It's prohibitively expensive for anyone to indulge in the hobby of PC building, with even older parts like HDDs and DDR4 soaring in price.  The price of a new 2TB SSD isn't…

Since our last ADATA XPG featured build, there's been a lot of new hardware launched with an uptick in case vendors turning to the Micro ATX form factor again. Adata has a new Micro ATX chassis, the Valor Air and Mesh. For this featured build, we've picked up the Valor Mesh accompanied by some other Adata XPG hardware, including 32GB XPG ARMAX DDR5, an Adata Legend 860 M.2 SSD, Levante II 240mm AIO and the Core Reactor II power supply.

Case: Adata XPG VALOR Mesh Nano – MSRP $66.31

• Compact Mesh-Front Airflow Design – The XPG VALOR Mesh Nano prioritises cooling with fully ventilated panels, allowing unrestricted airflow to high-performance components while maintaining a clean and understated aesthetic.
• Small Form Factor, Big Hardware Support – Despite its compact footprint, the VALOR Mesh Nano supports high-end hardware, offering compatibility with large graphics cards, multiple cooling configurations and modern small form factor builds without feeling restrictive.
• Builder-Friendly Interior Layout – Thoughtful cable management options and an uncluttered internal design make the VALOR Mesh Nano straightforward to build, helping first-timers and enthusiasts alike achieve a tidy, professional-looking system.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 357 x 220 x 436mm
• Available Colours: Black or White
• Chassis Material: SPCC steel construction
• Form Factor: Mid-tower design
• Motherboard Support: Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX
• Expansion Slots: 5
• Storage Support: 2x 2.5-inch drives and 1x 3.5-inch drive
• Front I/O: 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, hybrid audio jack, power button and reset button
• Included Cooling: 1x 120mm ARGB fan pre-installed
• Fan Support: Up to 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm top fans, 1x 120mm rear fan and 2x 120mm bottom fans
• Radiator Support: Up to 360mm or 240mm at the top, plus a 120mm rear radiator
• Component Clearance: Supports GPUs up to 370mm, CPU air coolers up to 170mm tall and power supplies up to 170mm long
• Weight:15kg

RAM: 32GB XPG ARMAX DDR5-6000 – Available from OcUK Priced at £449.99 HERE.

• DDR5-6000 Sweet Spot Performance – Operating at DDR5-6000 MT/s, the ARMAX kit hits the current performance sweet spot for modern AMD gaming systems, delivering a boost over standard DDR5 specs.
• Low-Profile, Cooler-Friendly Design – At just 39.5mm tall, the XRMAX heatspreader is designed to avoid conflicts with large tower coolers, making it particularly well-suited to compact and small form factor builds.
• Simple One-Click Overclocking Support – Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO compatibility allow users to enable the overclocked memory profile directly within the BIOS, taking the hassle out of memory tuning.

Specifications

• Memory Type: DDR5
• Form Factor: U-DIMM
• Colour: Black
• Capacities Available: 16GB / 32GB
• Tested Speeds: 5600 / 6000 MT/s
• Tested CAS Latencies: CL36
• Tested Operating Voltage: 1.1V – 1.4V
• SPD Speed: 4800 MT/s
• SPD CAS Latency: 36-38-38
• SPD Voltage: 1.1V
• Operating Temperature: 0°C – 85°C
• Dimensions (L x W x H):35 x 39.49 x 8.5mm
• Weight:16g / 46.74g (depending on kit)
• Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty

Storage: 1TB ADATA Legend 860 PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD – Available From OcUK Priced at £124.99 HERE.

• PCIe Gen4 x4 Performance with up to 6,000MB/s Speeds – The LEGEND 860 features a PCIe 4.0 interface for sequential read speeds of up to 6,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 5,000MB/s, a noticeable uplift over older Gen3 and SAT SSDs for all workloads.
• High-Capacity, Platform-Ready Storage Solution – Available in capacities up to 2TB, designed for gaming and creative systems, with high compatibility across the latest Intel and AMD platforms plus support for PS5 storage expansion.
• Built for Reliability with Advanced Data Technologies – Equipped with SLC caching, Host Memory Buffer (HMB), and LDPC error correction to improve data integrity, responsiveness, and sustained performance under demanding workloads, backed by a 5-year warranty.

Specifications

• Capacity: 500GB / 1TB / 2TB
• Form Factor:2 2280
• NAND Flash: 3D NAND
• Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4
• Sequential Read Speed (Max): Up to 6,000MB/s (PC/Laptop)
• Sequential Write Speed (Max): Up to 5,000MB/s
• Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 3.13mm (with heatsink) or 80 x 22 x 2.15mm (without heatsink)
• Weight:5g (with heatsink) or 6.5g (without heatsink)
• Operating Temperature: 0°C – 70°C
• Storage Temperature: -40°C – 85°C
• Shock Resistance: 1,500G / 0.5ms
• MTBF: 2,000,000 hours
• Endurance (Max Capacity): 640TBW
• Warranty: 5-year limited warranty

AIO CPU Cooler: XPG Levante II 240 ARGB – MSRP $123.56

• Efficient 240mm AIO Cooling with Asetek Engineering – Built around a 240mm aluminium radiator paired with a copper cold plate and Asetek 7th Gen pump design, delivering strong thermal performance with efficient heat transfer and reliable CPU cooling.
• High-Airflow Dual 120mm ARGB Fans – Equipped with dual-ring 120mm PWM ARGB fans operating up to 2000 RPM, 61.5 CFM of airflow and strong static pressure for effective heat dissipation.
• Infinity Mirror ARGB Pump Design And Wide Platform Support – The pump features an infinity mirror aesthetic with addressable RGB lighting, while broad compatibility across modern Intel and AMD sockets ensures compatibility with a wide range of gaming systems.

Specifications

• Water Block Dimensions:5 x 72.5 x 50mm
• Water Block Material: Copper
• Control Mode: PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
• Thermal Paste: Pre-applied
• Tube Length: 400mm sleeved rubber tubing
• Radiator Size: 240mm class (272 x 121 x 27mm)
• Radiator Material: Aluminium
• Fan Size: 120 x 120 x 25mm
• Bearing Type: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Fan Speed: 600 – 2000 RPM
• Airflow: 61.5 CFM ±10%
• Static Pressure: 1.42 mm H₂O ±10%
• Noise Level: 18.17 dBA (average)
• CPU Socket Support: AMD: AM5 / AM4, Intel: LGA 1851 / 1700 / 1200 / 115x
• Protection Features: Auto-restart function
• Weight: 1.79kg
• Warranty: 5 years

Power Supply: XPG Core Reactor II 850W 80+ Gold – MSRP $127.99

• ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.0 Ready Platform – Built to ATX 3.1 standards with native support for modern GPU power delivery, including 12VHPWR / 12V-2×6 connectivity, ensuring stable operation with next-gen graphics cards and transient load spikes.
• 80 PLUS Gold Efficiency with High-End Electrical Design – Delivers 80 PLUS Gold efficiency alongside strong power regulation, high power factor (>0.99), and full DC-to-DC conversion architecture for consistent and efficient output across rails.
• Fully-Featured Protection Suite & Long-Term Reliability – Features comprehensive protections including OCP, OVP, OPP, UVP, SCP, OTP, NLO and SIP, plus a high-quality FDB cooling fan and 100,000-hour MTBF for long-term system stability.

Specifications

• ATX Standard: ATX 3.1
• Efficiency Rating: 80 PLUS Gold
• Cybenetics Rating: Platinum
• Dimensions: 140 x 150 x 86mm
• Input Voltage: 100–240V
• Frequency: 47–63Hz
• Power Factor (PFC): >0.99
• Input Current: 850W: 12A
• DC Output Rails: +12V / +5V / +3.3V / -12V / +5Vsb
• +12V Rail Output:8A
• Power Excursion: Up to 235% rated power (100μs peak handling)
• Cooling: 120mm FDB fan
• Connectors: 24-pin ATX: 1, EPS 8-pin: 2, PCIe 6+2-pin: 3, 12V-2×6, Molex: up to 4
• Protections: OCP / OVP / OPP / OTP / UVP / SCP / NLO / SIP
• Operating Temperature: up to 50°C
• MTBF: 100,000 hours (full load)
• Certifications: CE / CB / FCC / TUV / cTUVus / UKCA / EAC / CCC / RCM and more
• Warranty: 10 years
• Weight: 3.1kg (package total)

Build Specification

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Motherboard – Sapphire Nitro+ B850M
• Graphics Card – ASRock Taichi Radeon RX 9070XT
• Memory – 32GB XPG ARMAX DDR5-6000
• Storage – 1TB ADATA Legend 860 PCIe Gen4 x4 NVME M.2 SSD
• CPU Cooler – XPG Levante 240 ARGB
• Power Supply – XPG Core Reactor II 850W 80+ Gold
• Chassis – XPG VALOR Mesh Nano
• Operating System – Windows 11

KitGuru says: XPG has a packed arsenal of gaming parts through the XPG line. Check them out for your next build!

The post Adata XPG Featured Micro ATX Build first appeared on KitGuru.

This year marks Lexar’s 30th Anniversary, and I have to admit; it makes me feel a bit old. I’ve been a loyal Lexar user for as long as I can remember, and it would be a rare occasion to check my camera and not find Lexar cards in use. To provide some context for my …

The post Lexar Marks Their 30th Anniversary with a ‘Behind The Build’ International Media Tour appeared first on The SSD Review.

Launched at Build, Microsoft Scout is a new AI assistant meant to bring the power and flexibility of OpenClaw into the Microsoft 365 system.

MSI has recently launched a series of RTX 5070 graphics cards in collaboration with Blizzard and World Of Warcraft. There are two versions of the Midnight-themed cards: Void and Light editions. We took the Void edition and made an MSI World of Warcraft Midnight build featuring the special-edition graphics card and the brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus CPU!

Graphics Card: MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G World of Warcraft MIDNIGHT VOID EDITION OC – Available from Currys for £719.99 HERE.

• TRI FROZR 4 Cooling – MSI’s latest thermal design brings upgraded fans and refined airflow control for lower temperatures and quieter operation under load.
• Factory Overclocked – ships with an “Extreme Performance” clock of 2625 MHz via MSI Centre, giving you an out-of-the-box boost without any tinkering.
• Blackwell Architecture + DLSS 4 – built on NVIDIA’s latest platform with AI-enhanced rendering and multi-frame generation, pushing both performance and image quality forward.
• 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM – fast 192-bit memory running at 28 Gbps, providing plenty of bandwidth for modern titles and high-resolution workloads.

Specifications

• Model: G507012WMVEC
• Graphics Processing Unit: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
• Interface: PCI Express Gen 5
• Core Clocks: Extreme Performance 2625 MHz (MSI Centre) / Boost: 2610 MHz
• CUDA Cores: 6144 Units
• Memory: 28 Gbps 12GB GDDR7 192-bit
• Outputs: DisplayPort x3 (v2.1b), HDMI x1 (up to 4K 480Hz or 8K 120Hz with DSC, VRR, HDR)
• HDCP Support: Yes
• Power Consumption: 250 W
• Power Connectors: 16-pin x1 (ATX 3.1 PSU recommended)
• Recommended PSU: 650 W
• Dimensions: 338 x 140 x 50 mm
• Weight: 1187 g (card) / 1705 g (package)
• API Support: DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6
• Maximum Displays: 4
• G-SYNC® Technology: Yes
• Digital Maximum Resolution: 7680 x 4320

Motherboard: MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk WiFi – Available now from Scan priced at £199.99 HERE.

• Serious power delivery – 12+1+1+1 Duet Rail VRM with 60A SPS and dual 8-pin CPU connectors is built to keep Intel Core Ultra CPUs powered correctly during sustained load.
• PCIe 5.0 ready – Full PCIe 5.0 support for GPUs and a Gen5 M.2 slot, designed to support the latest hardware and future upgrades.
• Generous Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7, 5G LAN and Thunderbolt 4 for cutting-edge networking and high-bandwidth I/O.
• Proper thermal design – extended heatsinks, 7W/mK thermal pads and M.2 Shield Frozr II all work together to keep temps in check under heavy gaming or workstation loads.

Specifications

• Chipset: Intel B860
• CPU Support: Supports Intel® Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
• Socket: LGA 1851
• Memory: 4× DDR5 UDIMM slots (up to 256GB) 9200 – 6400 MT/s (OC) 6400 – 4800 MT/s (JEDEC)
• Onboard Graphics (iGPU required): 1× HDMI 2.1 (up to 8K 60Hz), 1× DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K 60Hz), 1× USB Type-C (DisplayPort 2.1 via Thunderbolt 4, up to 8K 60Hz / 4K 120Hz)
• Expansion Slots: 2× PCIe x16 slots, 1× PCIe x1 slot, PCI_E1: PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), PCI_E2: PCIe 4.0 x1 (Chipset), PCI_E3: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset, drops to x2 if PCI_E2 in use)
• Audio: Realtek ALC897 codec, 7.1-channel HD audio, S/PDIF output support
• Storage: 3× M.2 slots – M.2_1: PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU), M.2_2: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset, supports up to 22110), M.2_3: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset), 4× SATA 6G ports
• RAID Support: RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 (SATA)
• Thunderbolt 4: 1× rear port (up to 40Gbps), USB4 (20Gbps), USB 3.2 (10Gbps) backward compatibility
• USB Connectivity: 4× USB 2.0, 4× USB 10Gbps Type-A, 1× USB 10Gbps Type-C, 1× USB 40Gbps Type-C (Rear) / 4× USB 2.0, 2× USB 5Gbps Type-A, 1× USB 10Gbps Type-C (Front)
• LAN: Intel® Killer E5000 5Gbps LAN
• Wireless & Bluetooth: Intel® Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7,Bluetooth 5.4
• Internal I/O: 1× ATX, 2× CPU, 1× PCIe 8-pin, 1× CPU fan, 1× pump/sys fan, 5× system fans, RGB: 3× ARGB Gen2, 2× RGB, 4× USB 2.0, 2× USB 5Gbps Type-A,1× USB 10Gbps Type-C, 2× Front panel headers, Front audio, Chassis intrusion, TPM 2.0 header, JDASH tuning controller
• LED Features: 4× EZ Debug LEDs, 1× EZ Memory Detection LED
• Rear Panel / Ports: Clear CMOS Button, DisplayPort, USB 2.0 (Flash BIOS Port), 5G LAN, USB 10Gbps Type-A, Audio Connectors, Flash BIOS Button, Thunderbolt 4 40Gbps (Type-C), HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 10Gbps Type-A, USB 10Gbps Type-C, Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, S/PDIF-OUT

CPU Cooler: MSI MPG CoreLiquid P13 360 – Available now from Scan priced at £149.99 HERE.

• Curved Glass CPU Block – Curved glass housing a 2.1-inch IPS LCD screen with 480 x 480 resolution and 600 nit peak brightness that can be configured and customised to display real-time system info, animated visuals or used as a secondary display.
• Universal Mounting System – Upper mounting bracket compatible with current Intel and AMD desktop sockets makes installation a simple process, while the cables hidden in tube sleeving provide a super clean aesthetic.
• Latest Cooling Engine – It's equipped with a new generation screwless full-plane copper base that enhances water tightness and ensures reliable operation, while the 0.1mm micro channel cold plate absorbs heat for efficient CPU heat dissipation and cooling.

Specifications

• CPU Socket Compatibility:Intel LGA 1700 / 1851, AMD AM5/AM4
• Radiator Material: Aluminium
• Radiator Dimensions:394 x 119.6 x 27.2mm
• Radiator Tube Length: 390mm
• CPU Block/Pump Dimensions: 70 x 80 x 75mm (approx.)
• Pump Speed: 3400 RPM ± 340 RPM
• Cold Plate Material: Micro-Skived Copper
• Pump Connector: 4-pin PWM
• Pump Noise (dBA): 20 dBA ( avg )
• VRM Fan:N/A
• Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25 mm
• Fan Speed (PWM): 500~2050 ± 150 RPM
• Fan Max Airflow: 89 CFM
• Fan Max Static Pressure: 59 mmH20
• Fan Noise: 7 dBA (max)
• Fan Bearing: Rifle bearing
• Fan Connector: 4-pin PWM + 3-pin 5V ARGB
• LCD Screen: 1” IPS 480 x 480
• Warranty: 3 years

Power Supply: MSI MAG A750GLS PCIE5 750W – Available now from Amazon priced at £104.22 HERE.

• Compact Size – 150 mm long and 150 mm wide ATX form factor ensures a comfortable and easy fit in most PC cases, freeing up more space for cable management and airflow.
• 80 Plus Gold Certified – Up to 90% efficiency, ideal for powering hardware with high energy demands, such as GPUs and CPUs.
• Native 12V-2×6 – Equipped with native 12V-2×6 PCIe connector to deliver up to 600W of power to support PCIe 5.1 GPUs.
• Durable Design – Featuring LLC half-bridge with DC-to-DC converter and an active PFC design ensures a reliable output with OCP / OTP / OPP / SCP / OVP / UVP / SIP / NLO protection.

Specifications

• Efficiency Rating: 80 PLUS Gold (up to 90%)
• Modular: Yes (Fully Modular)
• Cooling: 135 mm Fan With Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Dimensions (D × W × H): 150 × 150 × 86 mm
• Electrical: Active PFC
• Input Voltage Range: 100–240V~
• Input Frequency Range: 50–60 Hz
• Rated Power: 750W
• Power Excursion: 1650W (up to 220% for 100μs)
• Protections: OCP/OTP/OPP/SCP/OVP/UVP/SIP/NLO
• Connectors: 1× ATX, 2× EPS, 1× PCIe 5.1, 4× PCIe, 5× SATA, 2× Peripheral, 1× FDD (4 pin)

Build Specification:

• CPU – Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
• Motherboard – MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk WiFi
• Graphics Card – MSI GeForce RTX 5070 12G World of Warcraft MIDNIGHT VOID EDITION OC
• Memory – 48GB (2 x 24GB modules) G.SKILL Trident Z5 CK RGB DDR5-8200
• Storage – 1TB TeamGroup T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
• CPU Cooler – MSI MPG CoreLiquid P13 360
• Power Supply – MSI MAG A750GLS PCIE5 750W
• Chassis – Lian Li Lancool 217 INF
• Operating System – Windows 11

Be sure to check out the RTX 5070 World of Warcraft Midnight Edition on Currys HERE.

KitGuru says: This new series of graphics cards will certainly appeal to die-hard World Of Warcraft fans and the bold colour schemes bring some life to your PC build!

The post MSI RTX 5070 World Of Warcraft Midnight Featured Build first appeared on KitGuru.