02/12, 12:15am
We review Dell's smaller XPS performance notebook
The 13- to 14-inch notebook screen size is currently one of the hottest areas of competition right now: it's where Apple, HP, and others start off their higher-end models. Dell has certainly been one of the most active in this space and has brought its high-end XPS line to that space through the 14z. We'll check in our Dell XPS 14z review whether the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Sony VAIO S, or comparable rivals will feel the strain.
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02/09, 6:20pm
Gaming laptop features 3rd generation Core i7 CPU
Samsung's new Ivy Bridge powered gaming laptop has popped up at the company's US website and is available for pre-order. The 17.3-inch NP700G7C-S01US is powered by a third-generation and so far unannounced 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM quad-core processor. It comes paired with a similarly unofficial, discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M for graphics.
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02/08, 11:20am
HP Envy 14 Spectre tackles Apple
HP on Wednesday began selling its most direct competitor to the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre. The pseudo-ultrabook starts at a relatively steep $1,400 with a 14-inch, 1366x768 display, a 1.6GHz low-voltage Core i5, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. Options can take it to a 1.8GHz Core i7 and a 256GB SSD.
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02/07, 7:40pm
Desktop replacement sports 6-core Intel CPU
Cleveland-based AVADirect is accepting pre-orders for a new gaming portable that integrates one of the refreshed, Sandy Bridge-E Intel Core i7 desktop processors into a laptop form factor. The Clevo P270WM is a 17.3-inch desktop replacement that can come equipped with either a 3.2GHz or 3.3GHz Extreme Edition chip. It can also house dual NVIDIA mobile graphics chips in SLI.
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01/28, 1:55pm
Lenovo puts up IdeaPad Y470p for sales
Lenovo has stepped up its gaming credentials by quietly taking orders for the IdeaPad Y470p. The 14-inch notebook swaps out NVIDIA's low-end GeForce GT 520M video of the regular Y470 for a mid-range AMD Radeon HD 7690M, giving it an edge in 3D games. The 2.2GHz quad Core i7 and 8GB of RAM help keep the system running at full pace.
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01/22, 11:20pm
Sony preps spring 2012 VAIO refresh
Sony in a post-CES update has tweaked several of its VAIO notebooks for the spring. The VAIO Z now has the option of 4G LTE access on Verizon, making it one of the first full-powered notebooks with the choice. The $1,950 ultraportable now comes in a Carbon Fiber Silver color and gets newer Core i5 and i7 processors from the late 2011 upgrade.
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01/22, 1:15pm
ASUS B23E ups business notebook design
ASUS has quietly slipped out a new pro-oriented notebook in admist the more home-focused designs of CES. The 12.5-inch B23E has a relatively sleek magnesium alloy chassis. Although 1.1 inches thick and 3.4 pounds, it's intended as a true complete replacement with a DVD burner, up to 750GB of storage, and as much as 8GB of RAM.
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01/19, 2:15pm
Unlocked Core i5, i7 overclock warranty offered
Computer chipmaker Intel has just launched its Performance Tuning Protection Plan meant for users who want to overclock their unlocked Core i-series CPUs without worrying about the consequences if they go too far. The plan will replace a single processor if it fails when taken outside of Intel's specifications. This is in addition to Intel's standard three-year warranty, but does require owners to pay a separate fee.
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01/17, 11:55pm
Alienware X51 biled as smallest gaming PC ever
Dell's Alienware badge ventured into small form factor desktops for the first time late Tuesday. The X51 is billed as the smallest gaming PC desktop ever at no more than 13.5 inches at its largest dimension. Even with a 3.7-inch thick width, it can not only fit up to a GeForce GTX 555 desktop graphics card but replace this, the hard drive, and the RAM as new technology comes through.
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01/17, 4:40pm
Ideum 65-inch 3D Presenter made for public spaces
Ideum, which makes Microsoft Surface-like computer tables such as the MT-50, has now revealed its 65-inch MT65 Presenter display that hangs vertically, on a wall. The multi-touch 3D display is meant for public consumption and is thus covered by tempered glass. It can recognize and track up to 32 touch points.
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01/15, 3:20pm
Samsung 9 Series desktop, WB150, and QF20 at CES
Samsung had a few extra stand-out devices at its CES booth this past week, and we got to try many of them. The Series 9 All-In-One PC is effectively Samsung's answer to the 27-inch iMac. Whatever you think of Samsung's affinity for Apple design, the 9 is certainly unique just from aesthetic perspective: it uses Samsung's distinctive asymmetric look and tucks all of the computer into the base, leaving the display itself to be less than half an inch thick.
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01/13, 11:20pm
We try Samsung Chrome OS, 5 Ultra, 9 series at CES
Samsung had one of its most sweeping notebook updates yet at CES this week and introduced multiple major updates to its notebook line. We had the opportunity to try them all at CES and came away with mixed reactions. Read on for early impressions, including whether or not the Series 9 will give Apple heat in the ultrabook category.
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01/13, 2:25am
Razer 2012 lineup tested at CES
We had the opportunity to explore Razer's whole CES 2012 lineup this week. The company kicked off the year by shipping the Blade and revealing thhe Naga Hex mouse, but its true surprise was exploring tablets with Project Fiona. We'll see how all three have fared after the break.
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01/11, 3:55am
We test the HP Envy 14 Spectre at CES
We had an opportunity to try the HP Envy 14 Spectre this evening. The ultrabook is HP's most advanced and bears an uncanny similarity to a cross between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro through its attention to design. Is it a replacement for a Mac, though, or a try at riding Apple's coattails? Read on for our take.
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01/08, 7:00pm
Lenovo to show six new desktop PCs at CES
Lenovo will bring six desktop computers to CES this week, including four IdeaCentre all-in-ones from the B-series, the easily upgreadable H520s and the slim IdeaCentre K430. The IdeaCentre B540 uses a 23-inch frameless touchscreen with 1080p resolution and an integrated VESA mount that can be equipped with 3D capabilities. It can be equipped with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 650M graphics card with 2GB of RAM and DirectX 11 support.
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01/05, 12:00am
Lenovo updates ThinkPad Edge ahead of CES 2012
Lenovo's lead-in to CES has included three new ThinkPad Edge models. Fronting the pack, the S430 has an 0.8-inch thickness bordering on ultrabooks but still keeps to regular notebooks: it uses Ivy Bridge-era Intel Core processors and is one of the first Windows PCs with Thunderbotl, giving it very high speed storage and displays on one cable.
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01/04, 11:35pm
LG intros Z330 and Z430, notebooks, AIO in Vegas
LG formally threw its hat into the ultrabook ring beyond Korea on Wednesday night with two new models joined both by regular notebooks and an all-in-one. In a sense of pride, LG calls the 13-inch Z330 (already in Korea) and 14-inch Z430 "Super Ultrabooks" for their passing the minimum requirements Intel set in the category first defined by the MacBook Air. The Z330 is consistently 0.58 inches thick and 2.67 pounds, well under the limits, while the category-breaking Z430 is still 0.78 inches thick and a heavier but still close 3.3 pounds despite the larger screen.
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01/04, 6:40pm
Four memory slots enable 32GB DDR3 expansion
MSI has introduced its latest flagship gaming notebook, the GT783. The notebook features a 17.3-inch 1080p display paired with NVIDIA's 2GB GeForce GTX 580M discrete graphics components, which first debuted earlier this year in the Alienware M18x, along with Intel's quad-core i7-2670QM processor.
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01/03, 8:15pm
Sets record for overclocking multiplier
An Intel Core i7 processor has been paired with a Gigabyte motherboard to set a world record for overclocking multipliers. A six-core i7 3930K, which normally runs at 3.2GHz, was overclocked to 5.6GHz with a record multiplier of 57x. The Motherboard used with the i7-3930k was a Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3 with an Intel X79 chipset and showed the relative headroom the gaming-focused platform has.
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12/28, 8:05am
Intel Ivy Bridge line tentatively dated, priced
PC builder slips on Wednesday may have locked down release timing for Intel's Ivy Bridge roster. About 25 processors should be available on or near April 8, Digitimes said, 17 of which would be for desktops. The desktops would range from the Core i5-3450 through to the Core i7-3770 and would have a narrow initial price spread of between $184 to $332.
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12/27, 12:10pm
4 gaming models feature water cooling and i7 CPUs
CyberpowerPC has introduced its Fang III series of desktop gaming PCs. The four hardware configurable models all come with water cooling and overclocked second generation Intel Core i7 processors. Two of the models feature the recently released Core i7 Extreme (Sandy Bridge-E) processors which offer a minimum of 12MB L3 caching and supports quad-channel memory.
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12/22, 11:55pm
Razer CEO explains Blade delay
Razer chief Min-Liang Tan stated this week that the Blade's SSD upgrade would lead to the gaming notebook missing the holidays. The switch to the much faster storage happened at the "eleventh hour," he said, making it impossible to ship in 2011. The first models of the 17-inch notebook would ship in mid-to-late January instead.
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12/13, 12:00pm
Alienware Aurora gets faster thanks to new chips
Dell has updated its Alienware Aurora gaming desktops introduced at the past CES show. The new PC is being touted as the most advanced Alienware desktop created thus far, sporting a choice of second-generation, six-core Core i7 chips ranging in a factory-overclocked clock speed between 3.9GHz and 4.2GHz, along with the X79 Express chipset and as much as 16GB of quad-channel DDR3 RAM. Active vents and a liquid-cooling system are present to keep the system running quietly.
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12/12, 3:35pm
AMD may go thin and fast to rival Intel
AMD's Australian and New Zealand regional head Brian Slattery in a discussion [reg. required] Monday said that AMD could have its own take on ultrabooks could arrive as soon as January, likely at CES. Calling them "ultrathins" in a likely attempt to avoid colliding with Intel's term, he explained to The Australian that processors for thin but fast computing would be ready soon. In opposition to Intel, however, AMD didn't have set guidelines and would let companies use larger screens as well as thicker and heavier systems if they felt it necessary.
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12/08, 2:05pm
Razer to ship gaming laptop in time for holidays
Razer's gaming notebook,
the Blade, should soon be available for pre-order and shipping in time for Holiday gift giving. The portable was
announced in August and targets gamers looking for a truly mobile playing experience. Razer claims the laptop's thin black design with silver highlights was inspired by the Army's KA-BAR combat knife.
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12/06, 1:55pm
Intel Ivy Bridge to focus on efficiency over clock
Following a desktop slip, details of Intel's notebook versions of its Ivy Bridge processor lineup have leaked as well. The lineup seen by VR-Zone will simplify into just U-series ultra-low voltage chips that use 17W and full-power M-series chips that use 35W, 45W, or 55W depending on the model. All 25W chips have disappeared now that PC builders can dial down the peak power themselves.
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12/05, 9:20am
LG Z330 takes MacBook Air, Pro cues
Already known for ultraportables, LG took a more direct shot at the ultrabook category Monday with a new addition to the Xnote line. The Z330 carries a 13-inch screen and a tapered, silver and black design reminiscent of a cross between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. LG claims the system is lighter, at under 2.7 pounds, and slightly thinner, at 0.6 inches.
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11/25, 4:55pm
Razer working on small gaming device, said CEO
Gaming peripherals and device maker Razer will release a small gaming system, the company's CEO, Min-Liang Tan, revealed to PCWorld. Currently, the only gaming system the company makes and plans to release next month is the 17.3-inch Blade, which is a gaming notebook. Tan simply referred to the products as small form factor systems and didn't provide any more details.
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11/22, 7:55pm
Ultrabooks feature Intel 2nd generation Core CPUs
Toshiba has begun selling its Portege Z830 and Z835 13.3-inch ultrabooks through its online store. The computer builder is offering four pre-configured models as well as a build-your-own option at prices starting at $930. All models run low-voltage Intel Core processors.
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11/16, 12:00am
HP overhauls Envy 15, 17, and 17 3D for audio
HP in one of its more surprising unveilings Wednesday night completely remade its Envy 15 and 17 notebooks. The new versions take more of their visual cues from the MacBook Pro, adopting its silver-colored metal, but put an even heavier emphasis on Beats audio processing than they did in the past. Each has six speakers and a subwoofer, even going so far as to have an oversized thumb dial for volume that both gives it finer volume control and a more iconic look.
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11/15, 12:15pm
Intel 4004 now 40 years old
Intel marked one of the more important anniversaries in technology on Tuesday with the 40th anniversary of the Intel 4004. The 740KHz chip is generally considered the first real microprocessor, or a singular, small integrated circuit chip that served as the core of a device. It was made before November 15 for a Busicom 141-PF calculator as part of a four-chip set before Intel managed to get rights to sell it as a general purpose chip for anyone, which it did when the November 15, 1971 issue of Electronic News was published.
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11/14, 8:00am
Intel Core i7-3960X debuts in updated Maingear PCs
Intel brought out a swan song for its second-generation Core processors Monday by launching a new flagship mainstream processor. The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition clocks at 3.3GHz, even with six cores, and can Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz when fewer cores are needed; as an Extreme Edition, it's designed to allow for overclocks. It sits as one of the few Sandy Bridge-E processors and adds support for quad-channel memory, giving it very high bandwidth when paired with four sticks of RAM.
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11/03, 7:10pm
Retro formfactor packs 2nd gen i7 on mini-ITX
Commodore is now shipping a higher performance version of its retro form-factor Commodore 64x computer. The new C64x-EX Extreme is the second in its series of updated computers to be squeezed into the shell of the old Commodore gaming console/computer that was popular back in the early 1980s. The Extreme is rare in its category and carries a quad 2.2GHz Core i7 mobile processor borrowed from notebooks to get its speed in a small design.
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11/01, 12:50pm
Shuttle XPC H7 5820S gets quad, hexa Core i7s
Shuttle PC Europe has just unveiled its latest small form factor desktop, the XPC H7 5820S. Its headline feature is its ability to drive up to 16 displays at once thanks to either the Matrox M9100-series graphics, or NVIDIA's Quadro for 3D applications. The 7.5-inch tall case also houses a choice of quad- or hexa-core Core i7 processors and as much as 16GB of RAM.
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10/24, 9:30am
Dell XPS 14z billed as thinnest
Coming quickly on the heels of new MacBook Pros, Dell has formally launched the XPS 14z. Its system is conspicuously targeted at Apple's 13-inch notebook and uses LG's Shuriken panel tech to get a 14-inch, 1366x768 screen into the size of a 13-inch design. Unlike the exaggeration of the XPS 15z, the 14z is genuinely thinner at exactly 0.9 inches and lighter at 4.36 pounds.
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10/24, 7:20am
MacBook Pro gets early morning upgrade
In an uncharacteristic early morning refresh, Apple on Monday updated the MacBook Pro. The new versions use slightly upgraded processors, up 100MHz on 13-inch models to 2.4GHz Core i5 and 2.8GHz Core i7 chips and 200MHz to 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz on 15- and 17-inch models. Video has also been given a boost: the base 15-inch now uses a much faster Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB of RAM, up from a 6490M with 256MB of RAM, while the higher-end 15-inch and 17-inch models use a 6770M with 1GB of RAM.
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10/23, 11:00pm
MacBook Pro late 2011 may be 200MHz bump
Tentative specs rumored late Sunday for the late 2011 MacBook Pro by 9to5 suggest that Apple will almost exclusively focus on the processor speed. The 15- and 17-inch models would get 200MHz bumps to the refreshed Intel Core i7, starting at 2.2GHz for the entry 15-inch system and 2.4GHz for the higher-end 15- and 17-inch systems. The 13-inch models could be a more modest update still at just a 100MHz step up to 2.4GHz and 2.8GHz for their dual Core i5 parts.
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10/21, 3:35pm
MacBook Pro refresh possibly moved for iPhone 4S
New leaks have moved back the late 2011 MacBook Pro update to early November. A previously accurate AppleInsider source said that the notebooks had been penned in for late September but were delayed after the iPhone 4S' October 14 release had been solidified. Rather than risk diminishing iPhone efforts and overshadowing the Mac, Apple reportedly left the date in flux and told resellers not to expect more systems until the November schedule.
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10/11, 3:20pm
ASUS Zenbook UX models ship October 12
ASUS at its New York City event formally brought over its UX ultrabooks to the US. Now called Zenbooks, the 11.6-inch UX21 and 13.3-inch UX31 are fundamentally similar to the ones sold abroad and have very portable dimensions not unlike the MacBook Air both are based on. The two are no more than 0.67 inches thick and weigh either 2.4 pounds (UX21) or 2.9 pounds (UX31) through their brushed aluminum designs and uses of solid-state drives.
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10/07, 4:45pm
Embedded Intel CPU features allow secure streaming
CinemaNow is now offering 1080p HD movies for rental and purchase with the help of Intel. CinemaNow has added several hundred HD titles to their catalog. Previously, the division of Best Buy had only offered standard-definition media.
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10/02, 9:00am
Sony ships new VAIO SE and upgrades others
Sony chose an unusual Sunday timeframe to tune the VAIO notebook line. As promised earlier, the 15.5-inch VAIO S is now on sale as the definition of Sony's new mid-range. Known as the VAIO SE, its focus is on HD content with a 1080p display and dedicated Radeon HD 6630M video.
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09/29, 4:35pm
Dell promises XPS 14z in a few weeks
Dell once again staked out a position against Apple Thursday with word that it would launch the XPS 14z. A 14-inch version of the XPS 15z we reviewed earlier, it will stay under an inch thick with the screen size. Dell bills it as the "world's thinnest fully-featured laptop" at 0.9 inches, attempting to once again challenge the MacBook Pro for the title among systems with optical drives.
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09/26, 8:55pm
ASUS UX ultralights get US intro at Oct 11 event
ASUS on Monday sent out invitations accompanied by a teaser page to mark the US arrival of its UX series ultrabooks in its first shot at dethroning the MacBook Air. The ultraportables will be unveiled at a New York City event on October 11. In a dig at Apple, the PC builder also claims to have the "real ultrabook" with its release.
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09/26, 5:45pm
Series 7 ships from Best Buy by October 23
Samsung's Series 7 performance notebooks are now up for pre-order over at Best Buy. Priced at $880, the 15.6-inch notebook on show uses a quad 2.2GHz Core i7 processor and is available in silver. There is 6GB of RAM onboard and a 750GB hard drive.
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09/13, 5:35pm
Apple may use updated Sandy Bridge for late 2011
Apple may return to its once frequent pattern of updating computers more than once a year with a second 2011 MacBook Pro refresh, historically accurate tipsters suggested Tuesday. Taking advantage of Intel's recently refreshed Core i5 and i7 mobile processors, the refresh would just be a mild speed upgrade to keep the performance up. The revamp could happen before the end of September, AppleInsider heard.
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09/09, 5:15pm
ASUS promises multimedia notebooks due soon
ASUS has just put up two new multimedia notebooks with the 15.6-inch N55SF and 17.3-inch N75SF. The former can be had with a screen resolution of either 1600x900 or 1920x1080, and with either a 2.3GHz Core i5 or 2GHz Core i7. Either model gets a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics processor.
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09/08, 5:10pm
Intel Sandy Bridge-E may have firmer ship date
Intel's mid-cycle Sandy Bridge-E processors may have received a more definitive timeframe after a Turkish leak. The initial batch of Core i7 processors, their companion X79 chipset, and possible Xeon E5 processors have a general "Platform Launch" window of between November 14 and 27, but DonanimHaber expected a more exact November 15 date. The release should be a 'hard' launch where shipping computers and individual parts are already in stores.
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09/07, 10:35am
MSI GT683DXR and GT780DXR target high-end games
MSI pushed deep into gaming notebooks Wednesday with two new higher-end systems. The GT683DXR and GT780DXR at 15.6 and 17.3 inches each both carry quad-core 2GHz Core i7 processors and newer GeForce GTX 570M graphics to handle modern games. As desktop replacements, they both have 2.1-channel Dynaudio speakers and twin hard drives in a RAID 0 stripe that boosts the disk performance.
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09/06, 6:35pm
Refurbished Apple products
Today at Apple's online store save big on refurbished items like this refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.2GHz Intel quad-core i7 processor which has seen a $330 price break to $1869. Refurbished iPads are still available starting at $399 for the first generation iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G and include price cuts on current generation iPads like the 64GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi, now $649.
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09/06, 3:45pm
ASRock website shows off HTPC with Sandy Bridge
A newly-discovered web page for an HTPC from ASRock reveals the computer has quietly taken an update to Sandy Bridge-based Intel processors. The Vision 3D 2nd-gen Series computer can be had with Core i3, i5 or i7 CPUs and also sports switchable 1GB GeForce GT 540M graphics, 4GB of RAM and a HDMI 1.4a port, in addition to four USB 3.0 jacks.
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