Nice look, but why wouldn't a wire screen work just as well and be cheaper to make since all that fancy plastic molding isn't needed any more. Unless this is some test run for next years fancy designed covers. Plus, you would be getting two birds with one stone. Cheaper and looks just as good with customer satisfaction bonus when they see it isn't just a plastic box and there is some metal in there.
If dirt is everyone's concern... why not do a thermal syphon radiator setup? No fans and no filter that never gets changed or even cleaned.
I noticed several comments about air filters. Adding a filter to the airflow of the system will likely diminish performance. These are architected very much like servers and other data center products with high performance chipsets efficient airflow designed to support the cooling solution. Any obstruction, even a filter, will likely impact the airflow, raising the temperature of the system and diminishing performance.
The internal layout of the systems were designed to make occasional cleaning much easier. Additionally, on the T7600 all of the hard drives can be removed from the front and the power supply can be removed (both tool-less) from the rear to help any with any additional cleaning or servicing needs.
Ah, so Dell have basically caught up to the case design produced by Apple for the G5 design years ago, but added a grill that will get covered in dust really quickly and be a pain to clean. I'm with Widefoot on this. I would like to see a stylish darker-than-mid grey vertically pleated, electrostatically treated plastic fibre filter on the front. It would be easily removable to facilitate cleaning and there would probably be a spare in the box with the unit for convenience. It would be very easy to design such a unit, wouldn't cost a fortune to manufacture or take a lot of effort to manufacture, unlike the metal grill described here. Okay, so this is a workstation class machine, and someone probably thought that engineers are likely to be using these - so lets put something techie in her so they appreciate the engineering... I would appreciate a high performance machine with the costs associated with manufacture put into a faster, more reliable machine that is easy to maintain and upgrade, not the aesthetics provided by a grill. Ship mine without the grill when I upgrade next - with a credit for doing so - I'll make a filter for the front myself using laser sintering. Actually, the way things are going, I will be going to Boxx or someone like that for my next machine. Dell customer support is becoming more and more difficult to work with and for a company under pressure in the market place, this is a great way to fail quicker. A fancy new design won't help success.
It's nice to look at, but with all the Dell Precision workstations I've used (more than a dozen) I've never seen an air filter to clean the incoming air. So boards and components get covered in dust, hair, insects, etc. Especially if your computer rests on a carpet. Adding insulation isn't going to help that Xeon processor...
So I'd have to tape some foam over that lovely cover, and put an additional draw fan at the back to return the airflow to a reasonable level. Now I'm at risk of upsetting the internal flow management, adding another power load, and losing the nice grill.
During the redesign would have been the perfect time to add the filter - maybe next time?
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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