The Potenza is small in size and modest in price.

Microsoft evidently wants to prove that it has game, and what better way to do that than by teaming with a respected boutique system builder to sell a somewhat compact gaming machine in its retail stores? Effective immediately, you can purchase Maingear's Potenza Super Stock gaming system at Microsoft's retail stores or online. The obvious downside is the lack of customization options, though you can still configure and purchase the same machine on Maingear's website, too.

Are mini PCs the wave of the future?

Give us a full tower PC loaded to the top with high-end hardware any day of the week, though we'll concede there are viable applications for small form factor (SFF) mini PCs that are tiny enough to hold comfortably in your hand. Intel made us a believer with its Next Unit of Computing (NUC), a surprisingly powerful pint-sized PC, and now Stealth has announced a potent and portable system of its own.

Nickel plated copper piping is a key feature in the Aventum II's cooling schematics.

Boutique builder Digital Storm just took its Aventum system to another level. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, out in the desert, Digital Storm unboxed its new Aventum II with a custom designed cooling solution and chassis that features copper piping and room for nearly two dozen fans (22, to be exact). If you've been damned to hell and can only take one item with you, this might be the only logical option.

Boutique system builder Digital Storm has just introduced a new line of Marauder gaming PCs that attack the pre-built market with a Vengeance. Specifically, the Marauder line marches onto the battlefield in a suit of armor provided by Corsair's Vengeance C70 computer case, a gnarly looking enclosure that happens to be the first chassis in Corsair's lineup to sport the Vengeance moniker.