Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Intel® Desktop Board DG31GL
The Intel® Desktop Board DG31GL Essential Series offers a cost-efficient integrated graphics solution for the budget conscious user.
This board is built with affordability and flexibility in mind, and supports Intel® Core™2 Quad processors, Intel® Core™2 Duo processors, Intel® Pentium® processors and Intel® Celeron® processors with 1333/1066/800 MHz system bus in the LGA775 package. Other features include dual-channel DDR2 800/667 MHz SDRAM, Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 (Intel® GMA 3100), integrated 10/100 Network Connection, Intel® High Definition Audio (4 channel audio) and up to eight USB 2.0 ports.
Intel® Desktop Board DX48BT2
Pulse-pounding gaming and high-powered multimedia experiences require the ultimate in performance from your processor and motherboard. Intel® Desktop Board DX48BT2 is designed to unleash the power of Intel® Core™2 Extreme processors. With support for 1600 MHz front side bus, fast DDR3 memory and overclocking, Intel Desktop Board DX48BT2 delivers the gaming performance you deserve.
Intel Desktop Board DX48BT2 supports Dolby Home Theater* and Microsoft Windows Vista* Premium WHQL certified.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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Whether it's gaming, digital photography, or video editing, today's high-impact entertainment demands breakthrough technology. Now with a new version based on Intel's cutting edge 45nm technology utilizing hafnium-infused circuitry to deliver even greater performance and power efficiency.
Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core processor
When more is better—with four processing cores the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor delivers unrivaled¹ performance for the latest, greatest generation of multi-threaded games and multimedia apps.
Now with a new version based on Intel's cutting edge 45nm technology utilizing hafnium-infused circuitry to deliver even greater performance and power efficiency. The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX9770 running at 3.2 GHz delivers the best possible experience for today's most demanding users.
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- 12 MB of total L2 cache
- 1600 MHz front side bus
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Conquer the world of extreme gaming with the fastest performing processor on the planet: the Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition.¹ With faster, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance.
But performance doesn't stop at gaming. You'll multitask 25 percent faster and unleash incredible digital media creation with up to 79 percent faster video encoding and up to 46 percent faster image rendering, plus incredible performance for photo retouching and editing.¹
In fact, you'll experience maximum performance for whatever you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology² and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³, which activates full processing power exactly where and when you need it most.
Product information.
- 3.20 GHz core speed
- 8 processing threads with Intel® HT technology
- 8 MB of Intel® Smart Cache
- 3 Channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Asus EEE TOP 1602
With its Eee Top 1602 all-in-one desktop ($600 as of February 12, 2009; available in early March), Asus carries the Eee name over from its popular netbook line to the desktop. And though you won’t want to run Adobe Photoshop on an Eee Top (the machine is based on netbook components, after all), the all-in-one's sleek design and user-friendly touch interface make it a great choice for users seeking a basic but fun desktop system.
Micro Express Microflex 82B
A powerful, fully equipped value-oriented system, the MicroFlex 82B sports a 3-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU, 2GB of memory, a 250GB Serial ATA hard drive, and Windows Vista Business. Unlike many budget PCs, the MicroFlex 82B ships with a dedicated graphics card--an nVidia GeForce 8800GT that carries 512MB of video memory. Thanks to its speedy processor and dedicated graphics, the MicroFlex 82B achieved a WorldBench 6 score of 117. While that doesn't quite reach high-end gaming PC territory, it makes this machine ideal for everyday computing tasks and even some gaming, too.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Acer Travelmate 6293-6889
Not all slim and light laptops come off the conveyor belt bursting with sex appeal. Take the Acer TravelMate 6293: Battery life, it has in spades. Everything else? Not so much. This entirely black portable is fairly well packaged as far as all-purpose laptops go, but if this machine were to go on a diet and lose 0.6 pounds, it could qualify as a good deal for an ultraportable. No doubt Acer's goal was to cut corners--and some standard notebook connections--to a hit a palatable $999 price point, perfectly acceptable for a business budget. But the result is a laptop that's a tad frumpy.
Micro Express JHL9050
Micro Express has done it again. Following speed demons such as the JFL9226 and the IFL9025, the JHL9050 provides power and performance in spades. If only the company could iron out the lingering design faux pas, there'd be little to stop this unassuming $1199 all-purpose laptop from climbing to the top of the budget-notebook hill.
Gateway UC7807U
Gateway's UC7807u costs only $800? I'm not saying that this borderline ultraportable has the speediest parts--or that it's a featherweight (it's far from either). But the slick styling of this beaut certainly tricks you into thinking it is worth more.
Monday, May 11, 2009
HP HDX18: Multimedia Marvel
Nov 24, 2008 - HP's HDX line is fairly straightforward--it courts multimedia fiends. From its double-wide demeanor (with ample room for full QWERTY keys and a keypad) to all the plugs and ports offered here, the HDX18--a fairly fashionable desktop replacement--will stand out on your desk. The HDX18 isn't quite a desktop-destroyer like Toshiba's Qosmio X305 (Toshiba's Qosmio line has a well-deserved rep for awesome performance in games and stellar audio--hang in there, we'll have a review of the X305 up soon enough), but the HDX18's multimedia-mindedness proves that HP is ready to put up a fight. (We've also reviewed HP's HDX16, a very similar entertainment-focused laptop; the main differences are a smaller screen, a smaller hard drive, a slightly plainer keyboard--and a lower price.)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Fujitsu Lifebook A6120
The Fujitsu LifeBook A6120 is a good performer, carries a reasonable price tag, and comes with most of the features you'd expect from a well-rounded machine--except good battery life.
Fujitsu Lifebook N6460
Fujitsu's new flagship desktop replacement laptop spoils graphics professionals with a stunning work environment and tons of storage. That's one big thing it has in common with its predecessor, the LifeBook N6420, but the newer N6460 is also a better entertainment unit. Battery life is shorter--it ran out of juice in less than 1 hour in our recent tests--and it still leaves Bluetooth fans out in the cold. But all in all, the Fujitsu LifeBook N6460 is an improvement over the N6420.
Sony Vaio VGN-UX390N
In designing its VAIO Micro PC VGN-UX390N, Sony has condensed a standard notebook computer into a device only a little larger than--and about twice the weight of--a BlackBerry. And it did a good job, with two critical exceptions: The 4.5-inch display is too small for easy viewing even at arm's length, and a finger on the keyboard is a typo waiting to happen. If you plug in an external monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse, however, you'll see the better half of the UX390N's split personality: An ultramobile PC that's right at home on your desktop.
Toshiba Satellite P105-S6217 Notebook
Toshiba laptops are wildly popular and for a reason: They offer good quality and they're eminently affordable. The $1649 (as of April 11, 2007) Toshiba Satellite P105-S6217 isn't a high concept notebook, but it makes an excellent second PC at home or a solid small-office desktop replacement.
Toshiba Satellite U405
Ultraportable laptops priced under a grand are still relatively rare. The same can be said for slim, sexy notebooks that weigh close to 4 pounds. That's changing, though, and Toshiba's $949 Satellite U405-S2854 satisfies in all the important areas: It offers decent performance, an enormous hard drive, and even bundled Microsoft office applications.
Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 Notebook
A terrific screen, rich sound, and superior performance make the Satellite P105-S921 gaming notebook from Toshiba really stand out. The system's $1999 price--quite reasonable considering what you get for it--only sweetens the deal.
Samsung X460-44P
Welcome back, Samsung. You've been laying low in the U.S. market when it comes to notebooks, but after kicking the tires on the X460, I can honestly say you were missed. I mean, you manage to craft a 14.1-inch thin-and-light all-purpose notebook that's perfectly road-ready and goes toe-to-toe with Lenovo's ThinkPad X300--even though the X300 is an ultraportable-class machine.
Acer Aspire 8920
The $2599 Acer Aspire 8920 is a whole lotta laptop, crammed with so many features that we kept checking for a kitchen sink. It has a humongous screen, a Blu-ray drive, six speakers, a giant hard drive, a top-flight processor, and a gadget-laden keyboard. You won't skip the light fandango while carrying this 9-pound monstrosity, but you will get awesome performance (and anemic battery life). In other words, it's a powerful desktop replacement laptop that will take up most of your desktop.
Gateway P-172X FX
A notebook catering to the gaming set is sure to deliver a flashy design and good horsepower. And Gateway's latest racer, the P-172X FX, doesn't disappoint.
Asus EEE PC 1000HE
Updated 3/6/2009 The final retail unit does not have a shared USB-eSATA port as originally reported.
Dell Inspiron 1720
A powerful laptop does not have to be a boring laptop. Take Dell's Inspiron 1720, a robust system that also happens to be available in seven colors besides black. The 1720 is a heavyish 17-inch notebook, but its multimedia design is outstanding.
Dell XPS M1710
Dell's XPS M1710 is the notebook for the power desktop user who's ready to go (sort of) mobile. Packed with high-performance hardware, it's one of the fastest notebooks we've tested. But neither its price nor its weight is for the weak of heart.
Dell Inspiron 6000
You can see more on the Dell Inspiron 6000's wide screen than on most other 15.4-inch displays thanks to its WUXGA resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. In fact, you can work with higher-resolution photographs, more spreadsheet columns, and more tiled documents simultaneously on the Inspiron 6000 than you can on some 17-inch wide screens. (The Inspiron 6000 is also available with a 1280-by-800-pixel WXGA screen or a 1680-by-1050-pixel WSXGA+ screen for $150 less or $50 less, respectively.)
Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600 Notebook
As if the first Qosmio Windows Media Center Edition notebooks didn't kick enough multimedia booty with instant-on TV, a slot-fed DVD burner, awesome Harman/Kardon speakers and a cool volume dial, the latest Qosmio adds hi-fi sound.
Apple 13.3" Macbook Intel Core DUO Notebook
The more RAM your laptop has, the faster programs will run and the greater number of windows you can work in at one time. If your needs are simple and you rarely do more than two things at once on your PC, the relatively modest amount of memory that comes installed in inexpensive laptops will be enough. Today the standard amount of RAM shipped in most PCs is 2GB. If you like to multitask--say, you want to launch a search for a file and start backing up data to a disc while you watch a news video--you need more memory.
Apple Macbook Pro
For people who appreciate finer laptop accoutrements such as a backlit keyboard and a slot-fed DVD drive, Apple has crafted another tasty offering in the form of the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Sleek, powerful, and able to run Windows as well as the Mac operating system, the MacBook Pro makes a strong case for becoming anyone's ultimate notebook.
Sony Vaio VGC-RA842G
The Sony VAIO VGC-RA842G is a great multimedia system, best suited to the enthusiast who wants a complete audio, video, and graphics package out of the box. This VAIO offers a quiet, liquid cooling system, but even though it was configured with a dual-core 3-GHz Pentium D 830 CPU and 1GB of DDR2-533 SDRAM, it doesn't have the horsepower to appeal to graphics professionals or hard-core gamers.
HP Pavilion D4000E
The HP Pavilion D4000e is a reasonable choice for any business or individual seeking an economical power system rather than a top-notch gaming or graphics platform.
HP Pavilion DV7T
The Pavilion dv7t is one of HP's "entertainment powerhouse" notebooks, just one step down from the ludicrously oversize 20-inch HDX. Beyond the 17-inch screen, and under the cool "liquid metal" exterior, lies Intel's new Centrino 2 processor. The result: high-octane performance in an extremely shiny package.
HP Pavilion A1510N Desktop
The Pavilion a1510n puts together an appealing mix of performance, cost, and features for anyone seeking an affordable, basic PC.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Gateway GM5632E
Designed primarily as a multimedia or media-center desktop PC, the quad-core Gateway GM5632E (sold as the Gateway Q6600 at Best Buy) is a pre-built retail system available in only one configuration. Though its expansion options are limited, its base price (without monitor) of $1200 (as of November 2, 2007) may appeal to those who rarely open the case. For this review, we looked at the GM5632E bundled with Gateway's excellent 24-inch wide-screen LCD ($600), which raised the system's total price to $1800.
Gateway FX400XL
Priced at $2200 with a 19-inch LCD monitor, the FX400XL delivers solid value to multimedia enthusiasts looking for a user-friendly PC that can handle work with sound and video.
Compaq DX2250
The dx2250 is the least-expensive PC in HP's Compaq business PC line. Although you can get a very inexpensive dx2250 if you skip the extras, even a judicious amount of optional equipment can jack up the price substantially--so much so that it can end up costing as much as or more than many of HP's more sophisticated business PCs, such as the Compaq dc5750 we tested a few months ago. Our test configuration cost $1413 (as of 7/24/07) with a 19-inch monitor and a three-year warranty.
Compaq DX2200 Desktop
As its name implies, the HP dx2200 Business Desktop targets workplace users. This compact system's low price of $738 (as of November 6, 2006) makes it a good match for small and home offices on a budget.
Acer Veriton VM460-UD2180C
If you're looking for a basic desktop computer with lots of expandability options, the $748 (as of 2/7/08) Acer Veriton VM460-UD2180C has more growth potential than most budget desktops.
Acer Aspire Predator
Acer's Aspire Predator is a peculiar power desktop. We see this particular configuration more as a sturdy base with room to grow than a power PC in its own right; a little more detail work on its guts could push it toward the top of the category.
Falcon Northwest Mach V
Falcon Northwest's Mach V gaming desktop is a firecracker inside a beautiful aluminum chassis. While the Silverstone Temjin TJ03 full tower case itself is nothing new, the Mach V's internal setup represents the fastest PC we have ever tested on nearly every benchmark we could toss at this overclocked monstrosity.
Dell XPS 630
Dell's XPS 630 is a stylish and competitively priced mainstream gaming PC that can be souped up with extras such as an Ageia PhysX accelerator, a Blu-ray Disc drive, and up to 4GB of DDR2-800 Corsair Dominator memory. And though Dell recently integrated its XPS and Alienware development teams for future products, a spokesperson confirmed that the company will fully support current XPS notebooks and desktops (such as the high-end 730 H2C, the multimedia-themed XPS 420, and the iMac-rival One) for the remainder of what is typically a 12-month life-cycle for these products. The company declined to confirm when the first Alienware/Dell hybrid systems are likely to appear.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Apple iMac G5 20-inch.
Apple's 20-inch iMac with a 2-GHz Intel Core Duo processor looks identical to the 2.1-GHz iMac G5 that we reviewed in January 2006. The primary difference is that--while Apple's own applications run faster on the new machine--current third-party software such as Adobe Photoshop CS2 is not yet optimized for the Intel processor, and such programs may run much more slowly than before.
Apple iMac 2.1GHZ 20".
All-in-one computers such as this machine combine the display and the major components (processor, graphics chip, memory, storage, and so on) into a single physical package. Apple popularized the concept with the original Macintosh computer, and continues the trend to this day with its iMac line.
The chief appeal of an all-in-one desktop lies in its style and integration, and such systems are especially suited to people who have limited space in which to work. But all-in-one PCs often have few (if any) slots and bays for internal expansion, and cluttering up your desk with external USB storage and other peripherals could eliminate much of their appeal. If you do go for an all-in-one, it's a good idea to get a machine that has all the features and drive space you'll need over at least the next 18 months.
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