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.
Acer President Jim Wong has continued a string of comments on mobile late Wednesday with remarks expecting steep price drops in ultrabooks. Although they were sitting at $1,000 at the end of the year, the notebooks could get to between $799 and $899 by spring next year, he said with Digitimes in attendance. He fully expected prices to drop even steeper, down to just $499 in 2013.
MSI has brought its Afterburner APP overclocking utility to iOS devices. The app enables iPhone and iPad owners to to monitor performance of their PC's video card over Wi-Fi and then make adjustments through the mobile device (free, App Store). To encourage people to download and use the app, MSI is running a contest with graphic cards and tablets as prizes.
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.
The MS1 X460 line of Slim Series notebooks previously announced in July are out now. There are three models available, all of which center on 14-inch displays and incorporate Intel's second-generation Core chipsets. The X460DX-008 is a dual-core i3 model, while the X460DX-0006 is powered by a Core i5 quad-core chip, and the X460-004 is powered by a Core i7 quad-core chip. MSI claim that the quad-core editions are the lightest quad-core notebooks currently available on the market.
MSI has expanded its line of multimedia notebooks with the new CR430, a 14-inch variant aimed at budget-conscious buyers. The notebook is powered by AMD's dual-core 1.65GHz E-450 processor with Radeon integrated graphics. On the outside, the design offers a chicklet-style keyboard with nickel-plated touchpad keys below a multi-touch trackpad.
MSI has expanded its gaming notebook lineup with the GE620DX, a 15-inch model powered by Intel's quad-core 2.0GHz Core i7-2630QM processor. The device also features NVIDIA's GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card with 2GB of display memory and support for DirectX 11 and PhysX, while MSI's GPU technology automatically switches between discrete and integrated graphics for power efficiency.
MSI is readying its very low-cost Enjoy 10 Android 2.3 tablet for the US with an appearance in an FCC filing on Friday. Only labeled as MS-N0Y1 in the manual, the device has a 10-inch screen with a lower 480x800 resolution and a 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 for a processor. The slate would have 512MB of RAM and lean on a full-size SD card slot for much of its storage.
MSI has just introduced new notebooks in the form of the 14-inch X460 and X460DX. Either offers a 2GHz Intel Core i7 processor but ships with a 2.3GHz Core i5. Both have Intel Wireless Display, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 3.0 technology built-in. The X640 weighs less than 4.4lbs and is less than one inch thick, with MSI quick to point out it's the lightest quad Core i7-powered notebook on shelves.
MSI swung out a relatively unique addition to its CX series notebooks on Wednesday. The 14-inch CX480 has a particularly strong focus on the battery life not often seen in mainstream portables that gives it up to 8.5 hours on a charge. The PC also brings in MSI's in-house fast charging to power up in half as much time and has an Apple-influenced external battery indicator that shows the charge without needing to boot up.
MSI started the week by shipping two of its highest-end notebooks to the US. The 17.3-inch GX780 and GT780R both share the same SteelSeries-made keyboard that can both withstand extra abuse, have customizable backlighting colors, and are optimized for games, especially first-person shooters. The two are also loaded in minimum specs and carry a 2GHz quad Core i7, at least mid-range dedicated graphics, and Dynaudio speakers with virtual THX-grade surround.
Graphics card and mainboard maker MSI teamed up with software programmer Nick Connors to create a version of its Afterburner overclocking program for the mobile Android OS. It doesn't overclock the smartphone it's installed in, but rather lets users monitor or adjust the status or settings of their overclocked PCs over a Wi-Fi connection. This includes frequency, temperature, voltage and fan speed. It needs to work in conjunction with the Afterburner program installed on the host PC.
MSI has announced that it has begun shipping its GT683R notebook, featuring NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 560M discrete graphics processor. The new GPU offers 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory and 192 CUDA cores, which are capable of processing DirectX 11 content. Users can also take advantage of automatic switching between discrete and integrated graphics to help extend battery life.
MSI is using the Computex conference in Taipei to showcase two new desktop PCs in its Wind Box family of mini-PCs, the Wind Box DC100 and the Wind Box DC540. The company is also displaying its higher-performance Hetis H61 PC.
NVIDIA was the first to start off its Computex unveilings in earnest late Sunday by launching two notebook graphics chipsets and 3D glasses. The GeForce GTX 560M headlines the group and is designed to bring high-end gaming to moderately sized notebooks without hurting battery life. Its 192 processing cores, 192-bit memory bus, and 775MHz core clock speed give it enough speed to play games at 1080p, but as the first design with Optimus live graphics switching from major PC builders, it should still provide reasonable battery life by dropping to Intel video with less demanding tasks.
NVIDIA on Tuesday set out to lure more mid-range gamers and professionals by introducing both the regular, non-Ti version of the GeForce GTX 560 as well as a new Tesla card. The new card trips down just enough to drop the price down to $199 with 336 stream (visual effects) processors, 56 texture address units, and at least an 810MHz core clock speed, 1.62GHz effects shader clocks and 1GHz GDDR5 memory. While its core and texture unit counts are similar to the outgoing GTX 460, the newer design and higher clock speeds should make it noticeably faster.
ASUS has had to whittle back its Eee PC shipments after sustained impact from tablets like the iPad, tipsters said Monday evening. It moved just 350,000 netbooks in April after tablets still "significantly impacted the demand," Digitimes claimed. In response, it would shoot back with a "killer" new Eee PC in June and an ultra-budget model at below $199 to widen the price gap with Apple and others.
Taiwanese computer maker MSI has introduced a new all-in-one computer with a 20-inch touchscreen, the Wind Top AE2070. The base model is equipped with a 1600x900 multi-touch screen, a Pentium G620 CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB SATA II hard drive. An onboard Intel HD Graphics 2000 processor handles graphics. The computer runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit.
MSI chose Wednesday to bring out a unique notebook tailored just to serious gamers. Unlike the internally created keyboards on most notebooks, the 17.3-inch GX780 uses a special keyboard designed by game accessory maker SteelSeries. The layout is both more durable than most notebook keyboards but has had its keys optimized for gaming, such as enlarging the Alt and Ctrl keys as well as moving the Windows key to the right to avoid accidental hits.
MSI brought two of its core notebooks to the US Monday. The CR640 and CX640 both hit the mainstream with a 2.1GHz Core i3, a 15.6-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. Both promise a few touches for speed, such as a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a fast boot that reportedly cuts the boot time in half.
A slip detailing Computex show launch plans may have given away AMD's plans to get into Android in earnest. Industry contacts claimed AMD has been recruiting engineers to write Android drivers. The move is likely the first step before offering chipsets for notebooks and more likely tablets that work with Google's platform, Digitimes also heard.
MSI brought a trio of mid-range notebooks to the US on Wednesday, all touting Intel Sandy Bridge chips. The FX420 leads the group as a rare, relatively fast system in the 14-inch field. A 2.3GHz Core i5, 6GB of RAM, and a dedicated Radeon HD 6470M for graphics give it enough speed for moderate gaming and HD video.
Intel said this weekend that the first tablets running its Atom Z600 (Oak Trail) platform should ship in May. The platform, introduced in May last year, had only vague plans for an early 2011 launch but has now been narrowed down to a launch one year after its public reveal. A spokeswoman wouldn't tell PCAdvisor which companies would go first.
MSI has introduced its latest notebook, the X370, which fits into the company's X-Slim series with a thickness of less than one inch. The new offering is based on AMD's dual-core E-350 processor, with Radeon integrated graphics capable of running DirectX 11. The CPU is said to utilize 18 watts of power, enabling a the claimed battery life to reach 10 hours when using an extended battery.
Computer maker MSI on Wednesday resumed shipments of its two gaming notebooks powered by the troublesome Sandy Bridge processors from Intel that required a recall. This includes the 15.6-inch GT680R and GE620. MSI assures customers any issues have been resolved and will include an extended one-year warranty as part of a new QA program.
MSI updated its GX series notebooks on Thursday with a new flagship. The GX680 uses a Sandy Bridge-era, 2GHz quad Core i7 and pairs it up with a new GeForce GT 555M to give it reasonably fast 3D. Memory expansion is a key highlight, MSI said: the 15.6-inch system has four RAM slots, or space enough for 16GB of RAM for very heavy duty gaming or pro work.
MSI brought two of its earliest PCs using AMD's Fusion technology to the US on Thursday. The Wind Top AE2050 headlines the group by putting AMD's 1.6GHz E-350 into a 20-inch, multi-touch all-in one. Moving to the chip cuts power use by as much as 74 percent over a typical desktop but still gives it proper 1080p playback and otherwise modern Radeon HD 6310 graphics.
NVIDIA as it promised has launched the GeForce GTX 590 as its fastest-ever graphics hardware. The design mates two underclocked GTX 580 chips on one board and includes 1,024 visual processing cores, dual 384-bit memory buses and a total of 3GB of RAM spread across the two chips. It may also be as much as two times quieter than the Radeon HD 6990, since each chip now has its own vapor chamber cooling system and combined stop at 48dB of noise, even at full speed.
The iPad 2 has triggered a minor panic among PC and tablet makers, including a possible HP change in strategy for the future TouchPad, insiders said late Monday. A number of notebook designers, including Acer, ASUS, and HP, have reportedly looked at adding tablet features into what were going to be conventional designs. Digitimes cited the example of a 10-inch Eee Pad's USB keyboard as an example of what sort of Changes might take place.
At the CeBIT show in Taiwan, ITProPortal found that the companies exhibiting were anxious to bring out ARM-based products running on Windows 8. This will include notebooks, tablets, mainboards and barebones PCs, with the first companies to do so likely to be those who already make ARM-based devices.
MSI plans to escalate its tablet ambitions at the CeBIT tech show next week, sources said Thursday. The company would improve on its WindPad tablets with the 110W, an upgraded Windows 7 slate that will switch from an old Intel Atom to AMD's new Fusion-based, dual-core 1GHz C-50 chip. The update seen by Digitimes would finally give it full DirectX 11-class graphics, Aero Glass in the Windows interface and better support for HD video.
Acer and MSI's North American division on Thursday joined in on the recalls and updates following Intel's Sandy Bridge chip flaw. Both have stopped shipping new PCs and mainboards using the H67 and P67 chipsets and are recalling systems and parts that are already on shelves. Each is offering a different strategy for recalls.
Alienware, HP and MSI have stopped selling computers powered by Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors due to a design flaw in the chips. Intel said performance of the SATA2 ports on the mainboard can degrade over time. HP and MSI will hold back products with the chips, and Alienware removed the buy page for its m17x gaming notebook. HP, apart from pulling some of its models, will also delay a business product demo scheduled for February 10 in San Francisco.
The MSI Windpad 100W is now on sale through the UK’s Simply Electronics. The Windows 7 tablet, based on the Intel “Menlow” platform is said to have battery life “over 6 hours”. This makes it more competitive than some other Wintel Atom tablets such as HP’s Slate 500, which delivers less than 5 hours of battery life.
MSI has began shipping its first Intel Sandy Bridge-powered gaming notebook in the US, the GT680R. Powered by the new quad 2GHz Core i7, the 15.6-inch notebook has a 1080p display and ships with NVIDIA's 1.5GB GeForce GTX 460M graphics. It comes with an uncharacteristically large 8GB of RAM in place along with 1TB of storage.
NVIDIA today brought its second-generation Fermi hardware into the true mid-range while simultaneously resurrecting the Ti badge not used since the GeForce 3 and 4 days. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti directly replaces the GTX 460 and is about a third faster, owing both to 384 visual effects cores (up from 332) as well as a much higher 822MHz core and 1.64GHz shader clocks (up from 675MHz and 1.35GHz). Eight hardware tessellation engines also give it a steeper performance increase for DirectX 11 and OpenGL games that support the feature.
A new, unique tablet concept from MSI has shown up that could expand its view beyond the main display. It still has a 10-inch main screen but adds a projector built into a rotating drum. The assembly described to NotebookItalia rotates to allow users to project what they see behind the tablet, or in front of the screen.
MSI helped wrap up the week by bringing four of its speedier notebooks to the US. The 15.6-inch FX603 and 17-inch FX700 are together targeted at mid-range gamers. Each packs GeForce GT 425M along with a 2.66GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive along with a pair of USB 3.0 ports each.
MSI's tablet plans at CES were surprisingly modest and focused mostly on production versions of the prototype WindPads as well as its all-in-one Angelow and Butterfly concepts. We managed to get our hands on the genuinely changed tablet, the Android-based WindPad 100A, as well as the 100W and both of the unique desktop concepts. Read ahead for our impressions of both and why the WindPad may prove problematic.
Texas Instruments on the show floor today identified the mystery dual-core 1GHz processor inside the BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM's tablet uses the OMAP 4430, the first generation of TI's new ARM Cortex-A9 processors. The chip is key to the tablet supporting 1080p video playback both by itself and while juggling many simultaneous tasks.
MSI has taken wraps off of the latest generation of its three series of notebooks making use of Intel's new Sandy Bridge chipset, starting at the top with the gaming minded and aptly named G Series, followed by the F Series, which MSI says is intended to offer a blend of performance and fashion appeal, while the final third of the trio comes in the form of the business oriented C Series.
Amid a myriad of Sandy Bridge introductions this week, MSI unveiled several new motherboards built for Intel's latest processor family. The P67- and H67-series motherboards feature MSI's overclocking control center, geared for easy setup or advanced configuration, while the EFI BIOS brings a graphical interface navigable using a mouse cursor.
MSI today gave an early look at the all-in-one Wind Top desktops it will show at CES, including a pair of new concepts. The Butterfly is a unique attempt to address criticisms from Apple and others that using an upright touchscreen can be tiring. The 10-point multitouch LCD slides down and out, letting users more comfortably touch it when necessary but bring it back to its regular position for mouse and keyboard use.
AMD plans to begin internal testing of a new, next-generation Deccan platform for netbooks and tablets in the first quarter of 2011, industry sources claimed on Wednesday. A sequel to AMD's first Fusion platform, Brazos, Deccan uses AMD's Krishna Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), which combines graphics directly within the core processor, and the Yuba chipset, according to Digitimes. Brazos has a similar setup using the matching Ontario processor and Hudson chipset.
MSI at a Taipei preview of its CES plans had a demonstration (below) of the WindPad 100W. Despite plans to launch it in 2011, the Windows 7 slate is entirely unchanged from its May appearance at Computex and still runs a 1.66GHz Atom Z530, 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD. The processor is reportedly the best MSI could manage on a Windows tablet without having to use a noisy fan, NetbookNews was told in its look.
An unusual claim Wednesday morning has asserted that Nokia is getting help from Google on a device using the Honeycomb version of Android. The Finnish phone maker was included along with HTC, Motorola, LG and Samsung as receiving "priority" for projects. Digitimes' sources didn't say what Nokia would be making that would encourage direct cooperation.
Netbook prices are dropping to the point where cost is increasingly the only factor in trying to stave off tablets like the iPad, industry observers said Monday night. Using prices in the netbook field's Taiwanese home turf as an example, a 10-inch, single-core ASUS Eee PC had been cut to a relatively low $288 to create a wider price gap with tablets while most others were down to $339. Even attempts by ASUS to keep features up weren't working in Digitimes' checks, as the dual-core Eee PC 1015PEM was still down to $407.
MSI has confirmed plans to formally unveil a variety of new products in January at CES, including an ultraportable and several new tablets. The WindPad 100 tablets, which were teased earlier in the year, will both be based on 10.1-inch displays. The 100A tablet offers a full range of standard Android equipment including a digital compass, GPS, accelerometer, and Wi-Fi.
An off-hand remark in a leak today may have given away the launch timing for Google's Honeycomb build of Android. MSI has reportedly stalled its plans to launch its first Android tablet until April or May as the OS wouldn't arrive until March. As such, Digitimes heard from sources, MSI would only have its Windows-based WindPad 100 to show at CES next month.
MSI is reportedly preparing to launch its 10-inch Wintel-based tablet in January or February, ahead of the company's Android-based models, according to a DigiTimes report. Several other Oak Trail-based tablets are also said to be set for formal introduction at CES early in January.
