CES 2020: Razer showcases Tomahawk with its gaming-grade modular Intel NUC 9 Extreme platform

At CES 2020, two of the world's biggest chipmakers were in attendance to showcase their respective wares. AMD had a lot of attention prior to the expo due to its partnership with Sony and Microsoft and its next-generation game systems. Intel, on the other hand, was touting several of its products such as the Tiger Lake processors, artificial intelligence, 5G, and more. One of its notable reveals is the Ghost Canyon, which uses the NUC 9 Extreme. Shortly thereafter, Razer unveiled the Tomahawk – its gaming-grade mini PC that uses the aforementioned platform.

Known for its LED lighting-infused gaming accessories, Razer also produces premium laptops, ultrabooks, and smartphones. Now, it seems to be eyeing the desktop gaming scene with the help of Intel's modular system. As with its other offerings, the manufacturer is crafting a visually attractive chassis that will house the components needed to run modern titles with enough resources to rival full-size desktop rigs.

At first glance, the Razer Tomahawk can be mistaken for an external GPU (eGPU) enclosure. This is understandable given that the brand also sells the Core X, as hinted at by PCMag. The front panel flaunts the iconic triple-headed snake emblem with most of the chassis crafted out of aluminium with a coat of black paint in a matte finish. There are also tempered glass panels on each flank with the brand's text one side.

The demo unit available at the CES 2020 venue already comes with an Intel NUC 9 Extreme baseboard and an SFX power supply unit. Given the compact nature of this modular mini PC setup, consumers should be aware of the limited space available within the enclosure. Hence, it will likely require the use of custom cables to fit everything properly.

To give users an idea of what the Razer Tomahawk can accommodate, the assembly includes the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Compute Element (which can be swapped out for future upgrades), a GeForce GTX 2080 GPU, and the rest of the pre-installed pieces detailed above. There is no word of pricing and availability just yet. Consumers who are in the market for a gaming PC now have a space-saving alternative to look out for.