Hardcore Computer
Hardcore Computer Inc. is a personal computer manufacturing company located in Rochester, Minnesota, USA which was founded in 2006. The company custom designs and manufactures top-tier computer systems. These systems have a patented liquid submersion cooling technology to remove the main barrier of electronic performance – heat. In addition to high-performance desktop computer systems, Hardcore’s liquid submersion technology is suitable for cooling a number of computing platforms, such as servers, storage systems and laptops.
Operations
Hardcore Computer Inc. operations are mostly restricted to online and telephone orders, as the company has not signed any distribution deals with any major retailers.The company has U.S. Patent No. 7,403,392 for their “Liquid submersion cooling system.”
The company began with the Reactor X desktop series and slowly expanded over time. The Reactor X uses the company's patent cooling system. The cooling system submerges the computer within a liquid oil that Hardcore Computer Inc. claims to be 10 times more effective than air cooling. Since the videocard and motherboard are also submerged, the voltage regulators, chipset, and RAM will be cooled as well. A pump is used to circulate liquid through a custom radiator to help keep the computer cool.
In 2010, the company added the Liquid Blade line, the First Total Liquid Submersion server. Also, in 2010 the company launched it's Detonator™ Workstation using the company's patent cooling system.
Competitors
Hardcore Computer Inc. has traditionally competed with the luxury PC gaming niche companies such as Alienware, Falcon Northwest and MAINGEAR. However, with the launch of their Liquid Blade and Detonator line, the company is poised to compete with the big OEMs such as Dell, HP, Acer Inc. and Apple Inc..
Criticism
Due to the fact that the company relies heavily on proprietary parts, if the company ever disappeared, customers could have an extremely expensive paperweight if they bought a Reactor X or Detonator. Liquid cool and oil cool machines have been known to leak, if left on their side for a couple of hours. In order to upgrade the Reactor X or Detonator, most parts will need to be purchased through Hardcore Computer, thus limiting the consumer options. Due to the fact that the company's products use so many proprietary parts, the company might be behind other companies, when offering the newest and greatest piece of computer hardware.
See also
- List of computer system manufacturers