The Intel Core Custom Challenge. Will your vision of tomorrow rock the world?

Intel® Core™ i7 Custom Desktop Challenge Winners Announced

Worldwide Designs Showcase Vision of Tomorrow

With the Intel® Core™ i7 Custom Desktop Challenge Contest, Intel Corporation challenged PC enthusiasts around the globe to build desktops powered by Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core™ i5 processors that showcase the possibilities of tomorrow’s technology – from new gaming PCs to innovative platforms for home automation.

The contest, held Oct. 5, 2009 through Dec. 15, 2009, is promoted in coordination with local Intel channel partner members and media sponsors (Computer Power User, Driver Heaven, ExtremeTech, Madshrimps and PC Mag). Final submissions were judged by a panel comprised of sponsors and Intel employees. The six categories were “People’s Choice,” “Best in Show,” “Best Mod Creativity,” “Best Lifestyle Innovation,” “Best in Country” and “Best Video.”

To demonstrate their creativity and vision of tomorrow, participants made great use of lighting, cooling and glass in building their mods. Some even used unconventional material such as wood, recycled material and sand.

And the winners are:

  • Best-in-Show: “Duck” – This PC takes “out-of-the-box” thinking literally. The PC based on the Intel Core i7 processor stretches performance capabilities to the extreme and uses dry ice to keep the processors cooled. This is the ultimate gaming machine.

  • People’s Choice: “Cosmos Blue Motion Flow” – Blue light and water cooling got the voters excited with this “nice to the eyes” PC based on the Intel Core i7 processor. And still powerful and quiet. Now that’s a cool combination.

  • Mod Creativity: “Project Cool” – Talk about a blast from the past. This PC may look old school on the outside, but inside it is all about the future. Built with the Intel Core i7, this gaming machine features a screen on the box that acts as a second monitor so you can rock out without missing the action on your latest gaming conquest.

  • Lifestyle: “Mission” – Are you tired of cluttering your living room with all your PC equipment? The solution is here, the “Mission” truly blends in with its surroundings.

  • Best Video: “OS Xbox* Pro” – Proving that you can build a PC of tomorrow and keep costs in check; the “OS Xbox Pro” is a mighty machine in a small package. This PC is a video editor’s dream machine, and the low power produced by this processor enables the entire package to fit inside a tiny box.

  • Best in Country:
    • Belgium: “Blood Diamond” – It’s all about how you cool your machine. With an Intel Core i7 processor inside and an added solid-state drive, this machine is built to handle anything that is thrown in its way.
    • Canada: “Bloodrage”– With the red and white color scheme and Intel Core i7 Processor, this box is a gamer’s delight.
    • Japan: “Kazukun” – With water cooling, clock speed reduction when not in use and low voltage, this PC is considerate of the environment. With an Intel Core i7 processor, on-board memory and room to expand in the future, this PC is ready for any gaming opponents it faces.
    • Netherlands: “Terminator” – This machine may no longer require an outside operator; it looks as though he could manage just fine on his own. With the Intel Core i7 processor acting as his heart, soul and mind, the “Terminator” just may be back.
    • Norway: “The World’s End” – We weren’t expecting sand, wood and water, but here it is: A PC built for nature lovers.
    • Sweden: “Music Machine” – This PC takes recycling to an entirely new level and turns it into a functioning piece of art. Tomorrow is about recycling.
    • UK: “Project Bangra” – Can you keep up with this PC? With two solid-state drives and an Intel Core i7 Processor, this is a system that will be waiting on your processing power.
    • USA: “OS Xbox* Pro” – see description in “Best Video”

All final winners are now displayed on the contest web site at: www.intelcorechallenge.com. The winners will receive gift cards worth up to US $1,500; Intel processors; an Intel® Atom™ processor-based netbook; a Flip* HD pocket camcorder; a 160GB Intel solid-state drive and other prizes.

The contest was open to anyone 18 years or older who wanted to build a desktop that demonstrated a bold vision made possible by Intel’s newest, smartest and fastest processors. Participating countries were Belgium, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.