Last week our editorial teams from Germany, Italy, and the U.S. were on the ground in Taiwan, covering the Taipei International Information Technology Show (better known as Computex) to bring you information about upcoming and prototype products. In this first part of the series, we have information from Adata, Cooler Master, Thermaltake (including the Tt Esports and Luxa2 sub-brands), Enermax, Sparkle, Deep Cool, Cougar, and Giada.
Adata
Probably known best for its corporate storage products, Adata representatives were adamant with us that the company is looking to gain prominence in the consumer space, which we saw reflected in what Adata was showing off on the show floor.

We'll start our tour around the company's booth with PC memory, a staple for Adata. We had a look at the company’s upcoming Chameleon XPG modules, which appears black under 25 degrees Celsius. When the temperature goes above 35 degrees, however, the memory becomes transparent.

There’s also a new line of Carbon XPG memory, with carbon fiber heat sink accents. Unfortunately, Adata has no firm release date for either product yet.

We also saw the new DashDrive Elite SE720 and SE810. Both are equipped with USB 3.0 connectivity, though the SE810 adds Thunderbolt support to the mix. Both are available in 128 and 256 GB capacities.

Next up, we have the DashDrive Durable UD320. This is a microUSB drive available in 16 and 32 GB capacities, designed to give smartphones an external upgrade path for large files or whatever else you want to access.

The new DashDrive Choice HC630 is an external 2.5” SATA solution with 500 GB, 750 GB, or 1 TB of storage space. Adata had personalization in mind with its wide array of cases, although the company says this unreleased product may not show up with all of the prototypes shown in its booth.

The DashDrive Air AE800 is a multifunction device: it’s a wireless hotspot for up to eight devices, it offers Internet access and local hard disk data streams simultaneously, and it’s a 5200 mAh power bank. It has iOS and Android application support for media viewing, too. The unit weighs 280 grams.

Now here's something we haven't seen from Adata before: a NAS box targeted at the home user interested in quiet operation and energy efficiency. The Premier Pro NP210 supports two full sized SATA drives in JBOD, RAID 0, and RAID 1 configurations. It has gigabit Ethernet for networked connectivity and HDMI for direct output to a display device. Four USB ports are split between second- and third-gen transfer rates. It's also compatible with Adata’s iOS and Android apps for mobile access.

Another home storage solution, the Premier NP100 is intended to serve as a personal cloud device. It features a personal drop box, gigabit Ethernet, dual USB 2.0 ports, and eSATA connectivity. The product hosts a single hard disk.


The compact Next-Generation Form Factor (NGFF) drive standard for SSDs is purportedly picking up steam, and Adata had two line-ups ready to go. Its XN341N line comes in 16 to 64 GB flavors, while the XNS360E comes in 64 to 256 GB sizes.

Finally, Adata introduced the SH2000 server SSDs, with capacities from 100 GB to a whooping 1600 GB!
Cooler Master


Cooler Master had a large presence at Computex. We’ll start with its V850 power supply, built for the company by the highly-regarded PSU manufacturer, Seasonic. There was an in-booth demo of power consumption running Windows comparing the V850 to an 80 PLUS-rated competitor. Naturally, Cooler Master's supply was using almost 10 W less. The premise was that 80 PLUS' specification isn't as strict at the lowest and highest levels of draw. So, the company fine-tuned its design to better-optimize for low consumption.

We also caught a glimpse of a fan and LED controller that should make it to market by the end of year.

It’s hard to see the details on the backlit display, but Cooler Master's Quickfire XT is the company's new mechanical keyboard. This is an old-school, no-nonsense design for fans of Cherry MX Blue, Red, Brown, or Green switches.

The company’s new SF-17 laptop cooler is similar to the now-discontinued SF-19. It supports up to 17” laptops and employs two 140 mm fans driven by USB to keep heat dissipated.

There’s a new flavor of the renowned Cosmos case, called the Cosmos SE. It’s essentially a smaller version of the Cosmos 2, and features improved radiator support (360 mm up front, 240 mm up top, and 120 mm around back). It also has two hidden SSD bays in the rear of the case.

The new N200 microATX chassis is a simple, classic design. It supports a 240 mm radiator in front, and the top fan slot can be closed with a magnetic cover if you want. It will also become available as the Silencio 352 version, which is very similar, but optimized for quiet operation and equipped with a lot of foam padding.

Cooler Master’s Elite 120 mini-ITX case has already received a lot of positive attention. But the company decided to add some significant upgrades for its new Elite 130. Airflow is improved significantly, thanks to blockages moved away from the front of the enclosure. The 130 supports water cooling with enough space to install a radiator. As you can see on the left, the case has ample space for large graphics cards (that's a Radeon HD 7990 installed, ready to cook everything else once the side panels are dropped into place). Essentially, the case can handle standard-sized components, except for the motherboard, of course. Expect this enclosure to fall in the $60 range when it becomes available.

A new family of JetFlo 120 fans comes with red, blue, or no LEDs. The screw holes are completely supported by rubber pads to minimize vibration, unlike some fans that use rubber pads around the edges, but are screwed directly into the fan frame, transmitting some of the vibrations anyway. They're rated for 95 CFM, though Cooler Master's rep claims to have seen more than 100 CFM at the high setting. And the company bundles adapters for more customized selection of quiet- or performance-optimized airflow.

Cooler Master is updating its V8 cooler with a vapor chamber base. Designated the V8 GTS, the new iteration is equipped with red LEDs to add some bling.

The Geminii mini is designed to fit within the same dimensions as Intel’s reference cooler, guaranteeing compatibility with small form factor platforms, while providing better thermal performance than Intel's stock solution.

The Hyper 103 is the company’s newest budget solution. One of the improvements is a beveled fin design to improve airflow. We look forward to testing the Hyper 103, as the Hyper TX is already known in our lab for providing good cooling performance at a low price.


Cooler Master is introducing a new line of closed-loop water coolers. Called the Nepton 280 and 140, these products are differentiated by the size of their radiators. They come equipped with the new JetFlo fans introduced above.

The Seidon 120D is an interesting closed loop liquid cooled, with two 120 mm radiators sandwiching a single fan. This purportedly delivers cooling capacity comparable to a 240 mm radiator in a smaller footprint, though we'll be interested to see how the one fan affects performance.
Thermaltake
Thermaltake was another company that showed up in a big way, exhibiting a number of upcoming products from its Thermaltake, Tt eSports, and Luxa2 brands.

First, we were shown the Tt eSports Poseidon, a simple mechanical keyboard employing Cherry MX Blue switches. It should be available in August for somewhere between $70 to $80 in backlit and non-backlit flavors.


The new Volos mouse is the same brand's entry into the MMORPG market. It features six buttons on the left and three buttons on the right side, enabling easy access to spells, moves, and macros.

The Sybaris is an interesting headset, referred to as a hybrid because it can operate in both wired and NFC-enabled Bluetooth modes. It should be available at the end of 2013 or early next year.



The very top of Thermaltake's product line is the Level 10 family, and Computex saw the official unveiling of the Level 10M Gaming headset (we actually had our hands on this back at CES). Designed by BMW DesignworksUSA, this is a very unique-looking product. It also boasts some interesting features: an integrated noise-cancelling microphone that folds away, an aluminum headband with locking mechanisms to maintain the right size for your head, and a detachable cable that can be plugged into either earphone to accommodate your position relative to the PC. Boasting 40 mm drivers and a total weight under 300 grams, it should be both comfortable and capable. Expect it within the next couple of months in a variety of colors for about $150.

We were also introduced to the Urban case series, available with a door (Urban B) or without (Urban C). The MicroATX enclosures are designed to fit large (long) graphics cards, and should be available next quarter.

These custom mods aren't shipping products, but we thought they were cool-looking anyways.

While the company was talking about this, we couldn't help but notice Thermaltake-branded water-cooling hardware. The rep hinted that he couldn't talk about specifics, but it appears as though we should expect to hear sometime in the future.

Thermaltake’s Luxa2 brand targets mobile accessories, and the company is shifting from Apple-oriented parts to more generic products. The new BT-X3 headset is a wireless NFC-enabled Bluetooth receiver with omni-directional mic, designed to take calls and facilitate media playback. It features call and media controls on one side of the headphones.

The Groovy speaker is for mobile Bluetooth-enabled music listening.

We were shown a nifty luggage tag with a 2500 mAh battery for mobile charging on the road. This thing should be available very soon.


The X-Cube combines a Bluetooth speaker and wireless charger. The charger sits under X-Cube and provides power wirelessly. It should sell for about $150.

The P-Mega power station provides an impressive 40,000 mAh of capacity. It can charge multiple devices at once, and touching the top opens a strip of blue accent lighting. Availability is expected in August for about $155.

Finally, the BlacX 5G Urban is a Wi-Fi-enabled hard disk docking station. Users can access the drive’s contents through an Android- or iOS-based device using a Google Play or App Store app. The unit also supports tethering, and it should be available by the end of year for about $80.
Enermax

Enermax showed us that it has quite a few new products in the pipeline. First, we saw the Aeolus, an aluminum laptop cooler. Available in July, it comes with the large 25 cm Vegas fan, so called because of the impressive variety of lighting effects it offers. This product will retail for about $50.
We also saw the AeroOdio, a larger cooling pad for gaming laptops with an integrated speaker system. It should be available in late August in the $80 to $90 range.

The company’s upcoming iVektor case boasts a nice design. It includes two 120 mm fans up front, two 120 mm fans on top, and a single 120 mm fan around back. There’s ample room for a 240 x 120 mm radiator if you’re interested in liquid cooling, too.

Speaking of liquid coolers, Enermax has a couple of closed-loop models that will be available in August (unless a patent infringement accusation by Asetek can’t be resolved). The Aquachanger 120 and Liqtech 120 will be about $70 and $90, respectively, assuming they make it to store shelves. The more expensive Liqtech features an all-aluminum water block instead of plastic, with face-to-face contact for better thermal transfer.

Enermax also introduced 400 to 520 W fanless PSUs at the show, and it said it hopes to bring 550 and 650 W models to market before September, if the engineers can keep them running cool enough. Those last two are expected to cost $170 and $190.

The Triathlor Eco line is Enermax’s new budget family of 80 PLUS-certified PSUs. Under pressure for lower pricing, these new models deliver the same efficiency as their predecessors for a $10 savings.

A step up from the Eco versions, the Triathlor Gold is a more premium power supply slated to replace the current Revolution models, but with a fairly substantial $30 price drop. Enermax plans to offer these from 425 to 725 W.

In some cases, air pressure is actually preferable to raw volume. To address this, the company designed a 120 mm High Air Pressure (HAP) fan.
Sparkle

The majority of products in Sparkle's booth were more corporate, rather than consumer-oriented. But the company does have a history of selling passively-cooled versions of high-end graphics cards, and it didn't disappoint us. Here's a shot of a passively-cooled GeForce GTX 680, though we're told passively-cooled GeForce GTX 770 and 780s are scheduled to arrive next month, too. Given the clock rates and thermal ceilings of Nvidia's GPUs (particularly GK110), it's probable that these boards won't operate in a completely stagnant enclosure. You'll almost certainly need some sort of airflow over the heat sink.
DeepCool

DeepCool's rep mentioned that we might see a new version of the Dracula graphics cooler later this year. For now, though, we have the Lucifer CPU cooler, with a passive (fanless) cooling capacity of 130 W.
Cougar

Cougar is working to build a bigger presence in the U.S., beginning with a couple of new enclosures. The MX500 and MX700 ATX cases are pretty solid-looking, and we find the former’s design to be particularly attractive.

The GCK300 keyboard also looks interesting, with its large volume knob, 1000 Hz polling rate, and macro creation software.

The Attack and Attack X keyboards are Cougar’s mechanical offerings, utilizing the popular Cherry switches. The Attack X is differentiated by red, white, and blue LEDs.
Giada

Giada is known for its extremely compact personal computers. The D2308 is its next-gen product, featuring Intel's fourth-gen (Haswell) Core processors, a GeForce GTX 650, and 802.11n Wi-Fi (plus Bluetooth) connectivity. Availability is expected toward the end of 2013.