SLI Gaming in a Tiny Box - MSI Vortex - CES 2016

The MSI Vortex CES 2016 booth centerpiece is a remarkable reimagining of the cylinder workstation, pitched as a gaming-focused PC with a compact form factor. The presenter highlights a high-end internal configuration featuring a Core i7 6700K, up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM on SODIMM-like sticks, and dual NVIDIA GTX 980 graphics in SLI, all housed inside a Mac Pro–style cylinder. The design emphasizes a custom multi-board layout with a single large blower at the top, claimed to deliver quiet operation with idle temperatures around the low 20s and under load in the low 30s Celsius. The Vortex supports a rich array of I/O, including four USB 3.1 ports, multiple HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3, and dual Ethernet, making it a highly connected machine for gaming and professional tasks. Storage is flexible with two NVMe M.2 slots for SSDs, enabling RAID configurations or rapid single-drive setups, and the system is pitched as launching in Q2 with much anticipation from the team. The on-site presentation underscores the Vortex as the focal point of MSI’s CES presence and teases a teardown and deeper examination in future coverage, inviting viewers to comment on their excitement for seeing the internals revealed. Overall, the segment blends product hype with technical detail, showcasing the Vortex as a bold, premium, and quiet gaming PC that aims to push the boundaries of form factor without sacrificing performance or upgradeability.

Topics · technology · hardware · pc_gaming · consumer_electronics · ces_2016