Equipped with an integrated liquid CPU cooler, New Ark 90 is a full tower which accommodates up to E-ATX form factor and offers a bag full of innovative features!
Product on Review: New Ark 90
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Deepcool
MSRP: £299 GBP / $299 USD / $429 AUD
We’ve been reviewing Deepcool products for some time at Vortez, but it’s been a while since we’ve examined one of their computer chassis. Over the last few years, the company has unveiled a rather interesting selection of products one of those being our review subject in question!
In the spotlight today is the New Ark 90. First announced at CES earlier in the year, New Ark 90 is a full-tower enclosure which breaks out of convention by supplying a pre-installed liquid cooler straight out of the box. Deepcool has paired this case up with their well-known CAPTAIN series solution, boasting a 280mm radiator and accompanying 140mm RGB cooling fans -this unusual inclusion could simplify the build process for many enthusiasts.
New Ark 90 carries with it a large feature-set and seeks to break out of the norm with many of its attributes – but is it a step too far? Read on to find out!
Deepcool on their New Ark 90
The Deepcool NEW ARK 90 is an E-ATX case with integrated liquid cooling with visible external flow systems, designed for users with a special preference for water-cooling solutions for their rigs. NEW ARK 90 completely eliminates the conventional technical barrier between DIY water-cooled towers to provide users with the perfect user experience. The tower is a perfect integration of extreme minimalist designs, glass panels, and RGB lighting to provide a unique visual aesthetic. Internal compartments offer excellent expandability and compatibility. The NEW ARK 90 comes with 4 independent cooling slots, dominating its competition by allowing users to easily create their personalised water-cooled rig.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical specifications surrounding the New Ark 90 supplied by Deepcool.
Video Review
For this review we’ve also created a YouTube video which highlights all of the key features, shows a full system install and identifies the good/bad points regarding this computer case. Click the video below or go to the Deepcool Gamerstorm New Ark 90 Video Review.
Thermal Performance Testing
Inside New Ark 90 we have two dedicated cooling fans for airflow, both are 140mm and are configured to be exhausts. Typically a push-pull configuration yields better results!
To discover the thermal performance of New Ark 90 we will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. We will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 30 minutes have elapsed.
For the purpose of accurate analysis, the idle and load temperatures for CPU will be recorded and the range between idle and load will be calculated to determine how efficient cooling is.
NOTE: Ambient temperature is 20C
System Components
CPU Intel Pentium K G3258 @ 4GHz
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (Different to cooler in pictures)
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (Different to cooler in pictures)
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750
Noise
The panels on New Ark 90 are reasonably thick due to the steel and tempered glass construction and this works well with helping to keep noise at bay. Noise levels from this case aren’t regarded as disturbing.
Conclusion
If we had to describe the New Ark 90 in one word, it would have to be ‘creative’.
Thinking up new and innovative designs is a tough task for case designers but this case appears to break convention and adds in some features which aren’t just gimmicks. The provision of a pre-installed liquid cooler is inventive and we’re surprised it hasn’t been done before, but further to that, Deepcool has chosen to mount the radiator parallel to the motherboard – making great use of space and enabling full view of the RGB cooling fans. Marrying up to this cooler, Deepcool has included a transparent pipe at the front of the chassis which allows the user to see the liquid flow from this cooler. While this is purely a cosmetic feature, it’s one we haven’t seen before and it looks innovative!
Installing hardware inside New Ark 90 is without any problems due to the expanse within. This case is capable of handling a plethora of high-end kit with only severe limitations really affecting water cooling radiators. Storage is decent, offering support for three 2.5” or 3.5” drives (The HDD cage can also accommodate 2.5” drives) and those wanting to super-size their motherboard can fit an E-ATX model onto the motherboard tray.
If we look at thermal performance, New Ark 90 does suffer somewhat and that is primarily due to configuration of the cooling fans attached to the chassis. Both are positioned as exhausts – one on the side of the HDD cage and the other in the usual spot at the back of the case. The omission of a push-pull configuration and the decision to attach the front cooling fan to the HDD cage (for obvious aesthetic reasons) means that cooling is mediocre. However, this can be easily improved by simply adding in a cooling fan at the front and positioning it as an intake to create airflow across the system, and this can be achieved using the RGB fan below the radiator.
The option to have the graphics card rotated amplifies the creativity with New Ark 90 but there is a caveat. Deepcool’s own riser cable is mandatory in order to take advantage of this feature – grabbing a riser cable from another vendor off Ebay will not suffice (as per our video review) the standoffs within New Ark 90 are specific to Deepcool’s riser cable dimensions and even if you happen to find a cable with equivalent mounting holes, the connector needs to be rotated as the standoffs are horizontally fixed. It’s evident that this type of feature is likely to feature on many more new cases and so it’s sensible for manufactures to allow for variable sizes of riser cable in their case design. Hopefully we’ll see more flexibility in this area on forthcoming releases, so that system builders can make use of their own cables.
The outright cost for New Ark 90 sees the case listed for £299 GBP / $299 USD / $429 AUD – which might be initially alarming. Were this to be the cost for just the enclosure on its own, New Ark 90 would be up against the ultra-high-end of the market, however we need to factor in the fact our case comes with a pre-installed cooling solution, plus a bag full of RGB cooling fans. Adding in a 240mm liquid cooler to a case costing 150-200 is more or less what we have in Deepcool’s offering and it isn’t a bad deal at all.
Deepcool may not be the first choice in a market dominated by other household names, but their efforts with the New Ark 90 should not be ignored. This case is packed with features which are inventive to say the least!
Pros
+ Clean, classy styling
+ Creative design includes water flow tube
+ Integrated CAPTAIN series liquid cooler
+ Graphics card can be rotated
+ Easy to install kit
+ Great build quality
+ Features RGB controller
+ Includes impressive RGB lighting
+ Good storage options
+ Can host high-end kit
+ Low-noise operation
Cons
– Heavy
– No USB 3.1 port
– Does not include riser cable
– Proprietary riser cable required
– Mediocre cooling performance
– Lacks fan speed controller
– No dust filter at front of chassis
+ Clean, classy styling
+ Creative design includes water flow tube
+ Integrated CAPTAIN series liquid cooler
+ Graphics card can be rotated
+ Easy to install kit
+ Great build quality
+ Features RGB controller
+ Includes impressive RGB lighting
+ Good storage options
+ Can host high-end kit
+ Low-noise operation
Cons
– Heavy
– No USB 3.1 port
– Does not include riser cable
– Proprietary riser cable required
– Mediocre cooling performance
– Lacks fan speed controller
– No dust filter at front of chassis
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