Sometimes a computer at CES is interesting because itâs functional and intuitive. Sometimes a computer is interesting because itâs the size of an air conditioner, filled with heinously tacky neon lights, and overclocked to hell. Guess which one this is!
I found Origin PCâs 5 Ghz, liquid-cooled âBig Oâ sitting on a dusty stretch of carpet in Creativeâs booth. Alone. Neglected. I asked a rep about it and he didnât even know why it was there. Was he feeling insecure because the computer is so fast? Perhaps. It wasnât even hooked up to anything. It was just humming along, its red tubes pulsing, green lights throbbing. Speed for its own sake. If it sounds like a sexual experience, thatâs because it was. The enormo-box reminds me of a bygone era in computing, when clock speeds trumped allâand just reading â5 Ghz i7â made my heart dance. CES is supposed to be about neat things weâll be using effectively in the future, but sometimes Iâm okay with REALLY FREAKING FAST NEON COMPUTER, WATCH OUT, too.
