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Alienware's M17X gaming laptop with twin GTX 280M GPUs truly is all powerful

by Thomas Ricker posted May 29th 2009 at 5:28AM

The announcement wasn't scheduled for a few more days -- four according to the teaser site -- but it looks like Alienware's All Powerful gaming laptop has been set free anyway. So, does it live up to the clues? Pretty much... how does a pair of 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs strike you? No Core i7 listed, instead we're looking at a Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPU at the top end with up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and 1TB of 7200-rpm disk or a 512GB SSD if you prefer. RAID 1 or RAID 0? Sure. Rounding things out is a nine-cell battery of unstated performance, FireWire, 4x USB, eSATA, ExpressCard, 802.11n WiFi, 8-in-1 media card reader, dual-layer Blu-ray, a 1920 x 1200 pixel edge-to-edge LCD, DisplayPort and HDMI-outs all wrapped up in a massive chassis weighing 11.68-pounds with a 15.98 x 12.65 x 2.11-inch footprint. It's also packing a GeForce 9400M G1 GPU with HybridPower technology that allows you to scale the graphics back to conserve battery power. Prices start at $1,799 for a lot less than we mentioned above.

As a footnote to the details above, PCWorld also says that Alienware will use next week's E3 show to update us on its 42.8-inch curved monitor we went hands-on with back in January of 2008.

[Thanks, Steve]

Medion's Akoya P7700 D PC will do your multimedia right on a budget

by Tim Stevens posted May 28th 2009 at 8:06AM

There are little HTPCs that hum indiscreetly amidst your home theater equipment, and then are there behemoth multimedia PCs that gobble down all the HD content you can shove at them while playing Crysis at 80fps and folding proteins in the background. Medion's Akoya P7700 D looks to fall somewhere in between, featuring a strong Intel Core 2 Quad processor, a middling NVIDIA GeForce GT 230 with HDMI output, 1TB of storage to start, and a Blu-ray drive all in a case that has pleasant enough looks but won't be squeezing into many entertainment centers. The system hits Europe this week for a reasonable €699 (about $970), and if you get lucky could be appearing in local Aldi circulars soon.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Alienware's Allpowerful laptop teases with riddles

by Thomas Ricker posted May 28th 2009 at 7:21AM

Five days before launch and out pops another teaser for the Alienware Allpowerful gaming laptop. The image above again comes courtesy of the cats and kittens over at the NotebookReview forums. Noted symbolist, Larven, went so far as to translate the gibberish on the picture setting the forum into a tizzy of code cracking. It reads line-by-line as follows:

The sum of the first four primes (Answer: 17 hinting at a 17-inch display or Core i7 maybe?)
Denotes a state of two parts (Core 2 Extreme or dual-GPUs perhaps?)
Known as the gentleman's muscle car of 1967 (Plymouth GTX pointing to NVIDIA graphics?)
When pure, it will carry a yield strength of 7-11 mpa (Aluminum chassis?)
Is always empty in zero sum games (Core?)

Of course, with a name like Allpowerful, we're expecting something big here. We've seen Core i7 laptops before, but dual GTX 260M / 280M GPUs might be a little much? We'll turn the sleuth-work over to you now dear readers. Best guess gets a HTTP cookie.

[Thanks, MAG]

Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video

by Darren Murph posted May 25th 2009 at 10:51AM

Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we're beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it's hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here's a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Continue reading Lenovo's Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video

Lenovo's IdeaPad S12: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset

by Darren Murph posted May 25th 2009 at 6:30AM

We've seen NVIDIA's Ion placed within a nettop, a motherboard, and now (at long last), a laptop. Yep, the machine you're inevitably peering at above (Lenovo's S12) is both the company's first 12.1-inch netbook and the planet's first netbook with Ion baked in, and it's likely just a snippet of the kind of material we can expect to see at Computex. Frankly, this is one of the first netbooks in ages that has managed to get our blood moving, with a 100-percent full-size keyboard, the promise of 1080p video playback (for an extra $50), a sub-3 pound weight and a starting tag of just $449. Other specs include a WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution LED-backlit panel, Intel's 1.6GHz Atom CPU (the one big "ugh"), 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. Thankfully you'll find Windows XP running the show, and you'll be able to grab your own starting next month. Full release is after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo's $449 IdeaPad S12: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset

Continue reading Lenovo's IdeaPad S12: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset

Lenovo's ION-based S12 makes netbooks exciting again (update: less than $600)

by Thomas Ricker posted May 25th 2009 at 1:55AM

We don't have a lot of information at the moment, but CNET is reporting that Lenovo is getting ready to launch the world's first ION-based netbook. While CNET doesn't give it a model number, the filename used on the image reads "LenovoS12netbook" and is said to pack discrete graphics and NVIDIA's Ion ~~processor~~ chipset.Technically, the 12-inch laptop is too big for netbook classifaction and too chubby to be a CULV thin-and-light. Then again, those are classifactions of Intel's making which doesn't mean a whole lot to the boys from NVIDIA.

Update: PC Perspective has additional detail about the S12: 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, full-size keyboard, and what looks like an HDMI-out when it lands in July or August for less than $600.

Update 2: Interesting. Netbooknews.de has a proven record with insider-netbook news and claims that the S12 will eventually include a Via Nano processor option.

[Via PCPer]

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LX: NVIDIA calls Intel's single-chip Atom pricing "pretty unfair"

by Nilay Patel posted May 20th 2009 at 3:47PM

Now that Intel's been slapped with a record $1.45b antitrust fine in Europe, it seems like the claws are coming out -- AMD just put up that "Break Free" site, and today we've got NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang calling Chipzilla's Atom pricing "unfair." It seems that Intel sells the standard Atom chip for $45 on its own, but bundles the diminutive CPU into the oh-so-familiar netbook configuration for just $25, meaning NVIDIA's Ion chipset isn't price-competitive. Of course, this is just another twist in the endless argument about Ion, but despite the denials, this isn't the first time we've heard whispers that Intel pretty much forces manufacturers to buy complete Atom chipsets -- the dearth of Ion-powered netbooks in the market is fairly suspicious considering the GeForce 9400M at the heart of the platform is a well-known quantity. On the other hand, we've also heard this is all going to change and change dramatically at Computex next month, so we'll see -- either way, things are bound to get interesting.

[Via TrustedReviews]

eMachines delivers EL1300 line of small form factor PCs

by Darren Murph posted May 20th 2009 at 9:36AM

Once the laughing stock of the PC world, eMachines has managed to pull together some rather stylish looking rigs over the past few months. As the comeback continues, the company has outed two new Mini PCs in its EL1300 line, the $298 EL1300G-01w and the $398 EL1300G-02w. Both systems include a chassis that's 10.7-inches tall, 4.2-inches wide and 15-inches long (not exactly "mini" in our books...), and while the power ain't anything to write home about, it should handle Word processing and the occasional YouTube video fine. Speaking of specs, both rigs boast a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon 2650e CPU, NVIDIA's GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics, a 160GB SATA HDD, 18x SuperMulti DVD burner, nine USB 2.0 sockets and a multicard reader. Personally, we'd select the more pricey of the two, as that one arrives with a 20-inch LCD (E202H) and Windows XP rather than Vista Home Basic. Totally your call though, boss.

Gallery: eMachines delivers EL1300 line of small form factor PCs

Zotac Ion-based IONITX-A SFF motherboard review roundup

by Darren Murph posted May 13th 2009 at 8:57AM

Jonesing for a new small form factor PC, are you? Not so keen on selecting a pre-fabricated unit? If you definitely fit the bill here, it's worth taking a gander at Zotac's recently released IONITX-A motherboard. As the first of its breed to actually ship, a whole lot is riding on its solder points, and according to reviews found 'round the web, it's done a satisfactory job of living up to expectations. The test bench-abusin' kids over at Hot Hardware found that Zotac's board (and the included dual-core Atom 330 CPU) performed "as expected," notching results that were "significantly better than any of the single core Atom 230-based systems." The unique DC power input was also lauded, and the silent nature made this a perfect candidate for a low-power, highly-capable carputer building block. All in all, this here mobo won't transform your life, but it's certainly a welcome extra in the all-too-stale DIY SFF market. Check the links below for all the bar charts you can handle.

Read - Hot Hardware ("most appealing of the Ion-based products")
Read - PC Perspective ("an impressive motherboard for its size")
Read - The Tech Report ("as good as the Ion platform gets")
Read - Tom's Hardware ("it's most promising destination is in the HTPC space")

Microsoft "Pink" specs leak out: Tegra, Snapdragon, OMAP 3, oh my?

by Nilay Patel posted May 12th 2009 at 3:39PM

Ready for some more delicious Zune / Windows Mobile rumors after today's June Zune letdown? Well buckle up -- the always-sharp Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says she's got specs for Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the heart of that rumored "Pink" smartphone, and they're pretty wild. According to the list, Chassis 1 phones will all have 3.5-inch or larger multitouch displays with ARM v6+ processors and OpenGL ES 2.0-compatible graphics hardware, 256MB or more of RAM and 1GB or more of storage, as well as at least a 3 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a compass, and accelerometer. Oh, and glory be -- a 3.5mm headphone jack is required. Here's the kicker, though: NVIDIA's Tegra platform is specifically listed as meeting the core CPU requirements, as well as TI's OMAP 3 platform and "Qualcomm 8k," which sounds to us like Snapdragon's QSD8xxx-series chips. If you've been following along, you know that all three of these (Tegra in particular) have been bandied about as potential Microsoft phone platforms, so it makes perfect sense to us that Microsoft's giving its hardware partners a choice of currently-available high-powered platforms for Chassis 1 -- especially since we've been hearing lots of whispers of hardware based on these chips in the works.

Here's the thing, though: we've also always been told that "Pink" is the codename for Zune software and services on Windows Mobile, so something tells us that Chassis 1 phones running Windows Mobile 7 will feature a strong dose of Zune flavoring -- a plan Steve Ballmer's repeatedly confirmed in the past year. So how do we think this all fits together? Well, we'll slightly revise our previous totally crazy, off-the-wall prediction: we think "Pink" is the codename for a new consumer-focused version of Windows Mobile that integrates Zune services, running not only on a touchscreen Zune HD, but on several third-party phones. Are we crazy? Yes, absolutely -- but you've got to admit the pieces are coming together.

NVIDIA Tesla GPUs now shipping with Dell 'personal supercomputers'

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 6th 2009 at 3:18PM

Been itching to get your hands on a personal supercomputer, as NVIDIA's ad wizards put it? The company has just announced that its CUDA-based Tesla C1060 GPU is now available in Dell's Precision R5400, T5500 and T7500 workstations. And just to put things into perspective, NVIDIA points out that a Dell workstation rockin' a single Tesla C1060 has enough going on under the hood to power the control system for the European Extremely Large Telescope project ("the world's largest," apparently). According to one of the developers, Jeff Meisel at National Instruments, a workstation "equipped with a single Tesla C1060 can achieve near real-time control of the mirror simulation and controller, which before wouldn't be possible in a single machine without the computational density offered by GPUs." Wild, huh? If you're curious about the workout that Tesla GPUs are getting on a wide range of projects, from Bio-Informatics to Computational Chemistry to Molecular Dynamics and more -- or if you're merely a glutton for long-winded PR -- check out the good stuff after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA Tesla GPUs now shipping with Dell 'personal supercomputers'

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 coming to Macs in June

by Joshua Topolsky posted Apr 29th 2009 at 5:37PM

Mac users -- are you tired of being taunted by your PC friends over their myriad GPU options / killer gaming rigs? Well, here's one less front they can battle you on. We've just received a pic of this nasty piece of work in our inboxes with word that it's due in June. Like the PC version, we're guessing you can expect two things here: it's killer... and it's expensive.

NVIDIA: 40 Atom-based ION platforms by end of 2009

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 29th 2009 at 7:38AM

After being let down by the Atom 230 processor in our review of the Ion-based AspireRevo, we're comforted by NVIDIA's promise of more Atom / Ion configurations on the horizon. Forty of 'em by the end of the year including some based on the beefier dual-core Atom 330 processor just like this ASUS reference design that NVIDIA was showing off earlier today. Of course, the Computex show in Taipei (kicking off June 2nd) would be the obvious venue for such a full scale assault against Intel's GMA lethargy. Fortunately, Engadget Chinese will be on point to witness the carnage.

[Via Tweaktown]

Acer AspireRevo review

by Paul Miller posted Apr 28th 2009 at 9:00AM

We've been thrilling to the ride of Acer's Ion-powered AspireRevo for a couple of weeks now, and despite its diminutive size and price tag, there's plenty to talk about. The model we tested included an Atom 230 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 250GB 2.5-inch HDD for what we've heard will carry a suggested retail price of $299. Check out our full impressions after the break.

Continue reading Acer AspireRevo review

NVIDIA's GT300 specs outed -- is this the cGPU we've been waiting for?

by Darren Murph posted Apr 26th 2009 at 1:22PM

NVIDIA's been dabbling in the CPU space behind closed doors for years now, but with Intel finally making a serious push into the GPU realm, it's about time the firm got serious with bringing the goods. BSN has it that the company's next-generation GT300 will be fundamentally different than the GT200 -- in fact, it's being hailed as the "first truly new architecture since SIMD (Single-Instruction Multiple Data) units first appeared in graphical processors." Beyond this, the technobabble runs deep, but the long and short of it is this: NVIDIA could be right on the cusp of delivering a single chip that can handle tasks that were typically separated for the CPU and GPU, and we needn't tell you just how much your life could change should it become a reality. Now, if only NVIDIA would come clean and lift away some of this fog surrounding it (and the rumored GTX 380), that'd be just swell.

[Thanks, Musouka]