CES 2006 - Day 1: Dell's 30" Display, Quad SLI, WUSB and more

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• Xenoterranos - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  maybe it'll be a ton cheaper than a DTR. If it was maybe just a bit more expensive than say, a similarly equiped PC, then I could see it being viable.

• OrSin - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  Dell actually has some nice concepts. Dell high end products are getting better. To bad most people buy thier low end junk. I doubt the CPU would limit he Quad the computer in anything. The Quad video card might get a little more work if you get a 30in. But really can you game on 30in. I think tunnel vision would kick in
  
  I really like the idea of the portal. Now if they could add some MCE stuff to it would be ideal for Dorm rooms. No tv needed. and study (or play) center you can take with you, if needed.

• plewis00 - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  I'm going to guess though that, as it comes with a Media Center Remote, it probably is kitted out with an internal TV tuner.
  
  It's a nice idea and one that whilst discussed has never really seen the light of day. However, given the choice I think I'd rather sit down and DIY it with a briefcase/suitcase or something than pay Dell to do it for me - if only for flexibility. Also 20" widescreen is good but it's going to be big and pretty heavy too. The fact that Dell tried something different shows attempted innovation which I don't think anyone can say is a bad thing.

• FrozenCanadian - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  Does that MSI upgradable graphics thing remind anyone of the 1998 Micron/Rendition Socket X.

• Donegrim - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  In my opinion, the socket thing is a bad idea. It will make a complete graphics "setup" more expensive, will introduce another load of compatability issues and forced upgrading, and looks shat. Plus heatsinks will be a bitch to design/replace.

• PrinceGaz - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  omg I hadn't thought about heatsink issues, only enthusiasts and qualified proffesionals would be able to upgrade the GPU anyway and re-fit the heatsink (assuming it can still use the old one). I'm totally against the idea anyway for far more sensible reasons like how the GPU core and memory are very much tailored to each other and how memory speeds are steadily increasing, and sticking a next-gen core in a card will likely be a waste of money. And that's all before considering stability issues with a card you upgrade as opposed to the current market where you buy a card guaranteed to work.
  
  There is no place for upgradeable graphics sockets except on a mobo to provide an alternative to whatever the chipset offers. Actually no, that doesn't make sense either as a PCie graphics card would likely be just as cheap and offer better performance. No, upgradeable GPU/VPUs seem pointless to me. Let's stick with cards that are designed around components that work together best, rather than waste money on more expensive cards
  
  However to say that is the world's first upgradeable graphics-card is totally wrong. Many graphics-cards in the mid 90's had sockets to add extra video-memory making which at the time was considered a serious upgrade as it allowed the use of higher resolutions and colour-depths. Different sort of upgrade agreed, but most definitely a true graphics-card upgrade and one which was readily available, unlike what we're talking about today.

• LoneWolf15 - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  I think it's a killer idea, but poor implementation. I'd have done the design a bit differently if it is possible to do so, by making it possible to use Socket A or Socket 370 type HSF's on the GPU's so that customized cooling would be an easy option, and by separating the RAM from the GPU modules (perhaps SO-DIMM style?). This is probably more nVidia's issue than MSI's though. The idea of an upgradeable graphics card needs to be done to make it less expensive for the consumer rather than more (i.e., the cost of a GPU upgrade is less than buying a second card or a new card) more like buying a mainboard and changing processors. That probably needs to be done by nVidia as a from-scratch design though, and since it might not make them more money, there's probably no incentive to do so.

• erwos - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  The transportable is actually a brilliant idea. There's so many kids at college who buy a laptop when all they really need is something like that.
  
  -Erwos

• VooDooAddict - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link

  I think Dell's transportable PC is a great idea. The handle makes it all come together.
  
  I'm supprised no one mentioned LAN Party! That thing has the possibility of giving Shuttle SFF PCs a nice competition.
  
  I think that a battery is an unnessesary expense.
  

• Seraph321 - Saturday, January 7, 2006 - link

  I'm also very interested in this mobile desktop concept. I travel every week, and I currently take a laptop and a mini-tablet with me, but I leave the laptop in the hotel all week just so I can have a bigger screen and media/gaming options in the evenings.
  
  I would love it if the monitor could be used separately, like as an external monitor for my tablet. It would AMAZING if the monitor could travel separate from the rest of the computer in case I just want a bigger screen for my mini-tablet. If there were a way to just grab the monitor + battery and use it to extend the capabilities of my other devices, that would make me buy it right there.