NZXT's $79.99 Kraken Core 360 earns a positive recommendation for its quiet operation and six-year warranty, while Ocypus's novelty-laden Omega L36 Ultra Eng Limited Edition scores a middling 7/10 despite its motorized VRM fan and circular display. The Razer Soma Pro stands out as the batch's biggest surprise, packing six Sensa HD haptic motors, THX Spatial Audio, and a frog-tilt mechanism into a $999.99 gaming chair. The ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W in white is solid but overpriced at $390–400, and Super Flower's Leadex Titanium 1700W earns a 9.1/10 as an efficient dual-voltage PSU. On storage, Sandisk's Optimus GX 7100M takes Editor's Choice for its power-efficient, single-sided 2230 design that delivers TLC flash at QLC pricing.
Six reviews today: NZXT's $80 cooler outclasses a motorized VRM fan, and price trips up two otherwise solid picks
From a gaming chair that vibrates your spine to an SSD priced as if flash were going out of style, today's roundup spans cooling, furniture, motherboards, power, and storage. There's a through-line if you want one. Fundamentals keep winning, while novelty and color premiums quietly pad the price.
NZXT's Kraken Core 360 looks like the minimalist cousin of the usual Kraken lineup. No RGB. No display. No software to install. It trades in a new Asetek Gen 9V pump, quiet-enough integrated fans, and a $79.99 price tag, at least, per Guru3D.
Hilbert Hagedoorn pushed it against an i9-12900K and a Ryzen 7 9700X. It held the Intel chip at 80°C when driven to 5.3GHz and 288W, ran a respectable 34 dBA at its top Intel setting, and earned a positive recommendation. For about the price of a budget cooler you get a six-year warranty and a genuinely sensible product.
The Guru of 3D: NZXT Kraken Core 360 (2026) review – Affordable 360mm AIO Cooling
The NZXT Kraken Core 360 is a 360mm all-in-one (AIO) liquid CPU cooler designed to deliver capable cooling without unnecessary RGB lighting, displays, or complicated software.
NZXT Kraken Core 360 (2026) review – Affordable 360mm AIO Cooling
Then there's Ocypus's Omega L36 Ultra, and things get stranger. This is the Eng Limited Edition, capped at 200 units worldwide. Its headline trick is a "Dynamic Thermal System," an LCD pump that physically rises under load, opening vents and deploying a dedicated VRM fan. Ocypus claims up to a 10°C cut in regulator temps. There's also a circular 2.8" display and a ceramic-bearing pump, because why stop at one flourish?
It's the kind of engineering that makes you ask who actually needs a VRM fan bolted to their pump. The answer, apparently, is the 200 people about to own one.
James Dawson at KitGuru wasn't swayed by the thermals. It topped the noise chart at 57 dBA at full speed. That's about 11 dBA louder than some quieter 360mm coolers, and it earns a middling 7/10. The creativity is real. The performance just doesn't stand out, so you're paying for the novelty.
KitGuru: Ocypus Omega L36 Ultra Eng Limited Edition AIO Review
Today we’re checking out the Ocypus Omega L36 Ultra, a very unique 360mm AIO CPU cooler featuring a 2.8-inch circular IPS display and a motorised VRM cooling system that deploys under higher CPU loads. It also comes with an integrated 360mm ARGB fan frame, ceramic-bearing pump and plenty of display customisation options. This is the Engineer Limited Edition, with just 200 units available worldwide. So, let's take a closer look and see how it performs.
Ocypus Omega L36 Ultra Eng Limited Edition AIO Review - KitGuru
Both coolers point in opposite directions. NZXT bets on value and simplicity. Ocypus bets on being one-of-a-kind. Given that a $80 AIO can keep a system quiet, the gimmick route is a hard sell.
The rest: immersion, ITX, and two efficiency wins
The biggest surprise of the batch is the Razer Soma Pro. At $999.99 it's part gaming chair, part haptic theater. Daniel Rubino at Windows Central called the six Sensa HD motors "the star." It's a "real butt rumbler," with directional effects that move around the seat instead of blurring into one rumble. Integrated THX Spatial Audio, an Audio-to-Haptics mode that turns any movie or track into feedback, and a frog-tilt mechanism that keeps your feet planted when you lean back.
For the record, Razer splits its haptics across a whole ecosystem. There's even a standalone Freyja cushion if you want buzz without committing to the full chair. The Soma Pro itself runs off any 45W+ USB-C power bank, so you're not tethered to the wall. That's genuinely handy.
The downsides exist though. A fixed lumbar and a $999.99 price tag are enough to make you reconsider, especially since the Iskur V2 delivers adjustable support cheaper. Razer's modular Soma lineup does at least let you tier up from a $499 Soma Chroma if the full price stings.
Windows Central: Razer’s $999 Soma Pro gaming chair sounds completely absurd, until you sit in it
The Razer Soma Pro combines the company’s excellent Soma gaming chair with Sensa HD Haptics, THX Spatial Audio, and Chroma RGB for one of the most immersive gaming experiences I’ve tried. At $999, it’s undeniably expensive, but considering everything Razer packed into it, I’m actually surprised it doesn’t cost more.
Razer’s $999 Soma Pro gaming chair sounds completely absurd, until you sit in it
On the motherboard side, the ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W in white is mostly the same board TechPowerUp reviewed about 14 months ago, repainted and lightly tweaked. Dual PCIe Gen 5 M.2 slots on an ITX board is a genuine rarity, and the EFI is strong.
The problem is the tag. At roughly $390 to $400 excluding tax it's even pricier than the original, sitting nose-to-nose with better-value MSI and ASRock ITX options. White color premium and thin availability kill it. TechPowerUp calls it solid, which is a nice word but also the most expensive word you'll find on an ITX board.
TechPowerUp: ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W Review
If you've been craving a white AM5 ITX motherboard, the ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W is exactly that, with one or two upgrades over the original variant. It's a solid option boasting dual PCIe Gen 5 M.2 ports, but with a recent price hike and not much more than a new color scheme, is it worth considering?
Two picks win on restraint instead. The Super Flower Leadex Titanium 1700W earns a 9.1/10 from Hardware Busters largely because it's Titanium-rated yet efficient and quiet at both 115V and 230V, a real advantage if you live outside the US mains sweet spot. At $429.99 with a 10-year warranty, it's arguably the best value in the high-wattage class.
Hardware Busters: Super Flower Leadex Titanium 1700W ATX v3.1 PSU Review
Super Flower Leadex Titanium 1700W review: Cybenetics Titanium, top overall performance and excellent 12V transient response among 22 high-wattage PSUs.
Super Flower Leadex Titanium 1700W ATX v3.1 PSU Review - Hardware Busters
And the Sandisk Optimus GX 7100M, which is TweakTown's new favorite in the 2230 form factor, as a single-sided, power-efficient drive built for handhelds and PS5s. BiCS8 TLC flash delivered at roughly QLC pricing (about $0.20/MB), averaging under 4W to stay cool. Jon Coulter frames it plainly: "TLC flash for the price of QLC." Editor's Choice.
TweakTown: Sandisk Optimus GX 7100M 2TB SSD Review - Our New Favorite at 2230
Ideal for handhelds and consoles, the super-power-efficient Sandisk Optimus GX 7100M 2TB is our current favorite in the 2230 form factor.
Sandisk Optimus GX 7100M 2TB SSD Review - Our New Favorite at 2230
The takeaway across today's six reviews is consistent. Efficiency and fundamentals keep earning the good marks. Novelty, color, and "solid but pricey" keep landing in the caution zone. Buy the NZXT. Skip the Ocypus unless you want the one-of-a-kind factor. And spend that $999 on something other than a chair.
