Zotac CES 2018 Exhibit Highlights A Bodacious Custom Gaming PC, Destiny 2 Case Mod, And SFF Computing
Zotac is arguably the king of the hill when it comes to mini PCs and small form factor (SFF) computing, especially when you throw gaming into the mix. The company offers an extensive line of potent, pint-sized setups, some of which were on full display at the Consumer Electronics Show. But Zotac also dazzled passersby with some full-fledged custom gaming PCs and a really neat Destiny 2 case mod. It was an interesting way to show off its gear, and we make sure to take plenty of photos.
We are kicking things off with the Destiny 2 case mod because, quite frankly, who doesn't appreciate a modded enclosure? Granted, case modding is out of Zotac's wheel house (and so are cases in general, at least for now), but graphics are not. As such, Zotac's GeForce GTX 1080 Mini graphics card is tucked inside the bottom section.
The case itself is a Phanteks Enthoo Evolve ITX enclosure that was modded by Ron Lee Christianson, a graphics artist and sculptor who is quite the talented individual. He's also the owner of Blue Horse Studios, where he puts together custom high-end gaming PCs and does airbrush graphics. The company's motto is, "If you can dream it, we can build it," and the Destiny 2 case leaves little doubt about that.
In addition's to Zotac's itty-bitty GeForce GTX 1080, the above system also sports a Core i5-6600K processor nestled into a Z270 motherboard, Fractal Design Celsius S24 cooling, 16GB of HyperX Fury DDR4-2133 RAM, and a Savage 240GB 2.5-inch SSD. Not cutting edge, but not too shabby, either.
Staying on the topic of full builds, here is Zotac's Amp Extreme Gaming System. This is not something Zotac is going to package and sell, but is intended to showcase its GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Amp Extreme graphics card, which you can see mounted vertically inside a Phanteks Evolv Shift X case.
The specs are similar to the Destiny 2 PC—there's a Fractacl Design Celsius S24 cooler inside, along with a Core i5-6600K processor, 16GB of Patriot Viper Red LED Series DDR-3000 RAM, Fatal1ty Gaming-ITX/AC motherboard, Patriot Burst 240GB SSD, and an Antec 750W 80 Plus Gold power supply.
You can also see Zotac's FireStorm application on the monitor. This is Zotac's software utility for overclocking your graphics card, controlling the fan speed, and monitoring vitals. Zotac offers a companion app for the iPad as well, so you perform the same functions on a tablet.
Yet another system Zotac had on display was an Arcticstorm Mini Gaming System. This one features a Corsair Crystal Series 570X RGB mid-tower case that was modded by BSMods.
For Zotac, the star of the show is its GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Arcticstorm Mini graphics card inside, but its supporting cast is pretty high-end too. Other specs include a Core i7-7740X processor installed in an unnamed X299 motherboard, a custom EKWB liquid cooling loop, 32GB of DDR4-2400 Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM, 500GB Corsair MP500 M.2 drive, and a Corsair 750W PSU.
Shown above is Zotac's Mek 1 Gaming PC. It's shaped a little bit like an Xbox One, but with a more aggressive styling, and of course it's 100 percent PC.
The Mek 1 is available with both 7th Gen and 8th Gen Intel Core processor options, which users can pair with a GeForce GTX 1080, 1070 Ti, or 1060 graphics card. It also has 16GB of DDR4-1400 RAM, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, GbE LAN, 240GB M.2 NVMe SSD, 1TB SATA HDD, and a 450W PSU.
The last thing we want to highlight from Zotac's exhibit is a mysterious all-in-one configuration. This is built around an LG 38-inch curved monitor with an IPS panel and 3840x1600 resolution, with 99 percent coverage of the sRGB color space.
Zotac was mum on the full specs, however, and only offered up that this is a passively cooled AIO, which adds another level of intrigue to this setup.
We are kicking things off with the Destiny 2 case mod because, quite frankly, who doesn't appreciate a modded enclosure? Granted, case modding is out of Zotac's wheel house (and so are cases in general, at least for now), but graphics are not. As such, Zotac's GeForce GTX 1080 Mini graphics card is tucked inside the bottom section.
The case itself is a Phanteks Enthoo Evolve ITX enclosure that was modded by Ron Lee Christianson, a graphics artist and sculptor who is quite the talented individual. He's also the owner of Blue Horse Studios, where he puts together custom high-end gaming PCs and does airbrush graphics. The company's motto is, "If you can dream it, we can build it," and the Destiny 2 case leaves little doubt about that.
In addition's to Zotac's itty-bitty GeForce GTX 1080, the above system also sports a Core i5-6600K processor nestled into a Z270 motherboard, Fractal Design Celsius S24 cooling, 16GB of HyperX Fury DDR4-2133 RAM, and a Savage 240GB 2.5-inch SSD. Not cutting edge, but not too shabby, either.
Staying on the topic of full builds, here is Zotac's Amp Extreme Gaming System. This is not something Zotac is going to package and sell, but is intended to showcase its GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Amp Extreme graphics card, which you can see mounted vertically inside a Phanteks Evolv Shift X case.
The specs are similar to the Destiny 2 PC—there's a Fractacl Design Celsius S24 cooler inside, along with a Core i5-6600K processor, 16GB of Patriot Viper Red LED Series DDR-3000 RAM, Fatal1ty Gaming-ITX/AC motherboard, Patriot Burst 240GB SSD, and an Antec 750W 80 Plus Gold power supply.
You can also see Zotac's FireStorm application on the monitor. This is Zotac's software utility for overclocking your graphics card, controlling the fan speed, and monitoring vitals. Zotac offers a companion app for the iPad as well, so you perform the same functions on a tablet.
Yet another system Zotac had on display was an Arcticstorm Mini Gaming System. This one features a Corsair Crystal Series 570X RGB mid-tower case that was modded by BSMods.
For Zotac, the star of the show is its GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Arcticstorm Mini graphics card inside, but its supporting cast is pretty high-end too. Other specs include a Core i7-7740X processor installed in an unnamed X299 motherboard, a custom EKWB liquid cooling loop, 32GB of DDR4-2400 Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM, 500GB Corsair MP500 M.2 drive, and a Corsair 750W PSU.
Shown above is Zotac's Mek 1 Gaming PC. It's shaped a little bit like an Xbox One, but with a more aggressive styling, and of course it's 100 percent PC.
The Mek 1 is available with both 7th Gen and 8th Gen Intel Core processor options, which users can pair with a GeForce GTX 1080, 1070 Ti, or 1060 graphics card. It also has 16GB of DDR4-1400 RAM, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, GbE LAN, 240GB M.2 NVMe SSD, 1TB SATA HDD, and a 450W PSU.
The last thing we want to highlight from Zotac's exhibit is a mysterious all-in-one configuration. This is built around an LG 38-inch curved monitor with an IPS panel and 3840x1600 resolution, with 99 percent coverage of the sRGB color space.
Zotac was mum on the full specs, however, and only offered up that this is a passively cooled AIO, which adds another level of intrigue to this setup.
