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Gateway Launches Two Core i7-Equipped Gaming Desktops

Paul Lilly — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:30:31 -0600

Well that didn't take long. With Intel's Core i7's launch now official, OEM system builders are falling in line with new systems using the new processors. Such is the case with Gateway, who today announced two new FX Series PCs, the FX6800-01e and the FX6800-05.

Taking up the value end, the FX6800-01e comes equipped with Intel's Core i7-920 processor (2.66GHz quad-core), which Gateway ensures will "provide gamers with the critical horsepower to pwn even the most worthy opponents." And helping to "pwn" Photoshop and other memory intensive programs, the FX6800-01e comes with 3GB of DDR3-1066 memory. Gaming duties are tackled with a Radeon HD 4850 videocard, and you get 700GB of hard drive space to store those games. A 500W power supply, 18X DVD burner, onboard audio, 15-in-1 media card reader, ten USB 2.0 ports, four 1394a ports, two eSATA ports, and and HDMI connector (via DVI-HDMI dongle) round out the feature-set.

Settling in at the higher end, the FX6800-05 beefs up processing chores with Intel's Core i7-940 processor (2.93GHz quad-core) and doubles up the RAM to 6GB. And speaking of double, ATI's dual-GPU Radeon 4870 X2 finds its way into the FX6800-05. Storage chores are tag-teamed with an Intel High Performance 80GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. Gateway also doubles up on the power supply, trading in the value model's 500W for a beefier 1000W.

The FX6800-01e and FX6800-5 are available now from Best Buy for $1250 and $3000 respectively.

Enjoy a 3-4 Second Boot with Asrock's New Instant Boot Feature

Paul Lilly — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:20:56 -0600

Power users have long dreamed of the day when hitting their PC's power button would result in an instantaneous boot. Technologies like SplashTop's Instant-On Linux-based OS have brought this concept closer to reality, but unlike the Instant-On OS, which works on a flash chip embedded on select motherboards giving users quick access to basic online tasks, Asrock's new Instant Boot feature promises super speedy boot times into Windows to the tune of just 3-4 seconds and has posted a video to prove it.

Impossible? Well, yes, but Asrock's creative approach puts a unique spin on shutting down and turning on your system. After installing the Instant Boot application on a compatible Asrock motherboard, shutting down your PC triggers a shutdown and reboot process that ultimately puts your system in a Hibernate or Standby state. The next time you hit the power button, you'll be up and running in as little as 3 seconds.

The obvious question is why not just put your system in Standby or Hibernate in the first place, and according to Asrock, Instant Boot's advantages include a less cluttered OS from a clean boot with no "accumulated garbage data," nor will you lose any data during a power outage. Whether or not Instant Boot becomes an instant hit is yet to be determined, but kudos to Asrock for thinking outside of the box.

Hit the jump and tell us what you think of this new technology.

Lenovo IdeaCentre K210 Sports Stylish Design and Fights Germs

Paul Lilly — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:26:54 -0500

Buying an OEM computer used to mean being tied down to proprietary parts, paying too much for too little, and having to find a place to hide an unsightly beige box so as not to offend guests. Or scare the cat. And while proprietary restrictions are still the norm rather than the exception, OEM systems continue to drop in price and look good doing it. We can now add Lenovo to the list of system builders following this trend of affordable sex appeal.

Lenovo, who feels comfortable concentrating on the Chinese market, first began having global inspirations with its IdeaPad series of notebooks released earlier this year. Sensing the grass might very well be greener on the other side, or at least pull in more green, the once sheltered OEM now looks to march into the global consumer desktop market with its newly announced IdeaCentre K210. And the timing couldn't be better. As Lenovo points out in its press release, demand for worldwide consumer PCs is up, and according to the IDC, will show a 10 percent increase from 2007 to 2011. Even still, the global market remains crowded, and Lenovo hopes a few key technologies will separate itself from the pack.

To see what interesting twists Lenovo brings to the table, including one that will have hyperchondriacs jumping for joy, you'll first have to click through the jump.

CyberPower Gamer Ultimate SLI Quad

Gordon Mah Ung — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:39:51 -0500

For all those readers who have added up the price of the parts in an OEM box and screamed into the night air: “Hell, I can build it cheaper than that!” CyberPower has a retort: Beat this one, sucker! While you might think you’re up to the challenge, we suspect the price-to-performance ratio of the CyberPower Gamer Ultimate SLI Quad is impossible to match—unless you’re using boosted parts. In fact, we’re not sure how CyberPower is making a profit off this stacked and packed rig.

Daily News Brief: Creative Class Action Lawsuit

Thu, 01 May 2008 19:06:05 -0500

Class action suit alleges Creative exaggerated MP3 storage capacities, HP's new discovery could challenge flash memory, MSI jumps into the low-cost PC arena, and more!

Falcon Northwest FragBox II

Gordon Mah Ung — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:28:37 -0500

Can you get Ferrari performance for the price of a Camaro? That’s the
question we asked when we uncrated Falcon Northwest’s small formfactor
FragBox II. Falcon, the recognized father of the modern gaming PC's,
normally throws us lustworthy $9,000 gaming rigs. At $1,500, the
FragBox II is no such home wrecker.

Click Read More for more.

Dell Drop Kicks Proprietary Parts

Gordon Mah Ung — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:25:52 -0600

What's worse than the F-word? The P-word. Dell decides to join the crowd by just saying no to proprietary parts.

iBuyPower Gamer's Fire

Gordon Mah Ung — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 17:45:48 -0500

You can look at every PC as having its own personality—an essence comprising its strengths, quirks, and flaws. Take iBuyPower’s Gamer’s Fire PC, for example: It’s a crossbreed of Rodney Dangerfield and Steven Seagal. You might not respect its pot belly and ugly golf clothes, but it can snap a suite of benchmarks like a twig.

Click Read More for more.