Computex 2013: Rosewill
by Ian Cutress on June 4, 2013 9:27 PM EST
On the Rosewill stand for 2013 we were shown a few interesting cases, plus a competitor to the Corsair AX1200i.
The main case I particularly liked was the new Rosewill Rise. This case uses the case philosophy of moving the storage behind the motherboard, allowing for direct airflow to the CPUs and GPUs in an attempt to improve cooling.
In the display case we had an ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS dual processor motherboard, with each processor sporting a 280mm liquid cooling radiator, and a tri-Titan setup with power supply to match. The storage area is behind the motherboard, with an expanded rear area to fit drives and aid some cable management. Personally I think this may be what we see more of in the future – a ‘hot’ zone of GPUs and CPUs on one part of the case and a ‘cool’ zone, containing a high efficiency PSU and storage. The model on display is still a work in progress, I asked about a windowed version, to which the response was ‘it is being discussed’. Watch this space – the Rise should be on sale later this year.
Rosewill also have a new mini-ITX case on display. With various trends of personal computing moving to smaller form factors, having a mini-ITX case that stands out from the crowd can be a serious money maker for case makers and sellers; Bitfenix have showcased it can be done with the Prodigy. Nevertheless the new case from Rosewill, called the Neutron has a few neat design elements of its own.
While the trend is of small computing, having the larger case to fit everything in is what Rosewill are aiming for, in a similar way to the Prodigy. The Neutron is designed for a full ATX power supply, had a removable motherboard tray and a swivel out storage bay:
For a case in between the Rise and the Neutron, Rosewill are also launching the Stealth – a full sized ATX case.
In terms of power supplies, Rosewill are joining the digital power supply market with the Epoch, available in 850W, 1000W, and 1200W variants – that final one putting it in the path of the Corsair AX1200i.
With the advent of digital supplies, it all comes down to the monitoring tool. Corsair has the IP for the internal USB driven data connection, and Rosewill went with a 2.4 GHz connector and dongle for their data stream. The software is still in its early stages, but is designed to be big and obvious:
Rosewill are also updating their mechanical keyboard line to the RK-9200 series. Differences to the RK-9100 are in the switch from lights on NumLock/CapsLock/ScrollLock to a three-LED orientation on the top right, but also the keyboards have a dual lightning system.
The FN and WASD keys are in red, and the Windows key can be disabled by pressing FN+WASD such that it cannot be activated in games. I would expect Rosewill to release the RK-9200 with the same range of switches as the RK-9100 – I did ask about MX-Greens but they are not currently on the horizon.
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alaricljs - Tuesday, June 4, 2013 - link
It was my understanding that CM Storm had the lock on MX Green in the US.jhoff80 - Tuesday, June 4, 2013 - link
I feel like all of these comparatively giant mini-ITX cases like this and the Prodigy just miss the point.There's way too few well designed, small, no-compromise cases. For me, that means you don't need more than a single 2.5" bay (I mean, for most people using a smaller case like this, are you really going to need more than an mSATA or NGFF attached to the motherboard plus a 2.5" HDD for larger amounts of data? I know some enthusiasts would disagree, but too many cases are just completely overkill), maybe a 5.25" slim bay, and room for a full-length dual slot GPU, preferably with a riser so the case stays slim and fits well with AV components.
I saw elsewhere that Silverstone apparently has something called the Raven that might fit the bill, but there are practically no other options except for hobbyists making their own cases like on HardForum.
Dentons - Tuesday, June 4, 2013 - link
You're right. There needs to be a mini-ITX case with just enough room for a single HDD and slim Blu/DVD/CD with locations to screw in an SSD or two. It could even be powered by an external, passively cooled power brick.Such a case could be much less than half the size of current mini-ITX cases. Until the case size starts to reflect the potential of the spec, I don't see the point of mini-ITX.
sonofgodfrey - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
You mean, like this?http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=2240&fid=2...
(power supply is a bit weak, and no room for video card)
Dentons - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Yes, but one with a cost in line with the minimal hardware involved. Antec has a few of those cases and they're all stupidly expensive. For the cost of that tiny case, one could buy a top rated, nearly silent full sized ATX case.That's where Rosewill often comes through. They tend to offer medium (to low) quality products at a reasonable price, at least when they're discounted. Being that they're Newegg's house brand, frequent discounts are the rule.
JBVertexx - Saturday, June 8, 2013 - link
Streacom F1C, Lian-Li PC-Q02/03, Silverstone SG06?JDG1980 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
Silverstone has done the "direct fan airflow to motherboard/video card" design for some time, with cases like the FT02 and TJ08-E. Nice to see it getting more widespread adoption.JohnDiew0107 - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
RK-9200 also uses all standard 1.25x modifiersKepe - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - link
The binary code above and below the word "EPOCH" in the power supply picture translates to "Digital power". Someone wants to know anyways... :dJBVertexx - Saturday, June 8, 2013 - link
I think this case looks great and has the potential to fill its own niche. This looks like it can be a high quality, compact professional graphics workstation. It can be a great home PC powerhouse for someone who tends to swap components in and out. I mean, I love my SS SG08, but I dread the day I want to change out a component.Closest thing on the market are some of the Lian-Li ITX cases, but their cooling tends to suck and are most likely more expensive than this Rosewill will be. Abee of Japan has some awesome ITX designs, but they're not available in the states to my knowledge.
Overall, love the multi platform, removeable Mother board tray, easy access to HDDs, and what looks to be a highly effective cooling arrangement.