May 7th, 2008
New Gateway desktops, more 64-bit Windows Vista
Gateway has overhauled its desktop line with new models ranging for the $550 budget DX series to the over-clocked FX gaming rig, which tops out at around $3,800. Some models are retail only; others are available direct from Gateway.
The most noteworthy part of the announcement is that several models (including some retail ones) are now available with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. HP already offers several models with Vista 64-bit, and with more systems shipping with 4GB of memory, hopefully this is the start of a trend. Currently Dell only offers 64-bit operating systems on its Precision workstation laptops and desktops.
Here are the details on the new Gateway models:
Gateway FX7026
- 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor Q9300
- 4GB memory
- 640GB hard drive
- Nvidia 8800GT graphics with 512MB
- Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1
- $1,100 (retail)
Gateway GT series (GT5670, GT5674, GT5676 and GT5678)
- AMD Phenom triple-core and quad-core, or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
- 3GB or 4GB of memory
- 320GB to 750GB hard drives
- Integrated Nvidia graphics or ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics (GT5678 only)
- Vista Home Premium 32-bit and 64-bit with Service Pack 1
- $550 to $850 (retail)
Gateway FX541 series
- Intel Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme quad-core processors (over-clocked)
- 3GB to 4GB of memory
- 500GB to 1TB hard drives
- Nvidia GeForce 8000 series (dual GeForce 8800GTX cards with 768MB on FX540XT)
- Vista Home Premium 32-bit with Service Pack 1
- $1,150 to $3,800 (direct)
Gateway DX442 series
- 2.2GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200 or2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
- 2GB or 3GB of memory
- 320GB or 500GB hard drives
- Intel integrated graphics
- Vista Home Premium 32-bit with Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional Edition
- $550 to $1,000 (direct)
May 2nd, 2008
Dell XPS 730 reviews: A Ferrari stuck in traffic
Dell has released a new version of its top-of-the-line gaming desktop, and it is a major update. The XPS 730 series is the company’s first gaming rig to come–in some configurations–factory over-clocked, and Dell says it is capable of playing Crysis, a notoriously demanding first-person shooter, at a resolution of 1,920×1,200 at 30 frames per second.
The XPS 730 is essentially a test of whether the gaming world is ready for all of the latest hardware technology–quad core processors, quad GPUs (either CrossFire or SLI) built on the latest Nvidia nForce chipset, and DDR3 memory–crammed in a single, pricey box.
Based on the first reviews (honors go to CNET.com’s Rich Brown and PC Magazine’s Joel Santo Domingo), it would seem the answer is: not quite yet. Sure, the XPS 730 H2C has loads of raw power–as its 3DMark06 scores attest–but the latest DX10 games don’t seem take advantage of quad graphics yet, and you can get similar performance on older titles, and other applications, with less expensive hardware.
The XPS 730 base model starts at $4,000 with a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450; 4GB of DDR3 memory over-clocked to 1,600MHz; a 7,200rpm 500GB hard drive; dual ATI Radeon HD3870s with 512MB; dual-layer DVD burner; Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card; and Windows Vista Home Premium.
Throw in another grand and you can step up to the XPS 730 H2C with an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 over-clocked to 3.67GHz; 2GB of DDR3 memory over-clocked to 1,600MHz; a 7,200rpm 500GB hard drive; a single ATI Radeon HD3870 with 1GB of memory; 22-inch widescreen display; dual-layer DVD burner; Sound Blaster XtremeGamer sound card; and Windows Vista Home Premium. And if money’s no object, the $6,000 model gets you dual ATI Radeon 3870X2s–a total of four GPUs– with a gig of memory, among other options.
H2C refers to a ceramic cooling unit designed by Dell, Intel, Delphi, and CoolIT. Though previous XPS systems have offered this feature, Dell reworked the H2C cooling in this model for the new ATX motherboard (the XPS 720 uses a BTX motherboard). If you’re interested, here’s a Dell video on how the new cooling works.
CNET.com: Dell’s brand-new XPS 730 H2C high-end gaming PC ticks off all the right boxes and even manages to pull off a few new tricks, at least for Dell . . . but the problem is that Dell loses out on price and performance to its boutique vendor competition.
PC Magazine: So far, the promise of quad graphics is elusive. . . The XPS 730 holds a lot of promise, yet at this point in time there aren’t many arguments for getting the latest hardware to play the latest games at the highest resolutions.
Hot Hardware: Our XPS 730 H2C with its 3.8GHz, factory overclocked processor and dual Radeon 3870 X2’s in Crossfire X was able to score nearly 20,000 3DMarks right out of the box . . . So far, the XPS 730 H2C is shaping up to be a very impressive machine. However, we’ve barely just started to explore this system.
April 29th, 2008
Lenovo’s 11-inch laptop now available
Lenovo announced today that its new 11-inch widescreen laptop for consumers is now available online.
The IdeaPad U110 was one of three notebook models Lenovo announced at CES in January when the company rolled out its new consumer brand, which includes IdeaPad laptops, and outside of the U.S., IdeaCentre desktops. The other two models, the 17-inch IdeaPad Y710 and 15.4-inch IdeaPad Y510, are already shipping.
But the U110 is the far and away the more interesting model because of its size and weight (only 2.4 pounds), a “frameless” display with a novel hinge design, and a textured aluminum case available in bright red or black. It starts at $1,899 with a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 processor, 2GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics and Windows Vista Home Premium. Right now, there are no configurable options–unless you count accessories–though it does appear that retailers will be offering a $1,999 model with 3GB of memory. All of the IdeaPad laptops also have face recognition software (using the integrated Webcam), Dolby Home Theater Audio and stereo speakers, and touch-sensitive multimedia controls.
The U110 also includes an external, dual-layer DVD burner. The slightly larger, business-oriented ThinkPad X300, however, has an internal optical drive, and other features not found in competing ultraportables such as the Apple MacBook Air–the subject of a YouTube video that got the Fake Steve Jobs treatment today.
April 29th, 2008
Apple iMac refresh roundup
Coverage of the Apple iMac refresh fell into two camps.
The first consists of the usual specs and prices. This was a speed bump–the design of the aluminum all-in-one is unchanged–with faster Core 2 Duo processors, larger L2 cache, more memory, a faster system bus, and new graphics. Since the prices remained essentially unchanged (the high-end version is a bit cheaper), the new models are good news for those thinking of buying a new Mac.
The second, and more interesting, meme involved speculation on the 3.06GHz processor in the high-end model. As with previous product launches, Apple skipped the off-the-shelf chips. Because of the processor’s unusual specs, some sites assumed Apple had an early crack at a Centrino 2–better-known by the code-name of the new platform, Montevina–which should launch in early June. Intel now says the iMac uses an over-clocked Penryn part (the current generation), which would explain the TDP, or Thermal Design Envelope, of 55 watts–higher than typical Intel mobile processors. The iMac all-in-one uses a laptop processor because of its compact case.
In the first quarter, Apple sold 2.3 million Macs worldwide (856,000 of those were desktops), an annual growth rate of 51%, according to Garter. By comparison, total worldwide PC shipments grew 12.3% on-year to 71.1 million units.
I’ll post links to reviews as soon as they are published, but in the meantime here is a roundup of the coverage in the past 24 hours.
Straight-up coverage:
Updated iMac line goes up to 3.06GHz of 24″ goodness [Ars Technica]
Apple gives iMac chips a boost [CNET]
Apple Updates iMac Line [CRN]
Apple Updates iMacs Amid Booming Sales [Information Week]
New iMac has a need for speed [Macworld]
Apple Refreshes iMac Line [PC Magazine]
Apple Updates iMacs [TrustedReviews]
It’s a Montevina! Never mind, it’s an over-clocked Penryn:
New 10.5.3 seed; custom Intel iMac chips, MacBook Air SSDs [Apple Insider]
Intel and Apple, BFF? [Business Week]
Apple powers up iMac with Penryn processor [Computerworld]
3GHz iMac’s CPU overclocked, not next-gen [Electronista]
Intel Provides early ‘Montevina’-Like Technology to iMac [Macrumors]
Update: Apple upgrades iMac, gets Intel’s Montevina CPU early, sort of [TGDaily]
April 26th, 2008
HP, Lenovo join Dell in extending Windows XP
Rumors of Windows XP’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
I wrote about Dell’s downgrade program in a post earlier this week (Windows Vista just can’t catch a break). It looks like Dell may have started something. Both HP and Lenovo now plan to offer Windows XP to business customers after Microsoft’s official cut-off date of June 30.
Lenovo will provide a Windows XP recovery disc with systems so that users can downgrade from Windows Vista until January 31, 2009, according to Information Week. The downgrade program covers laptops and desktops with Vista Business or Ultimate.
HP said it will offer Windows XP to business customers for an unspecified time beyond June 30.
Dell’s program covers OptiPlex desktops and laptops, Latitude laptops, and Precision workstations. Those systems come with Windows XP pre-installed but include a copy of Vista Business or Ultimate so customers can upgrade when they are ready. The Vostro desktops and laptops for small and medium-size businesses, and some XPS gaming systems, will also continue to offer the downgrade service for a fee.
Though it has been widely reported that the Dell downgrade option would be good through 2010, (when Microsoft is set to release Windows 7) Dell now says the program will last as long as “Microsoft supports it,” according to Information Week.
This comes after CEO Steve Ballmer suggested earlier this week that Microsoft might change its mind and extend Windows XP if customers asked for it. But he said the majority of new systems ship with Vista, and so far they haven’t seen customers asking for Windows XP.
Not everyone is convinced. Microsoft reported quarterly earnings on Thursday and revenues in the client division fell a little short, which The New York Times’ Steve Lohr writes could be a sign the company has a problem with Vista. Meanwhile InfoWorld Editor-in-Chief Eric Knorr has collected more than 160,000 signatures for his Save Windows XP petition (complete with countdown clock).
Microsoft has already announced that Windows XP will continue to be available specifically for ultra low-cost systems that do not meet the system requirements for Vista.
April 23rd, 2008
News on the ultra low-cost PC front
Those under-sized, ultra low-cost laptops continue to generate over-sized news.
When Dell announced a $600 laptop for the India market, many sites assumed this was the rumored 8.9-inch challenger to the Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-note. Instead, the Dell 500 appears to be a run-of-the-mill, budget 15.4-inch model with a Celeron processor, 512MB to 1GB of memory, an 80- or 120GB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics, and Windows XP or Ubuntu. Then again, it does cost less than many configurations of the HP 2133 Mini-note.
One Laptop Per Child’s Nicholas Negroponte told the Associated Press that its XO laptop’s open-source software left it at a competitive disadvantage, and could eventually be replaced with Windows XP. His comments came after an executive in charge of the developing the Sugar open-source software resigned.
Asus confirmed that it will introduce a version of the Eee PC with an Intel Atom processor at the Computex tradeshow in Taiwan in early June. The company also agreed to give the first buyers of the new Eee PC 900 in Hong Kong a free battery upgrade after they discovered they had received a smaller battery (4-cell, 4400mAh) than the one provided to local reviewers (4-cell, 5800mAh), according to DigiTimes. By the way, the Eee PC 900 will be available in the U.S. for $549 starting on May 12th.
Finally, all this attention seems to be drawing more players into the ultra low-cost arena. The latest include the Medion Akoya Mini and the MSI Wind.
April 23rd, 2008
Green PCs from Dell, Asus
Looks like computer makers were inspired by Earth Day. And while plenty of PC prototypes never see the light of day, these eco-PCs should be on sale sometime later this year.
At the Fortune Green conference, Dell unveiled a compact desktop with a bamboo case. The system is 81 percent smaller than a “standard” desktop, uses 70 percent less power, and is loaded with recycled materials, according to Dell. It will be available later this year for between $500 and $700.
Asus has been showing off its Bamboo PC Concept series at tradeshows for a while, most recently at CeBIT. The company announced it will ship two laptops, the 11-inch S6 and 12-inch U6, with bamboo panels starting this June for around $1,600. (Here’s CNET’s review of the current, leather-clad U6.) Asus does not yet have plans to market its other bamboo concept products, a desktop and monitor.
[Via Engadget.]
April 22nd, 2008
Fujitsu’s new all-in-one, updated laptops
Fujitsu released today a new desktop and refreshed most of its notebook line in Japan. Akihabara News has details on all of the changes.
The Deskpower FMV F/A50 is an all-in-one PC with a 16-inch widescreen LCD. The design is clearly inspired by Apple. Specs for the F/A50 include 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100, 2GB of memory a 250GB hard drive, and Intel integrated graphics.
The LOOX R series 12.1-inch, Biblio MG series 13.3-inch and 14.1-inch, and NF series 15.4-inch models get updated processors, 2- to 4GB of memory, and larger hard drives. The tiny LOOX U series 5.6-inch UMPC and the NX series 17-inch model are unchanged. The LOOX R series also gets an LED-backlit display and comes in seven colors including . . . golden retriever?
April 21st, 2008
Windows Vista just can’t catch a break
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the operating system everyone loves to hate.
Whether Vista is, in fact, flopping or doing fine is a matter of debate. As Mary Jo Foley has pointed out in her blog, Vista may not be selling at twice the rate of Windows XP–Microsoft’s original goal–but if revenues in the client division are any indication, it is hardly a failure.
Nevertheless Vista has suffered from a steady stream of bad PR stemming from the “Vista Capable” logo debacle, botched Service Pack updates, non-existent Ultimate add-ons, and a parade of executive departures. And the bad news just keeps on coming.
Earlier this month, Dell began offering a Windows Vista “downgrade” option on business desktops and laptops. If you choose this option, your PC comes with Windows XP pre-installed and a DVD so that you can upgrade to Vista Business or Ultimate “on your schedule.” It’s a nice option, but coming more than a year after the release of Vista it hardly seems like a vote of confidence. (I have a feeling this option may be what’s behind the stories circulating today about Dell offering Windows XP Professional on business systems through 2012.)
At a Microsoft conference last week, CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly described Vista as a “work I progress” that still needed improvements in performance, compatibility and battery life. But, he said, it was too late to do much about the size of the thing. “We can’t just set the dial back, but I think people wish we could,” Ballmer said. “Vista is bigger than XP. It’s going to stay bigger than XP. We have to make sure it doesn’t get bigger still.”
That is why Microsoft announced that it will make Windows XP available for an additional two years, specifically for “ultra low-cost PCs” such as the Asus Eee PC. Many of these systems lack the muscle to run Vista. (The cut-off date for all other types of PCs is still set for June 30, 2008.) Internal e-mails show that Microsoft’s own analysts warned as early as 2006 that Vista’s hefty system requirements may be out of sync with PC market that was shifting to notebooks, including cheaper, less powerful models.
Still it seemed like Vista might finally catch a break last week when Forrester recommended making the upgrade in a report titled “Building the Business Case for Windows Vista.” Its rationale: There really is no alternative to Windows for businesses, Windows XP won’t be available for most PCs after June 30th, and the next version, Windows 7, will probably be late and no one really knows what it will include anyway.
April 17th, 2008
First reviews of the Asus Eee PC 900
Asus has officially launched the new version of its Eee PC mini-notebook.
By now the basic specs of the Eee PC 900 are well-known: a larger (8.9-inch), 1,024×600 display, higher-resolution Webcam, more memory and flash storage, and multi-touch touchpad navigation similar to that of the Apple MacBook Air (Asus calls it FingerGlide). It is slightly longer and heavier than the original, the Eee PC 701, but it still weighs only 2.2 pounds.
What’s it all add up to? The first reviews are in. Despite the cramped keyboard that is still tough to use, CNET UK liked all of the new features, which it said will help Asus retain its lead over a growing list of rivals for this new category. TrustedReviews agrees that Asus has done “a brilliant job of updating an already great product.” The higher-resolution, widescreen display, and extra memory and storage all “make this version of the Eee PC a real alternative to a fully featured notebook.”
Still there were a few issues. To squeeze in a larger screen, Asus moved the speakers to the bottom, which results in muffled sound. Battery life was barely two hours on TrustedReviews tests. And you’ll have to wait until later this year if you want a model with Intel’s new Atom processor; this version still uses the same 900MHz Celeron chip. Finally the price is a bit higher too.
The Eee PC has been a hit in a category–subnotebooks–that has never really caught on before. Asus claims that it has sold more than 1 million Eee PCs in less than six months. Overall it looks like the Eee PC 900 will add to this improbable success story.
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Recent Entries
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