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Bulldog and Lapdog FAQ


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  • Corsair Employees

We've announced Bulldog and Lapdog, but they're still a few months away. In the meantime, though, hopefully we can answer your most pressing questions about Bulldog.

 

Bulldog Questions

 

What is Bulldog?

Bulldog is a DIY kit that leverages Corsair's expertise in case, cooling, and power supply design to lay the foundation for a system that can handle 4K gaming quietly and efficiently in the living room or other spaces where a small form factor gaming machine would be desirable.

 

What's in Bulldog?

Bulldog kits will include the Bulldog chassis, the Hydro Series H5SF liquid CPU cooler, an SF600 600-watt SFX12V-form factor power supply, and a next-generation motherboard utilizing an Intel chipset.

 

How much will Bulldog cost?

We're targeting an MSRP of $399 for the whole bundle, but this will depend on a number of factors and is subject to change.

 

Where will I be able to get one?

Corsair.com's web store is your best bet, but we expect Bulldog to see etail and retail availability.

 

When will it be available?

We're targeting Q4 of 2015.

 

Do any of the parts come separately?

Yes! While you have to buy the Bulldog kit to get the Bulldog chassis, the Hydro Series H5SF cooler and SF600 power supply will both be available separately.

 

What kind of connectivity and features will Bulldog have?

Bulldog will sport two USB 3.0 ports on the front along with headphone and microphone jacks, all hidden behind a fold down door. Bulldog will not have a fan controller; I personally hate hearing a device's fans spin up under load, so Bulldog is engineered to be extremely quiet and cool, and our choice of high pressure, low noise 92mm fans on the chassis reflects that.

 

What kind of material will Bulldog be made out of?

Bulldog's internal structure will be built from steel, while we're going to use a stylized brushed plastic for the fascia and sides with a metal mesh. Our initial prototypes used a full aluminum outer body (the internal chassis was steel), but we found the aluminum impractical from both a cost and weight perspective.

 

Isn't the HG10 a major part of Bulldog?

Yes it is! An HG10-equipped graphics card completes the Bulldog experience. Bulldog was designed to incorporate a CPU cooled by a Hydro Series H5SF and a graphics card cooled by an HG10 bracket and Hydro Series H55 liquid cooler. While you can certainly use an air-cooled graphics card in Bulldog (and we've made allowances to ensure it will run well), an HG10-equipped graphics card is the ideal way to get the most performance with the least noise.

 

How do I get an HG10-equipped graphics card for Bulldog?

There are a few ways. One is to buy one of our HG10 brackets and attach it to your graphics card with an H55 or H75 (single fan only) liquid cooler. Another is to buy an HG10 bundled with an H55 and, again, install it on your graphics card. Additionally, MSI will be offering graphics cards shipping with HG10s and H55s pre-installed for a small premium.

 

Why wasn't the HG10 included with Bulldog?

Because of the nature of HG10, specifically that brackets have to be customized for different reference cards, there's no one-size-fits-all bracket that we can bundle. It made more sense to us to make HG10 bundles available separately and offer customers options. Users who aren't comfortable liquid cooling their graphics cards or have non-reference cards that are incompatible with HG10 will still get a good experience with Bulldog.

 

What is the Hydro Series H5SF?

The Hydro Series H5SF is a unique closed loop liquid cooler for your CPU that was engineered specifically to fit in Bulldog, but is also compatible with the Carbide Series Air 240 and the Obsidian Series 250D. It employs a small radiator - smaller than even the H55 - and powerful blower fan. The blower fan has had a fan curve programmed to ensure it stays quiet while being able to cool even a modestly overclocked Intel Core i7. If you want to overclock further, the H5SF has that capacity, but the blower fan may have to ramp up to compensate. As an ancillary benefit, the H5SF's design allows it to pull ambient hot air into the blower and expel it out of the case, ensuring Bulldog stays exceptionally cool. The H5SF's smaller radiator results in its rated 150-watt cooling capacity, which is plenty for an overclocked Intel CPU, but it may still underperform the standard 120mm H55.

 

What is the SF600?

The SF600 is a power supply designed to meet the SFX12V standard. It has a capacity of 600 watts - more than enough for even the fastest single-GPU cards and mainstream Intel CPUs - and is targeting 80 Plus Gold level efficiency. The combination of high efficiency and a 92mm fan in such an impressively small power supply ensures the SF600 is able to deliver the power a Bulldog system needs without the PSU itself being a major source of heat or noise.

 

What kinds of graphics cards are supported by Bulldog?

Bulldog will support standard dual-slot graphics cards connected internally through a PCIe extension cable. Estimated maximum card length is 300mm.

 

Lapdog Questions

 

What is Lapdog?

Lapdog is Corsair's lapboard, designed to allow you to comfortably use a keyboard and mouse on your couch. It features a four-port USB 3.0 hub (two internal, two external) with a fifth charging port (external), a tether for your mouse cable, internal connections for your keyboard and mouse hidden by a door, and a 16-foot cable. The underside is comprised of memory foam, and the bulk of the lapboard can be detached from the memory foam and used on a desk or table top if needed.

 

16-foot cable? Why the heck is this thing wired?

We weighed the pros and cons of going wireless heavily and are still investigating wireless solutions, but found using a cable was the most practical solution. By keeping Lapdog cabled, it's much lighter (no battery required), doesn't suffer from wireless latency issues, and less expensive (wireless USB implementation can be costly).

 

What keyboards is Lapdog compatible with?

Currently any of our tenkeyless keyboards are compatible with Lapdog.

 

How will Lapdog be available?

We'll be making Lapdog available on its own and bundled with a compatible keyboard.

 

When will it be available and how much will it cost?

Lapdog is expected around the same time as Bulldog. We're targeting an MSRP of $89 for just the lapboard and $199 for the lapboard and keyboard bundle.

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Any plans on a Lapdog compatible with K70? :)

 

It's something we're looking into.

 

Is this motherboard going to be of Corsair design, or is it going to be another manufacturer's motherboard?

 

It'll be another manufacturer's motherboard.

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When will it be available and how much will it cost?

Lapdog is expected around the same time as Bulldog. We're targeting an MSRP of $89 for just the lapboard and $199 for the lapboard and keyboard bundle.

 

Is there any indication of what kind of keyboard that's bundled? K65, K65 RGB, or even a new TKL? I'm just curious because the picture is of a K65 RGB and it looks like an awesome price for the combo.

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Is there any indication of what kind of keyboard that's bundled? K65, K65 RGB, or even a new TKL? I'm just curious because the picture is of a K65 RGB and it looks like an awesome price for the combo.

 

Itll be bundled with a K65 RGB for $199 MSRP.

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Nice work Dustin! You have been a busy man!

 

As for the PSU, are you going to submit one to jonnyguru? I would hope better parts are in it than the Silverstone SFX supplies, with better characteristics too.

 

I have some jarhead friends that might be interested in seeing a "dress blue" option instead of black for this console killer.

 

Also, what current model AIO cooler would you compare the CPU cooler to, just as a reference point?

 

Also, on a side note, since you say the cooler will be sold separately, would it be possible to fit it into a chassis with 80mm of clearance from the IHS top to the bottom of the PSU (Lian Li PC-Q18B, for instance)? If so, it could be exactly what I'm looking for to keep from having to do mods on an otherwise nice case.

Edited by kc5vdj
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It'll be another manufacturer's motherboard.

 

Hmm I'm not sure how I feel about not being able to get the kit without the motherboard. Some people may not want the chipset/manufacturer of that particular motherboard, or may already have a mini-ITX board they want to migrate over to Bulldog.

 

Of course, if I'm wrong and the motherboard is a special form factor for this specific case that regular mini-ITX boards won't fit in it, then that's a different story. I'm liking Bulldog overall, so far :):

Edited by ScarredMecha
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Nice work Dustin! You have been a busy man!

 

As for the PSU, are you going to submit one to jonnyguru? I would hope better parts are in it than the Silverstone SFX supplies, with better characteristics too.

 

Absolutely. And yeah, it's basically being designed to beat the Silverstone SFX units. Bigger fan, higher thermal threshold.

 

I have some jarhead friends that might be interested in seeing a "dress blue" option instead of black for this console killer.

 

Honestly the ID may see a little bit of reworking before it goes to release. A change of color isn't totally out of the question.

 

Also, what current model AIO cooler would you compare the CPU cooler to, just as a reference point?

 

It's about 2/3 of an H55.

 

Also, on a side note, since you say the cooler will be sold separately, would it be possible to fit it into a chassis with 80mm of clearance from the IHS top to the bottom of the PSU (Lian Li PC-Q18B, for instance)? If so, it could be exactly what I'm looking for to keep from having to do mods on an otherwise nice case.

 

Unfortunately I'm not sure.

 

Hmm I'm not sure how I feel about not being able to get the kit without the motherboard. Some people may not want the chipset/manufacturer of that particular motherboard, or may already have a mini-ITX board they want to migrate over to Bulldog.

 

Then I guess we'll just have to pick a reputable chipset and manufacturer, won't we? ;)

 

Of course, if I'm wrong and the motherboard is a special form factor for this specific case that regular mini-ITX boards won't fit in it, then that's a different story. I'm liking Bulldog overall, so far :):

 

Glad you like it! It's definitely going to be a standard mini-ITX board, so fear not.

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Liking the prospect of the case! Just a few questions:

 

- Are we able to change the motherboard within the case to our own choice of Mini ITX and is that the only form factor that is supported?

 

- Would we be able to use a different water cooling system such as H80i?

 

- Is the PSU changeable at all?

 

:)

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Liking the prospect of the case! Just a few questions:

 

- Are we able to change the motherboard within the case to our own choice of Mini ITX and is that the only form factor that is supported?

 

Mini-ITX is the only form factor supported, but you can absolutely change out the motherboard to whichever mITX board you want.

 

- Would we be able to use a different water cooling system such as H80i?

 

Unfortunately, no. There's only space in Bulldog for the H5SF cooler and a single 120mm radiator and fan with a combined thickness of ~55mm.

 

- Is the PSU changeable at all?

 

Yes! Our PSU uses the SFX12V form factor, which is an industry standard. Bulldog will fit any SFX12V form factor power supply, but it'll basically be shipping with the best one on the market. ;)

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Mini-ITX is the only form factor supported, but you can absolutely change out the motherboard to whichever mITX board you want.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, no. There's only space in Bulldog for the H5SF cooler and a single 120mm radiator and fan with a combined thickness of ~55mm.

 

 

 

Yes! Our PSU uses the SFX12V form factor, which is an industry standard. Bulldog will fit any SFX12V form factor power supply, but it'll basically be shipping with the best one on the market. ;)

 

 

Thanks for the Reply and Information Corsair Dustin :) is there release date at all?

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Corsair Dustin, regarding the SF600 SFX power supply (which I read it will be sold seperately), do you know when it will be available? Thanks.

 

Unfortunately, not yet. The only reason it was on display at Computex was because it's part of Bulldog, but it's still being developed.

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