Custom PC manufacturer Maingear took the wraps off of its latest all in one computer today, and it features some impressive specifications for an AiO system. As the release of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system approaches, Maingear is gearing up support by introducing a system with desktop specifications and a large 24” touchscreen display with the new Alpha 24 Super Stock.
On the outside, the matte black Alpha 24 all in one has a prominent 24” glossy touchscreen display running at 1920×1080 resolution. Above the screen is a webcam. There are ports along the left side of the bezel and ventilation slits for the HSF on the back.
What makes the Alpha 24 interesting is all the hardware that the company has managed to pack inside the monitor-sized form factor. Internally, you will find a mini-ITX motherboard with Intel Core i7 3770K Ivy Bridge processor, and up to 16GB of DDR3 laptop RAM, 256GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD, 3TB mechanical hard drive, and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics card (GTX 650 and GTX 670 GPUs are also options). The Alpha 24 also features 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, with an optional Bigfoot Killer Wireless add-on card. Not bad at all for an all in one system!
Maingear is further pushing the multimedia and home theater PC aspects of the Alpha 24. An internal DVD or Blu-ray optical drive can be added, for example. Also interesting is the inclusion of an optional CableCARD tuner that will allow the Alpha 24 to tune into encrypted cable TV stations and act as a DVR using software like Windows Media Center. Unforunately, details on the specific tuner they are offering were not given in the press release. The Alpha 24 can also act as a monitor for external video sources connected over HDMI, such as a game console or another computer.
Maingear did not skimp on the I/O either for the claimed “no compromises” Alpha 24. Internal expansion slots include two mini PCI-E and one PCI-E x16 slot (for the GPU). External connectivity options include three USB 2.0 ports, a SD card reader, mic in/audio out jacks, and space for a single slim optical disc drive along the right edge of the display. Ports along the left edge of the display include the graphics card's video outputs – 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort – two S-Video connectors, power jack, Gigabit LAN, HDMI output, two USB 2.0, two USB 3.0, optical audio output, and analog audio jack. The back of the Alpha 24 hosts a VGA and HDMI input along with antenna connectors.
Also, the internals are user serviceable and things like the GPU can easily be upgraded, according to the company – allowing for future upgrading to keep the system relevant. Maingear CEO Wallace Santos stated the following in the company's press release.
“In this day and age, there shouldn’t be a reason anyone would need to compromise for an all-in-one performance PC. Other all-in-one PC solutions pale in comparison to the ALPHA 24 and can be summed up with just a few words: 1080p gaming set to Ultra, maxed anti-aliasing and tessellation.”
Currently, the Alpha 24 has an MSRP starting at $1,349 for the base model. It will ship with Windows 7 x64, however it should be available pre-loaded with Windows 8 later next month following the Windows 8 release.
All in all, the Maingear Alpha 24 looks like a decent computer for the price, though you are paying a bit of a premium for the all in one form factor versus going with a traditional desktop – and building a PC yourself by following the PC Perspective Hardware Leaderboard. So long as the reviews come back stating that build quality is good, it is definitely an interesting machine if you are limited to OEM options and don’t want a tower sitting under your desk – the CableCARD tuner option is also a nice touch.
You can find more photos of the Alpha 24 over at the Maingear website.
What do you think about this system, enough future upgrade-ability to sway you away from a traditional tower PC?
Apparently, people should be
Apparently, people should be able to build their own such system since this seems to be based on the Gigabyte All-in-One Barebone > 24″ > AB24BT
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4353#sp
Tim, how do they fit a 680 in
Tim, how do they fit a 680 in that enclosure? Is it a mobile 680 or the real desktop deal?
Hi, it is the desktop
Hi, it is the desktop variant. Specifically, the press release states: "Full-sized, discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680," and they list GTX 680 and not GTX 680M in other areas of the site.
EDIT: Also, it sure looks like a desktop card from the video outputs, though it seems they took off one of the DVI ports to have more room for exhaust.
In a lot of ways I like this
In a lot of ways I like this machine. The down side is if the monitor goes bad I’d guess you might as well by a new machine.
Indeed but not many
Indeed but not many All-In-One systems will allow for a motherboard and CPU upgrade as in this case the mini-ITX motherboard should be upgradable.
Gigabyte should have comparable motherboards given its their design. I believe Gigabyte started this design with Sandy Bridge / 6x class intel chipset and now has moved up to Ivy Bridge,…
SFF and mini ITX
this…na.
SFF and mini ITX
this…na.
Not to sound like my
Not to sound like my girlfriend or anything, but that’s so thick and beefy-looking!
I actually love this, too bad
I actually love this, too bad it was not on the market earlier in the year when I bought my 30 inch dell monitor and alienware laptop. Now yes the monitor could break which is doubtful for at leas the first 3 years. This would be a must to have the 3 year warranty so monitor breaks Maingear gives you a new one. This is the kind of system I think you plan on having 3 years max 4 and throwing away. Getting the 670 gtx should be more then enough just running 1080 res. Now with my 2550×1600 dell monitor need the 680 ideally. Good Job Maingear I would of saved 3500 bucs with this, instead I had to buy a custom case to lug the 30 inch on my flight and the expensive laptop in my backpack ( i live out of the country) based on these measurements I could of probably carried on this all in one on spirit, and called it a day ( buyers remorse)