Tag Archives: chassis

ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop at CES 2024 brings a thin, all-aluminum frame to your game

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Gaming laptops are powerful beasts, sometimes almost as powerful as some desktops. Most of them, however, almost feel as heavy and as bulky as those towering computers because of how much technology they pack inside, including the required cooling systems. Thanks to the laws of physics and limitations in manufacturing, it almost seems like having a gaming laptop that’s as slim and sleek as a MacBook is just a pipe dream. Consider those dreams fulfilled, then, with the newest duo in the ASUS ROG Zephyrus line, bringing to the CES 2024 crowd the first glimpse of an all-aluminum CNC machined gaming laptop that maintains a mind-blowing thin and light body despite the power it crams inside.

Designer: ASUS Republic of Gamers

Although the typical laptop might have plenty of metal on the outside, the majority of gaming laptops use plenty of plastic or only plastic for the chassis. It’s more resilient to pressure and is cheaper to manufacture, helping to offset the costs of the expensive hardware. However, it also has poorer heat dissipation, is prone to deform from excessive heat, and makes the laptop feel less premium than its price would suggest. The Republic of Gamers is, fortunately, challenging the status quo with the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G16 and its slightly smaller sibling, the ROG Zephyrus G14, bringing a sleek and elegant look you won’t easily find on most of its kind.

With an all-new, all-aluminum CNC-machined chassis, the ROG Zephyrus G16 and G14 bring a touch of class to your gaming gear. It isn’t all just for show, of course, because the change in materials also improves the structural rigidity of the laptop, reduces its overall weight, and increases the space for components inside. That means more room for more things while still keeping the laptop thin and light. At only 1.49cm thick and 1.85kg light, the Zephyrus 16 is pretty much on par with the gold standard of lightweight pro notebooks, the MacBook Pro. For reference, the Zephyrus G14 stands at 1.59cm thick and 1.5kg heavy only.

Of course, Zephyrus laptops are heavy-duty gaming slash workstations, and ROG hasn’t forgotten the traits that truly mark this mobile PC as such. There’s a brand-new LED lighting array, one that runs diagonally across the lid. Appropriately called Slash Lighting, this lighting accent can display customized patterns and animations that quickly set the laptop apart from other premium-looking notebooks. This 2024 generation also welcomes a new colorway, Platinum White, with a matte finish that cements the Zephyrus G16 and G14 as luxury items for gamers.

In terms of hardware, the two aren’t lacking in any department either, sporting the latest Intel and AMD processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or 4090 laptop graphics. In fact, these two boast the first ROG laptops to carry an OLED monitor under the ROG Nebula Display branding, offering rich blacks that truly make graphics pop. They both possess the latest cooling solutions, but the ROG Zephyrus G16 additionally carries a custom vapor chamber to make up for the more powerful hardware. These two stylish and powerful laptops are scheduled to land in markets in the first quarter of the year, though exact dates and pricing have yet to be announced.

The post ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop at CES 2024 brings a thin, all-aluminum frame to your game first appeared on Yanko Design.

teenage engineering desktop PC case exudes raw power with a retro-futuristic vibe

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Unless you’re a PC gamer, you most likely want to hide your desktop PC’s tall chassis from sight. Either that or you have opted for more recent desktops that are embracing modern, sometimes minimalist designs that you’d actually want to flaunt on your desk. People’s tastes vary, of course, and some computer users might not be so taken by the smooth and polished bodies of these elegant towers. Fortunately, you don’t have to feel stuck between flashy and bare with this new variant of teenage engineering’s unique and head-turning computer case, designed to be simple yet also expressive, now with an almost brutalist character that makes it feel like a post-apocalyptic computer of the future.

Designer: teenage engineering

teenage engineering designs have always been notable for their unorthodox nature and artistic personalities. Almost like a teen, there is a certain rebelliousness to its products, going against the status quo and thinking outside the box. Nowhere is that more evident than in the computer-1 desktop PC case that is like a nod to the days when computer users had to assemble every part of the PC in their garages or rooms.

The computer-1 case isn’t distinctive only because of its pure orange RAL 2004 powder-coated finish, which is definitely the most unexpected color for a desktop PC. Its claim to fame is that, unlike the chassis you’d buy from computer stores, this one has to be assembled even before you can cram in a mini ITX motherboard and other components. Flat-packed as sheets of metal with a few other parts, this makes the computer-1 more efficient to make and ship, not to mention giving owners a little adventure in piecing everything together.

teenage engineering is now offering this one-of-a-kind computer case in a new color, embracing a more “normal” raw anodized aluminum finish. It isn’t as shiny as, say, an Apple Mac Pro, and it really emphasizes that raw appearance. On the one hand, the overall design looks like something you might have cobbled up on your own due to a lack of materials available. On the other hand, that unfinished appearance does give it a distinctive personality, like a computer that’s built to be able to rough it out, regardless of what load you throw at it.

In all other aspects, it’s exactly the same computer-1 case that the brand launched quite a while back, meaning it has the same space-saving footprint and accessible price tag. And, of course, that means you’ll also have to do that nerve-wracking bending step when putting it together, but that’s pretty much part of the appeal of this rather quirky desktop PC box.

The post teenage engineering desktop PC case exudes raw power with a retro-futuristic vibe first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Rimac Scalatan is a stunning concept car with a 3D-printed chassis that ‘breathes oxygen’

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Built for the year 2080, the Rimac Scalatan concept by Max Schneider gives us a unique window into what our world and the transport industry could look like over half a century from now. Known for their advanced hypercars powered by cutting-edge innovations and technology, Rimac’s brand image literally screams futuristic… and the Scalatan concept capitalizes on that, with a combination of features that make it incredibly enticing. The car comes with a stunningly aerodynamic carbon-nanotube graphene outer surface that sits coolly on top of a generative-design chassis made from 3D-carboprinted titanium graphite. This organic looking chassis gives the car its structure and strength, while also being hollow on the inside to store the car’s lithium-oxygen batteries. These batteries react with oxygen (from air that passes through the chassis as the car drives) to produce lithium oxide that’s converted into energy… in short, the Scalatan actually BREATHES air like a living organism.

The Scalatan champions renewable energy like all of Rimac’s hyper-mobiles… the concept runs on air-powered lithium-oxygen batteries, but also features a unique induction-charging aero-fin base that has the capability of charging itself through the road as it drives, a feature that supports the Li-O batteries by offsetting some of the car’s energy demands and pulling electrical energy right from the induction-ready road. The car’s wheels embrace futurism too, and while the chassis relies on being hollow to allow air to fill it up and charge the batteries, the wheels don’t share the same distinction. The Scalatan’s airless wheels (like most of the car) come 3D-printed too, using a unique lattice structure to absorb shock, just like air-filled wheels; while resisting wear-and-tear and being completely puncture-proof.

Schneider’s design process for the Scalatan involved a two-pronged approach – A future study, to understand how a car in 2080 would be built and how it would operate, as well as a detailed study of Rimac’s own design language, in order to help the car capture the Croatian automotive company’s brand DNA. The Scalatan, in that regard, does a pretty remarkable job of showcasing future technologies while entirely embracing Rimac’s design playbook. It comes with the unique cutaway shape in front of the rear wheel, a detail that’s common to all of Rimac’s cars, while going for the sleek headlights, and amping up the beauty with edge-lit floating taillights that look mesmerizing from any and every angle. The Scalatan, like all of Rimac’s cars, also packs doors that give you a dramatic entry and exit to and from the vehicle. The doors form a part of the car’s front surface panel, and open upwards from the front, instead of from the side. This reveals the car’s aggressive chassis, almost like a predator revealing its teeth before it attacks its prey. Gaps in the side of the chassis (as well as the front) allow you to enter the car’s interiors, which seat the driver and passenger one behind the other in a 1+1 arrangement, much like a fighter jet… which seems like a pretty apt metaphor for a car that’s designed to absolutely ‘take-off’ on roads, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust behind. If the future is even half as cool as Max imagines it to be, I have a vested interest to live till I’m a hundred.

And there’s even a Hyperloop-enabled version of the Scalatan that you can see on Max’s project page.

Designer: Maximilian Schneider

Alleged budget iPhone shows off polycarbonate body, brings back good memories

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Alleged leak suggests upcoming budget iPhone will revert to polycarbonate body

The rumor about that more affordable iPhone just keeps coming back, but this time we're finally seeing some sort of progress. Courtesy of case manufacturer Tactus, we're apparently looking at the upcoming budget iPhone's polycarbonate shell, which was spotted at a factory that provides parts to Foxconn. It's the same story for the "iPad 5" case leak that Tactus published two days ago (the same day as our own scoop), so the company does seem to have a good contact for these kinds of goodies -- and it is a very competitive market, after all.

Compared to the old polycarbonate iPhone 3G and 3GS, this mysterious shell appears to have a flat back instead of the old curved one, meaning it should reduce manufacturing complexity and therefore the cost as well. Another notable difference is that the old volume rocker is split into two, and then there's also the LED flash that was absent on the old polycarbonate iPhones. Tactus adds that this body is slightly taller, wider and thicker than the iPhone 4 and 4S, but what we do struggle to believe is that apparently the same factory is producing this shell in black and white as well as blue, red and yellow. A decoy, perhaps? Only time will tell.

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Source: Tactus (budget iPhone leak), ("iPad 5" case leak)

Ask Engadget: best barebones workstation chassis?

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Ask Engadget best barebones workstation chassis

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Charles, who's capping off the year with a fine question about DIY PC chassis. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I work in motion graphics and it's upgrade time. I'm a DIY and Windows nut, so I'm looking to build my own tower, but the cases are all so horrible! I don't need a plastic window, or something that looks like it was designed by aliens -- just something that's sharp, solid, good looking and has a respectable airflow. Is that too much to ask?"

Well, we trawled our brains (as well as a fair chunk of the internet) looking for some classy chassis, and this is what we found:

  • Corsair's Obsidian 550D may have a plastic window, but otherwise it's a monolithic piece of imposing black metal that won't ugly up your office.
  • Coolermaster's Silencio 650 is hewn from diamond-cut aluminum and drops the plastic window, and given the company's heritage, should have excellent airflow.
  • Finally, there's the Lian-Li PC-A71F, which can only be described as terrifyingly sleek.

But what about you all? Let's cap the year off with some stylish PC cases, peace and goodwill to everyone and a very happy New Year to you, the Engadgeteers.

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Custom PC desk / case combo ditches glass, metal for wood

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Custom PC desk / case combo ditches glass, metal for wood

Desk case PC mods have lit up our radar before, but a modder by the name of Pirate -- who's no stranger to us -- has dropped the typical glass and metal enclosure for medium-density fiberboard. Though the material choice was an effort to avoid buying a new desk, it created a need for a robust cooling system. Five fans (three exhaust, two intake), a radiator and a liquid-cooling system keep the rig at roughly 88 F (31 C) with ambient temperatures hovering around 79 F (26 C). As for horsepower, the workstation features a Core-i5-2000k processor and a Radeon HD 7950 graphics card sporting a water cooling block on an Asus Gene IV microATX motherboard. Visuals are piped to three displays in an Eyefinity configuration that are held by a modded ergonomic stand. Pictures of the build process in excruciating detail await you at the source.

Custom PC desk / case combo ditches glass, metal for wood originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceShazim Mohammad  | Email this | Comments

EVGA’s GeForce GTX 680 Classified tempts overclockers with watery siren call

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evga-geforce-gtx-680-classified-water-cool

Judging by a sneak Computex preview, EVGA's intentions for the upcoming GTX 680 Classified graphics card are not a thorny mystery. With an optional water-cooling block and voltage control inputs, there's plenty here to seduce the hardcore modder. The company isn't talking numbers just yet, but if terms like "14-phase power design" whet your appetite, then you're in luck. In any case, like its other Classified mates, it's apt to be the company's top GeForce GTX 680 performer. So, if you're plugging in the pumps and hoses for that next mod, you might want to leave a slot -- or four -- open for this one.

EVGA's GeForce GTX 680 Classified tempts overclockers with watery siren call originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jun 2012 05:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAnandTech  | Email this | Comments