War Machine

I've seen these guys around before, but can't remember where and when. What really sets an extreme gaming system integrator apart from everyone else is price and a memorable calling card. I really dig the War Machine logo and the way they have used it to dress up their cases.

War Machine!

Playing COD4 w/ The Crew

These folks were playing Call of Duty 4 as well on both single, SLI, and triple SLI graphics systems. Their booth spokesman said they are serious system builders who look for the best bang for buck performance and offer that to the consumer. And judging by the components used in the configurable gaming systems at the booth along with the quoted price, they really might be on to something.

Triple SLI Machine

SLI Machine

You'll be happy to know that their systems seemed to keep up with any of the other booths. Everything was well cooled with great heat sinks or some decent water cooling. It all blended pretty well with their Coolermaster Stacker Cases with a black, anodized interior. Gentlemen, start your dreaming.

Commodore PC

I just happened to stumble in or across Commodore PC's booth (depending on how you look at it) after walking through some 200 booths. Commodore PC isn't a new company, but they are brand new to the U.S. as of CES. They are mainly a customized gaming system builder.

Front Lines C-Kin

One Machine Option

Interesting Cooler

Their systems aren't all top of the line. Their Call of Duty 4 C-Kin (case skin) caught my eye as I passed by. The booth models did have single and SLI 8800 graphics. The motherboards were at least Nvidia 680i with immediate plans to integrate the 780i in their next systems as well as graphics.

COD4 C-Kin

Sludge's Other Case

Full Opening Door

The thing that was surprising is that their best dual 8800 Ultra 768MB system with an Intel QX6850 processor topped out at about $2700. That system comes with a 300GB Raid 0 Array, 500GB SATA II back up drive, Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Audio, 850 Watt Power Supply, and Vista Ultimate. Oh, did I mention that they offer Philips Blu-ray DVD ROM drives? Compared to some of the other systems at CES, that really isn't a bad price and may attract buyers looking for the most for their money.

Zalman
 

Zalman Booth

What can we say? We love Zalman. When they come up with a concept, they really polish it before presenting to the consumer. Their booth was alive with onlookers, system integrators, vendors, and admirers all contemplating what they want from Zalman next.

3D Screen Demos

ZM-M220W 3D Screen

On display were their many cases, enclosures, peripherals, power supplies, and 3D monitors. Yep, they have their own really cool ZM-M220W and M190 3D monitors which were pretty cool for playing a few games. These are a little more feasible than 50" 3D HDTVs. Definitely easier on the wallet.

VGA Coolers

CPU Coolers

We've had the opportunity to check out their power supplies which are Nvidia SLI Certified and rated to 86% maximum efficiency which is actually lower than what was experienced. These are actually pretty powerful power supplies.

Reserator XT

Integrated XT

The two coolest systems at the booth were a modified ZMachine GT1000 with an integrated Reserator XT in the front of the chassis. This is seriously, well refined enclosure that should absolutely be mass produced. Every conceivable detail has been finished.

Modified Reserator XT ZMachine

Next to the modified ZMachine was the Reserator XT with all of the cooling components that Zalman offers to compliment the XT. We've had the honor of reviewing their Reserator, Reserator 2, and Reserator XT. It all just keeps getting better and better.

Zotac

As a consumers, we're always happy to see some new competition in hopes of better prices or at least better products as each company raises the bar. Zotac hasn't been around long at all, but they seem to have a vision of affordable graphics cards.

The 8800 Series

Micro-ATX Motherboards

Literally on the table was the 8800 GT they released to the U.S. market some time ago with immediate plans as of Jan 4th to release their 8800 GTS 512MB AMP Edition graphics card which offers faster frequencies than stock cards. These are naturally built around the G92 GPU which has done very, very well compared to the GTX versions.

Newly Released 8800GT

Demo Rig

They offer the same or similar graphics cards as XFX or EVGA. Their spokesman believes they can offer the same quality graphics cards as anyone else, but added they want to keep costs affordable. Do their cards perform as well? We'll hopefully be able to let you know soon.

Conclusion:
 

R2D2 HD Projector w/ Millennium Falcon Remote

The honorable mentions worth noting are that 3D Mice are on the rise allowing you to view 360 degrees around your MMO style game with a thumb ball, Kingmax supposedly will release 2000MHz DDR3 among other storage devices, Plantronics is now offering their Audio 480 USB Virtual Phone Booth which is as mobile as your laptop, and that they just had to go and shove an HDTV Projector inside R2D2 with the universal remote inside a scaled down Millennium Falcon. I can just hear the countless owners yelling, "Look, but don't touch!"

Plantronics	Audio 480 USB Virtual Phone Booth
3D Game Mouse	Kingmax 2000MHz DDR3

I could go on and on about so many things at CES. If we mentioned every possible new thing, it would take several days just to clear it all up and give each one their due. That's why we really like to touch on the things that seem to offer the most or are useful to the tech world.

3D Graphics Booth

Power Supply Manufacturer

Perhaps next year, there will be a lot more in computer related advancements. Every two years there seems to be a big jump in products which is what we're hoping to see. Till then, we appreciate all of you who have taken the time to visit our site and hope you've seen something that'll help you make your next computer upgrade choice easier. Till next time!

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