Computex 2013: Cases, Storage, Motherboards, And More
In this third round of Computex coverage, we bring you up to speed on 19 more of our meetings, covering displays, motherboards, tablets, keyboards, mice, cases, power supplies, storage, audio, and power supplies. As you can see, we were quite busy.
Lian-Li, Patriot, NZXT, And SanDisk At Computex 2013
Lian-Li
Lian-Li had some new enclosures in its booth at Computex this year. First, we saw the double-wide PC-D600, an EATX case with two 120 mm and three 140 mm fans, which the company hopes to make available by the end of this year.
The large EATX PC-V2130 includes two 120 mm fans in front, one in the rear, and four on the side of the enclosure.
The microATX PC-V358 folds open, and your motherboard mounts flat on the bottom. This case sports three 120 mm fans.
Lastly, we checked out the PC-Q30, a uniquely stylish mini-ITX enclosure that employs a single 140 mm fan for airflow. It's expected to arrive in the U.S. next month for $139.
Patriot
Patriot is in the process of shifting its focus to address an increasingly mobile-oriented market. Company reps started by showing off its Fuel+ external battery line-up. The small square-shaped 1500 mAh charger works exclusively with Apple devices sporting a Lightning connector. Thankfully for PC enthusiasts, the larger 2200 and 3000 mAh rectangular models feature a generic USB port. The largest 5200, 6000, 7800, and 9000 mAh versions offer 2.5 A output to charge devices faster. Patriot claims the mobile batteries retain 70% of their potential after 300 cycles (estimated to be two years of use), and members of the Fuel+ family will cost between $40 and $100.
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Next, we were introduced to the Aero, a wireless mobile hard drive and Wi-Fi pass-through device available with 500 GB or 1 TB of capacity. Essentially an upgraded 320 with tweaked firmware, Patriot says the Aero might achieve a bit more wireless range. But the main feature is support for larger drives.
We also saw Patriot's new 64 GB s-mini and Tab USB 3.0 thumb drives.
Patriot wrapped up our booth tour by showing off its Supersonic Magnum USB drive, available with up to 256 GB of capacity for $299.
NZXT
NZXT was exhibiting a handful of fully-modular power supplies for value-oriented shoppers. Its Hale82 V2 is 80 PLUS Bronze-certified. The 550 W model sells for $80, while the 700 W version is $100. Both feature a 135 mm fan, which is quieter than the 120 mm coolers used previously due to fewer RPM.
The new H230 chassis was also on display. This is an entry-level enclosure, designed to be affordable, but also quiet with three 120 mm fans (one for exhaust in the back, and two for intake up front). It has a removable hard drive cage and uses the same sound dampening material as the H2 at a $70 price point.
Company reps also showed us its Phantom 530, a revamped version of the original Phantom at the same price point, with features like steel latches, fully modular hard drive cages, liquid cooling support, room for a 360 mm radiator up top, and a 240 mm radiator in the front. While the original Phantom had a 120 mm fan in back and 24 mm of cable management space, the Phantom 530 sports a 140 mm blower and and 35 mm of space behind the motherboard tray. Expect the new version to go on sale this month for $130.
Incidentally, a demo system based on the 530 was on display with three Kraken coolers; the original Phantom wasn't Kraken-compatible.
Speaking of liquid cooling, we spotted a prototype universal VGA bracket that's compatible with the Kraken X40 and just about any other Asetek-branded cooler. These were demonstrated on two GeForce GTX Titan cards, each using a Kraken X60. This bracket is expected to cost about $15 when it's launched.
SanDisk
SanDisk released the mainstream Ultra Plus in January, and now the company's higher-end Extreme II is available as well. You can purchase the 120 GB model for $130, the 240 GB version for $225, and the 480 GB flagship for $450 on Newegg. It's an exceptionally fast drive based on 19 nm flash memory. Read our review of this product here: SanDisk Extreme II SSD Review: Striking At The Heavy-Hitters.
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JJ1217 That Phantom 530 looks gorgeous. Definitely going to go for one of those when they come out.Reply -
Au_equus I don't know about the next guy, but I wouldn't be "Boasting a resolution of 1920x1080." The PQ321 on the other hand... :)Reply -
crABtoad I don't get the world first claim on the Poseidon...Arctic has the Accelero Hybrid which seems like it's the same thing, but not ROG-themed.Reply -
rmerwede Was really hoping to see the Bitfenix booth with all the new m-ATX cases they have lined up.Reply -
Marcus52 11096415 said:I don't get the world first claim on the Poseidon...Arctic has the Accelero Hybrid which seems like it's the same thing, but not ROG-themed.
Uh, Arctic makes cooling solutions, they don't sell complete graphics cards with the cooler installed. The ROG Poseidon will be the first video card with the hybrid solution already on it.