Posted 03/11/10 at 07:22:19 AM by Paul Lilly

Want to make waves in the mobile market? Slap a Core i7 Extreme Edition processor into a 15.6-inch chassis and call it the "world's most powerful" mobile workstation in its size class.

That's exactly what Dell has done with its just-announced Precision M4500. In addition to the super fast processor, the M4500 also boasts Nvidia Quadro FX 1800M graphics, an optional SSD MiniCard (another first for 15.6-inch mobile workstations), an optional HD+ sRGB LED screen, optional 3MP camera, and support for 32-bit and 74-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Red Hat Linux 5.3 64-bit support.

"The Dell Precision M4500 establishes new heights for performance and mobility for a workstation," said Greg Weir, senior manager, Dell Precision workstations. "This system provides the freedom to discover, create and imagine on your terms, wherever creativity takes you. Top that off with the assurance that you are backed by our robust ‘eco system’ of ISV partners and our ability to deliver the application performance you need to be productive…now that’s getting it done!"

No word yet on price or availability.

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Posted 03/09/10 at 03:31:31 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

There are two things we think of when we hear the word “supercomputer.” The first is the failed 1970s NBC show Supercomputer (now available on DVD from Shinehart Wigs). The other is a massive room full of HAL9000-like scary boxes just two MIPS away from declaring thermal nuclear war on humanity.

So, what was Gateway thinking when it decided to call its FX6831 a Gaming Super-computer? This is, after all, just a simple desktop housing a single 2.8GHz Core i7-860. Surely, that’s not the stuff of supercomputing, is it? OK, we know that in January, Fabrice Bellard used a single Core i7 to smash a record set by, umm, a supercomputer for calculating pi. Still, Gateway’s gone way over the line, right?

Continue reading this review after the jump.

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Posted 03/04/10 at 11:53:07 AM by Loyd Case

Most all-in-one PCs make extensive use of notebook technologies: The processors are low voltage, the GPUs are mobile designs, and the optical drives are low profile. This tends to endow all-in-ones with a natural price premium, because compact, lower-power components add cost. Be that as it may, the $700 HP Pro All-in-One seems a tad overpriced—particularly when you consider that the nearly identical home version, the Pavilion MS200, costs $100 less.

We don’t think this boost is entirely an attempt to gouge corporate buyers, though. For one thing, the Pro All-in-One ships with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, which adds domain networking, Windows XP mode—a virtualized PC running Windows XP—and network-backup capability.

The MS218 consists of a monitor (with all the workings of a PC built into the same enclosure), a keyboard, a mouse, and a 120-watt external power brick. Although efficient (the entire PC draws just 36 watts at idle), the brick seems to be overkill. Even when running system-intensive tasks, we never saw power consumption rise above 66 watts.

Continue reading this review after the jump.

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Posted 03/04/10 at 07:39:29 AM by Paul Lilly

Say what you want about MSI, just don't try and claim the company doesn't have a sense of humor. How else would you explain the company's Toast PC?

Let us set the record straight - we're not the ones who labeled this a Toast PC. MSI is actually calling it that, at least during CeBIT. We'll have to see if the name sticks following the convention.

We'll also have to wait until after CeBIT to find out the Toast PC's specs. All we know so far is that it comes with a slot-load DVD drive located at the top, the same location you'd slide in a slice of bread if this were a real toaster. There's also a remote control that snaps onto the side of the PC. Oh, and we're pretty sure it doesn't actually make toast.

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Posted 03/02/10 at 08:25:46 AM by Paul Lilly

Nvidia this morning officially launched its next-generation Ion platform, and with it, we expect a deluge of product announcements. One of those comes from Zotac, who today announced what it claims is the world's first Ion 2 powered mini-PC.

"The ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ID11 mini-PC is perfect for home theater PC use as well daily usage. Watching high-definition movies with premium audio tracks is a rewarding experience with the ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ID11 mini-PC." Mr. Berger said. "The amount of clarity high-resolution 7.1-channel digital surround sound audio brings to the experience is phenomenal and can’t be put into words."

Boasting easy customization with a tool-less case design, Zotac says users can cram their own memory and 2.5-inch SATA hard drive into the ZBox HD-ID11. Otherwise, the rig comes built around Nvidia's next-gen Ion platform and includes an Intel Atom D510 dual-core processor clocked at 1.66GHz, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HDMI and DVI outputs, VESA monitor mount, OpenCL compliance, Gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7. It also includes six USB 2.0 ports, a single eSATA port, and a 6-in-1 memory card reader.

No word yet on price or availability.

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Posted 03/01/10 at 12:28:15 PM by Loyd Case

Featuring a microATX motherboard the HP Compaq 6005 Small Form Factor PC is relatively svelte, measuring 13.3 inches by 14.90 inches square and less than four inches tall. (Note: HP also sells the model 6005 in a micro-tower configuration).

Built around a motherboard with an AMD 785G chipset, the system sports a 3GHz AMD B95 CPU. The “95” in B95 denotes a thermal design power (TDP) of 95W, while the “B” means “business.” These business-class CPUs are identical to their 45nm retail cousins and offer 2MB of L2 cache (512KB dedicated per core) and 6MB of shared L3 cache.

As with many business desktop PCs, this system uses integrated graphics; in this case, the ATI Radeon HD 3200 core built into the 785G. It won’t win any gaming benchmarks, but it should handle most light-duty business 3D chores, including running Windows 7’s Aero mode.

Continue reading this review after the jump.

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Posted 03/01/10 at 10:12:31 AM by Paul Lilly

We're not sure why these haven't received any fanfare up to this point, but for those of you who like to get all touchy-feely with your notebooks, Dell's new Studio 1558 Touch and Studio 1749 Touch notebooks both beg to be groped.

Perhaps a press release is forthcoming, but for the time being, you'll find these models in Dell's online catalog. From what little we're able to lift, both come with a mobile Core i5 processor clocked at 2.4GHz, 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium.

"These Studio 1558 and Studio 1749 laptops put the fun in functional," Dell's catalog reads. "The touchscreens let you scroll, pan, and zoom within a variety of applications, manage and edit photos and videos with TouchCam, and indulge your artistic side with YouPaint, all with a simple slide of your fingertips."

According to the catalog, the 1558 and 1749 start at $999 and $1,049, respectively.

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Posted 02/26/10 at 08:14:32 AM by Paul Lilly

MSI this week beefed up its "Classic Series" notebook line with a trio of new 15.6-inch models built around Intel's Arrandale platform, and one 16-inch model with Nvidia graphics.

The CR620-030US and CR620-033US -- both 15.6 units -- sport a Core i3-330M processor and a 320GB hard drive, while the former also comes with a DVD burner and the latter a Blu-ray reader. The last of the 15.6-inch models -- CR620-031US -- ups the hardware ante with a Core i5 430M CPU and 500GB hard drive, though no Blu-ray option. All three models boast Intel's Arrandale HD graphics and 4GB of DDR3-1066 memory.

The 16-inch CR600-234US notebook switches gears to a Pentium dual-core T4500, 3GB of DDR2 memory, 320GB hard drive, DVD writer, and Nvidia's GeForce 8200M G graphics.

All four models are available now for $$630 (CR620-030US), $700 (CR620-033US), $730 (CR620-031US), and $530 (CR600-234US).

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