Hardware Laptop

It’s no slate PC / digiframe hybrid, but it is a touch unorthodox. HP Compaq is reportedly preparing to launch a mini-Q nettop, though it could ship under a totally less exciting Presario 2030 / 2020 moniker. Packed within the diminutive box will be an Atom 330 / 230 CPU (respectively), Windows Vista / XP (also respectively), 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB 7,200RPM hard drive, dual-layer DVD writer and a 6-in-1 card reader. No mention of a release date just yet, but pricing is expected at around NT$9,900 ($296) / NT$12,900 ($386).

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In the battle between new 16-inch multimedia notebooks, it’s safe to say that Laptop Mag prefers Acer’s rig over Samsung’s R610. The Aspire 6930 (or 6930G-6723, if we’re talking specifics), was said to have an eye-catching design, great Blu-ray playback and solid all-around performance suitable for a media-minded lappie. Not to mention the sub-$1,000 sticker — that helped, too. In actuality, the only real knock was the fact that a 1080p display wasn’t included at the $999 price point, but we all know that’s just being greedy. These critics didn’t hesitate to dish out a 4 out of 5 star rating for Acer’s latest 16-incher, calling it “a winner” for anyone looking for a “relatively lightweight desktop replacement that’s not too expensive.”

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It’s takes a — how do you say? — special type of person to get all jazzed about an 18-inch laptop, but given that there’s a solid chance you’re one of those folks, we figured it prudent to pass along PC World’s review of HP’s beastly HDX18. Obviously designed with multimedia in mind and to possibly take the place of your desktop, this sucker performed satisfactorily in all the basic, everyday tasks as well as those media playing duties. It’s not meant for hardcore gamers, but you probably already knew that. Amazingly, the included battery lasted nearly three hours before petering out, which is pretty astounding for an 8.9-pound energy destroyer. At the end of the day, critics found enough to love to slap down a 90 out of 100 rating, noting that anyone crazy enough to want a “laptop” this big (save for FPS freaks) would likely find lots to love. In more ways than one.

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Ah, the deluge of gaming rigs that comes after each and every major CPU announcement made by Intel. As the overflow slows to a trickle, Acer is looking to get its rig out before it just seems like old hat. The purported Aspire M7720, which was announced over in Taiwan, will arrive in a relatively drab chassis and house a potent Core i7 processor, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, a 750GB hard drive and ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 1GB of memory. There’s no definitive word on when the rig will actually leave the dock and head stateside, but considering that it’s already behind the eight ball, we’d put our money (speaking of, it’ll start around $1,200) on soon.

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Dell’s Studio XPS had “winner” written all over it from the get-go. With practically every other Core i7 rig on the market catering specifically to gamers who were willing to pay a premium for an equally cutting edge GPU, this machine directed itself to everyone who just wanted to do everything but game (and do so quickly). The kids over at DesktopReview were able to take the sub-$1,000 box for a spin, and while they weren’t too fond of the relatively plain chassis, it was pretty much thumbs-up everywhere else. Performance in everyday applications was stellar, gaming was better than average and the value was unbeatable. Overall, the Studio XPS is darn close to the perfect machine for folks who want to compute quickly and play a game or two on the side, but rather than taking our word for it, we’d suggest hitting the read link and having a look for yourself.
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Our brothers in gadgetry over at Engadget Chinese are at ASUS’ Eee Top unveiling in Taipei. They’ve already been hands-on with the 15.6-inch all-in-one touchscreen PC and consider the build quality to be “ok,” consistent with the traditional (read: non-S101) Eee PC netbooks. And while it includes an “Easy Mode” UI that runs on top of XP, launch anything other than an ASUS-built application and you’re right back into XP’s less finger-friendly interface. That’s where the included stylus (hidden in the keyboard) comes into play. We also have a price: 18,900 Taiwanese dollars which is a tax inclusive price of about $580 in the US. It’s available today in ASUS’ home of Taiwan — everyone else will have to wait for their local announcements. ‘Till then, pics, plenty of pics.

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Whenever Intel (or AMD, for that matter) drops a wicked quick new chip, everyone knows it ain’t gonna be cheap. Critics over at Computer Shopper would like to remind you to keep that in mind as you scope out Dell’s Core i7-powered XPS 730x, ’cause the thing sports a price tag that’s rather absurd. Dollars and cents aside, the machine is about as powerful as one could hope, offering enough muscle to churn through the most demanding of games. The biggest issue these reviewers had was that many other capable Core i7 rigs could put up similar FPS numbers for substantially less dough, and in the end, it didn’t find the flash in Dell’s enclosure to be worth the surcharge. Granted, that didn’t stop the beast from snagging an 8.1 out of 10 on the review scale, but that’s probably assuming you’ve got the disposable income lying around and ready to burn.

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

You likely don’t need any reminders that the likes of Gateway and Dell (and Alienware) have released some new systems based around Intel’s flagship Core i7 processor, but it’s a whole other matter to sort out the multitude of options available from some of the smaller PC manufacturers out there, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to shed a bit light on some of those slightly lower profile contenders for the desktop throne. Ready to get started? Then check your bank account and head on past the break.

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Filed under: Desktops

Not one to be outdone by the likes of Dell, Alienware and Gateway, Commodore Gaming is also offering up Core i7-based gaming rigs. Unlike the big boys, however, Commodore’s choosing not to expand its current lineup any further; instead, it’s simply offering up the new pieces of silicon as options in the machines it already sells. Don’t venture over expecting anything to be cheap, else you’ll be sorely disappointed. Full release is after the break.

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Filed under: Desktops

The details have emerged today on a couple new LG “high performance” desktops in Asia, so if you’ve been lying awake at night wondering when a new XPION would be hitting the scene, perhaps this evening you’ll rest a little easier. The R20 is a slim form factor desktop PC featuring a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, 3GB memory, a GeForce 9500GS GPU, and a cooling system “based on Multi Direction Platform Cooling, which also makes it run fairly quietly.” Even less is known about the S20, aside from the fact that it’s a standard-sized desktop, sports an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz CPU and a GeForce 9600GT GPU. That’s all we have at the moment, little dude. So just try and relax — you’ll know more as soon as we do.

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