eMachines ET1161-03

The system bears a sluggish a 2.3-GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ CPU coupled with 3GB of DDR2-667 memory nestled into an ECS motherboard. A single Western Digital drive provides 320GB of storage, which you might consider the highlight of this machine's specifications.
The ET1161-03 also uses an integrated nVidia GeForce 6150SE chip that offers little in the way of graphical prowess: None of our gaming benchmarks could be considered playable. Unreal Tournament 3 failed to run, and on Far Cry--a five-year-old title that doesn't exactly tax modern systems--the ET1161-03 delivered a whopping 6 frames per second (at 1280 by 1024 resolution, with antialiasing turned on). Its WorldBench 6 scores were similarly disappointing, but the results fit the kind of performance we see on machines of this price; its score of 79 was around 30 points lower than the marks of the best value PCs we've tested. That said, some of those PCs are also two to three times the price of the ET1161-03.
To its credit, eMachines does a remarkable job of easing first-time users into the setup process for the ET1161-03. The system comes with a giant diagram that details exactly how to go about getting the PC and optional monitor up and connected. The package doesn't include any driver CDs--you can rebound from disasters only via a recovery partition embedded on the hard drive. But the system does come with a decent starter guide for working in Windows for the first time. Given that this desktop makes the most sense for novices, the extra attention to introductory detail is a great touch.
Given the system's low cost, we didn't expect eMachines to toss killer peripherals into the mix. A generic two-button mouse and a default keyboard are indeed all you get to play with, though the latter has two volume buttons--more than we can say for the keyboards of other value PCs. The system's connectivity is a tad anemic. It sports only four USB ports on the rear of the system, as well as a single ethernet port and integrated 5.1 surround sound. The front offers two additional USB ports and a media card reader. In total, that isn't a grand number of connections, but it is a little more diverse than the offerings of lesser-value competitors.
On the front of the chassis, the glossy case conceals the system's sole optical drive, a DVD reader/writer combo. The smooth look of the case is nothing remarkable, but it isn't bad either. As for the inside, we appreciate the extent of this machine's upgradability compared with other minitower value PCs we've tested. Two PCI Express x1 slots, a single PCI Express x16 slot, and room for one hard drive and a 5.25-inch device sit amongst a slightly messy cabling job. Considering that $400 gets you an average base system, we can see how one or two key upgrades would make a world of difference on the ET1161-03. And the total price after the addition of, say, a discrete video card would still make this desktop less of a hit to the wallet than other value PCs we've looked at.
You're getting what you pay for with eMachines' ET1161-03. Its performance is nothing pretty--in fact, it's horrible compared with that of most other value PCs. But the low cost is the key, and with an upgrade or two, the ET1161-03 could become a pretty good general-purpose PC. Adding a dedicated graphics card would remedy its lack of gaming performance as well.

source:pcworld.com

Polywell Poly I7050(system)

The configuration we tested was equipped with a 2-GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 processor and two sticks of 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 memory (2GB total) mounted on an EVGA NF77 nVidia nForce 630i motherboard with integrated nVidia GeForce 7150 graphics and HDMI output.
Despite the entry-level CPU, the Poly i7050 scored admirably in our productivity application benchmarks. It tied with the Sys Technology Sys Slimline Si200 in earning a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 77, the best in our roundup. But like all of the other low-priced systems that use integrated graphics instead of a discrete graphics card, the Poly i7050 tested poorly in graphics performance, so it's not a good choice for 3D gaming fans. However, you can add a low-profile (half-height) graphics card in the system's open PCI Express x16 slot if you want to improve graphics performance; Polywell charges $72 for a 256MB nVidia GeForce 8400GS card (which has twice the memory as the one in the Dell Inspiron 530 we tested) and $85 for a 512MB nVidia GeForce 8500GT.
The Poly i7050's components are housed in a small, 13-by-16-inches, black-and-silver case that's barely 4 inches high. (You can get the same Poly i7050 system components in a cube-shaped case, as well.) Numerous vents--sides, top, and rear--helped keep our test unit cool, along with a quiet CPU fan inside.
The unit we tested had a 250GB Seagate hard drive and a DVD/CD combo writer, leaving only one drive bay (an external 3.5-inch one) free; accessing it requires unlocking a large metal cage and tilting it upwards, a somewhat cumbersome procedure.
Our i7050 also included a KDS K-92BW 19-inch LCD (1440 by 900 native resolution) with a VGA analog-only interface and decent image quality, though it wasn't quite as bright as some of the other 19-inch LCDs on competing systems. The i7050's USB-based Logitech RX300 optical mouse and Logitech 350 keyboard are better than the bare-bones input devices bundled with some budget PCs, but they also take up two of the PC's seven total USB ports.
If small size matters most to you, the Poly i7050's strong performance and features make it a good candidate among the budget-priced compact models. Otherwise, the midsize, $689 Dell Inspiron 530 is arguably a better deal, since it costs a bit less and comes with a discrete graphics card.

source:pcworld.com

Polywell Minibox 780G-9950(system)

At 9 inches high, 11 inches wide, and 14 inches deep, the MiniBox fits in many places a tower wouldn't. Even so, it still offers enough interior space to accommodate a full-featured micro-ATX Gigabyte MA78GPM-DS2H motherboard, two free 5.25-inch drive bays (one external), a 16x PCIe slot, and two PCI slots. Its width also makes for a physically stable system--great for the living room or a child's first PC. Oh, and it even has a handle that folds out from the front of the system so you can carry the unit around like a 1980s boom box.
The MiniBox model's moniker informs us that it's strictly an AMD AM2+ system, starting with a 780G chip set, continuing with the latest 2.6-GHz Phenom X4 9950 CPU, and following through with a very fast ATI 4870 graphics card. The result of this relatively low-priced ($2350 as of August 8, 2008) combination, with some help from its RAID 0 tandem of 10,000-rpm Western Digital VelociRaptor hard drives, is a level of performance we don't generally see in a small PC--namely, a more-than-competent WorldBench score of 110.
The 4870 card also made for some fast gaming frame rates; it averaged a very playable 135 frames per second in Doom 3 running at 1280 by 1024 with antialiasing enabled. If you're willing to sacrifice some frames per second playing games, you can also configure a MiniBox without the 4870 and save a few bucks.
The MiniBox 780G-9950 system we tested is also a nice choice as a multimedia PC. This price includes a 22-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2253BW wide-screen LCD monitor, and the PC itself has a Blu-ray/HD DVD drive on board with HDMI output (with HDCP copy protection) on the rear panel.

source:pcworld.com

Überclok Reaktor

Nov 27, 2008 - Überclok's Reactor gaming PC represents a perfect example of what happens when you send out a star quarterback with a weak offensive line to guard him. In this case, the player is the system--a supremely tuned gaming PC that comes close to hitting some of the best benchmarks we've seen in the category. Playing the part of the weak O-line are the less-than-impressive specifications that come alongside these speedy parts, which include boring peripherals and throwaway optical support.

source :pcworld.com

iBuyPower Gamer Paladin F860-a Gaming Desktop PC

the Gamer Paladin F860-a is relatively inexpensive for a gaming PC. Still, for $600 less, you could buy a power PC--like the Micro Express MicroFlex 92B--that delivers better performance. Our test system came configured with the 2.93-GHz 940 Intel Core i7 CPU, rather than with the meatier 3.2-GHz 965 CPU we commonly see on gaming systems, and it packed a single 1TB hard drive. On the other hand, its 6GB of DDR3-1333 memory is substantially more than the usual 2GB to 4GB we see on power PCs.
Unfortunately, the Paladin F860-a's score of 134 on our WorldBench 6 performance test suite is one of the poorer marks we've recorded for its category. Relying on a single PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, the system achieved frame rates of 62 frames per second on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and 72 fps on Unreal Tournament 3 (each run at 2560 by 2100 resolution and high quality). PCs configured with the top-of-the-line single-card offering from either ATI (the Radeon 4870 x2) or nVidia (the GTX 280) achieve much higher frame rates on these tests. We're surprised that iBuyPower skimped on the graphics card: Even if opting for a top-tier graphics card had forced the company increase its price for the Gamer Paladin F860-a by another hundred dollars or so, the rig's total cost would still be lower than that of most gaming PCs we've tested.
The Cooler Master HAF 932 case offers a great mixture of screw-free upgradability, extensive front-panel connectivity, and unique features--such as a rubber-covered, water-cooling fill hole on the top of the case. Too bad iBuyPower decided to paint the Gamer Paladin F860-a's chassis with an eye-straining red-and-black theme. The black base and red accents look great if you're staring at the case head-on, but the side paneling's solid red might be too much for your home office or dorm room to handle.
Our system arrived with two LG Electronics optical drives in place--a Blu-ray and HD DVD-ROM drive and a standard DVD burner. The chassis has room for four additional 5.25-inch externally accessible devices as well, and five more hard drives can fit into the system's easy-to-use internal 3.5-inch drive trays. A single PCI Express x4 slot joins two free PCI Express x16 slots and one PCI connection for all your motherboard add-ons. As shipped, the case's excellent wiring job provided plenty of room for airflow and for new hardware installation.
Though it lacks an HDMI connection, the Gamer Paladin F860-a can accommodate most external devices on both the front and the rear of its chassis. On the back, you get eight USB 2.0, one FireWire 400 port, one eSATA port, two gigabit ethernet connections, optical and coaxial SPDIF, and integrated 5.1 surround sound. On the front, five USB 2.0 ports are joined by a single FireWire 400 port, an eSATA port, and a media card reader. Few systems offer this much connectivity.
iBuyPower bundled a couple of rather lackluster input devices with this PC: a generic-looking two-button mouse and a 104-button keyboard, both from Logitech. Neither is a worthy companion for a system built for gaming.
The Gamer Paladin F860-a aims for the look of a high-end gaming PC, and it succeeds on some fronts--connectivity, upgradability, and chassis design (minus the paint job). But it fails to deliver on what matters most. For general-purpose usability and gaming, we've seen better performance by more-affordable power PCs, let alone by the ferocious combatants at the top of our gaming PC charts.

source :pcworld.com

Asus EEE PC 1000HE (laptop)

The streamlined and redesigned Asus Eee PC 1000HE takes no prisoners. While the previous offered a solid netbook, Acer's Aspire One stole all the attention with its lean and incredibly affordable approach. With the latest incarnation of the Eee PC 1000, the "HE" might as well stand for "Holy Enhancement!" This model bears only a passing resemblance to last year's Eee PC, and improves upon just about everything from the keyboard to the CPU. Better yet, in addition to losing some unsightly girth, Asus also trimmed the price to $400.
Let's take a quick tour around the machine to kick this off. The first, most obvious thing you'll spot is the cut-out keyboard. Just like you'd find on an Apple MacBook Air or on Sony VAIO laptops, the keys poke through the plastic, creating a wide gap between buttons. In that respect, this feels and looks great, and is generally more usable. The trackpad is just spacious enough -- I particularly like its metal framing and the few multitouch functions incorporated into the design. However, I found the pad slightly twitchy to control. No deal-breaker, but I noticed.
You also get a couple handy shortcut buttons hovering along the top of the unit. They do everything from give the CPU a speed boost (more on that below) and user-definable shortcuts to a screen resolution adapter. That is, you can view 1024-by-768 resolutions even though the native resolution of the 1000HE is 1024 by 600 -- it's a special compression mode that Lenovo employs in the IdeaPad S10 as well, and represents a convenience given that some applications default to a 1024-by-768-pixel resolution and won't work otherwise.
This unit's 10.1-inch backlit LED display is bright and capable of good color reproduction; its glossy coating helps the image pop a little more than you usually see on netbooks. However, the highly polished bezel that keeps the screen in place can get a little distracting at times.
A number of aerodynamic nips and tucks make this 10.3-by-7.4-by-1.4-inch netbook just a hair thinner than the older, clunkier Eee PC 1000 we reviewed last year. It's also a little on the "heavy" side for a netbook, weighing 3.2 pounds. That's the price of strapping an 8700mAH battery to the bottom of this thing; Asus promises that the 1000HE will deliver 9.5 hours of performance (but we got a solid seven hours, nine minutes in our tests).In short, netbooks in this generation are finally packing the battery power required for marathon computing sessions.
Speaking of performance, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE sports Intel's 1.66-GHz Atom N280 CPU. For the sake of comparison, most of the netbooks that came out late last year used the N270 CPU, which runs at a lower frequency (1.6-GHz) and a slower frontside bus speed (533MHz as compared with 667 MHz in the N280). The difference, however, was minimal. Our test unit got a 35 in WorldBench: an average score for what you'll find in netbooks.
The Asus comes with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard disk drive, and 802.11b/g/n /Bluetooth wireless. Around the perimeter of chassis lies a fairly standard set of three USB 2.0 inputs.
The audio, as on the Eee PC 1000, sounds surprisingly strong for its size. But it lacks a good subwoofer, so don't expect to rock a house party with this thing. Other notable features thrown into the mix: InterVideo WinDVD (which seems to be a little bit of overkill, I'd recommend you try out KMPlayer), and 18 months of 10GB of free online storage.
In the end, this is a fairly solid -- and sizable -- jump over what's come out just a few months earlier. In fact, I'd dare say that amongst the netbook pack, this is one of my current favorites and something that I'd highly recommend that you check out. Considering that its selling in some places for as little as $380, you could do worse.

source: www.pcworld.com

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (High Capacity)laptop

didn't expect to see a difference. After all, it's running with the same N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard disk sitting under the hood. It's also got the same 10.2-inch screen and the same 1024-by-600-pixel resolution. What I can't suss out is why this machine scored a 37 in WorldBench 6 while the original notched a 41. On the bright side, it does have gumption. The 6-cell battery in our review unit powered the device for a little over 5 hours.
It's a hair thinner (it now measures 9.8 by 7.7 by 1.4 inches) and more than a pound lighter (at 2.4 pounds, down from 3.6 pounds), and it has a couple of nips and tucks that I noticed straightaway. The two-tone colors pop like a good sports coupe while the unit retains its solidly-built netbook frame. And the keys are a bit bigger, though the machine weighs less (thanks to the big "L" for making the left-shift key a little longer). While the keyboard is very comfortable to tap on, how about flipping the function and control keys? It's a major pain to keep hitting the wrong one.
Something that really should have been changed, but wasn't, is the touchpad. The designers go to all this trouble to expand the keyboard, but my fingers are almost rebelling against me for even thinking about trying to use that touchpad. It's about as small as the the original Asus Eee PC's. Oompah Loompahs say, "That's tiny!" So if you happen to have big sausage-y adult-man hands (like me), you're potentially in for a world of hurt.
But it's not all doom-and-gloom. (Especially if you have dainty digits.) The updated S10 also has a fairly robust, praiseworthy software package. VeriFace Recognition III security software carries over from previous IdeaPads and ThinkPads, so bully to Lenovo for including it here. And the OneKey Rescue software that I saluted in the original S10 is back. It's pretty handy--if pretty basic. You can create full or partial backups inside of a couple clicks (after tapping the shortcut button above the keyboard).
Lenovo Idea Central is a news reader and glorified series of rotating ads in a customer-friendly interface. You might find some use in it--I didn't. What I did find fairly useful: The QuickStart application. Don't want to boot into Windows? You get rapid access to a handful of applications such as Skype, Web browsing, a photo manager, and a media player.
Not half bad considering that these updated machines start at $349 (our test unit, complete with a six-cell battery, sells for $409 as of May 11, 2009).

source :www.pcworld.com

HP'S FIREBIRD

We admit we had doubts about HP/Voodoo's new Firebird gaming PC when we got an early look last December. We found the case attractive, and we liked the idea of an mainstream-oriented gaming PC with the polish of a boutique system. Our hesitation came from the fact that for its $2,000 or so price tag, the system lacks a robust upgrade path due to its fixed laptop-style graphics cards and custom motherboard. We also wondered whether gamers would be interested in efficiency and style at the expense of raw horsepower.After getting our hands on a review unit last week, our hesitation turned to admiration because the Firebird does so many things right. It really is a pretty-looking desktop, first of all. Its power efficiency embarrasses traditional gaming PCs in its price range by consuming significantly less juice (155 watts compared to 255 watts on a Dell under load, for example). The value is also there because its performance and features are exactly where they should be for the price. The Firebird can't dial up Far Cry 2 all the way, but it will certainly play it at most resolutions, and with decent image quality. The Blu-ray drive, the HDMI output, and the 802.11n WiFi even accommodate living room usage, which you might legitimately consider given the Firebird's attractive design.
We found it easiest to think of the Firebird like a laptop or an all-in-one PC. No, you don't get the full range of tear-it-down, built-it-up-again possibilities inherent to most desktops. If that's what you demand in a gaming PC, the Firebird isn't for you. But you also get something in exchange for the upgrade limitations, in this case a full-featured PC that's pleasing to the eye, and forgiving to your power bill. Given the Firebird's more-or-less closed system, we have to wonder why HP and Voodoo didn't simply make this an all-in-one. Perhaps that's next on the product development list.

SOURCE:NEWS.CNET.COM

apple iMAC

The short of it is that we like the new iMac, and we think most of you will, too. We love the price for the 24-inch display, and Apple's multitasking performance continues to make Vista look bad. We were surprised by the chopped down keyboard, which we didn't hate, but we're glad the full-sized version is still an option. We also find it interesting that Apple hasn't really responded to the Sony's and the HP's of the all-in-one Windows world by adding any major transformative features to the iMac. We don't think it's a problem necessarily, but we also wonder if Apple will be able to get away with it next time around.



SOURCE:NEWS.CNET.COM

inside dell labs

Desktops are rapidly shrinking category, and all the PC makers are trying to find ways to get consumers excited about them. All-in-one devices are apparently what the industry has settled on. Most of the biggest PC makers offer one, though the feature levels vary between the Apple iMac, Hewlett-Packard TouchSmart PC, Lenovo IdeaCentre A600, Gateway One, Sony Vaio LT, and Asus Eee Top

source :news.net.com

BMW DesignworksUSA's Level 10 case for ThermalTake

As you can see from the image, the Level 10 gives each PC component its own molded enclosure. We have no word on specs, availability, or price, although it appears to adhere to standard ATX motherboard design. You can read the full press release from BMW DesignworksUSA for the thought-process that went into the Level 10.
Assuming the Level 10 will make its way to retail, you will likely find it available as a standalone product, as well as from system builders like AVADirect, ABS, and others which typically build their PCs from off-the-shelf parts. Those vendors are usually anxious to adopt unique components, as we saw with AVADirect and the CoolerMaster Cosmos line last year, and we imagine the Level 10 will be hard for them to resist as well

source:news.net.com

Mac pro 3d

We've received a few e-mails since our post last week on Apple's new Mac Pro and its higher-end 3D graphics card option, AMD's Radeon HD 4870. Echoing the comments in the original post, some folks wanted to know how we tested. Others wanted us to test the Mac Pro in Boot Camp. Also, AMD wanted us to show actual test results to back up our claim that the combination of the Mac Pro and its Radeon HD 4870 card was not great for gaming, especially compared with competing Windows desktops

source:news.cnet.com

Core i7 PCs

Both Dell and Gateway launched Core i7 PCs in time with Intel's announcement of its new chip family last November. We don't know why HP has waited to make the switch, but with today's announcement of the Pavilion Elite m9600 desktop series, a quad-core Core i7-equipped HP can be yours starting at $949.
We've found Intel's Core i7 chips very fast, especially in the most demanding tasks like consumer-level digital media editing and multitasking. Core i7 has also been hailed as an expensive platform, as Intel is the only source for the necessary motherboard chipset, which also requires DDR3 memory, a pricier standard than more common DDR2 RAM. Those extra expenses are largely why AMD's Phenom and Phenom II, and Intel's own Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad chips are still common in lower-end retail desktops, although it remains likely that Intel will continue to ease pricing throughout 2009 to ensure wider Core i7 adoption.
Options for HP's new configurable Pavilion Elite m9600's are otherwise unremarkable. The only exception might be that the default 3D card, an Nvidia GeForce 9600GS, has 768MB of RAM, and all of the step-up models are 1GB cards. And here we'd just gotten used to the proliferation of 512MB cards. The larger video memory allotments won't guarantee fast PC gaming for all, but they will certainly help.
If you want to purchase a Core i7-based Pavilion Elite, HP's Web site is your only source for the moment, although we're sure the retail models won't be too far behind. That said, Dell's Core i7 Studio XPS systems start at $799. Dell's 3D card offerings include only 256MB and 512MB options, so you do lose a step in gaming performance, but if all you want is raw CPU power at the best price, it's hard to justify the HP's $949 starter price tag when Dell has such an aggressive bargain.

source:news.cnet.com

The Nvidia 896MB GeForce GTX 275.

Nvidia's new GeForce GTX 275 is slated to become available for purchase on April 14. And while we don't imagine that Nvidia could simply make a new 3D card appear overnight (nor do we necessarily know which vendor actually started taping out its new card first), we find it interesting that mere days after ATI called us for a briefing on the Radeon HD 4890, Nvidia got in touch regarding its own new product

source:news.cnet.com

24-inch aluminum iMac

If you were following me on Twitter last week, you probably know of the disaster that hit me hard Tuesday night: my 24-inch aluminum iMac, sporting a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive, failed.
I quickly determined that it was a hard-drive failure. I tried running Disk Utility off my Leopard install disc to repair it. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I then tried repairing the invalid sibling linkand invalid node structures. Once again, I failed.
Remembering that I also failed to pay for AppleCare, I decided that I needed to find a way to salvage my hard drive. So I tried connecting my iMac to my MacBook through a FireWire cable to get the contents off of it. That didn't work.
At this point, it seemed that I was out of options. I determined that it definitely was my hard drive that failed on me, so I could still use my iMac with a new hard drive, but there was one catch: removing the hard drive and replacing it would be extremely difficult, since unlike most other computers, opening the case with a few screws and popping out the hard drive was impossible with my iMac.
Believe it or not, that 24-inch aluminum iMac has only one screw on it, and it only gives you access to the RAM. To access the hard drive, I had no other option but to crack open my beautiful 24-inch iMac with the aid of suction cups. And I decided to share my experience with you.
Here's my step-by-step guide on how to crack open your iMac and replace your hard drive.

source:news.net.com

HP MediaSmart Server

Back in November of 2007, we took a close look at the HP MediaSmart Server ex475, a glorified network-attached storage drive that gathers, organizes, and streams your media content over a network.
The Server also gives users open access to their content from any Windows-based, connected computer in the world. About a year after its initial release, the new ex487 model arrived in early 2009 with significant tweaks to the user interface and a beefier set of internal components. Now, HP updates us once again with the release of a software update that adds streaming content to mobile devices like the iPhone and Sony PSP.
The updated software runs off the popular Microsoft Windows Home Server platform and flaunts a new feature that converts videos into two resolutions: the standard, high-resolution file and a new mobile resolution format (MPEG-4 H.264) version that can be played on a variety of mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, and PSP.
HP is also encouraging all iPhone users to download the new HP iStream application, free of charge, that permits mobile access to all digital media stored on a personal MediaSmart Server. Additional software upgrades include a more streamlined Apple Time Machine configuration, a more robust HP Media Collector, and the ability to create public and private albums from within the Photo Viewer.
The free software update will automatically download to all HP MediaSmart EX485/487 Servers later this month. For more hardware insights, check out our review of the HP MediaSmart Server ex475.

source:news.cnet.com

ATI Radeon HD 4770 3D

With a new 40-nanometer manufacturing process behind it, AMD announced the ATI Radeon HD 4770 3D graphics chip this morning. Available now on 3D cards starting at $109 (before a $10 online rebate), the Radeon HD 4770 is the first 3D chip built on the 40-nanometer process, which allows for faster, more power-efficient hardware than AMD's previous 55nm chips.

The various enthusiast review sites found the 512MB Radeon HD 4770 fast enough to play most current games at lower resolutions and image quality settings. Think 1,680 x 1,050 or lower and with little-to-no anti-aliasing. The Radeon HD 4770 also outpaced Nvidia's $95 GeForce 9800 GT on almost every test, and competed well with the approximately $130 Geforce 250 GTS (aka the GeForce 9800 GTX+). Its power consumption seems to stand out mostly under load, but its idle results showed little benefit.
If this new card delivers on performance, we still find it interesting that the boxed versions of the card from Gigabyte, Sapphire, and Powercolor each have a bulky fan bolted onto the chip. Each card will thus require the space of two expansion card slots inside a desktop (affectionately referred to as "double-wides").Traditionally, $99 cards have been single-slot designs, making them perfect for adding to smaller desktops or PCs with several other expansion cards. It seems that with the decline of dedicated sound cards, the 3D graphics card is making a PC land grab.
We hope to be able to get to a review of the Radeon HD 4770 (along with the other new 3D cards and CPUs we've missed), but we have a lab full of desktops at the moment, and more on the way. Until we clear the decks (August?), we suggest you check out the following enthusiast sites for in-depth reviews of AMD's new card

source:news.cnet.com

Acer Z5600

"23rd October is the date the Windows 7 will be available. There is a 30 day upgrade time so that customers don't wait to buy a new computer, so if you buy during that 30 day period, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7," Watkins is quoted as saying.
That's also the day Acer will release its Z5600 PC, an all-in-one desktop built specifically around Windows 7 features.
Microsoft has previously stated that the final version of Windows 7 won't be ready until January 2010. The first release candidate of the new operating system will be available Thursday to some developers and to the public next week.

source:news.cnet.com

intel core i7 920 chip

We've seen the Core i7 920 chip overclocked successfully. A chip bumped up to 3.88GHz in a system from AVADirect passed an overnight Prime95 run last week with no throttling, and at reasonable temperatures. That it's possible to squeeze $700 worth of performance from a $250 CPU is exciting for you and for your customers. However, as should be obvious, overclocking a CPU shouldn't come at the expense of system stability.
Call us foolish optimists, but we won't name names of the systems that failed because both of you had plausible explanations. The blue-screened desktop had been shipped multiple times to multiple review outlets. Neither shipping nor reviewing is a particularly gentle process.
The PC that throttled down came with what you told us was an outdated BIOS. You're not selling this PC yet, so we're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. We look forward to trying out the new BIOS you said you'd e-mail us.
So, PC Industry, consider yourself on notice. We weren't too concerned about your previous overclocking attempts that went 10 or 20 percent above stock. Now that you're aspiring to 50 percent performance gains, we're going to require two things:
You must acknowledge on your Web site that you offer CPU overclocking, and that the speeds you can achieve will vary from chip to chip. Most of you already do this.
Your overclocked PC must be stable enough to survive a 24-hour run of Prime95 in our lab.
If you fail to declare that you overclock and the limits thereof on your Web site, we will decline to review your PC above its stock component settings. If you send it to us anyway, we can send it back or clock it down, your call. We'll take failure to complete Prime95 on a case-by-case basis. Repeated failure will very likely result in a public reprimand.

source:news.cnet.com

FIRST SSD-RIPPING NAS DEVICE

network attached storage devices this week--the Statement series--in solid-state drive and hard-disk drive formats. The RipNAS Statement is purported as the first CD ripping NAS device to come equipped with the former.
Based on the Windows Home Server OS and housed in a silver aluminum casing (designed to eliminate noise pollution), the Statement is capable of CD ripping, media streaming, and networked storage on either the 500GB SSD configuration (2 x 250GB SSDs) or the 3TB HDD configuration (2 x 1.5TB HDDs). The entire case measures 10 x 43 x 38 cm and is powered by a dual-core Atom CPU, has 2GBs of memory, and 4 USB ports.
It looks like the UK will get first dibs on the RipNAS Statement SSD and HDD for now, but no pricing information has been announced, nor the date it will be available in the U.S.

source:news.cnet.com

Sony vAIo JS250J

The bottom line: Instead of succumbing to the latest fads, Sony's Vaio's JS250J all-in-one PC stays the course pioneered by its models from last year, delivering capable performance and best-of-breed home entertainment features at a better price than its all-in-one competition. The Vaio JS250J will appeal to anyone in need of a multipurpose home PC.
Specifications: Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (2.5 GHz) ; Clock speed: 2.5 GHz ; RAM installed: 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM

SOURCE:NEWS.CNET.COM

e Machines EL 1209

Available exclusively at Wal-Mart, the EL1300G comes in two flavors. The EL1300G-01w goes for $298, which gets you a standalone PC with Windows Vista Home Basic, a low-power AMD Athlon 2650e CPU, 2GB of RAM, a DVD burner, and a 160GB hard drive. The $398 EL1300G-02w comes with a 20-inch LCD, and is otherwise identical to the 01w except for Windows XP Home Edition, and only 1GB of RAM.
Each system also comes with a wired mouse and keyboard, as well as a set of 2.0 USB speakers.
eMachines keeps the prices down by keeping things simple, so you won't even find a DVI video port on these models, much less an HDMI output. That gives the EL1300 series less living room appeal than other slim-tower and small form factor desktops, like the much-admired Acer Aspire X1700. And while we have yet to test an Athlon 2650e-based system, by all accounts it has a similar power profile to Intel's Atom CPU so favored in nettops, but with significantly faster performance. We're eager to get our hands on an EL1300G to find out for ourselves.

SOURCE:NEWS.CNET.COM

Asus W90(Laptop)

Design In some ways, the W90 isn't very well thought through and is actually rather rubbish. We're not saying that because it's not fast or well-equipped, but because it's so damn heavy. The weedy, game-obsessed teens that need it the most will struggle to get it out of the box. It weighs a back-breaking 6kg and measures 443 by 328 by 63mm for goodness sake! Don't even think about using it on your lap -- unless your knees are reinforced with Kevlar.

But despite it being massive, the W90 is actually quite good-looking. There's not a single garish colour in sight and any flashing lights are purely functional. The lid and interior section are primarily finished in a conservative brushed-metal effect, and it even has touches of leather on either side of the keyboard. It is, in our humble opinion, the best-looking gaming laptop ever created.
Open the lid and you'll be greeted by a full-size keyboard complete with a dedicated numerical keypad. To the left of this is an array of touch-sensitive buttons for adjusting the volume and skipping forward or backwards through tracks. More touch-sensitive buttons can be found above the keyboard. These, in order of appearance from left to right, mute the volume, toggle the activation of the mouse trackpad, adjust the brightness of the screen, switch the display's colour mode, zoom in or out of the screen, activate or deactivate the 2-megapixel webcam, or overclock the W90. That's right -- the W90 is overclockable at the touch of a button, but more on that later.
FeaturesThe W90 is available in a variety of specifications, depending on which part of the world you're in and where you buy it from. Here in the UK, it'll ship with an Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 clocked at 2.66GHz, but if you're serious about speed, you can also cop one with an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000. Any CPU inside your chosen W90 can be overclocked at the touch of a button. Our 2.66GHz T9550 leapt up to 2.96GHz, which is a pretty respectable increase

source:uk.co.net

HP Photosmart A826(Printer)

DesignThe HP Photosmart A826 is all smooth plastic and rounded edges. Its design is pod-like, resembling the 1950s take on futuristic, space-age design -- it would be right at home in Disney's House of the Future exhibit from the late '50s.

It sits about 264mm wide at the base with a narrower top, about 244mm deep, and about 274mm tall. It weighs about a light 3kg. The printer's top panel flips up for paper loading. Unlike most snapshot printers, the paper is fully contained within the body of the printer. You can load up to 100 sheets of 152 by 102mm or 178 by 127mm paper and close the lid, thereby protecting stored paper from dust.
The control panel on the Photosmart A826 couldn't be simpler -- basically, there isn't one. When you flip down the front cover/paper output tray, you're faced with four memory card slots and a PictBridge USB port, as well as a plastic stylus in its own holder.
All of the functionality is accessed through the 178mm (7-inch) touchscreen display. The large screen makes it a pleasure to peruse images, and the screen is nicely responsive to touch, though we found it prefers the stylus to a finger. Also, the stylus doesn't leave unsightly fingerprints.
A small panel on the printer's front hides the single print cartridge. Replacing the print cartridge alone costs about £10, and HP estimates that it will print about 55 152 by 102mm photos.
FeaturesThe Photosmart A826 is geared toward standalone, PC-free use, so most of its features are packed right into the touchscreen. While you can set up the A826 to print from a PC, the four memory card slots and PictBridge port make it easy to print from a memory card or PictBridge device like a camera or camera phone. For wireless printing, HP offers an optional USB Bluetooth adapter.
Setup is simple: Plug in the power, select your language and location and then the printer prompts you to insert a card. When you do, the printer calls up the files in a nine-image thumbnail view. To select a photo for printing and/or editing, simply touch the check box. To zoom in on a single image, touch the centre of the thumbnail. At this point, you can select all of the images or step through them in groups of nine or one by one

source: reviews.cnet.co.uk

HP Photosmart C8180 (printer)

DesignThe design of the C8180 is similar to the rest of the printers in the Photosmart series, but this particular model has a few notable hardware additions that you won't find in most all-in-ones. Unlike most printers, the C8180 has a swiveled touchscreen that lets you control all the software functions including photo editing, wireless setup and management, and scanning jobs.
The touchscreen eliminates button clutter and frees up the rest of the front panel for simple buttons that control one-touch red-eye removal as well as a few others for start, stop and cancel. The front of the C8180 also has a memory card bay with slots for Compact Flash, xD, SD/MMC and Memory Stick cards.
FeaturesAlthough HP flaunts the C8180 as a full-featured AIO for the home and office, it lacks a fax machine and an auto-document feeder that you can find on other AIOs for less money. You'll also notice a unique hardware feature on the front of the C8180: a LightScribe drive that lets you archive your data directly from a USB key or an external memory card to a CD/DVD.
We're not disputing its utility, but we wish HP could've found a way to include the drive alongside an ADF and fax instead of omitting them entirely. In either case, we must compliment HP on the build quality and design of the C8180. The rounded corners and silver/white overlay contribute to its overall appeal; this printer will look great alongside any desk setup.
You have three options for connecting your computer to the printer: wired via the included USB cable, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. We can confidently state that the Photosmart C8180 is the easiest Wi-Fi printer we've used to date. Other printers make you pour through pages and pages of instructions and ultimately force you to set up the connection via an ad-hoc network, but the C8180 distills the process down to a simple pairing between the printer and your computer.
In fact, there are no onscreen instructions; you set everything up through the digital LCD on the faceplate itself. From open box to first print, the entire Wi-Fi setup took less than five minutes.
Another unique feature to the C8180 is its dual paper input tray. This is bound to be one of those "Why didn't we think of that?" headaches for HP's competitors, and it really is genius. The C8180 has two separate paper trays: one for larger A4 paper and another for smaller A6 media. This small hardware addition saves time and desk space by allowing the user to manually select which paper tray will spool from the device, but most of the time the C8180 will choose automatically depending on the job

source: rewies.cnet.co

Compaq Presario SR5710f Desktop

Simplicity, security, and innovation team up in our Compaq Presario SR5710F Desktop to bring you easy e-mail, Web surfing, and making calls over the Internet. With a clean, functional industrial design, this streamlined PC will easily blend with your home's décor.
Solid performance, fun features
Experience genuine Windows Vista Home Premium†† with Service Pack 1
Get reliable power from the 2.3GHz AMD Athlon Athlon X2 4450e+ Dual-Core Processor
Multitask with the 3GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM (expandable to 4GB)
Enhance viewing with the Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics (128MB dedicated)
Store data on the high-capacity 250GB, 7200 rpm SATA hard drive
Label discs with silkscreen-quality text, photos, and designs using HP's cool LightScribe feature
Entertainment and software
Watch movies and burn DVDs using the double-layer DVD±R/RW SuperMulti drive
Get high-def sound with the six-speaker configurable audio
Edit and create videos using the muvee autoProducer Basic and CyberLink DVD suite Deluxe software
Get productive with Microsoft Works 9, which includes word processing, spreadsheets, database, and calendar
Connect digital cameras MP3 players, and camcorders with the top- and back-access USB 2.0 and FireWire ports
Guard against viruses, spam, and spyware with Norton Internet Security 2008 (60-day live update trial)
Add peripherals like our ultraportable 160GB pocket media drive for sharing content, even while away from your PC, and a surge protector to keep your equipment safe from power disturbances
First-class warranties and support
Get peace of mind with the one-year limited hardware warranty and software support
Get answers to product questions 24 x 7, toll-free, or via e-mail in as little time

source: campaq.com

USB 2.0 microSD Card Reader

Meritline.com offers this USB 2.0 microSD Card Reader in a random color for $3.99. Apply coupon code "MLC4003172" to chop it to $1.49. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we could find for such an item. Deal ends May 16.

source:dealnews.com

Refurbished Dell Studio 17 Core 2 Duo 2GHz 17" Laptop

further trimmed its price on the factory-refurbished Dell Studio 17 Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz 17" Widescreen Notebook in Ruby Red, model no. S17-162B, to $579.99 with free shipping. That's $20 under last month's mention and $150 under the lowest total price for a new Dell Studio 17 with similar specs. It features an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz dual-core processor, 17" 1440x900 widescreen LCD, 4GB RAM, 320GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, DVD burner, 802.11a/g/n wireless, webcam, fingerprint reader, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

source:dealnews.com

Cables Unlimited eSATA / USB Hard Drive Docking Station

offers the Cables Unlimited eSATA / USB 2.0 Serial ATA Hard Drive Docking Station model no. USB-2155, for $24.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen by $21. This docking station connects all 2.5" or 3.5" SATA hard drives, up to 1TB, to a PC. It also features a built-in USB 2.0 hub and memory card reader.

source:computerdeals.com

Mesh - Elite E6600 Express

If you're thinking about upgrading your complete system, or buying an off-the-shelf Vista machine, then Mesh's Elite E6600 Express isn't a bad place to start, offering a decent blend of features, hardware and price.
Housed in the traditional, black and silver, midi-tower Mesh case, the Elite E6600 Express is, as you might expect from the name, built around one of Intel's E6600 Core 2 Duo processors, which is clocked at 2.40GHz and has a FSB (Front Side Bus) speed of 1,066MHz with a handy 4MB cache. Supporting the CPU is 2GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, so there's plenty of power for Windows Vista to play around with.
Talking of Vista, the Elite E6600 Express comes with Vista Home Premium pre-installed, with the fabled Windows Aero feature, so you'll be wanting something half-way decent to power the graphics. Mesh hasn't skimped on this, providing a mid-range card in the form of Nvidia's GeForce 7950GT;

All this hardware is plugged into an Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe motherboard which uses the previous generation Nvidia Nforce4 SLI x16 chipset rather than one of the latest chipsets. Having said that, the chipset does provide support for two full-speed x16 PCI-E graphics slots and, as only one of these slots is used by the 7950GT, you only have to add a second 7950GT to get the full benefits of SLI graphics.
The motherboard also has integrated Gigabit Ethernet and 8-channel audio, but Mesh has decided to ignore the built-in audio and add a decent sound card in the shape of a Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Extreme, the output of which drives a good set of Creative Inspire T7900 7.1 speakers.
It's a pretty quiet system too, helped by the passive cooling Asus uses on the motherboard, which explains the pipework that stares you in the face when you open the case. Once open, the case internals show that a bit of care has been taken putting the Elite E6600 Express together, with sensibly routed and clipped cabling and plenty of room to get at the internals should you feel the need to.
For storage Mesh has supplied a 320GB Seagate hard drive, one with a 16MB cache, so transferring large files quickly shouldn't be a problem. The drive cage fitted in the Elite E6600 Express can hold another three drives if you want to add more; tempting, as the motherboard supports RAID arrays.
You also get an 18x Dual Layer DVD burner as well as a 16x DVD drive, so there should be no excuses for not backing up any important data you might have.
The rest of the hardware package is rounded out by a good Sony 19-inch X-Black TFT monitor and a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo. The software bundle is useful too: Microsoft Works 8.5 with a free 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, Cyberlink Video Editing Suite which includes seven titles, and BullGuard Internet Security 6.0. Mesh includes a three-year warranty, with the first year on-site and years two and three back-to-base.

source:itreviews.com

Chillblast - Fusion Tornado Quadro

Yet another high powered, high spec system from Chillblast and yes, it does carry a high price tag. But that's no more than you'd expect from a system built around Intel's quad core CPU, a case full of high-end components and Windows Vista Ultimate.
The system is built into a huge, silver, Coolermaster Stacker 830 full tower case. This case may be on the massive side (to give you an idea how massive, it can support up to nine 120mm cooling fans), but as with most Coolermaster cases it's very well built, as you might be able to gather from its weight of just over 14kg when empty.
At the heart of the Fusion Tornado Quadro sits one of Intel's QX6700 Core 2 Quad Extreme processors, the first quad core CPU to hit the market. As usual with Chillblast, the company hasn't left the QX6700 to run at its standard 2.66GHz but instead has tweaked it to run at 3.0GHz, yet with standard cooling.

The CPU sits in a BFG Nforce 680i SLI motherboard which, as you can guess, uses Nvidia's high-end Nforce 680i chipset which provides, amongst many things, two full-speed x16 PCI-E graphics slots. Sitting in two of the four DIMM slots are two 1GB sticks of GSkill PC2-6400 DDR2 memory which trundles along at 800MHz. As you may expect, the Tornado Quadro lacks nothing in performance as demonstrated by a score of just under 10,000 when tested with PCMark05.
The performance is aided by both the storage system and by the choice of graphics card. To be truthful, only part of the storage system assists performance, as the Fusion Tornado Quadro comes with two separate hard drives; one for the operating system and one for storage. The all important system drive is a 74GB Western Digital Raptor drive which makes up for its small capacity with a 10,000rpm spin speed and a 16MB cache, although for an extra £65 you can upgrade it to the 150GB version.
The data storage drive is a 500GB, 7,200rpm, Western Digital disk with a 16MB cache. If you're still not impressed, the case is so large that you can put together a huge RAID array, as besides the two free remaining 3.5-inch drives there are eight 5.25-inch bays left empty, while the ninth bay is filled by the 18x SATA dual layer DVD burner.
As mentioned previously, the motherboard is SLI capable but Chillblast only supplies one graphics card so it's up to you if you want to up your gaming performance later by adding a second card to take advantage of SLI technology.
But the single card supplied is no slouch: an ASUS GeForce 8800GTX, currently the fastest GPU around, so even straight out of the box you can play any of today's games on the Fusion Tornado Quadro with blisteringly fast frame rates. We recorded an average frame rate in F.E.A.R. of 210fps when tested at a resolution of 1,024 by 768.
To aid you in your gaming experience, Chillblast has put together an impressive audio and display package for the Fusion Tornado Quadro. The audio system is driven by a high-end Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme audio card whose output powers a 7.1 speaker system in the form of Creative Labs' Inspire T7900 speaker system.
Meanwhile the monitor is a 20-inch Samsung SyncMaster 206BW widescreen TFT, which has a native resolution of 1,680 pixels by 1,050 and - if you are impressed by such things - a 2ms response time (grey to grey).
Rounding out the hardware package is a Logitech EasyCall SpeakerPhone keyboard and mouse, while the software bundle comprises Ulead VideoStudio 9 SE DVD, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and Avast AntiVirus. Chillblast provides a two-year Collect and Return warranty backed by lifetime phone support.

source:itreviews.com

HP - Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim

Here's a neat trick. In addition to being “ultra-slim”, the latest member of the HP Compaq dc7800 family can be made to almost disappear. OK, maybe not, but it can be made to take up hardly any room and be positioned out of sight, simply by buying the custom monitor/stand designed to go with it.
The HP monitor isn't compulsory: any monitor can be used if you prefer. However, opt for the HP L1906i (£149 + VAT) and, in addition to a nice 19-inch flat panel display, you get a solid metal stand to which the monitor and main PC processing unit can be attached.
Of course a screwdriver is needed to attach the PC, positioning it behind the display and clear of the desk, but it's an easy enough job which took us about five minutes. You even get a pull-out tray to take the separate AC adapter, further minimising the footprint. The 1,280 x 1,024 resolution monitor then clips in place with a nicely counterbalanced mechanism to slide it up and down as well as tilt the screen for comfortable viewing, with the overall result a very stylish and usable desktop system

The processing unit itself doesn't quite live up to the “ultra-thin” billing, but it's pretty close, with several configurations available to suit different applications and budgets. Ours was fairly high-end, with a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 6750 processor and sockets for up to 4GB of memory.
Unfortunately, only 1GB is supplied as standard and, given the Windows Vista operating system that comes with this model, we would have liked a lot more. But that's easily accommodated, using notebook-style SODIMM modules with a similarly notebook-style, 2.5-inch, 160GB hard disk and DVD/CD writer on this model.
We were also a little disappointed by the integrated Intel graphics controller. It's fine for general office work, but best avoided if you intend to run any 3D modelling or other graphics-intensive applications. All the more so given that there are no expansion slots, so installing another graphics card isn't an option. However, connectivity shouldn't be an issue, with a Gigabit Ethernet port and an impressive eight USB 2.0 connectors as standard.
As well as the stylish design and small footprint, we found the dc7800 Ultra-slim to be a lot quieter than most desktops, thanks to the use of low energy components more commonly associated with mobile computing systems. These require minimal cooling and a lot less power than a standard PC's, the dc7800 consuming around 80 watts in use and 10 in hibernation mode.
The external AC adapter also helps keep the noise down, although we would have liked a louder speaker and were far from impressed by the somewhat flimsy mouse. The keyboard was better, but a set of good quality wireless peripherals would have been a nice finishing touch on an otherwise good looking and well designed device, clearly aimed at the business rather than home user market.
To this end it's worth noting that the Ultra-slim also supports Intel's VPro technology, enabling it to be managed remotely whether powered up or not, with the software agents required pre-installed along with other HP security and management tools.

source:itreviews.com

NEC - PowerMate ML470

It may not be the first name that springs to mind when shopping for a desktop PC, but the NEC PowerMate range has a lot to offer. Particularly the new ML470, a professional looking business desktop which can be had with a choice of either dual or quad core processor, three different chassis types and Intel vPro management as standard.
Open up any of the ML470 models and inside you'll find an Intel BTX motherboard, designed to minimise power and cooling requirements yet able to support a variety of processors including the latest Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad chips. However, some care is needed here as the more exotic of these can really bump up the price, the review system shipping with a 3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, likely to be a popular compromise for buyers looking to run demanding applications without busting the budget.
Our standard desktop system also came with 2GB of DDR2 RAM plus two spare slots to add more, the ceiling being 8GB. The micro-tower chassis can also take this much, but opt for the tiny Small Form Factor (SFF) model and 2GB is all you can have.

Note, too, that the integrated video controller - an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 - uses up to 256MB of that memory and looks a little out of place on what's supposed to be a high performance desktop. Indeed, for customers looking to run graphics intensive applications or support multiple monitors, NEC recommends an add- in video card, offering Nvidia adapters as an option although, again, only on the larger two models.
Unless otherwise specified a single SATA hard disk provides the storage on the ML470, the review system shipping with the largest 250GB drive. The on-board controller can also handle additional drives and provide hardware RAID protection (levels 0 & 1) if needed, the only caveat being the need to specify the micro-tower in order to fit in the extra disks needed to take advantage of this feature.
An integrated Gigabit Ethernet interface comes as standard on all versions, together with up to four expansion slots depending on the chassis, plus an impressive eight USB 2.0 ports. You also get support for Intel's vPro remote monitoring and management technology including the ability to remotely power up the PC to, for example, run an inventory or distribute updates. Unfortunately, software to take advantage of this feature isn't included.
Aimed more at the business buyer than the home user, the PowerMate ML470 comes with a three year on-site warranty and a guarantee that the platform won't change for at least 15 months. Windows XP or Vista can be pre-installed, although you have to pay extra for this, and there's a wide choice of flat screen panels in matching livery, again adding to the final price. Finding a reseller could take a while, too, with far fewer NEC stockists than those offering competitive products.

source:itreviews.com

Wired2Fire - Hellspawn Xtreme

Intel's latest Core i7 range of CPUs offers plenty of performance straight out of the box, never mind about overclocking. However, the one thing they do excel at is being tweaked to run faster than standard without resorting to fancy water-cooling or even more exotic cooling methods.
You may not have heard of Wired2Fire before, but the Dorking, Surrey based system builders have been making some well built and quick PCs since 2004. The i7-powered Hellspawn Xtreme carries on that tradition and, although it comes with an eye-watering price tag (over three grand just for the system box), you do get one of the fastest desktop PCs available anywhere at the time of writing.
As with most Wired2Fire systems, the Hellspawn Xtreme is totally customisable through the Wired2Fire website so you can either save money or go totally mad depending on your budget.
Our review Hellspawn Xtreme came with the fastest current i7 processor available, the i7 965, but overclocked from the standard 3.2GHz up to 3.7GHz. It uses the standard Intel air cooler which does a very good job of keeping the CPU cool, but for peace of mind you may want to opt for the Thermaltake Golden Orb cooler (£21.53) that is offered as an alternative

source:itreviews.com

Advent - AIO-100

After creating a whole new notebook concept with the Asus turned its attention to creating an all-in-one desktop PC - or as the company called, it a net top - based on netbook technology. Hey presto, the Eee Top appeared, but while most us weren't that convinced, Advent took the idea and, some may say, improved upon it, producing the Advent AIO-100 which is a compact, neatly styled all-in-one.
Unlike most of the all-in-ones you come across, with everything except the kitchen sink crammed in behind the screen, Advent has designed the AIO-100 so that the hardware is separated from the screen in a small netbook-sized base unit, with the screen supported on a rather flimsy strut that's built into this base unit.
It is a neat, compact design, ideal where desktop space is at a premium, and if all you need a PC for is basic jobs like email, web browsing and office work, these are just what the AIO100 was designed to do.

source:itreviews.com

YOYOTech - Water Dragon 940

Here's a rare beast: an overclocked gaming system that doesn't use an Intel processor but instead uses a watercooled AMD one. But don't let that put you off, as YOYOTech's Water Dragon 940 is a capable, extremely well put together system unit.
It also makes a nice change that the name of a system actually represents what's inside, in this case Water as it's watercooled, Dragon because it‘s based on AMD's Dragon platform and 940 because it's powered by an AMD Phenom II X4 940.
The Phenom II X4 940 is one of AMD's latest quad core processors with 512KB of L2 cache per core (2MB total) and 6MB of L3 cache shared between the four cores. As standard it has a clock speed of 3GHz but in YOYOTech's system this has been overclocked to 3.6GHz.
Keeping the processor cool is a tidy water cooling installation courtesy of a Cool IT Domino ALC compact water cooling pump and fan combination. If the only water cooling you have seen involves huge radiators and big bore pipes which put you off, then this setup may change your mind about the whole liquid cooling idea.

source:itreviews

Toshiba - Portégé R600-101

When it comes to ultraportable notebooks, everyone wants to lay claim to producing the thinnest and lightest. Toshiba's R600 updates an earlier thin and light model,
And it is certainly light. Models in the R600 range start at (a very precise) 0.774kg. A solid state hard drive helps meet this amazingly light specification, with most of the models having a physical hard drive instead and clocking in at (an equally precise) 1.114Kg.
Which has consequences: the casing isn't as robust as it could be. There is a fair amount of flex in the lid section, and the wrist rest area too we found to be a bit lacking in solidity.
The 12.1-inch screen delivers 1280 x 800 pixels. The viewing angles aren't great, and the screen is neither as sharp nor as bright as we'd like. A button on the keyboard area turns the screen backlight off. This lets you use ambient light to work in and is designed to help conserve battery power, but we found it difficult to read the screen like this. It would probably only really be workable on bright, sunny days.
The keyboard is good but it too has its low points, most notably that there is a fair amount of flex, which won't appeal to everyone. But the Enter key is nice and large and the keyboard is spill-resistant.
The touchpad incorporates vertical and horizontal scrolling, and there is a fingerprint sensor nestled between the left and right mouse buttons. A VGA webcam sits above the screen.

source:itrevies.com

OKI C3600n

A color laser printer can be the perfect solution for small workgroups and home offices that print a high volume of color documents. The OKI C3600n ($399) color laser printer is network ready and prints at an impressive speed compared with its competition, but it's larger than most printers and lacks fancy extras such as a full-color LCD screen or a wireless print server. If you weigh performance benchmarks scores and output quality over features, size, and cost, this color laser printer is sufficient for most business uses.
Design and featuresWe're not very impressed with the OKI C3600n's design, but we've never been too wowed by laser printers in general. It seems that at the business level, manufacturers spend more time on efficiency rather than aesthetic innovation, and this printer certainly adheres to that model. The matte white C3600n measures 11.4 inches tall by 14.7 inches wide by 18.8 inches deep and weighs approximately 46 pounds, according to OKI. We wouldn't call it a behemoth, but it's larger than the Samsung CLP-315W that is only 9.6 inches tall by 15.3 inches wide by 12.3 inches deep. The OKI also weighs more than 20 pounds more than the Samsung, so people with limited desk space will probably be happier with a more compact machine.
You'll find all the ports you need to connect the printer to your computer (including the power plug) on the back of the chassis, including a USB and an Ethernet port for networking across multiple systems. One useful feature absent on the OKI C3600n is a front-mount USB port for connecting PictBridge-compatible cameras or direct printing from a USB flash storage drive--you can find such a port on the aforementioned Brother HL-4040CN.
Since it's only a single function laser printer, there aren't many extra features to discuss, but we commend OKI for including a 400MHz processor and a hefty 128MB of memory that lets it handle bigger print jobs than the competition. You can even upgrade to a maximum 640MB of memory. Comparatively, the Dell 1320c, released two years ago, shipped with a 333MHz processor and just 64MB of nonexpandable memory.
The C3600n's CMYK toner cartridges are individually separated and sit directly underneath the top cover, lined up in a horizontal row. The printer ships with "standard" capacity cartridges--according to OKI, the black cartridge lasts for 1,500 pages and each of the three-color cartridges will last for 1,000 prints. Using the prices on OKI's Web site, the cost to replace them is $51 and $60, respectively, but OKI also offers high capacity toner that can print 2,500 black pages for $73 and 2,000 color pages for $105. Using the high capacity toner for best value, you can expect to spend about 2.9 cents for a black-only page and 5.3 cents per color page, a fair price by today's printing costs.. Finally, the recommended monthly duty cycle for this printer is 35,000 pages, which is more than adequate for small businesses and workgroups.
PerformanceThe OKI C3600n fared well in a direct output speed comparison with three other color laser printers. It placed second best in all of our tests just behind the Brother HL-4040CN, a similarly priced single-function laser. As a matter of fact, it printed black text at almost the exact same speed, scoring 15.61 pages per minute compared with the Brother's 15.66. It couldn't keep up with the Samsung CLP-310W in the color presentation test, but it's safe to say that you won't be waiting too long for any document using this printer.

SOURCE: reviews.cnet.com

Asus P6T Socket 1366 Intel X58 + ICH10R Chipset CrossfireX / 3-Way SLI Dual-Channel Triple-Channel DDR3 2000/1800/1600(O.C,)/1333/1066Mhz 3x PCI-Expre

Product Specifications
CPU
Intel ® Socket 1366 Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition/Core™ i7 Processor/
Supports Intel® Dynamic Speed Technology
Chipset
Intel® X58 / ICH10R
System Bus
Up to 6400 MT/s
Memory
6 x DIMM, Max. 12 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)*/1866(O.C.)*/1800(O.C.)*/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 Memory
Triple channel memory architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
*Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
*Refer to www.asus.com or this user manual for the Memory QVL(Qualified Vendors Lidts).
Expansion Slots
3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (at x16/x16/x4 mode)
1 x PCIe x1
2 x PCI
Multi-GPU Support
Supports NVIDIA® 3-Way SLI™ Technology*
Supports ATI® Quad-GPU CrossFireX? Technology
Storage
Southbridge
6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports
Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
JMicron? JMB363 PATA and SATA controller
1 xUltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices
1 xExternal SATA 3Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)
JMicron® JMB322 (Drive Xpert technology)
- 2 x SATA 3Gb/s
- Supports EZ Backup and Super Speed functions
LAN
Realtek® 8111C PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET2
Audio
Realtek® ALC1200 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
ASUS Noise Filter
Support Jack-Sensing, Enumeration, Multi-streaming and Jack-Retasking
IEEE 1394
VIA® VT6315N controller supports 2 x 1394a ports (one at mid-board; one at back panel)
USB
12 USB 2.0 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back panel)
ASUS Unique Features
ASUS Exclusive Features:
- ASUS TurboV
- ASUS 8+2 Phase Power Design
- Express Gate
ASUS Power Saving Solution
- ASUS EPU-6 Engine
- ASUS AI Nap
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution:
- ASUS Fanless Design: Heat-pipe solution
- ASUS Fanless Design: Stack Cool 2
- ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS Crystal Sound:
- ASUS Noise Filter
ASUS EZ DIY:
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-Connector
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
Overclocking Features
ASUS TurboV utility
Precision Tweaker2:
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.00625V increment
- vCPU PLL: 36-step reference voltage control
- vDRAM Bus: 49-step DRAM voltage control
- vChipset(N.B.): 31-step chipset voltage control
- vNB-PCIe: 65-step chipset-PCIe voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- Internal Base Clock tuning from 100MHz up to 500MHz at 1MHz increment
- PCI Express frequency tuning from 100MHz up to180MHz at 1MHz increment
Overclocking Protection:
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Special Features
Multi-language BIOS
ASUS MyLogo 2
Back Panel I/O Ports
1 x External SATA
2 x S/PDIF Out ( 1xCoaxial & 1xOptical )
1 x IEEE 1394a
1 x LAN(RJ45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1
8 -Channel Audio I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard (Purple)
1 x PS/2 mouse port (Green)
Internal I/O Connectors
3 x USB connectors support additional 6 USB ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
6 x SATA connectors
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x CPU Fan connector
2 x Chassis Fan connector
1 x Power Fan connector
2 x Drive Xpert SATA connectors (orange and white)
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector
24-pin ATX Power connector
CD audio in
Front panel audio connector
Chassis Intrusion connector
System Panel (Q-Connector)
1 x Power on switch
1 x Reset switch
BIOS
16 Mb Flash ROM
AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Manageability
WfM 2.0,DMI 2.0,WOL by PME,WOR by PME,PXE
Accessories
User's manual
1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
4 x SATA cable
2 in 1 Q-connector
ASUS Q-Shield
1 x ASUS 3-Way SLI bridge connector
1 x ASUS SLI bridge connector
Support Disc
Drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS AI Suite
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
ASUS Update
Image-Editing Suite
Form Factor
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )

source:canadacomputers.com

Mercenary MK-450 Gaming Series - AMD Phenom X3 8450 Triple-Core / AMD 780G / 2GB DDR2 800MHz / 500GB SATA HDD / NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT / 22X DVD-writer

Promotional Cash Price:
$599.99




The stock listed above does not take into account variances in stock levels that may occur and any items on hold.
Online Availability: Instore Purchase Only
Due to limited stock or special conditions, this item is available for instore purchase only.
This item available for in-store purchase only.
This system is built upon order. To place your order, please visit any of our retail locations. It may take up to 5 business days to build your system. System price includes assembly and 1 year parts & labour warranty with first 30 days direct exchange on defective components. Express assembly and service options available at additional cost.


Product Specifications
Model
Mercenary MK-450
Processor
AMD Phenom X3 8450 Triple-Core 2.1GHz
Fan
Stock
Motherboard
ASUS M3A78-EM AMD 780G
Memory
2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz
Storage
500GB SATA
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT 512MB
Audio
Onboard 8-channel HD
Optical
22X DVD-writer SATA
Chassis
Cooler Master Elite 340 Mini Tower
Power Supply
350W
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Other
Operating System
Warranty
1-year parts & labour

souce:canadacomputers.com