So we’ve seen most of the cool stuff on day 1 and day 2, so day 3 was mostly visiting our key partners, attending private meetings and events, and of course getting tipsy at the MSI Row Inner Party.

I am, of course, inebriated so we’ll just jump straight to today’s cool stuff.

ASUS ZenBook Pro

Now, typically we wouldn’t bother sharing details about laptops, but this is one cool piece of tech. So, ASUS is featuring their ZenBook Pro, which has a touchscreen (ScreenPad) in the place of its touchpad.

By using the Extension Display mode, you can configure the touchscreen as an extended display, allowing you to actually drag windows onto the ScreenPad! The utility of this is questionable, but other applications are supported in ScreenPad Mode, such as music controls, a calculator, among other apps that will be released in due time.

Ok here’s a bonus shot of cosplayers. ’nuff said.

Phanteks Invite-Only Launch

So this happened in the Grand Hyatt hotel, where several floors were booked out for exhibition purposes. Rooms were being converted into meeting rooms and small exhibits, allowing for a more intimate experience.

Upon entering the room, the first thing to hit our eyes was the new Phanteks Evolv X, which is a technological masterpiece.

It has a really nice ambient glow in the front, which is really smartly connected – there are push-pins directly on the front panel which attach and detach themselves when you close or pull out the front panel. This allows the user to remove the front panel without having to detach the LED strip first, preventing damage.

Notice how the 3 pins on the front panel naturally align to their connectors, and are disconnected when you remove the front panel. Real neat!

The Evolv X takes up to a whopping 9 x SSDs and 10 x HDDs, which we couldn’t believe until we saw it for ourselves. Cable management was an absolute breeze, because there were flaps that could close to hide all the mess.

The Evolv X is without a doubt water-cooling friendly, and comes with features such as a fill and drain port for easy maintenance. Other features such as options for vertically mounted GPUs are also available, although you may have to purchase the riser kit separately.

MetallicGear

What was really exciting was this – within the invitation-only room, there was another closed door, one-group-at-a-time room which we were also invited to check out.

Phanteks is releasing a sub-brand called MetallicGear. Essentially, its NEO series is a more budget friendly option for Phanteks fans that don’t sacrifice the quality and features that often come with the Phanteks Enthoo and Eclipse line of cases.

There were a number of variants for the NEO (ATX, m-ATX and m-ITX) but the NEO-G stood out and really caught my eye, thanks to the unique design on its tempered glass side and front panels.

Other exciting announcements from Phanteks included a partnership with Seasonic, where they’re releasing a PSU that is able to power 2 systems separately, with one being able to turn on/off independently from each other.

Phanteks also released new chassis fans, which were rigorously tested in multiple configurations to run the best. Uniquely, the fans now have a 0.7mm fan tip clearance (from the frame), which means more air is going to be passing through the fan instead of just around the blade tips. For system builders, the fans also now come with a daisy-chain design, so you won’t have to run 3 separate cables to the motherboard – only one.

Also released was a digital RGB controller by Phanteks, which works either via a hardware controller, or via the motherboard’s RGB headers.

Phanteks also showed us a bunch of soft mesh filters which they’re making available for other limited airflow chassis, such as the Shift. These felt great to touch, and I can’t wait to get them as replacements for my current Shift.

The Phanteks Eclipse P350X was also on display, and I must say it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

So I didn’t get a chance to take a selfie with Bitwit Kyle, because he was busy filming a video when I walked past. I hope the video turns out ok – he looked worried 🙁

And Min Liang the man himself made an appearance on the escalator with his signature black V-neck tee and jeans. Man, I want those jeans.

On a more serious note, Razer has been an inspiration right from the get go, and the world is a little better thanks to innovators like Min Liang – Singapore represent yo!

We ended the day at MSI’s Inner Party, where drinks were had, games were played and friendships were forged. Our Chief Geek, Wei Zhong, had to tank 4 beers and 2 glasses of wine – all so that we can bring better value to our customers.

Wei Zhong, know this – we truly appreciate your sacrifice. Thanks for taking one for the team, buddy.