Meet Avalon, Asus’s audacious, tightly integrated vision for the future of DIY PCs - woolridgerentiold

The PC's DIY hardware ethos is both a blessing and a curse on computing. On one hand, the open ecosystem fuels innovation and serves as a major selling point for enthusiasts. On the other, the basic design of PCs hasn't really denaturized in decades. You slot motherboards, storage, and various circuit card cards into a case and wire them up. That underlying structure helps nourish the worldwide natural of PC hardware—simply today Asus' Commonwealth of Gamers stigmatise thinks it "can do better."

At Computex 2022, Asus ROG showed remove its Avalon concept PC, a computer that tightly integrates all aspects of the Microcomputer for a redefined design, just all the same supports the platform's DIY strengths. The end result is a instauration for the most part devoid of wires and something that looks to a greater extent like a premium stereophonic system than a traditional computer.

Oh, and "Unlike the purely aspirational concepts often see in the tech industry, this prototype is a practical system built on existent technologies that are viable to put into mass production," Asus says. Shots dismissed, Project Christine.

Inside Asus Avalon

The Avalon design taps into Asus' expertise in creating virtually every major PC computer hardware component. The main thrust ties the motherboard more close to the case itself, rather than having them exist as two fully single elements—though Asus says "That's not to say that boards take up to glucinium inexorably tied to specific cases, sportsmanlike that closer collaboration creates intriguing opportunities."

One major advantage to that is port flexibility, Asus says. Avalon's motherboard extends right to the front of the case, so various ports and indicators can be built right into the motherboard and seem on the PC's face, rather than needing to be connected to the front panel with extenders and extra cables.

Swappable can I/O panels for the Asus Avalon concept PC.

Meanwhile, the rear I/O panels are modular components of their own at heart Avalon. In former dustup, you can swap them knocked out to make a Frankenstein that meets your individual inevitably, rather than being limited to a extract of ports hardwired into your motherboard, as is the character with traditional PCs. "VR rigs require extra USB ports to connect headsets and controllers, workstations often need quicker networking and tautological ports, and home-theater PCs can benefit from upgraded audio," says Asus.

The custom 600W power provide Asus created for the Avalon conception PC features an edge connector rather than cabling.

Those rear I/O panels connect to the Avalon's motherboard exploitation a PCI-E-based "march connector." Asus relies happening edge connectors end-to-end to make the Avalon arsenic wire-free and chevy-free as likely; the accompany even created a 600-watt small phase constituent top executive supply for the concept that relies on that retarded PCI-E connector rather than the handed-down rat's nest of power cables. All power to secondary computer hardware flows through the motherboard itself.

The bays you see on the foremost of the Avalon concept PC household blistering-swappable depot, which makes switching verboten SSDs as simple as switching stunned diskette disks. The repositing capabilities domiciliate connected a daughter board that connects directly to the motherboard internal.

The Avalon motherboard with various girl cards connected at the bottom. Funky!

High-powered artwork cards are the one component that stock-still requires additional power cabling inside Avalon, though Asus says it's possible to rework graphic card design to function with edge connectors, instead. GPUs reside in their own compartment at Avalon's outer edge, blowing hot air out through and through the ventilated bound of the PC.

The motherboard features an integrated backplate with threaded holes so that you derriere connect aftermarket CPU cooling solutions in real time to it. Asus hopes that the voltage governor modules on the motherboard's underbody bottom constitute connected to the chassis to deliver the case itself act a heatsink for the scheme. That's a trick that some small form broker and silent PC cases already perform—and one that plays neatly into the Avalon's integration conception.

As a concept PC, there's no pricing or release date information tied to Avalon, though Asus says it's "right on the edge of what's possible." The prototype certainly seems equal a compelling idea, at least in theory, and still manages to bosom DIY potential disdain its tighter gross system integration. That same, part of the intellect that PCs stimulate stuck to traditional designs for and so long is because the usual case-motherboard-power supply-card card conception works so well, and it resists hardware lock-in. Tying motherboard figure so tightly to the cause plays well to Asus' jack-of-all-trades strengths, e.g., but it power leave more specialized hardware vendors like EVGA call at the cold.

What set you think? Asus wants to know. In real time that it's revealed Avalon to the world, the company's superficial for feedback from the manufacture and PC enthusiasts.

Via PC Perspective

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/415025/meet-avalon-asuss-audacious-tightly-integrated-vision-for-the-future-of-diy-pcs.html

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