ibuypower lcd panel manufacturer

Update - 1/17/17, 10:57am PT: iBuyPower announced that the Snowblind is now available for preorder on the company"s website(opens in new tab). The minimum configuration features an Intel Core i5-7400, 8GB of DDR4-3000 RAM, a 1TB HDD, and a GTX 1070, with a price tag of $1,499. The motherboard selection is between an MSI Z270 Tomahawk Arctic and a Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium.

iBuypower revealed that its LCD side panel-equipped Project Snowblind has graduated from a concept device to a real thing, with the new Snowblind PC coming to market this February.

The Snowblind is a custom desktop PC with a tempered glass side panel, which sports a translucent 19-inch 1280x1024 LCD display. Although it appears to be regular clear tempered glass with a hinge, it can be programmed to display multiple effects and colors using Rainmeter (an open-source overlay that does the same for standard displays). You can customize it with user-created backgrounds, animations, and widgets that can show your system specifications and real-time CPU, storage, and memory usage.

The display was developed by Intel and iBuypower, and the companies went through five iterations of the panel before approving the final production model we saw at CES. The system we were shown was configured with an Intel Core i7-7700K on an MSI Z270 motherboard (the specific model of the motherboard is not finalized, but we know that it will be white) with 16GB of DDR4, an Intel 240GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. iBuypower said we can expect to see similar configurations with GTX 1080 GPUs under the video-screened hood.

iBuypower insisted that the case and LCD side panel cost only about $250 to make and said that it wanted to be aggressive in offering its customers a compelling aesthetic technology without launching the total cost into the stratosphere. Although pricing for the Snowblind gaming PC is not yet finalized (pending a decision on which white motherboard the company will offer), iBuypower told us that the aforementioned configuration would fetch between $1,700 and $1,800 when Snowblind arrives at retail outlets (including BestBuy) in February.

iBUYPOWER Project Snowblind - Custom Digital Side PanelFor those who like LCD panels, iBuyPower has put one in a PC’s side panel. The company did this with its new design, known as the Snowblind. The case for this new system combines a traditional clear window display — so you can see all of your no-doubt pricey components — with an LCD readout, letting you put any information you want right where everyone can see it.

The system is pretty eye-catching and was quite an attraction at the iBuyPower booth at this year’s Computex. Championing iBuyPower’s love of customization and providing their customers with options when they buy a full system, the Snowblind is designed to let them do just that.

“Project Snowblind represents the next leap forward in gaming PC customization,” iBuyPower said in a related statement. “Featuring a tailor-made clear LCD side panel, this PC will showcase your hardware like never before, while allowing you to have virtually any graphic display.”

Buyers of a Snowblind system can expect all of the usual standards that they get with an iBuyPower system, but with this particular PC, there is the addition of that fancy-looking LCD display. In the above imagery iBuyPower has had it displaying CPU usage, letting you know exactly what is sipping power from your processor, but the idea is that you could have anything display there.

Theoretically you could have a logo, or system specifications, or a chat window that gives you a heads-up when someone is trying to get in touch — the sky is the limit and iBuyPower is hoping that level of customization and user control will help Project Snowblind become a popular part of its range of systems.

The only downside is that right now getting hold of one of these systems isn’t easy. To do so you need to contact iBuyPower directly for a quote, which likely means it’s going to be a pricey build.

iBUYPOWER Snowblind - Tempered Glass LCD Side Panel Gaming PC!If there was ever a concern that PC gaming was stagnating, a recent spate of new system announcements and Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to Windows 10 gaming should put such concerns to rest. Not only are there the usual upgraded CPU and GPU cycles underway, but gaming system makers are tossing some real innovation into the mix.

One example is iBuyPower, which makes a complete line of gaming PCs spanning price points from low to high. They have apparently moved on from just offering the highest-end components, however, with new cases that incorporate a transparent LCD display in a side panel, PC Gamer reports.

According to iBuyPower, “Project Snowblind represents the next leap forward in gaming PC customization. Featuring a tailor-made clear LCD side panel, this PC will showcase your hardware like never before, while allowing you to have virtually any graphic display.”

You can customize a new Snowblind system by heading over to the iBuyPower site. The company hopes to ship systems by the end of February, meaning that you won’t have to wait too long for one of the more innovative case accessories we have seen in a while.

LCD Spec: 19” transparent TN LCD side panel display with 1280 x 1024 resolution enabling the complete customization of the side panel. Users can configure the digital display to feature video wallpaper, images, or system temperatures in real-time

We just published our final video walkthrough of iBUYPOWER’s ongoing “Project Snowblind” enclosure, which uses an NZXT Noctis 450 and custom LCD side panel assemblage. The setup has been in our coverage for several months now, starting with PAX Prime in September, followed by an office visit in October (with several upgrades), and now concluding with CES 2017.

In its simplest form, the Snowblind enclosure offers an LCD side panel (rather than traditional case side panel) which is capable of graphics playback or Rainmeter overlay. Really, it can do anything that an extra monitor could do, it’s just limited by visibility and contrast. The Snowblind uses all white/black internals to ensure the side panel’s output remains as legible as possible, and further uses ultra-bright LEDs along the inside wall of the side panel to provide the effective “backlight” for the display. iBUYPOWER is using an expansion slot in the case to host a small card that bridges comms between a DVI link (from the GPU), but the card does not use any motherboard slots. A simple DVI pass-through runs from the video card to the expansion card, which then runs the wiring to the LCD side panel.

One of the most esoteric elements to CES this year was in the iBuyPower booth. iBuyPower is a system integrator rather than a components manufacturer, so it comes across as surprising when they have an ultimate hardware exclusive, and their Project Snowblind is it. Last year at CES iBP demonstrated the Snowblind concept: using a transparent LCD panel on the side of a PC case as a window into seeing the components, but also with the ability to run a set of moving images and video while the machine is on. It is the ultimate RGB add-on. For 2018, the latest version was on display.

The latest version comes in at a resolution of 1024x1280, which is similar to last year but with better clarity and response. Through speaking with iBP, they do have the ability to fashion it into any ‘regular’ sized panel environment. It turns out that this technology was co-developed with Intel on board, so it’s unlikely to be an option on an AMD system.

iBP only provides this feature on its Snowblind systems, rather than as an individual add-on. The reason is that the Snowblind system is so-called because it focuses on white components, and adds in the high-power white LEDs around the edge of the transparent display in order to actually see the LCD screen. Without this in place, it would almost be unreadable, hence the limitation of its availability. When discussing with iBP, the full overall cost of the feature does add around $150-$200 to the system.

iBuyPower currently offers Snowblind under its Signature PC series, with Snowblind, Snowblind Pro and Snowblind Extreme versions. All systems use Intel Coffee Lake 8th Gen K-series processors, and NVIDIA graphics cards. For any GPU that doesn’t already have an appropriate backplate, iBP creates one to help with the lighting.

Way back at Computex, iBuyPower caught our attention with Project Snowblind, a system that trades RGB lighting for a transparent LCD side panel. It was only a concept back then and iBuyPower didn"t have pricing information to share, but that"s no longer the case—iBuyPower is now taking pre-orders for its Snowblind PC starting at $1,499.

We"ll get to the system configurations in a moment, but first let"s talk a bit about the side panel. It"s a transparent and fully customizable LCD panel with a 1280x1024 resolution.

The display connects through DVI on the back of the case to your graphics card and functions as a second monitor. Though it can be used to play games on, iBuyPower recommends against doing so and notes that it was designed specifically for showing off your PC"s guts.

iBuyPower rolled into CES 2019 ready to show off the company"s latest PC cases, including the updated Snowblind series with built-in transparent LCD displays.

If there"s any place to get a glimpse of the future of electronics, it"s at CES. The Shacknews street team was on-site at CES 2019 for just such a purpose, and managed to get an early look at the upcoming 2019 offerings from iBuyPower"s line of PC cases and chassis. The company had several new models on display, including a Snowblind PC case with four separate transparent LCD displays. Check them out in the video below.

As can be seen in the video, the real star of the show is the four-sided Snowblind PC case. This case offers up four of iBuyPower"s "crystal clear" transparent LCD displays running at 1280x1024 resolutions. Since the case has a display on each side, the question of visibility was quickly raised, and the team came up with a rather novel solution. Instead of forcing certain transparent displays to be hidden by walls or furniture, the entire case was put on a spinning mechanism that slowly rotates. Wires are routed through a stationary base, and the screens themselves are powered through the system"s GPU.

The spinning Snowblind PC case is still a prototype — in fact, the team says they only have the one working prototype so far. As such, its current projected cost is a staggering $8,000 dollars. Looking toward a hopeful future, iBuyPower speculates that it could mass-produce the case to sell for around $1,500, but for now, that"s just speculation.

Fortunately, the team does have a few more traditional cases that should be on sale soon. One such case is the new Snowblind S, part of the third generation of Snowblind design, which also features the company"s transparent LCD display on one side. Finally, the latest Revolt 3 case is revealed in prototype form, offering the transparent display in a smaller form factor.

More information about each of these PC cases can be found over on the official iBuyPower website. For more tech videos, including in-depth developer interviews and convention coverage for events like CES or E3, be sure to check out bothShacknewsandGamerHub.tvover on YouTube.

The Snowblind Element from iBUYPOWER is what you would expect from an NZXT chassis. It is the addition of the LCD side panel that takes it from good to great. If you are looking for the ultimate in dynamic aesthetics, the Snowblind series is hard to beat.

iBUYPOWER is a brand that I think anyone who has been part of the PC community is aware of. iBUYPOWER is a system integrator or SI as its commonly referred to. They offer prebuilt systems suitable for gaming and general use, while also offering some exciting customization options and even the occasional unique and exclusive custom designs. One such model is the Snowblind series, which took an NZXT chassis design and integrated an LCD layer. This feature allows the systems GPU to control an image that is displayed on the side panel with the filter enabling internal components to be viewed through the image on the side panel.

The Snowblind series was initially conceptualized and applied to Snowblind based prebuilt systems from iBUYPOWER. However, iBUYPOWER is now offering the chassis in a DIY form for users who want to build their custom system with an active display filter built into the main window panel.

Key features of the Snowblind Element chassis primarily will be the LCD side panel; however, it being an NZXT based chassis, it has similar fitment of components to what we have seen on a chassis such as the H510 Elite.

Motherboard fitment ranges from ITX up to ATX. The 3.5" and 2.5" storage fitment are numbers at two each. Since the HDD cage does not use trays, they cannot be repurposed for 2.5" drives. The 2.5" drive trays are on top of the PSU shroud, which means they will be visible inside your system through the LCD panel window. The PSU fitment is full ATX, and there is reasonable room to fit most at up to 255mm. The PSU is rear entry via a bracket system. The PSU area is covered by a shroud, which helps to give a more reflective white surface to push light back through the side panel along with creating a more agreeable aesthetic than a PSU at the bottom.

There are also more expensive options, but the one thing the Snowblind series has going for it right out of the box is the LCD panel solution. Any other chassis would require custom work that most may not be comfortable with. With that said, this is going to be exciting as we test the Snowblind Element and asses its performance and features versus the competition in the conclusion.

The main outer box is a brown cardboard box like you would expect a custom system build form iBUYPOWER would ship within. It does not have any relevant information besides the logo and, of course, a shipping label. There are also notes on fragility and informing shippers that computer components are inside, which I can assume is in the hopes the shipper will be kind to the package knowing the sensitivity of components.

The broad opposing side of the packaging now shows the LCD side panel in full effect. This is, of course, a rendering as the things showing on the LCD are semi-opaque in real-world usage and not as solid or bold as shown here. But they are quite visible depending on the angle and the white level of the internal components. The same warning and logo and series moniker are in place as the large opposite side.

The internal protection for the Snowblind Element is very good with soft type squishy foam taking the impacts. The glass/LCD panels are covered with cling film, and the entire chassis is wrapped in a plastic bag to ensure that abrasion damage is mitigated.

Looking up front, we see that the Snowblind Element has a transparent rectangular portion of the front glass, which highlights the front cooling mounting. This means whether you keep the white lit LED fans up front or opt for RGB fans, you can see them from the front. Below the opening, we have the iBUYPOWER logo, which is lit in white by LEDs inside the panel. The only non-glass portion of the front panel is the bottom strip, which appears to be purely aesthetic.

Looking at the main panel, which is the LCD that covers the build chamber is simply blacked out with only a slight hint of what"s inside. When powered on, this will become more friendly to viewing as the internal LEDs are super bright and will punch light through the filter. However, with the system off, it will be quite challenging to see anything inside. Do note that the panel has hinges in the rear and allows the panel to swing open. The panel is held closed with two slide latches that almost blend in up front.

Out back, the Snowblind Element looks like most chassis we have seen with some small differences. Firstly there is a black circle up top; this is a button used to turn on or off the internal LED lighting, which allows you to see the LCD side panel designs being played. You will also notice that the two slots customarily used for a GPU are already cleared of their slot covers since this chassis is designed to be a prebuilt system. There is also a slot with two video ports, which are inputs for the side panel LCD.

We now peek at the other large panel, which covers the cable management area. The panel found here is solid steel and painted white to match the design of the chassis. Two captured thumbscrews affix the panel to the chassis.

Digging into the Snowblind Element, we find when removing the front glass panel that there is a sizeable magnetic filter spanning most of the front of the chassis. There is also a 2-wire cable connecting the front panel logo to an internal lead supplying power for the logo LED. Puling the filter and you get a clearer look at the fans installed along with their built-in fan holder bracket, which likely is used to speed up the assembly of these systems as prebuilds, which are done by hand. To install our AIO, we will be removing this bracket and these fans in favor of the LL fans that come with our H100i Platinum SE white cooler.

Opening the chassis, and we have a view of the inside of the side panel. The hinge pins are pointed downward, and the panel can be lifted and away if you need to do so. Do note that the wiring for the internal screen interface is well integrated, so I would avoid removing the panel and built-in module if possible. The interior LED array you see surrounding the panel is very bright white to help push visuals through the filter due to the natural way an LCD works. You need a lot of bright light to get light through this panel, so it is also recommended to have as many white-based components in the system for the best functionality of the LCD side panel.

Here we have the PSU shroud for the Snowblind Element. The PSU shroud has well-appointed cable passthrough holes for both the SSD bays along with the front panel cables. Also, here is an opening further outward, which allows for passing cables to the GPU if needed. The front of the PSU shroud has a louvered area, which I am admittedly not sure what its purpose is beyond aesthetic. Lastly, is the dual SSD trays which are retained with slide mounting points, and a thumbscrew to lock it into place.

Looking at the rear I/O area from the inside, and we can now see the preinstalled fan. This fan, as mentioned previously, is a 3-pin DC powered 120mm unit. Below this, we have the expansion slots in which the LCD panel module will take one. At the top of the rear, we see the LED control button used to turn off the lighting if so desired.

Here we see the standard screw set, which would be needed to install a system. The main component here is the DisplayPort to DVI cable, which is used to feed the data to the installed module for the side panel display.

The manual for the Snowblind Element is a simple, quick start guide for the side LCD panel. There are no instructions for a user to follow for component installation. If you buy the Snowblind Element, you have to have your wits about you or find some videos online as there are no instructions provided for the build.

Now that we have completed the build, we get to check out how it turned out. As you can see, we replaced the fans and their bracket with a front mount 240mm AIO which is themed white to match the white aesthetic of the build and provide a little extra reflectivity for the side panel function.

Here you can see that this is not our standard test build, as we opted for white parts to best match how iBUYPOWER builds the rig; this helps ensure as much reflective surface for light to punch through the side panel. We deployed ASUS white components in the Strix RTX 2080 Ti and the ASUS X299 Prime Edition 30 to round out the build, which should load up some heat in this aesthetically focused chassis. As you can see, even with such beefy components, there is plenty of room to get everything in place.

The rear looks as it did before, except all the spots are now filled. The GPU feeds down to the side panel module to give the panel display. This will be set up as an extended display and rotated to portrait mode.

Powering the rig on, we see that with the lights off and a short shutter that the filter for the LCD is strong. The front RGB fans having a transparent window means you can adjust your lighting to match the theme of your build even from the front. You can see some of the data across the bottom of the side LCD panel, but I think we should take a better angle here.

Taking a direct look at the side panel and you can now see the custom layout I created for the LCD, and of course, I had to pimp our logo a bit in the central portion. So note that to get some of these gauges working, you will need ancillary applications such as Coretemp and MSI afterburner so that the Rainmeter app can pull the data required.

I saw the Snowblind system when iBUYPOWER first introduced it some years ago. For the longest time, it was only offered as a prebuilt system. Several modders have taken on the task of integrating their panels, and while it is possible, it does not come without risk and some skill required. The Snowblind Element comes with the panel included and done in a neat way that feels like it would be easy.

The first thing must be the LCD side panel. With the world now inundated with tempered glass panels, it is nice to see something that can be aesthetically dynamic. The thermal performance comes in next with great overall results here.

The next thing would be the overall aesthetic aside from the LCD panel, which is beautiful and serves the build well. The build quality is not bad, as I did not find any areas where I felt the component quality was lacking. The quality of the finished LCD panel comes up with the quality of materials as the fit and finish are fantastic.

There are some things I think could be better on the Snowblind Element. First would be the HDD cage, which I would like to see use trays so that users with 2.5" storage can use the cage if they choose to omit spinners. The cooling fitment could use some expansion to enable larger liquid-cooled builds with this excellent feature set. Including a manual with a DIY chassis is elementary. Since this is one of iBUYPOWER"s first standalone chassis I have had hands-on time with, I hope in the future they include an appropriate manual. I am glad they included the guide for the LCD setup, but a build guide is desirable for new users.

Do note that at the time of writing stock of the Snowblind Element was limited but still available, however its less expensive cousin, the Snowblind S, is still readily available. iBUYPOWER confirmed that presently they are low on chassis only stock and will determine soon if they will add more. If you want this feature as a full system, iBUYPOWER can do this as well, with a Snowblind series prebuilt gaming rig.