CES 2005 - More Tech Notes From the Floor
by Kristopher Kubicki on January 14, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
CoolerMaster
CoolerMaster's clean and elegant case design laurels extend into their next generation HTPC case lineup. In future case designs, CoolerMaster will consolidate their case line-up into only four lines with various design variances per release. Servers will continue to use the "Stacker" design for servers and high end workstations, Praetorian and Centurion will continue to function as the desktop solution and CMedia models will act as the HTPC replacement for the ATCS and Cavalier line-up.
Click to enlarge.
We also had the chance to take a snapshot of the prototype CMedia design below.
Click to enlarge.
Obviously, the huge design win here is the backlit LCD dot matrix display. Corsair also unveiled their plans for an LCD interface on their "Expert" DIMM models, but arguably, CoolerMaster has the advantage of putting this display on the front panel rather than inside the case.
While talking to our friends at Logisys during the show, we also caught wind that they will be working on a full 5.25" LCD display to integrate in one or two bays of any case. The influx of Rheobuses and coolers over the last few years has proven that the function of chassis now extends beyond merely housing components. As one engineer described to us on the floor, the goal of next generation cases is to provide a full functional life support system for the PC and not just a lump of steel protecting the CPU from damage.
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LoneWolf15 - Friday, January 14, 2005 - link
That ASUS case is horrible. Looks like they paid Ferrari to puke on it.I don't think the hardware companies understand if we want something to look outrageous, we'll do it ourselves and make it unique. Personally, I want a case that looks sleek, but is a regular box, where it's easy to remove and replace peripherals, drives, mainboards, PSUs, where cooling is good but quiet if possible. I think manufacturers should look at why Antec, Lian Li, Silverstone, and some other brands are the cases we love --because they make it good and solid instead of concentrating on miserable attempts at eye candy.
Dranzerk - Friday, January 14, 2005 - link
#2 Kingwin still makes a nice case, they update it every so often to look more appealing.http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_cat.asp?CateID=1
Im going to get that one, clean look, and priced around $80-100 if you shop around.
blckgrffn - Friday, January 14, 2005 - link
No kidding. I have bought Antec after Antec recently, just because of their clean good looks and price point. Are there any case manufacturers listening? (Other than Lian-Li and Coolermaster, which both make beautiful cases IMO, but where is aluminum + 12cm fans?)Dranzerk - Friday, January 14, 2005 - link
What is it with case manufactors and "gaming" cases?Looks like they got the drawer of Voltron to make up cases, they look cheap, unappealing, and worst stupid ugly.
Its like a bad dream seeing so many fugly cases now.