Enclosure
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Brando begins deluge of anonymous USB 3.0 hard drive enclosures
Hey Brando! You're awesome for being your usual self -- $49 isn't too bad for this next-gen product (also the first USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure sans drive we've seen; 2.5-inch here, by the way), and it doesn't burn our eyes either. Now, maybe those drive manufacturers can start sorting out those extortionate SSD prices? We've seen the numbers and not even the 7200rpm 3.5-inch hard drives have made it over half the theoretical speed of USB 2.0, let alone reaching ten times that on 3.0. Still, there's no harm in making the early jump -- it is backward compatible after all, and if you don't mind paying for juice you can't use, who are we to stop you?
iBuyPower nabs exclusive rights to sell Thermaltake Level 10 pre-built systems
So, there are two nagging issues surrounding Thermaltake's awe-inspiring Level 10 enclosure. First, it's $850 and nearly impossible to find in stock; second, you best know how to piece together a full-blown rig yourself, 'cause you won't find this beast hanging around at infrequently visited corners of Dell or HP. Somehow or another, however, iBuyPower has managed to swoop in and remedy quandary number two. As of today, it's the exclusive provider of pre-built systems using this case, with base configurations boasting Intel's Core i7-920, a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD boot drive, 1TB of storage space and a Blu-ray drive. Feel free to spec this one out 'til your heart's content, but be mindful of that already-lofty $2,499 starting tag. %Gallery-79948%
Mission-style PC casemod easily slides into your La-Z-Boy collection
Jeffrey Stephenson is to case mods what Benjamin Heckendorn is to console mods. There, we said it. After watching the former pump out wood-grained mod after wood-grained mod, Sir Jeff has issued yet another -- wait for it -- wood-grained mod. The black walnut mission-style side table is actually a full-blown PC in disguise, with a standard ATX mid-tower within that's equipped with an Intel Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA graphics and dual stage temperature-controlled exhaust fans. He notes that it'll be available next Spring for those with fine tastes, though we're sure he'd customize it to fit your living room suite for the right price.
Ask Engadget: Best dual-drive external enclosure?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Robert, who is sick and tired of using two power supplies, two I/O cables and too much time to accomplish what should be a simple task."I commonly need to boot a system from an external disc and take a snapshot of the host system. I also then need to burn a copy of the image to a DVD. While I can do it with two separate external devices, and two power supplies, and two I/O cables, it'd be nice to find a small dual-drive enclosure. It would need to have USB, eSATA, and FireWire. Either slim-line or half-height bay for the optical burner would be fine, and space for either a 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard disc. Any ideas?"Robert here is outfitting an entire school for a 1:1 laptop program, so needless to say this request is urgent. Any storage junkies out there know of the perfect solution? No short-changin', alright?
Translucent XCM Eye Candy case encourages licking of DSi
Oh sure, the DSi was the definite hotness when it sprung onto the scene earlier this year, but if you're growing somewhat bored of the same old camera + touchscreen action, why not spruce things up with an all new exterior? The case you're looking at above does require the disassembly of your console, and thus, you can kiss your remaining warranty goodbye. Frankly, we view the sacrifice as thoroughly worth it, as XCM's Eye Candy shell is practically guaranteed to get more eyes, fingers and tongues on your machine. And really, who wouldn't want that?[Via Boing Boing]
A house for your homeless 2.5" SATA drive
Are you wondering what to do with the 2.5" SATA drive that you yanked out of your MacBook or Mac mini so you could replace it with a SATA Solid State Drive? For $19.99, the OWC Express USB 2.0 bus-powered enclosure provides a new home for that old drive so you can use it as a backup or spare drive.The Express enclosure is just slightly larger than an iPhone at 3.07" x 5.12" x .55" (78mm x 130mm x 14mm), and weighs just 2 ounces (56g) empty. Just toss in your old 2.5" SATA drive and you have a bus-powered USB 2.0 drive that easily fits in your pocket. You can also shop around for new bare SATA drives; a 500GB, 5400 RPM drive can be had for as low as US$97 (I'm sure you can find them for less!), making for a low-cost and portable backup solution.There are other similar USB 2.0 enclosures out there; MacAlly's PHR-250A (US$19) and StarTech SAT2510U2 Infosafe (US$17.96) are about the same size and weight as the Express, while the Vantec NexStar SX NST-285S2-BK (US$22.02) and Sabrent EC-UST25 (US$14.97) are larger and heavier.What's your favorite use for disk drives that you've pulled out of your Macs? Leave a comment below.
Lian-Li intos low profile PC-C39 HTPC chassis
Still teetering on which Lian-Li chassis to put your next HTPC in? Hope you're kosher with one more option to make things even more difficult. On the real, the PC-C39 aims at a very specific niche: those who want low profile and are willing to deal with the limitations attached. Said case, which arrives in black or silver brushed aluminum, supports micro-ATX motherboards, includes an anti-vibration HDD cage, a pair of 70mm extraction fans, folded elements to prevent sharp edges and four low profile expansion slots. Too bad it'll set you back $210, huh?
Ask Engadget: Best external hard drive enclosure?
No need to check your LCDs, folks -- this is happening. This is this week's rendition of Ask Engadget, and if you'd rather your own question be in this space next week, shoot us a good one at ask at engadget dawt com. "Like any good geek, I have upgraded my MacBook's hard disk many times, and have all the old 2.5-inch SATA disks sitting in a pile. I'd like to put them in a case, but the enclosures I see are either very expensive or look hideous and unreliable. I'd love to get some recommendations for dependable, fairly-priced portable enclosures; USB's a must, but FireWire 400, then FireWire 800 then eSATA would be bonuses, as would any extra features."So, HDD upgraders -- what kind of case (or cases) did you procure in order to keep using those displaced drives? Any great stories of success / failure? Let us know, would ya?
Lian-Li introduces PC-C33 and PC-C34F HTPC enclosures
Honestly, there aren't too many empty HTPC cases hitting the streets these days, so it's quite refreshing to see Lian-Li pumping out a new duo for those still holding tight to true American values. Er, DIY values -- same difference, right? Anywho, both the PC-C33 and PC-C34F were designed to house micro-ATX / ATX form factors and boast plenty of room for internal HDDs, fans and a nice array of ports. The latter checks in with just a bit more room inside, not to mention a front-mounted, lockable HDD cage with a hot swap HDD capability. Hop on past the break for the full specifications, and since we know you're wondering, you'll be looking at $160 (C33) / $255 (C34F) for these when they ship in May.[Via HotHardware]
Aliens PS3 case mod is staggeringly ugly to non-fans
Adding even more credibility to the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" mantra is this... masterpiece / abomination. Inspired by the iconic Aliens films, this completely over the top PlayStation 3 case mod is about as ridiculous as it gets. We're not really told how the modder went about crafting this lovely interpretation, but we are given a few more snapshots to gawk at in the read link -- which you won't visit unless you too are an Aliens freak, but hey, that's cool. [Thanks, Jeremiah]
Lian Li's PC-V351 HTPC chassis makes us want to build
There goes Lian Li, making us drool all over our keyboards again. The company famous for making cases that you'd actually pay good money for is back, and this time it's after the HTPC crowd. The PC-V351 HTPC chassis is made from brushed aluminum and comes in black, silver or red -- the latter of which should only be considered by those who truly are more awesome than anyone else they know. There's plenty of room for a micro-ATX motherboard, three fans, a number of PCI cards, loads of ports, a few terabytes of HDD space and a TV tuner or two, naturally. There's no mention of price, but we'll go ahead and tell you it'll be expensive (and worth every dime).%Gallery-45494%
Shuttle ships liquid-cooled SDXi Carbon SFF gaming PC
Got a hankering for an all new gaming rig, preferably one that could fit in your over-sized backpack should the need arise? Ready to spend boatloads of cash to make it happen? If you're eagerly nodding your head up and down, have a look at Shuttle's liquid-cooled SDXi Carbon, a fancily painted machine that checks in at 7.3- x 7.9- x 12.2-inches and gets powered by a 3GHz Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU. Other specs include 2/4/8GB of RAM, between 250GB and 2TB of hard drive space, an optional Blu-ray writer, your choice of NVIDIA GPU, gigabit Ethernet and optional WiFi. The starting price on this bugger is an amazing $2,599, and if you plan on customizing the base configuration whatsoever, you should probably plan on taking out yet another line of credit on what's left of your home.[Via HotHardware]
Antec's open air Skeleton PC case is so breezy
While the Acrylic Cowboy family of cases still has our hearts (okay, so maybe it's just the mascot that does it for us), Antec's latest offering is certainly worthy of praise. The aptly-dubbed Skeleton is wrongfully hailed as the "world's first open air case," but in reality, it is one of only a handful. Even with all that openness, there's still a 250mm fan up top along with a 92mm one up front, but we suppose there's no harm in being too careful. It also provides four drive bays, a layered tray design, seven expansion slots and a meager assortment of ports. You will have to provide your own power supply when the time comes, however, and you'll also have to wait a tick to find out a price and release date.[Via BoingBoing, thanks Matt]
Mini ColecoVision hits eBay, finds a special place in our hearts
Call us biased, but we still prefer Ben Heckendorn's portable ColecoVision over this one, but that's not to say we don't deeply respect the immense amount of work that went into the mini ColecoVision. The seller of the unit stripped a ColecoVision PCB from an original casing and got to modding; when all was said and done, the miniaturized version still operated fine and required a lot less floor space. 'Tis a shame the bidding just ended -- now you're stuck with Atarimax's oh-so-similar (but not nearly as satisfying) MulitCart as you embarrassingly attempt to relive the past. [Via technabob]
Acrylic Cowboy cases artfully expose your components, are not childproof
Here's the thing about PC cases -- they spend a good bit of time showing off how fantastic the outside of component-filled boxes can look, but generally speaking, the innards are completely overlooked. Digital Cowboy is out to dramatically reverse the trend with its Acrylic Cowboy cases, which -- by and large -- place your hardware on the outside of the case. We can't exactly see a rhyme or reason (outside of the obvious cooling benefits) as to why these were created, but so long as it stays far, far away from sodas, children and family pets, we'd say it's the perfect way to showcase what's really important in your gaming rig.[Via Engadget Deutschland]
Shuttle's SN78SH7 supports Hybrid SLI, launches Friday
Shuttle's SN78SH7 was briefly caught struttin' its stuff at CES this year, but after months on end of waiting, the thing is just about ready to start shipping to eager consumers. Hailed as the first small-form-factor PC to support NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI technology, this block can be equipped with AMD's Phenom X4 processor, 4GB of RAM and Windows Vista (among other things). No word on a price, but it should be quite apparent come Friday.
Lian-Li's Tyr X2000 HTPC / gaming chassis towers in black
Whether this gem is as sexy as OrigenAE's LCD-equipped chassis is certainly debatable, but there's no denying at least some level of hotness here. The towering Tyr X2000 enclosure was designed to keep your gaming / HTPC components safe and net favorable glances from those privileged enough to enter your abode. The unique design enables owners to access optical / hard drives from the sides, and there's plenty of room to store those Family Guy re-runs with six hot-swappable RAID SATA bays. You'll also find a few more absurd specifications such as room for eight PCI cards, enough fans to cool a small dorm room and support for a water cooling system. Mum's the word on pricing, but c'mon, you can't look at this thing and honestly believe it'll be anything near cheap.[Via HotHardware] %Gallery-25986%
ACARD's dual 2.5-inch RAID enclosure is slim, hungry for power
If you're looking for an odd, yet usable storage solution, perhaps ACARD's Mirror Smart Mini is the thing for you. The device uses two 2.5-inch SATA drives side by side in a small enclosure; the drives can be mapped as a hardware-based RAID 1 array, or can be used as separate devices. The aluminum casing plugs into your system using USB 2.0, but unfortunately requires an AC adapter for power, thus making it slightly less awesome than we want it to be. Regardless, if you're moving around a lot and need a backup option, you might have found your $69 answer.[Via Everything USB]
Iron Man case mod shows lots of dedication, is still ugly
Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: we can't deny that the Iron Man Mark I case mod took some serious work (and skill). That being the case, it'd take a pretty hardcore fan of the character (or the new flick, we guess) to love this one with reckless abandon. Reportedly, the whole shebang was built in just three weeks, and while we're still waiting for the full work log, feel free to hit the read link for an array of angles.
Ryou PC collection crafted from Japanese Judas tree
Another day, another round of PCs exquisitely built from woods farmed halfway across the globe. On the docket today, however, are a number of particularly drool-worthy rigs from Universal Roaming. The Ryou collection consists of a half dozen models constructed from Japanese Judas trees and accented with lacquer, silver / gold powders and other culturally-inspired designs. Each diminutive unit houses a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500 CPU, up to 2GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD, dual-layer DVD burner, WiFi adapter, 3-in-1 multicard reader and Windows Vista, but there's no telling how much you'll be asked to lay down in exchange for such elegance.
