Cooler Master @ CES 2012

A CES trip wouldn’t be complete without a trip over to the Cooler Master Suite to check out upcoming products and as always their amazing models. This year was more exciting than past years because Cooler Master is celebrating their 20^th anniversary this year.  A big congrats to them for making it 20 years and thank you for having us both to their suite and their party at CES this year. Here are a few things we saw while we were there. 

When you first walk in the Cosmos II was a main feature with a custom painted version in the middle of two new colors. The silver and gunmetal colors are not planned currently, but cooler master is considering them both. Personally I loved the gunmetal even more than the black one that we have in the office. The custom painted case by Smooth Creations is amazing also; I love the chain link used on the top and bottom!

For those of you who like the HAF X styling but don’t need a XL-ATX motherboard Cooler Master will have the perfect case for you this year. The upcoming HAF XM will be easy on your pocket book also at $139. The model we took a look at is a prototype and we are expecting to see a few more changes before its release. Cooler Master also verified that the right side latch will not be used in the final version to keep the costs down for example. Either way we are really excited about this one!

A Mini ITX case also caught my eye in their suite. The model will be called the Elite 120. Dual PCI slots and room for a full sized power supply means this could be a perfect small form factor build for a LAN rig.

Mainly for overseas Internet Gaming shops the LAN case 240 caught my eye because of its name, small size, and the built in locks on each side. It’s designed to keep someone from stealing anything from inside but I think this low budget case could also double as a good case for someone who hits up a lot of LANs.

I didn’t get many photos of the Elite 361, but Cooler Master included a few updates to the Elite 360 in this new model that will get low budget gamers excited. For one the large CPU backplate access hole and room for one or two extra-long video cards. There isn’t anything exciting about the case itself, but it will be a perfect case for someone who wants to save all of their money to invest in go fast parts only.

They also showed off the different markets that Cooler Master is involved in. For example they are a very large manufacture of heatpipes and also heatsinks for LED lighting.

A platnum lineup of power supplys will be introduces along side of the current Gold Series with wattages up to 1500 watts!

The cooling lineup for Cooler Master this year seems a little light, but they did show off a low budget cooler named the X6 that is designed at a slight angle to pack more heatsink into a smaller area without having compatibility issues with tall motherboard cooling. Their TPC 812 uses the same vaper chamber design that we have seen on video cards to out perform a water cooling solution on their test benches in front of us, all while being quieter also. 

The Storm lineup will see a few additions this year. For one the Trooper will have a new white version. Due to legal reasons they will be calling it the Stryker. Oddly enough no one had any problem with them calling the original the Storm Trooper, but apparently doing it in white sets it over the edge lol.

The Storm lineup will also bring the new Trigger keyboard, a full size mechanical keyboard to go with their Quickfire. We also saw a black version of the Quickfire with a red backplate that is sharp. Another mouse called the Recon will also round out their gaming lineup for 2012.

Over in the mobile room we saw a few new Notepal products, the U-Lite and the X3. The X3 has a large LED fan doing the cooling and would be a perfect fit over in the Storm gaming lineup. The U-Lite uses a similar design to other Notepal coolers with the adjustable fans but is constructed from a lower cost and lighter plastic. Considering all of the LanOC staff was sporting their portable U series coolers this year its obvious that Cooler Master is doing something right.

New to their mobile lineup this year is a whole series of devices specifically for use with your Macbooks. The Arc for example is a vertical dock for your Macbooks or iPads that protects them from scratches with a rubber coating.

Their JAS, L Stand, and Clutch are all similar. Using an industrial design like your Mac they have designed different ways to store or almost display your Mac or iPad. They used aluminum like Apple products but to prevent any damage each uses a rubber coating in specific locations to keep your expensive laptop or tablet safe.

The Wave stand is similar to the JAS but for use with your tablets or e-readers. I love the industrial design and also how simple it packs up.

For those iPhone fans who love their HAF cases Cooler Master is bringing out iPhone cases that match designs from the HAF 912, HAF 932, and HAF X.

The power fort lineup will see more power and less fort this year. Smaller designs with the power to recharge your tables is the focus this year.

Last but not least, here is a nice shot of the Cooler Master girls with the custom painted Cosmos II. Please post up what you think ;)