Dino PC Dark Reign Review

1. Introduction2. The Dino PC Dark Reign3. Overview & Testing Methodology4. System: PCMark 75. System: 3DMark Vantage6. System: 3DMark 117. System: AllBenchmark Catzilla8. System: Unigine Heaven Benchmark9. System: Unigine Valley Benchmark10. Processor/Memory: SiSoft Sandra11. Processor: Cinebench R11.5 64 bit12. SATA 6Gbps Testing13. Real World: BluRay Playback14. Real World: Media Encoding15. Battlefield 3 (DirectX 11)16. Far Cry 3 (DirectX 11)17. Tomb Raider (DirectX 11)18. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon19. Thermal Dynamics20. Acoustics Performance21. Power Consumption22. Conclusion23. View All Pages

Dino PC ship the Dark Reign system in a large brown box, protected by layers of styro foam and small bags of air.

Dino PC have chosen to use the CM 690 III for the Dark Reign. With a large front panel and top panel mesh the CM 690 III looks capable of delivering plenty of airflow throughout the case. There is also the option to install either two 120 mm fans, a 180 mm fan or a 200 mm fan in the side panel.

The case's overall black finish is accentuated by its highly reflective trims and top panel cover.

Moving in closer we can see the sliding cover for the top panel. The cover is slightly translucent and reveals a small space to store, for example, USB drives or other personal belongings.

After the system is turned on the cover can be slid back in place. During operation the Power button LED lights up white and can be seen through the cover.

Directly to the left of the Power and Reset buttons we can see two USB 2.0 ports, audio and mic jacks and two USB 3.0 ports.

Removing the front panel reveals the large 200 mm fan. Removing the front in-take fan opens up opportunities for the installation of either two 120 mm fans, 140 mm fans or a single 180 mm fan.

Moving to the back we start at the top. Here we can see the top cover is held in place with a single thumb screw to allow easy access.

Moving down we can see the Gigabyte Z87-HD3 motherboard offers four USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI port, DVI port, VGA port, ethernet port, a PS/2 port and 6 audio jacks.

Directly below that we can see the Gigabyte GTX 770's ports.

Removing the top allows easy access for the installation of a 240 mm top radiator. Alternatively, users can also install either two 120 mm fans, two 140 mm fans or a single 200 mm fan.

Before we move into the case we take a look at the large dust filter underneath the PSU. On the right-hand side we can see four screws holding the bottom right drive cage in place.

Moving to the inside of the case we can see Dino PC have managed to keep the build neat and tidy.

Starting from the bottom there is plenty of space between the Corsair CX600 PSU and 1 TB 7,200 RPM storage drive. Depending on stock availability this can vary between a Samsung, Hitachi, Seagate and Western Digital Drive.

Moving up we can see the Gigabyte GTX 770. The card is sagging slightly though it sits firmly in place.

To the right of the Gigabyte GTX 770 we can see the Plextor M5S drive.

Directly above that we can see the 120 mm rear exhaust fan that comes pre-installed with the case.

In order to keep costs down Dino PC have chosen to use Intel's stock cooler for the Core i5-4570. We will find out how the cooler holds up later in the review.

Rounding things out are the two 4GB sticks of Corsair Vengeance memory.

Dino PC have taken care to ensure nothing obstructs the airflow in the case, even tying up the rear exhaust fan's cable to keep it out of the way.

A better view of the roof from inside the case shows there is plenty of space in the top and Dino PC have chosen to keep the entire space clear.

The Corsair CX600's cables have been tied together to reduce cable clutter in the bottom of the case. In addition, the front panel connectors have been routed nicely behind the PSU and through one of the cable routing holes directly below the GTX 770.

Before we close the case back up and run our tests we take a look behind the scenes.  The majority of cables have been routed directly behind the cable routing holes and the hard drive cages have been kept clear of any unwanted cable clutter.

Additional connectors are available and have been tied up separately to allow for upgrades without having to disassemble the build.

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