CeBIT 2010 - Fermi, spider cases and more

XFX

XFX were also getting in the action when it comes to crazy-go-nuts GPUs, showing off an augmented reality demo of its new Radeon HD 5970 Black Edition Limited 4GB. Yes, you read that right; this card will boast a ludicrous 4GB of GDDR5! Obviously targeted at the ultra high end and six monitor Eyefinity systems where that much graphics memory can actually be put to use, we’d imagine quantities will be limited, but as with the Asus Ares, we’re sure XFX will find a market for such exclusive high-end GPUs.

Antec

Away from the ongoing battle between the Reed and Green graphics teams there was plenty more of interest when it comes to the new cases, with Antec debuting its new Darkfleet range. Although made in much the same mould as the Antec 902 and 1200, these new steel cases boast a completely redesigned front facisa and cooling system. They've dropped the roof mounted “Big Boy” 240mm fan in favour of 120mm fans and fitting the front fans into hatches which can be opened to reveal the hard disk drive mounts within. The Darkfleet range will also boast a 2.5in hot swap drive mounted into the roof of the case, as well as long demanded 2x120mm radiator support.


While we’re not sure on the Darkfleet aesthetics at this stage, the cooling and layout looks to right up there with Antec’s already impressive range – there are very few airflow obstructions inside making for efficient airflow, and Antec look to be including plenty of fans out of the box.

Antec also had the latest build of its long in production reimagined Lanboy chassis, this time appearing in a great looking burnt orange for its core frame work. The new Lanboy is still a bit too heavy on mesh, but we love the entirely modular idea behind case which allows you to entirely reconfigure the drive bay area on the case, as this is especially useful for enthusiasts who are always changing or upgrading their hardware. We can’t wait for Antec to sign off on it and strap our testing gear inside – hurry up please!


Antec isn’t stopping there though, and is also looking to branch out into the ever competitive market of CPU coolers with a new, imaginatively named, Kuhler range – get ready with the Great Escape gags. Three models are on the way, topping out at the eight heat pipe Kuhler Box (we told you) and should arrive in the next few months.

Lian Li

Elsewhere aluminium case specialist Lian Li had its new X900 on show, a new smaller version of the excellent but sadly very pricey X1000. The X900 has had “a bit taken off the top” and is slightly smaller, but retains the same smooth stylish looks and excellent thermal layout of the X1000, as well as shipping in black, silver and simply gorgeous red brushed aluminium – sadly the £300 price tag won’t make it any more affordable.


Lian Li has got its paint brush out elsewhere too, and was also showing its new PC-Q07 all aluminium Mini-ITX case in a variety of new colours and looking particularly pimp in blue and gold. These cases look to be just as capable as they are pretty too, with support for a full size PSU, 3.5in hard disk drives and up to 10.5in graphics cards. We’ll have a review coming soon.

In pride of place on Lian Li’s stand though was the bizarre yet undeniably cool PC-T1, a red brushed aluminium Mini-ITX test bed more resembling an insect than a high end test bench. Four adjustable aluminium struts project from the centre platform and angled PSU mount as supports and lit from underneath it really did look fantastic; it’s just a shame that it has so few genuine applications as Mini-ITX is hardly the overclockers standard of choice.


That’s all for us right now, but we’ll be back soon with more tasty CeBIT news. Until then we’re off to sup beer from comedy oversized steins and rock out to heavy metal oompha oompah bands.