Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Dell's XPS 430 tower makes a stealth entrance


Dell made a lot of noise about its otherwise-ordinary Art House laptops today, but we didn't hear a peep about the XPS 430 desktops that slid online as well. The update to the XPS 420 ditches the SideShow display but now starts with 6GB of DDR3 RAM and features a newer slate of Intel Core 2 Quad processors running on a 1,333MHz bus with 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics -- the base $1,307 model has a 2.33GHz Q8200 while the higher-powered $1,767 configuration has a 2.5GHz Q9300 and comes bundled with a 22-inch SP2208WFP LCD. True to Dell form, you can go crazy on the BTO tip and order the 430 jacked with a 3.0GHz QX9650 Core 2 Extreme, 8GB of RAM, a 2TB RAID, and Blu-ray burner for $3,267, but we've got a feeling those less-insane stock configurations might sell just a hair better when orders start shipping in November.

[ Via: Electronista ]
[ Tag: dell, xps, xps 430, Xps430 ]

NEC launches PowerMate P4000 and P6000 all-in-ones


We've noticed a pattern with NEC -- compact, minimalist computer designs with low-end to run-of-the-mill specs. There's nothing wrong with having a specialty, and NEC Asia Pacific is sticking with what it knows with the PowerMate P4000 and P6000 all-in-ones. The P4000 is a light worker (to put it perhaps too kindly), with a 1.9GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB of hard disk space, an NVIDIA GeForce 9100M G integrated graphics chip, and a 16-inch display at 1366 x 768. We'd go instead for the P6000 (pictured above), which is actually competitive with similarly priced all-in-ones like the Gateway One. It's got a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, twice the storage and memory of its lesser sibling, integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9300, and a roomier 19-inch, 1440 x 900 display. Both systems are due for release in Asia next week, the P4000 at S$1,899 ($1,270) and the P6000 at S$2,499 ($1,675). The latter is clearly the better deal, but they're both expensive compared to bulkier alternatives -- desk space is at a premium these days. Pic of the P4000 after the break.



[ Via: PCLaunches ]
[ Tag: all-in-one, desktop, nec, nec powermate, necpowermate, powermate, powermate p4000, powermate p6000, powermatep4000, powermatep6000 ]

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

YoYotech Fi7epower MLK1610 PC is really, really fast


YoYotech is making no bones about their Fi7epower MLK1610 PC: according to them, it's "the fastest PC in the world," and "officially," at that. Well then. The dubious value of such claims aside, the so-called "completely insane" MLK1610 houses an Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition CPU (overclocked to 3.73GHz) atop an X58 chipset, 9GB of DDR3 RAM, an 80GB Intel X25-M SSD, 1TB standard hard drive, a Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card with 2GB of GDDR5 RAM, and it's all sitting on ASUS' P6T motherboard. P7etty sweet, right? It's probably worth the ?3,995.85 (about $6,337) you're going to have to spend to make it yours, too. Oh -- did we mention what a looker it is?

[ Via: Tech Digest ]
[ Tag: asus p6t, AsusP6t, core i7 965, core i7 965 extreme edition, CoreI7965, CoreI7965ExtremeEdition, fi7epower mlk1610, Fi7epowerMlk1610, intel, intel x25 ssd, IntelX25Ssd, mlk1610, radeon hd 4870x2, RadeonHd4870x2, x58, yoyotech ]

Intel Core i7 review roundup


We've already seen a few benchmarks of Intel's new Core i7 processor, but if you're still craving some more details about Intel's latest and greatest you now have plenty more than that to chew on, with reviews, overviews, and yet more benchmarks pouring in left and right. As you might expect, most sites are describing the CPU as a very big deal for Intel, with the folks at Maximum PC even going so far as to call it the company's "most significant CPU launch in, well, ever." What's more, as those early benchmarks hinted at, it doesn't look like there's too many folks disappointed with the new processors, with even the "low end" Core i7 920 able to defeat the higher clock speed Core 2 Quad Q9650 "over and over" according to TechSpot, a feat due in large part to the CPU's on-die memory controller and Intel's new QPI technology. The first few systems shipping with the processor also look to have been fairly well received, with Slash Gear finding that Gateway's new Core i7 920-based FX6800-01e delivered a reasonable but not revolutionary upgrade over its Core 2 Quad-based predecessor, and Computer Shopper also finding plenty of things to like in new systems from Falcon Northwest and iBuypower, though the price of each of those systems is another matter. That, of course, is just skimming the surface, and if you've got a few hours to spare, you can find plenty more to keep you busy by diving into the links below.


[ Via: Engadget ]
[ Tag: core i7, core i7 920, core i7 940, core i7 965, CoreI7, CoreI7920, CoreI7940, CoreI7965, i7, intel, intel core i7, IntelCoreI7 ]