The Best Of CES 2017
Best Of CES 2017: Systems
Intel has fully embraced small form factor systems over the last few years, as evidenced by its line-up of miniscule NUC systems and tiny Compute Sticks. But the Intel Compute Card announced at CES 2017 takes small form factor computing to the extreme.
Though technical details are scarce at the moment, the Compute Card's physical dimensions are still impressive. The system is about the size of a credit card, and only a few millimeters "thick". The Compute Card is packing a Kaby Lake based processor, RAM, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and storage, and is meant to be the foundation for an array of connected devices. There is a single connector at one end, and a plastic window at the other to accommodate the wireless transceivers. The connector can be used to add an array of IO options, like USB ports, display outputs, etc. The Compute Card is capable of running full-blown Windows (or other operating systems) and due to the ultra small form factor, can be adapted to a variety of platforms, for Compute Stick like devices to home appliances. We look forward to seeing what the Compute Card can do when they begin shipping sometime this year.
The New NVIDIA SHIELD With Google Assistant And Spot
We've been fans of NVIDIA's Shield TV device for a while now, and with the recent addition to manage your local content as a Plex Media Server, it only became more firmly cemented as our favorite media streamer, and unquestionably the most powerful and versatile one available on the market. With an on board NVIDIA graphics engine, it also has decent gaming chops for whatever is on Google Play or in NVIDIA's own Games library, along with game streaming from a GeForce enabled PC or GeForce Now from the cloud.
NVIDIA's New Shield TV - a little more compact but it's the soft Nougat center that's tasty.
Dell XPS 27 - Powerful All-In-One PC
The all new XPS 27 is a beautiful all-in-one PC that made headlines at CES 2017 for Dell, and we were fortunate to be one of the very first to review it fully here. Sure, it's bezels are thin on top and on the sides of that vibrant 4K display, and it's also one of the fastest, most powerful AiOs we've tested with a 4GHz quad-core Core i7 CPU, AMD Radeon R9 M470X graphics, and a snappy NVMe SSD. However, its sound system is the surprising star of its multimedia show.
Dell's XPS 27 is punchy and powerful in a number of ways.
AMD Ryzen System Galore
As we inch closer to the official launch of AMD’s Zen-based Ryzen processors, the company is leaking more and more information about the products and platform as a whole. In its display at CES, AMD was showing off an array of Ryzen-based systems – some equipped with Vega-based graphics cards, X/A/B 300 series chipset-based AM4 motherboards for Ryzen, and all of the Radeon GPU technology to arrive in the last year or so, including the proof-of-concept Radeon Pro SSG.
Along an entire wall in the display, however, was an assortment of systems, all built around Ryzen. Had these been custom, purpose built machines only for display at CES, that would be one thing. But all of the systems along the wall were actually from AMD’s system partners and were indicative of system configurations that will be for sale when Ryzen officially ships.
Although initial indicators in some multi-threaded benchmarks shine a positive light on Ryzen, we have yet to run a full suite of tests on final silicon, that’s been fully tuned and is retail-ready. The fact that a number of boutique builders already seem to be behind Ryzen, however, and are readying some unique, high-powered systems, bodes well for the platform.
Finally, we get to a system for the true hardcore gamer and, dare we say,"baller" - yeah that sounds appropriate. What do you get when you combine a killer gaming rig with fresh copper piping and a roll cage? This burly beast...
Cyberpower's Luxe is a killer gaming rig with a roll cage and copper tubing - gotta love it.