 Desktop PCs are already modular. You can swap out everything from the CPU to the flipping RGB strips. So why did Razer and Intel just show up to CES with something they're calling the first truly modular desktop system? Like, yeah, I have one of those right now. Well, they're not just reinventing the wheel here, more like polishing it. Because the Razer Tomahawk gaming desktop, which we took a look at earlier, is a kind of evolution of the Project Christine modular PC concept the company showed way back at CES 2014. But why wait six years to bring the concept back? Oh baby, we're gonna find out. But after this message from our sponsor, Pulseway. This year, all of LTT's CES 2020 coverage is powered by Pulseway, the software that lets you remotely monitor, manage, and control all your Windows, Mac, and Linux machines from one app. Create a free account and get 20% off their team's plan now at the link below. So the innovation that Project Christine brought to the table wasn't in making PCs modular, they were already modular, it was in making that modularity accessible to people who don't necessarily enjoy things like bending their own custom water cooling pipes. The original design had a central aluminum backbone, and you could connect these discrete mineral oil cooled modules that either contained a CPU and RAM or a GPU or storage or IO. There was no need to route cables through three different holes in a chassis or awkwardly bend your wrist to tighten a screw, just plug the thing in and you're done. The whole thing was extremely ambitious and also just a concept. It never came to market, partially because in order to make it, Razer would have to have some partners completely on board with the idea. Well, Razer finally found one such partner, Intel. At CES this year, they're showing off the NUC9 Extreme Compute Element, a PCIe card that is essentially a whole computer. It runs ninth gen processors up to a Core i9, another H series variants, so think high grade laptops, with up to 64 gigs of RAM in the card's SODIMM slots and two M.2 ports for storage. There's a healthy amount of IO too with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3.1 Type A ports, dual ethernet jacks and an HDMI port powered by the CPU's integrated graphics. But this card is nothing more than an interesting doohickey without something to plug it into. That is where Razer comes in. The Tomahawk Gaming Desktop is a tiny 10 liter box with a slide out module holding a daughter board with two PCIe X16 slots. There's also an extra M.2 slot for even more storage. The idea is you plug your NUC Compute Element into one of those PCIe slots, a full size desktop graphics card into the other one and slide that whole thing inside the N1 chassis, a beautiful 10 liter aluminum case with tempered glass side panels and dual 120 millimeter fans on the top for ventilation. It's a completely tool-less setup. You just have to release the sled with a lever on the back to remove it and the only actual cables you have to deal with are the plugs that connect the Compute Element and graphics card to the built-in SFX power supply. The whole process is, dare I say, almost smoother than you'll look when you wear sick threads from lttstore.com. And this is what Razer and Intel mean when they say truly modular. Because if you have to unscrew things and wipe off thermal paste and reroute cables, I mean, that's more like rewiring your vacuum than it is clipping on the carpet attachment. And yeah, some of us like that whole process of tinkering with the guts of the machine. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. I'm stopping, I'm stopping. There's a really big leak. But others want the ability to upgrade parts without having to take off an entire side panel and get in there with a screwdriver. Now, obviously, in exchange for that ease of use, you are giving up some benefits of a full desktop PC. The CPU and RAM, as I said, are high-end laptop parts and you'll lose some PCIe bandwidth if you choose to fully populate the three available M.2 slots in the system. But for a certain segment of the PC gaming population, this could be a much more accessible entry point while still allowing easy upgrades later on. The Tomahawk doesn't have a price right now. Heck, the case doesn't even have a power button or front-facing I.O. yet. Razer is making it clear that right now this is a prototype. Definitely one that's closer to fruition than Project Christine was, but still. All they said is that they're targeting release sometime in the first half of 2020. We might actually get Intel's homegrown NUC Extreme Kit before then. It's like a similar but less refined version of the Tomahawk that's supposed to launch in March. But if Intel and Razer's bet pays off, we might see a ton of boxes just like this one popping up in stores and on the desks of those less technically inclined PC enthusiasts. Speaking of which, it's time for a message from everyone's favorite technically inclined sandal person, Linus. The only thing I love more than sandals is working remotely. I'm not even at CES 2020. I'm right here next to the server. So theoretically, I actually wouldn't need Pulseway right now, but my team could use it. Pulseway is the real-time remote monitoring and management software that helps you fix IT problems on the go by sending commands from any mobile device. So get your sandals on, kick back, and get Pulseway working for you, for free. You can try it out for free, guys. And with our link below, you can get 20% off their team's plan for you and your business. Thanks for watching, guys. Love you so much. See you later.