While many developments in the field of gaming overall tend to start with what people can use to play the games, or the games themselves, there's a part of the gaming equation that isn't often considered. Specifically, it's the part that actually serves up the gaming action, particularly when that gaming action is cloud-based. Supermicro brought out a powerful new solution for cloud gaming at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event in Las Vegas, and the new line has plenty to back it up in even the strongest games.

More specifically, Supermicro brought out its new 1U, 2U, and 4U/Tower server clusters, and the sheer capability of these was impressive by any standard. All three systems had been certified with Nvidia Grid cloud technology to ensure that these devices could deliver top-notch performance in terms of cloud-based gaming. For instance, two versions of the 1U were on hand, offering up two or three Nvidia Grid K430 or K520 GPUs, allowing for a range of between 24 and 48 game streams for the two-GPU versions or 36 to 72 for the three. The 2U, meanwhile, boasted performance to match the top 1U and then some, with three K430 or four K520 GPUs for between 48 and 72 game streams. The 4U / Tower, meanwhile, appeared to match the 2U in terms of GPU count and game streams, though reports from Supermicro's president and CEO Charles Liang suggested that the 4U / Tower could go as high as 12 GPUs when using the 4U FatTwin configuration.

But that wasn't the end of Supermicro's display; rather just the beginning. Supermicro also had something for the end user in a Mid-Tower SuperServer which could be overclocked for added performance. Said SuperServer packed in support for the array of fourth-generation Intel processors—the i3, i5, and i7 line—as well as three separate levels of overclock capability from 15 percent to 23 percent, as well as the third level known as “user-defined.” It could offer up a staggering 32 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM, a host of hot-swappable drive bays, support for up to three different displays at once—including an HDMI port, a DVI port, a VGA port and a Thunderbolt port—as well as two GbE LAN ports, eight USB 3.0 slots, 10 USB 2.0 slots and even support for 7.1 HD audio, which is a staggering combination of features all in one handy unit.

Supermicro also had on hand what it called an entry-level SuperWorkstation, a tower server specifically geared toward small places, a tower SuperWorkstation with a particular focus on power, and a network appliance for security and file server applications. Those interested in getting better acquainted with Supermicro's line can do so at the South Hall Gaming Showcase, booth 25813, where Supermicro is exhibiting the line.

While some of this might be a bit too esoteric—perhaps even a bit too powerful—for the regular user, those looking for an end-to-end solution for game streaming might well find the answer to prayer right here. These are some substantial chunks of hardware, and should be able to keep up with even some high-intensity game streaming. For those who need this kind of hardware, Supermicro is going to be a pretty nice place to start looking, and some may well even find it sufficient to be the last place to look as well.