Do you still remember with the Project Christine, the
modular PC concept created by Razer? Unfortunately until this time the concept
is still not realized, and Razer itself seems to feel hesitate to continue the
project. But don't worry because Asus has just announced a similar concept.
Showcased at Computex 2016, a device called ROG Avalon can
be considered as Project Christine with more conventional approaches. It has
same mission: i.e. to simplify the assembling process of PC's various
components. But when Christine puts all the components outside, Avalon still
packs all the components inside.
So what makes Avalon more unique than the PC casing in
general? You will not find complicated wires in it. All the components are connected
to the motherboard via a special connector that can be removable with ease -
there might be a cable inside the Avalon, but it seems that Asus has managed to
hide everything well.
This design can be achieved because Asus has designed the
casing together with the motherboard. In other words, the motherboard is a part
of the casing. It also makes Asus could experiment with modular designs easier.
Some components such as SSD or HDD can be inserted easily in
a series of 'drawers' in the front of the Avalon. On the side, there is a
special room for graphics card. This kind of placement gives direct impact to
the air flow, which means that the graphics card can work in cooler temperature.
In addition, a row of ports that we usually see in the back
of the PC is very different in Avalon. These ports are packed in a single
module that can be removable. The premise is, you can use the different I/O
modules for certain activities, such as VR gaming or home theater mode. Asus
still hasn't revealed when exactly the Avalon will be released, but so far
they've had a functional prototype.