Razer's new Tomahawk modular gaming PC is based on Intel's latest NUC

Shawn Knight

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Bottom line: It’s easy to get seduced by the simplicity of a compact modular system like this but the truth is, they are notoriously difficult to pull off. Razer itself even took a swing at the concept back at the 2014 CES with Project Christine, a prototype that never materialized.

Razer like clockwork is back at CES with another eye-catching concept. In partnership with Intel, the gaming accessory maker is unveiling its Razer Tomahawk Gaming Desktop which is based on the NUC 9 “Ghost Canyon” concept we spied a couple of days back.

The Razer Tomahawk utilizes an all-aluminum chassis with tempered glass on either side that highlights the vertically mounted GPU. A lock-and-slide mechanism at the rear of the case allows for quick, tool-free access to the internals. Truth be told, it looks more like an external GPU enclosure than a full-fledged computer.

Turnkey systems will be configurable with up to an Intel Core i9 processor, 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU.

Razer said the Tomahawk Gaming Desktop will be available sometime during the first half of 2020. Pricing hasn’t been revealed although according to The Verge, units will start somewhere in the ballpark of $2,000. Razer also plans to make the Tomahawk N1 chassis available as a standalone unit for enthusiasts interested in building their own compact system.

Key to the Tomahawk’s success will be the continued support from Intel and only time will tell whether or not that support materializes.

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A NUC with an i5-9300H, a GTX 1660 Super, 16GB 3200 RAM, 1TB SSD should be less than $900 using list prices and be a pretty good performer in a small case. But already you're looking at the cost of a very good DIY PC. So if you're pushing this smaller form factor gaming idea, it's gonna need to be price competitive and $2K fails that test pretty spectacularly.
 
I wonder what kind of specs the low end $2k version will pack. I imagine it would be average at best. The price will probably skyrocket close to the $4k mark if not beyond for the maxed out 64GB RAM with RTX 2080 Super version.
 
The photo at the top has a 2080Ti in it... how come they don't offer that?
Also the 2080 in the 2nd render isn't the mentioned "Super" either. Likely these are just that, renders, and they just used whatever stock they had on file to make them.
 
It would better for the CPU module to face the outside of the case for better cooling, instead of facing the back of the graphics card.
 
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