Continue reading Snappy looking Fujitsu Lifebook AH530 GFX boasts 1GB external graphics

Snappy looking Fujitsu Lifebook AH530 GFX boasts 1GB external graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS NX90Jq now available... sort of originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may be a cheaper way to join the high-end Core i7 family, but that doesn't mean it's "cheap." Intel's Core i7-970 ($899), which just started shipping to consumers around a month ago, has just undergone a thorough looking-over at Hot Hardware, where the six-core chip was tested alongside its more potent (and in turn, more costly) siblings. If you've no interest in dropping over a grand for a Core i7-980X, and you aren't about to lower yourself by purchasing a quad-core Core i7-975, this here chip might just do you proud. In testing, critics found the 970 to be quick, but hardly mind-blowing, when handling more mundane tasks; stir in a few heavily threaded applications, though, and it managed to "sail past" the quad-core contemporaries and "keep pace" with the aforementioned 980X. All told, the silicon managed to perform around 5 percent worse than the 980X, yet it rings up for around 12 percent less. If you've got the workflow to truly take advantage of all six cores, and you can stomach not having the absolute best, it seems as if the 970 strikes a fine balance -- and hey, if you're down with overclocking, you can probably get that 5 percent back with just a mild uptick in your energy bill.

Intel's Core i7-970 gets reviewed: great for overclocking, still expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Acer Aspire Predator AG7750 available, currently trying to kill Adrien Brody

Acer Aspire Predator AG7750 available, currently trying to kill Adrien Brody originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we've gone a full month since the last episode of NVIDIA's and Intel's ongoing public feud, but it looks like Intel has now stoked the flames once again (albeit inadvertently) in a paper presented at the recent International Symposium on Computer Architecture. That attempted to debunk the "100X GPU vs. CPU myth," but it also contained the tidbit that GPUs are "only" up to 14 times faster than CPUs in running application kernels, which NVIDIA has more than a happily latched onto. In a blog post, NVIDIA's Andy Keane says that it's a "rare day" when a competitor states that their technology is only 14x faster, and that he can't recall another time when he's "seen a company promote competitive benchmarks that are an order of magnitude slower." Of course, he then further goes on to note that Intel's tests were done with NVIDIA's previous generation GeForce GTX 280, and that the codes were simply run out-of-the-box without any optimization -- but, still, he seems more than happy to accept this bit of "recognition." In Intel's defense, however, the overall finding of the paper (linked below) is that the performance gap between a GTX 280 GPU and Core i7 960 processor is actually just 2.5X "on average," which NVIDIA hasn't highlighted for some reason.

NVIDIA thanks Intel for saying GPUs are 'only' 14 times faster than CPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like it or not, we've got yet another 3D laptop headed your way. Presumably slotted into NVIDIA's newly created 3D PC lineup, Toshiba's Satellite A665-3DV is the outfit's very first 3D lappie, boasting a Core i7-740QM quad-core processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB hard drive, NVIDIA's GeForce GTS 350M (1GB), a Blu-ray burner, LED backlit keyboard and 802.11n WiFi. There's also a built-in webcam and a trackpad that looks awfully off-center from here, but all of that pales in comparison to the almighty 1,366 x 768 native resolution spanning the 15.6-inch panel. You heard right -- there's a BD drive and support for 3D, but you can forget about enjoying either in Full HD. But hey, why else would you make use of that HDMI socket? Check it right this very moment for $1,599.99.

Toshiba ships Core i7-equipped Satellite A665-3DV, but only to the 3D fanboys originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On the surface it doesn't look like much separates Sony's new 21.5-inch VAIO J all-in-one from the growing number of touchscreen AIOs on the market, but it's definitely one of the more head-turning options out there. Like its 24-inch L Series, the VAIO J has a 1920x1080-resolution display and a Blu-ray drive, but the larger model now packs a 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-620M CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and NVIDIA discrete graphics options with 512 vRAM. It also has a 7,200rpm 500GB hard drive and boots Windows 7 Premium, though Sony has added its touch-friendly Media Gallery software layer. The best news? While the L starts at $1,300, the J will arrive next month with a $900 starting price. Sure, there are cheaper models out there, but when doesn't Sony demand a few extra bucks for its good looks? On that note, we'll leave you with some polished press shots and the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony VAIO J joins the touchscreen all-in-one ranks

Sony VAIO J joins the touchscreen all-in-one ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We've been hearing about an impending CPU update to Alienware's M11x for some time now, and now Dell Malaysia has quietly updated its website with options to order the revised not-quite-netbook. So what's new? Well, there's NVIDIA Optimus for starters, and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor has been thanked for its time and shown the door in lieu of Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs on a QS57 chipset. Prices start at RM 3,699, or about $1,110 in US bills. Speaking of which, while Dell's US site has yet to update, we've seen what's purported to be some internal documentation that pinpoints the official stateside launch for the revised M11x as tomorrow (technically, it's already Tuesday in Malaysia). No confirmation yet, but hey, it'd make for a pretty nice pre-E3 gift.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: UK Alienware lovers can now also get their Core i5/i7 M11x fix, as the new hardware options have gone live on the laptop's local microsite. Yes, Optimus is there too. [Thanks, Mike]

Update 2: And now it's live in the US with prices starting at $949 with a Core i5 520UM. Less if you're thinking Core 2 Duo, which you're not. [Thanks, MastrCake]

Alienware M11x gets overseas Core i3 / i5 / i7 and NVIDIA Optimus bumps (update: US too) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We told you NVIDIA's all-new superpowered mobile GPU would only fit inside jumbo-sized cases and here's your proof. The Clevo Style Note D900 is neither stylish nor much of a note taker, but boy it's a big, bad gaming machine. That trifecta of fans you see above is cooling the GTX 480M chip as well as a 2.93GHz Core i7-940 -- a CPU that's designed for desktop duty from what we can gather. You won't be shocked to discover this 17-inch desktop replacement rather burned the feathers off some similarly juiced up high fliers, but the difference is of course that laptops like the ASUS G73JH are actually available to buy, as opposed to a pipe dream demo machine like the Clevo. All the same, you might wanna check out this sneak peak before HH does a full review.

Update: Turns out Sager is already offering to furnish you with a GTX 480M-equipped rig that looks very much like this one, including a selection of desktop-class Core i7s. [Thanks, Barry]

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M breaks cover, frags competition in 3DMark originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hope you're not burned out on ASUS introductions yet, 'cause they're far from over. During the outfit's Computex press conference, a new multimedia monster was unveiled in the ROG G53. ASUS didn't bother sharing too many specifications, but that didn't stop us from hunting down a placard with the deets we were craving. Whenever the company decides to ship it, it'll be available with Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options, up to 16GB of DDR3 memory on the quad-core machines (8GB of DDR3 on the dual-core rigs), a LED-backlit "HD" display, NVIDIA "Enthusiast" graphics, room for a pair of hard drives (or an SSD / HDD combo system), an optional Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI 1.4 port for piping those 3D signals to your 3D HDTV. Per usual, there's no mention of a price tag, but hopefully we'll be clued in sooner rather than later.

Update: Two other gaming lappies were slipped in today by ASUS: the 17.3-inch G73Jw and G51 3D, neither of which have their specs sheets in public view.

ASUS debuts 15.6-inch ROG G53 3D gaming laptop at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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