NZXT Sentry LCD Control Panel or a LG Blu-ray drive.

Like with all iBUYPOWER systems, customers have the option to add any of the iBUYPOWER Labs
services. These include iBUYPOWER's Power Drive Overclocking Service, Harmony Sound Reduction
System, the Internal USB Expansion System (improves front panel and internal USB connectivity), and
the Specialized Advanced Packaging System (expanding foam packaging to prevent damage from
shipping).

The iBUYPOWER Level 10 is available now exclusively at www.iBUYPOWER.com , starting at $2,499.

FULL SPECS BELOW

Customers with more specific gaming needs can configure a fully customizable gaming PC at
www.iBUYPOWER.com. All iBUYPOWER systems come standard with 1 year limited warranty and
lifetime technical support.

[iBUYPOWER]

Insane Graphics Card Packs 2GB Memory and Six (Yes, Six) DisplayPort Ports

Rumor has it that AMD is set to announce a new, and 100% ridiculous, flagship card: The Radeon HD 5870. The 5870, if the rumors are correct, will have 2GB of GDDR5 memory and a whopping six DisplayPort ports, not to mention dual DVI ports and an HDMI. Clock speed and GPU speed are relatively normal at 4800MHz and 850MHz, respectively. It'll require two PCI-E slots, which is reasonable considering the spec excess. It ends up here in Remainders because the only source we've seen is a post on Softpedia, and while it's certainly crazy, we're not sure how big the market is for a six-port graphics card. [Softpedia via Tom's Hardware via Crunchgear]

Volcano Prevention Efforts May Result in Volcano Eruption

Geologists working in Campi Flegrei, a caldera in Naples, Italy, are concerned about the volcano's possibility of eruption, so understandably they're doing a little drilling to figure out exactly what the risk is. Unfortunately, the seven 4-km holes they have to drill could have exactly the opposite effect from preventing an eruption—there's a distinct risk that the drilling itself could trigger an eruption, which could well wipe out the entirety of urban Naples. If they hit magma, the sudden rise in temperature would vaporize their drilling liquid, causing an explosion which could in turn trigger an eruption. It's a sexy and dangerous headline, but it winds up in Remainders because, well, the risk doesn't seem all that great: 4km wouldn't even be halfway deep enough to reach any known reservoirs of magma, so it's probably a moot point. [New Scientist via Pop Sci]

Makeshift Bike Rack Attaches to Street Signs

The CycleHook is a dual-looped piece of metal that locks securely onto pretty much any signpost, creating two sweet parking spots for bicyclists. It's a pretty good idea—I'm a cyclist, and I can confirm that most cities don't provide enough spots to lock up a bike, and sometimes traffic cops get snippy when you chain up to a signpost on the sidewalk. The problem with the CycleHook is that it's not new. Montreal, for one, has had this exact design attached to parking meters for years, and I'm sure it's not the only city to have the same thought. On the other hand, Montreal's parking spots aren't pretty pink. [Wired]

PC Built Inside a Classy-as-Hell Leather and Wood Chest

We love PC case hacks. Anything you can shove a PC into, please do it, and send us pictures. There are several inviting spaces that haven't yet been used—and this here is one of them. Rob Higardea crammed a PC into this beautiful, vintage wood and leather chest. Yeah, it's got wires hanging out the back, but from the front? Pure class. I'd love one of my own, except that much class would probably stick out in my apartment more than a slab of anonymous grey plastic. [UnPluggd]

If I'm going to be honest, I kind of expected more from this contest: There aren't many truly impressive drawings submitted as of now, and the current leader in votes is a virulent anti-Obama nutball creation that looks more like the bumper of an Alabama pick-up truck than an iPhone case. A drawing of Obama as Heath Ledger's Joker? What does that even mean? You can't be an anarchist and a socialist at the same time, they're completely conflicting ideologies. Take a political theory class, Cardboard iPhone Case Drawing Man!

Anyway, I think there are enough badass illustrators among the Giz readership that we could really bust out some impressive entries. I'd love to see what you guys can do—this contest is ripe for a Giz onslaught. Go forth, readers! [Case-Mate via CNET]

Maximum PC's hands on of the case shows that Thermaltake either swapped out the glossy surface in the prototype for a matted one in the finished version, or discovered that photoshopping a glossy surface onto something before you actually build one is a bad idea.

But, the basic gist is the same, and it's one of the first unique chassis we've seen come along in quite some time. [Maximum PC]

The Price: $30

The Verdict: It does what it claims, which is hold two of your credit cards/ID cards simultaneously, but it's a pretty snug fit. The slight bending or bowing that your cards go through to fit into the slot shouldn't be enough to break it, but the two will scrape against each other because the space is so small. Which is good and bad.

On the one hand it's good, since it means your cards won't fly out of the slot when you're whipping out your phone. But it's also bad, since you'll have some slight difficulty in pushing out your cards. But it's not unusable, and it's not anything you can't overlook if your whole reason for getting this is that you don't want to carry a wallet on you.

Our only complaint would be that there's only room for two cards, and very little room for cash. Technically you're not supposed to even put cash into the slot, but if you fold up a couple bills, it'll still squeeze into the limited amount of space given.

Those of you who carry money clips will be familiar with only having your ID, one or two credit cards and some cash in your pocket. With this, you'll cut down the need to even have a money clip in addition to your phone, the convenience of which is probably worth $30 to you.

It does what it claims and holds two cards snugly

Slightly hard to remove the cards once they're inside

Not a lot of room for cash

There's no denying the convenience of putting all your stuff into one device when you want to travel light. Potential ID-flinging when you take the phone out of your pocket aside, it's definitely an interesting idea, and a physical interpretation of the "smart phone" that keeps all your payment and identification information on it.

It is only $30, and it does protect your phone with a protective film, which makes it at least as good as regular cases. So if you're the kind of person who has a money clip instead of a wallet, pry off $30 and send it to Case-Mate. [Case-Mate]

10 cases for $8 is not good enough for hobomodo, but cheap enough even if it's not water proof. [Case-Mate via Oh Gizmo! via Dvice]

Say hello to BLU-TOOTH, a handmade Bluetooth earpiece holder that's probably as pointless as he is cute. Nom nom nom.

As I write this, the one-of-a-kind critter with Velcro nose can still be picked up for $7. If you miss out, his pink SWEE-TOOTH friend may still be available for adoption.
[Etsy via GeekSugar]

Oh, and the egg is a pouch. How cute is that? Perhaps enough to pay $35 for it. [Etsy via Walyou]

$25 is the only thing standing between plastic tackiness and Nintendo retro class. [Etsy via Geeky Gadgets]

It could happen on a deserted island, or it could happen on a particularly long wait in the subway. Either way, it's only a matter of time before, in a moment of extreme hunger, you eye your MP3 player for snacking. As your teeth penetrate the tasteless silicon shell, you'll find the aluminum center to be ever so harder on tooth enamel than nougat—a point to which your dentist will concur.

Plus you'll still be hungry. [SwitchEasy]

Apparently it's aimed at gamers, with some of the components—like the drive units—mounted out of the actual case. [Carscoop via Luxury Launches]

Here are the two sides of the argument. On the one hand, we feel that unboxings convey no real information (who cares about people taking things out of boxes), and a gallery with closeups shows off the product much better than watching a doofus try and open some plastic bags.

On the other hand, unboxings are supposed to be emotional and experiential, showing off what it's like to open up a Kindle 2 or a MacBook Pro for the first time. It's not supposed to be like a regular post, instead, letting readers into our living rooms in order to "feel" a product they otherwise wouldn't buy.

How do you feel?

[DaWanda]

Each kit includes:

•Aquarium tank and cover
•Motherboard tray and IO panel
•Power/HDD LEDs
•Power switch (mounted to top panel)
•SSD hard drive mounting bracket, and all necessary screws
•Power cord and extension cord to bottom of the tank
•Kit does not include light kits, however, lights are available separately.

You could probably put this same setup together for less that the $312 Puget Systems is charging for the kit—but it may be worth it if you want to save a little time. Also available in a $375 version with an external radiator for high-powered rigs.

Puget Systems Brings Aquarium PC Kits to the Consumer Tech, Enthusiast PC Market; “As Seen on YouTube”

Puget Systems’ Do-It-Yourself’ Aquarium PC Kit Enables Users to Replicate Mineral Oil-Cooled PC as Seen on YouTube; Puget’s Online Video Captures Over 1 Million Views

SEATTLE, WA (October 28, 2008) – Puget Systems (www.pugetsystems.com), a boutique integrator of custom PC systems for enthusiasts, gamers, consumers and SMB markets, today announced the launch of the Puget Systems ‘Do it Yourself’ Aquarium PC kit, enabling personal computer enthusiasts to replicate their own version of an aquarium-style PC, a technique made widely visible by Puget Systems on YouTube. With over 1 million views online, the Puget Systems Aquarium PC YouTube video demonstrates, with some innovative thinking, how easy it is to create a unique and fun new look to a personal computer.

As part of the development, testing and quality assurance process for the new Aquarium PC kit, Puget Systems has been running their own Aquarium PC — a plexiglass enclosed, mineral-oil submerged PC — for well over a year and with no ill-effect on the hardware. Puget Systems’ team of engineers have devised a unique new way of combining the non-corrosive, cooling benefits of mineral-oil submersion with a fun new look of an aquarium on the desktop.

“The widespread notoriety of our aquarium PC video on YouTube confirmed one thing for us at Puget Systems; there are a lot of people out there very interested in this idea,” said Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems. “We saw this as an opportunity, for everyone from PC enthusiasts to interior designers looking to add a fun new twist to an office or home decor, to put together a powerful desktop system that will surely be a visually stunning and highly functional conversation piece.”

The Puget Systems Aquarium PC ‘Do It Yourself’ kit ships with all the components you need to build your very own mineral-oil submerged system. The kit includes:
Aquarium tank and cover;
Motherboard tray and IO panel;
Power/HDD LEDs;
Power switch (mounted to top panel);
SSD hard drive mounting bracket, and all necessary screws;
Power cord and extension cord to bottom of the tank;
Kit does not include light kits, however, lights are available separately.

Puget Systems also provides online tips and advice, as well as helpful suggestions of things you may need for easy, successful assembly of the Aquarium PC.

Important disclosure: Submerging your hardware in mineral oil will void your warranty. Do this project only at your own risk. Puget Systems is not liable for any hardware problems, or damage to your personal property. Mineral oil is very difficult, if not impossible to clean from your components once they are submerged.

Pricing and Availability
The Puget Systems Aquarium PC ‘Do It Yourself’ kit is available immediately and is priced at $315.

[Puget Systems]

The Medallion was laser cut in separate layers and pieces, then glued together. Red LEDs were added behind the bird inset to illuminate the dvd drive and provide a nice backlit effect.

The specs

• EVGA nForce 590 SLI motherboard
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ CPU
• Two EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics cards in SLI
• 4GB (2x2GB) Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2 800MHz
• Cooler Master 850W modular PSU
• Pioneer slimline slot loading DVD drive
• Logitech G15 keyboard and G9 mouse
• IZ3D 22" 3D monitor
• Western Digital RaptorX 150GB HD (x2)
• Swiftech pump, blocks
• Black Ice Stealth 360 radiator
• PC Ice clear fluid
• Primoflex red tubing
• 10" LCD
• 2.5" LCD (x3)

Yeah, it's really horrible, but I really miss Starbuck. Hit the link for a detailed report and gallery. [Bit-Tech]

The clips on that flip-top case certainly look like they aren't flush with the body of the superimposed iPod inside—which also looks like it overlaps the lid—and the screens on each nano seem to be slightly different proportions. So we think it's a Photoshop job. [Proporta via ForoiPhone]

The worst: that two-headed furry blue monster that moved his heads, feet, and eyes while holding the system's display. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Bit-tech was also a bit concerned about the scratch prone brushed aluminum finish and what they considered to be shoddy craftsmanship in spots—but they still regard their overall first impression to be a positive one. No matter how you look at it, the XB01 case is definitely a lot bigger than the 360, the look is a matter of opinion, and it is not completely silent, so it really comes down to whether or not it does a good job of cooling down the console. Bit-tech hopes to have a temperature test up soon. [bit-tech]

The Price: $21.90

The Verdict: Protective goodness. We're usually very down on cases for any kind of phone or PMP—why cover up something well designed with something quite ugly—but sleeves are an entirely different matter. Fabrix' version provides ample cushioning for your phone when it's not in use, but you're supposed to take your iPhone entirely out of the sleeve when you're actually handling it. Couple that with the fact that these sleeves are actually very nice looking and you've got a great combination of usability and aesthetics.

It's especially useful for women with purses, as the ones we're familiar with just throw their phones in with their keys, pens and other sharp objects. Now with the case, we can place our phones in the same pocket as our keys—something we have always stayed away from. Pick up a few to change out when you're tired of the old one. [Fabrix]

So far the radJacket CHARGE is Japan-only but it HAS to come over here (those were mine, btw.) [Pocket-lint]

The Price: $29.99

The Verdict: It works, but only under specific conditions. Here's what the numbers mean (highlighted lower numbers closer to 0 are better). When you're talking with the phone up to your face, having the ClearBoost on it increases the signal quite noticeably. An increase of 3 dBm doubles the amount of "RF energy reaching the iPhone's built-in antenna," which means that in the better reception spot, the case increased that energy by a little over four times. In the slightly worse spot, it increased it about four times.

We saw the opposite effect when we placed the case on a desk and didn't touch it. A real world scenario is if you're talking on a Bluetooth headset but not holding your phone. In the better reception area, the case just barely degraded the signal, and was close enough to call a statistical tie. In the slightly worse reception area, it actually degraded signal by four times when placed onto a desk.

Here's why we think the ClearBoost works. When you're talking on your iPhone with the phone held up to your face normally, your hand is covering up the antenna on the phone—which is inconveniently designed by Apple to be located on the bottom, behind the black plastic area. The Clearboost helps eliminate that problem by essentially "moving" the antenna to the top where your hand isn't. When the phone is on a desk and your hand isn't covering the standard iPhone antenna, at best there's no benefit, but at worst it actually degrades your reception.

In the interest of completeness, we wanted to see how the reception was if we held the phone up to our face without the case, but holding the phone gingerly at the top, trying not to cover up the antenna. As we thought, reception was better there than when we held it "normally", but slightly worse than when we were using the case. It's super inconvenient to hold a phone like this, however, and isn't really feasible to do much of the time.

The Aesthetics: It's a decent enough hard plastic case that doesn't add too much bulk to your phone. The antenna on top may be a little protrud-y, but it's necessary for obvious reasons. All the buttons and ports are accessible, and you can dock your phone in most docks without much problem.

The Notes: One thing to note is Griffin explicitly states that the ClearBoost only works if you have your phone on the AT&T network, which uses the 850 MHz band. If you're on T-Mobile, which primarily uses the 1900 MHz band but roams occasionally onto 850 MHz depending on where you are, you'll get less benefit. We tested this on AT&T. Richard from Wireless Info also notes that the signal/noise ratio is important, and that more dBm might not mean better sound quality.

The Testing Procedure: We didn't test with how many bars the phone gets, because how many bars it gets is only a rough display and doesn't go up or down completely based on the "signal". Testing using the iPhone's Field Test app shows how strong the actual signal is in dBm, which measures in terms of amount of "RF energy reaching the iPhone's built-in antenna." Each number in the chart is an average of five to seven samples.

The Bottom Line: If your reception's no good and you often talk with your phone up to your face, the Griffin ClearBoost will give you a bump in signal. If you talk with a Bluetooth headset more often than not, you might want to skip this. At $30, it's probably too cheap to pass up. [Griffin]

If you're into hard cases for your phone, I suppose that adding a gimmick like this can prove useful for the ladies (and the kind of dudes that wear sweaters around their necks), but it seems a bit unhealthy to me. iPhone and Touch versions are available for for $29.99. Hit iLounge for additional pics.[iShield Mirror via iLounge]

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Up close and personal it has a certain cake quality, but its handmade gives it a certain je ne se quoi fuzzy warm quality that we like. Granted, we would prefer a fully-polished R2-D2 made of steel and aluminum with a real hologram projector, but nobody is perfect. [The Contaminated]

Since all the data encryption done in firmware and hardware it requires no special drivers, it should play nicely with both Macs and PCs via USB 2, and since it's bus-powered the only extra thing you need to carry around is one of its keys.

Like many others in its class it takes 2.5" SATA drives, so it's pocket-sized. It's probably pretty useful if you're carrying around sensitive company data and are worried about theft. Or you are a spy with a taste for Brando products, who will sell it to you for $56. [Brando]