Sunday, October 23rd 2011
Sunday Special: LITS Event & Thoughts On The State Of PC Gaming
Yesterday, my friend and I went to the first ever London International Technology Show (LITS) www.litshow.co.uk held in one large hall at the modern and impressive ExCel centre in Docklands, London. I'll say now, that I didn't go intending to write a piece on it, so I didn't make any notes or take any pictures. Everything in this editorial is therefore from my memory and impressions of this event, so please forgive me that it's not a comprehensive review of everything that went on.
This event was billed as a "technology show", but the good news is that it was really a PC enthusiast show, as it covered the exact ground that sites like TechPowerUp do. Everywhere you looked, you saw the big names in the UK PC tech industry, such as Scan Computers, Samsung, CCL Online, Micro Mart, Mac User and lots more. Surprisingly, even Top Gear were there with a large enclosed driving simulator that you could sit inside and be thrown around in! In fact, it felt like the computer shows of the 80s and 90s I used to go to, but updated for the modern era - and I loved it.We checked our travel options, since many London destinations are difficult to get to and park by car and decided the car would be practical in this case, because the ExCel centre has a very large car park underneath. The journey went well and it's so much nicer going by car than public transport. We got there at 10:30, where it was busy, but not especially so. However, by midday, it was packed out, which was very encouraging to see. We arrived at the entrance to the show and were greeted with an impressive and large stand by Scan Computers, co-sponsors of the event. Here, they had around 10 systems set up in transparent Perspex cases, which the general public could sit at and play with. These were used in an overclocking training tutorial, with someone walking around with a mic and explaining how to go about it. TechPowerUp's GPU-Z utility was very obviously being used on these PCs, too. Scan had several other events going on there, as well.
Yoyotech were there in force, with a very impressive stand. As well as having lots of PCs set up for LAN gaming and having hourly special offers, they were also trying for some impressive overclocking feats. There were two guys there, looking after a system each and using the ultimate coolant, LN2. They had a cooling pot above the CPU and one each over the four GTX 580s they were using. It was readily apparent that keeping that pot full of LN2 was their top priority to prevent the systems from blowing up. They had a huge LN2 tank next to them as their main supply of the precious stuff, so it wasn't running out any time soon. The time that I was there, they were trying to get the systems stable (I forget the clock speeds now) but they were gearing up for a contest.
CCL Online had a large stand too. Their main attraction was LAN gaming and they had four PCs connected together with members of the public duking it out with each other. They also had a very impressive modded PC, which must have been worth several thousand pounds. The case was huge, all in black, with several red illuminated fans on it. The system was obviously watercooled throughout, including the four GTX 580s installed. Several of the front 5.25" bays had status displays showing things like fan speeds, temperatures and clock speeds. And of course, the layout and presentation was spot on, with a serious "wow" factor. This PC is enough for any PC enthusiast to dream about, make no mistake.
Now, while I'm hardly a Mac fan or have any of Apple's products, I have to hand it to the Mac User group for their impressive stands at the show. On one stand, you could talk to various members of the club and find out more about them. However, the real show stealer, was their "museum" piece of classic Apple hardware laid out side by side against one wall, along with historical information, just like you would see in a museum. They had things like a twenty year old Mac laptop there, a little Mac SE (I used one of these at work years ago and appreciated the cute shape, built-in monitor and solid construction. I wouldn't mind having one of these in my classic computer collection) various desktop Macs, classic iPods and more. I was hoping to see a PC user group, but there wasn't one.
Zotac were there too and had their Z68 Mini-ITX WiFi motherboard on display, demonstrating what it can do - TechPowerUp review. For those that haven't seen the mini-ITX form factor in real life before, I can tell you that it's really tiny and could easily fit in a laptop. This example had a GTX 580 plugged into it (which really dwarfed it!) and was running Counter-Strike, which the public could play with. If someone wants a small PC for gaming and doesn't want a laptop, then this form factor is certainly viable and can have a top-end LGA1155 CPU fitted for some serious horsepower.
Bit-tech were also there, meeting the public and giving expert advice to anyone that asked. Impressively, they had a Sandy Bridge-E system on display - instantly recognizable with the memory modules on either side of the processor. The case wasn't your standard open affair either, allowing the components to be viewed, or a blinged out tower. No, this was the Armari XCP concept PC, which had the mobo horizontal in a clear Perspex case and actually had a small waterfall on one side, of all things. It housed a 6-core SB-E CPU (it didn't say which model) and an X79 mobo. The system was running Rage, which I tried out.
This system was so visually striking that I really wished I'd had my camera then. Regardless, here's a picture from the bit-tech website:Impressive, isn't it?
Bit-tech also had the beta of Serious Sam 3: BFE ready for play on their gaming systems. One could play the whole level, except for the end boss. They also had F1 2011 and Crysis set up on their triple monitor Eyefinity rigs. Bit-tech have got several more show pictures, here and they're well worth a look.
Various PC magazines were there, including Micro Mart, Computer Shopper and Web User. They all had special show discount subscriptions on offer.
There were also some non-PC technology related items on show. There were three tricked-out boy racer cars, in white, with two 12" bass bins in the back. The hatch was open on one of them and these things were playing - and boy did the bass kick! This was no crummy DIY job, either. Despite the intense vibration caused by those woofers, there was no hint of anything rattling or buzzing annoyingly. Awesome, absolutely awesome.
On a couple of other stands, exhibitors were hawking small RC helicopters, one tiny 10cm model and one much larger at about 50cm long. Judging by the flying demos, they were considerably more controllable than earlier models of this type and looked a lot of fun - they wouldn't let the public try them out though unfortunately, due to public liability. In the end, the salesmen at one of the stands did a very good selling job to the surrounding crowds and I ended up buying one of the tiny ones. I've tried it out briefly and while reasonably stable, I haven't quite mastered it yet and tend to crash it. These things are tough though, with flexible rotors and it's not damaged.
One of the takeaway impressions I had from the show, was how big PC gaming is. Everywhere you looked, there were high-end PCs set up for gaming and every single one was being played with. While there are lots of pundits slating PC gaming for allegedly going downhill in popularity, I don't think this is the case, if this snapshot is anything to go by. If anything, I think it's on the up. Think about it, this was the first show of its kind in years. This show wouldn't happen if PC gaming was "dying", now would it? On top of that, the hall was very full indeed, an excellent sign of the size of the PC enthusiast market. I believe that this show represents a milestone in the UK PC enthusiast world, with enthusiasts increasing in numbers to a more significant level.
And finally, of course a show like this would be nothing without booth babes. They were very much present and correct and their collective, awesome beauty outshone the entire tech on show by miles... By this time, I'd really regretted not bringing the camera!
I can guarantee that I'll be going there next year. And I'll bring the damned camera this time.
Check out bit-tech, Hexus and other PC tech websites, who should have a full show report in the next day or two.
LITS main stage schedule
Brands at LITS
This event was billed as a "technology show", but the good news is that it was really a PC enthusiast show, as it covered the exact ground that sites like TechPowerUp do. Everywhere you looked, you saw the big names in the UK PC tech industry, such as Scan Computers, Samsung, CCL Online, Micro Mart, Mac User and lots more. Surprisingly, even Top Gear were there with a large enclosed driving simulator that you could sit inside and be thrown around in! In fact, it felt like the computer shows of the 80s and 90s I used to go to, but updated for the modern era - and I loved it.We checked our travel options, since many London destinations are difficult to get to and park by car and decided the car would be practical in this case, because the ExCel centre has a very large car park underneath. The journey went well and it's so much nicer going by car than public transport. We got there at 10:30, where it was busy, but not especially so. However, by midday, it was packed out, which was very encouraging to see. We arrived at the entrance to the show and were greeted with an impressive and large stand by Scan Computers, co-sponsors of the event. Here, they had around 10 systems set up in transparent Perspex cases, which the general public could sit at and play with. These were used in an overclocking training tutorial, with someone walking around with a mic and explaining how to go about it. TechPowerUp's GPU-Z utility was very obviously being used on these PCs, too. Scan had several other events going on there, as well.
Yoyotech were there in force, with a very impressive stand. As well as having lots of PCs set up for LAN gaming and having hourly special offers, they were also trying for some impressive overclocking feats. There were two guys there, looking after a system each and using the ultimate coolant, LN2. They had a cooling pot above the CPU and one each over the four GTX 580s they were using. It was readily apparent that keeping that pot full of LN2 was their top priority to prevent the systems from blowing up. They had a huge LN2 tank next to them as their main supply of the precious stuff, so it wasn't running out any time soon. The time that I was there, they were trying to get the systems stable (I forget the clock speeds now) but they were gearing up for a contest.
CCL Online had a large stand too. Their main attraction was LAN gaming and they had four PCs connected together with members of the public duking it out with each other. They also had a very impressive modded PC, which must have been worth several thousand pounds. The case was huge, all in black, with several red illuminated fans on it. The system was obviously watercooled throughout, including the four GTX 580s installed. Several of the front 5.25" bays had status displays showing things like fan speeds, temperatures and clock speeds. And of course, the layout and presentation was spot on, with a serious "wow" factor. This PC is enough for any PC enthusiast to dream about, make no mistake.
Now, while I'm hardly a Mac fan or have any of Apple's products, I have to hand it to the Mac User group for their impressive stands at the show. On one stand, you could talk to various members of the club and find out more about them. However, the real show stealer, was their "museum" piece of classic Apple hardware laid out side by side against one wall, along with historical information, just like you would see in a museum. They had things like a twenty year old Mac laptop there, a little Mac SE (I used one of these at work years ago and appreciated the cute shape, built-in monitor and solid construction. I wouldn't mind having one of these in my classic computer collection) various desktop Macs, classic iPods and more. I was hoping to see a PC user group, but there wasn't one.
Zotac were there too and had their Z68 Mini-ITX WiFi motherboard on display, demonstrating what it can do - TechPowerUp review. For those that haven't seen the mini-ITX form factor in real life before, I can tell you that it's really tiny and could easily fit in a laptop. This example had a GTX 580 plugged into it (which really dwarfed it!) and was running Counter-Strike, which the public could play with. If someone wants a small PC for gaming and doesn't want a laptop, then this form factor is certainly viable and can have a top-end LGA1155 CPU fitted for some serious horsepower.
Bit-tech were also there, meeting the public and giving expert advice to anyone that asked. Impressively, they had a Sandy Bridge-E system on display - instantly recognizable with the memory modules on either side of the processor. The case wasn't your standard open affair either, allowing the components to be viewed, or a blinged out tower. No, this was the Armari XCP concept PC, which had the mobo horizontal in a clear Perspex case and actually had a small waterfall on one side, of all things. It housed a 6-core SB-E CPU (it didn't say which model) and an X79 mobo. The system was running Rage, which I tried out.
This system was so visually striking that I really wished I'd had my camera then. Regardless, here's a picture from the bit-tech website:Impressive, isn't it?
Bit-tech also had the beta of Serious Sam 3: BFE ready for play on their gaming systems. One could play the whole level, except for the end boss. They also had F1 2011 and Crysis set up on their triple monitor Eyefinity rigs. Bit-tech have got several more show pictures, here and they're well worth a look.
Various PC magazines were there, including Micro Mart, Computer Shopper and Web User. They all had special show discount subscriptions on offer.
There were also some non-PC technology related items on show. There were three tricked-out boy racer cars, in white, with two 12" bass bins in the back. The hatch was open on one of them and these things were playing - and boy did the bass kick! This was no crummy DIY job, either. Despite the intense vibration caused by those woofers, there was no hint of anything rattling or buzzing annoyingly. Awesome, absolutely awesome.
On a couple of other stands, exhibitors were hawking small RC helicopters, one tiny 10cm model and one much larger at about 50cm long. Judging by the flying demos, they were considerably more controllable than earlier models of this type and looked a lot of fun - they wouldn't let the public try them out though unfortunately, due to public liability. In the end, the salesmen at one of the stands did a very good selling job to the surrounding crowds and I ended up buying one of the tiny ones. I've tried it out briefly and while reasonably stable, I haven't quite mastered it yet and tend to crash it. These things are tough though, with flexible rotors and it's not damaged.
One of the takeaway impressions I had from the show, was how big PC gaming is. Everywhere you looked, there were high-end PCs set up for gaming and every single one was being played with. While there are lots of pundits slating PC gaming for allegedly going downhill in popularity, I don't think this is the case, if this snapshot is anything to go by. If anything, I think it's on the up. Think about it, this was the first show of its kind in years. This show wouldn't happen if PC gaming was "dying", now would it? On top of that, the hall was very full indeed, an excellent sign of the size of the PC enthusiast market. I believe that this show represents a milestone in the UK PC enthusiast world, with enthusiasts increasing in numbers to a more significant level.
And finally, of course a show like this would be nothing without booth babes. They were very much present and correct and their collective, awesome beauty outshone the entire tech on show by miles... By this time, I'd really regretted not bringing the camera!
I can guarantee that I'll be going there next year. And I'll bring the damned camera this time.
Check out bit-tech, Hexus and other PC tech websites, who should have a full show report in the next day or two.
LITS main stage schedule
Brands at LITS