The 1.7 million square feet of exhibition space that is CES 2008 is quite overwhelming to say the least. With so many companies crammed into all this space, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. As a result, a large number of companies have migrated off the show floor and into private suites strewn across the Las Vegas strip. Of that group included companies such as NZXT, TAGAN and ANTEC.
NZXT and TAGAN decided to show off their latest and greatest at the CES 2008 Kick Off Party hosted by Futurelooks while ANTEC picked up a posh suite at the Wynn Hotel. Let’s see what they’ve got secretly stashed away for us this year!
NZXT. Corporation
Our friend Johnny Hou from NZXT. has been busy these days designing up some of the most anticipated cases of 2008. Last year at COMPUTEX, they showed off a small form factor gaming case called the NZXT. Rogue. Now Johnny has returned with some new goodies to whet your appetites.
When NZXT. designs something, you know it won’t look like everyone elses. That’s why this new product known as the SENTRY LX will really catch your eye. It features five fan controls that auto detects the RPM and allows auto shut down of fans. Auto and manual settings remember fan, temp alarm settings, and time and can detect up to five different temperatures. The unit has a sleek aluminum front bezel and sits in a dual 5.25 inch bay. The large color display is flanked by easy to use and intuitive controls while the front bezel is framed by a sleek black aluminum front frame.
The new NZXT. Tempest is a steel gaming chassis that features 9 bays inside a mid-tower design. The case features dual 120mm intakes and a Dual 140mm top exhaust. It also has a Single 120mm rear fan and a Single side 120mm fan. Best of all, it includes all of these fans so you won’t be left sourcing them out yourself. Despite the mid-tower design, it does support up to E-ATX motherboards and has punched holes in the motherboard tray for clean cable routing. The PSU is housed at the bottom of the case and even has enough room for dual radiators if you’re an H2O cooling fiend.
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Finally, NZXT. showed off a case called the CS831. This mid-tower ATX case features a construction using 2 – 3mm aluminum sort of like the NZXT. Adamas but far larger. Maybe Johnny will change the name to the “Adamas Ultimate” before launch? The case features dual 120mm front and triple mid 120mm fans. It also features a Single 120mm Rear fan and a Single 140mm top fan. Yes, the fans do indeed glow blue. In addition to that, the generous interior has the ability to house Dual Power Supplies. You can even install up to eight hard drives into it within the eleven drive bays.
TAGAN Technology
Also partying with us at the CES 2008 Kick Off Party was TAGAN Technology. They also brought along a couple of cool toys to show off…
Tagan’s 1100 Watt ESA BZ PSU is 3 Way SLI ready power supply with enough connectors to support up to four graphics cards. The power supply feature’s TAGAN’s PipeRock modular cable management system that uses color coded LED’s so that you aren’t plugging things in the wrong slot. The power supply is topped off with a Titanium plated mirror coating and supports nVidia’s Internal ESA control system to monitor output voltage and current, fan speed of power supply, and temperature inside of PSU.
Finally, TAGAN also showed off their CS-EL Diablo BM case that features a massive side mounted 36cm fan and another equally massive 25cm front fan. Although it isn’t a brand new product for TAGAN, based on the response from the VIP guests, it was still a new sight for many people.
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ANTEC
Last year at COMPUTEX 2007, ANTEC showed off a number of new products that would have had people drooling for the past six months. To show us how they were coming along with those products, our friends at ANTEC invited us up to their posh suite at the Wynn to show off their latest and greatest. Here’s what we saw…
Last year at COMPUTEX 2007, ANTEC showed off a successor to the ANTEC 900 gaming case called the 1200. Their prototype featured a motorsports radiator built in for those watercooling fiends and a really ugly camoflauge cupholder mat. Well, they went back to the drawing board and tweaked the design loosing the radiator and the camoflauge to produce one fine looking all around high performance chassis. Although the radiator is gone, the case still has rubberized grommets for passing hoses through.
One complaint that 900 users had was difficulty with installing drives devices without losing their screws. ANTEC did away with the screws and implemented a quick release system. They’ve also upped the drive bay count from nine to twelve bays. With the large number of fans, ANTEC also implemented a fan control mechanism on the back of the case so you won’t have to open the case to adjust the fan speeds. The front fans also have their own set of fan control knobs.
On the power supply side, ANTEC is working on a brand new 1200 watt version of their Quattro power supply line. But the star of the show was their new Signature Series.
ANTEC’s new Signature Series has all the makings of a legend. Housed in a fancy box for a great user experience, the Signature Series features 850 Watts of power at 80% efficiency. The unit features new server grade DC to DC converter for the 3.3V and 5V outputs that increase system stability and reduce the units transient response times to a mere 10 microseconds, compared to 1 millisecond for most power supplies on the market. Furthermore, the Signature Series features Japanese components all around and a unique Double Layer PCB design as well as hybrid modular cable management. Put my “Signature” on the wish list for this puppy!
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Home Theatre PC enthusiasts that liked the ANTEC Fusion HTCP case will find more to love with the new ANTEC Fusion MAX! Originally shown at COMPUTEX 2007, the Fusion MAX finally gets a name and is almost ready for prime time, but we are getting closer. In addition to the name, it has been confirmed that the unique washable filter system will make its way into production, but it will lose the power supply bundled with it, giving users the choice to use any power supply that they want. The Fusion MAX will work with all ATX motherboards unlike the FUSION that only liked the company of mATX boards.
The chambered design will remain in the Fusion MAX along with a front ventilation system that can be installed by removing a set of front drive bays. This is aimed squarely at users that want to throw a couple of high end video cards into it for a no compromise gaming/home theatre PC system. ANTEC is still working on something for the front panel display so stay tuned.
Although we’re disappointed that the Fusion MAX won’t be released right away, we are pleased to see that the Mini P180 announced at COMPUTEX 2007 will be making its way to a store near you very soon. The Mini P180 officially takes on the name of Mini P180 and will launch in an iPod White and a Titanium grey. The Mini P180 will support mATX boards and will have all the bells and whistles of the full sized P180 from the slide out drive bay and screw box to the chambered power supply bay. Notice the washable filter down there? Also making it into production are the chevron shaped vents in both the top of the case and the front door.
ANTEC also brings out a new laptop cooler called the Notebook Cooler 200. The unit features a massive 200mm big boy fan that runs quietly but moves a massive amount of air. The 200 is designed to work well both on a desk and on your lap thanks to the smooth undersurface and proper seperation of the fan blades from your pants. The only thing that I found odd was the fact that it didn’t have a USB pass through so that you get that USB port that you give up to power it like every other laptop cooler. To its credit, the 200 does have an adjustable fan control and LED intensity switch.
If you’d like to see more shots of these new ANTEC products, and I know you want to, you can check out our CES 2008 ANTEC Photo Gallery.
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