1.10.2008
Inside the Velocity suite
Posted by Kate Ashley - Executive Director, Marketing & Retail Channel

We've received a lot of questions about what we've had on display during our CES sojourn. While some of it is still under NDA, I can tell you about the fun new stuff we were showing off (and then I'll have to kill you...)

First, it wouldn't be a Velocity Micro event without gaming. We had three gaming rigs out here in Vegas - the first is our Edge M40, an AMD-based system with NVIDIA graphics in a SLI-ready configuration. The new Spider version of this is still under development, but start looking for it early next month. The next two gaming PCs on display redefine the label. First up we had an Overdrive model featuring Intel's new Skulltrail motherboard, two quad core processors, tri-SLI (that's three 8800 series NVIDIA graphics cards) and two 64GB solid state hard drives in raid array with a back up 7200 rpm drive. When you see this come out in the coming weeks, expect to pay more for it than you did for your first car. But as Mario will tell you, as one of the fastest gaming systems in the world, it's worth every penny. And lastly, we debuted our latest version of the Raptor Signature Edition - founder Randy Copeland's blueprint for the absolute best gaming experience bar none. The Raptor features tri-SLI, quad core processing, solid state hard drives with a 1TB backup drive - everything you need for the most immersive, responsive gaming.

We also demonstrated our new MX2 chassis for our home and office PCs. The MX2 is a micro ATX case, which means it uses a motherboard that's significantly smaller than what you typically see from Velocity Micro. It fits perfectly under a desk or in a cabinet (though I'm sure I could never understand why you would want to hide beauty like that). We built a Vector Z20 in the new black MX2 with an Intel-based configuration. Starting at $899, the Vector Z20 is a great home office PC the whole family can use.

The CineMagix Grand Theater system was one of the most popular PCs we displayed in the suite, capturing everyone's attention and bringing some really interesting discussion to the challenge of accelerating the digital home convergence. The CineMagix acts as an entertainment server - streaming content throughout the house, with up to four cable cards - gaming PC (game from the comfort of your living room, on a display that's even bigger than your LCD (unless you're Randy and use a 60" display for everything), home office system, and control center for home automation. We're extremely excited by the growth we've experienced in this category and can't wait to unleash some of our new designs for this PC in the coming year.

Lastly, we populated the entire suite with notebooks - including some from our current lineup like the C90 and some new offerings that we expect to launch very soon. Gaming notebooks and performance laptops are a major focus for 2008 - look for amazing design, sleek performance, and the reliability you've come to expect from Velocity Micro.

[1.10.2008 @ 10:41 AM]  [Digg it]