In my previous post, I mentioned the chassis that AMD chose for its Athlon FX-51 reference machines. A couple of readers asked for more specifics. The CoolerMaster model is the WaveMaster TAC-T01. Brushed aluminum stem to stern, not a speck of plastic. If only InfoWorld had a centerfold. The WaveMaster's design is meant to reinforce the Athlon FX-51 CPU's appeal to deep-pocketed gamers. But don't write off eithe In my previous post, I mentioned the chassis that AMD chose for its Athlon FX-51 reference machines. A couple of readers asked for more specifics. The CoolerMaster model is the WaveMaster TAC-T01. Brushed aluminum stem to stern, not a speck of plastic. If only InfoWorld had a centerfold.The WaveMaster’s design is meant to reinforce the Athlon FX-51 CPU’s appeal to deep-pocketed gamers. But don’t write off either the CPU or the WaveMaster chassis as teen accessories. The FX-51 is actually an Opteron 100-series processor, with none of the trade-offs in cache size or bus speed found in other Athlon 64 desktop CPUs. The chassis is roomy and, as you might expect, well cooled. Load an FX-51 machine up with RAM, toss in a couple of 10,000 RPM Serial ATA drives, bolt in a pair of redundant power supplies, and by my lights, you’ve got a high performance desktop.Casting my mind back to my suit-and-tie days, my first thought on seeing this system was “front office candy.” Visible technical management should have this mid-tower deskside to impress when they’re interviewing job candidates or negotiating with vendors. If you want your CEO photographed next to a computer for the cover of Business Week, this is the box you want in the picture. If you want that box to be a PC, that is. And if you want a perk that makes a raccoon-eyed geek work on three hours’ sleep instead of four, offer up one of these. “I need someone to get this project back on track. I believe your dedication and [sequined curtains part, choir sings, techie does Red Bull spit take] this system will make it happen.” This chassis isn’t the only one that accomodates an Athlon FX-51 motherboard; there are still lots of generic plastic/sheet metal towers and ugly-ass black rackmount cases at Fry’s. If you plan to hide your Athlon 64 box in the machine room, cheap out. And you’re free to jam a Xeon or a Pentium 4 motherboard into the WaveMaster instead. But the Athlon FX-51/WaveMaster combo goes together like chicken wings and Death Sauce. Gamers like their machines to say, “I am a god.” That’s not a bad image for business technologists to project to outsiders, and to the lesser mortals inside your company who aspire to your greatness. ——– Technology Industry