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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

You likely don’t need any reminders that the likes of Gateway and Dell (and Alienware) have released some new systems based around Intel’s flagship Core i7 processor, but it’s a whole other matter to sort out the multitude of options available from some of the smaller PC manufacturers out there, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to shed a bit light on some of those slightly lower profile contenders for the desktop throne. Ready to get started? Then check your bank account and head on past the break.

Continue reading Intel Core i7 desktop roundup: the rest of what’s new

Intel Core i7 desktop roundup: the rest of what’s new originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

Well, we can’t say we didn’t see this coming — Judge William Alsup in the federal Northern District of California today dismissed Psystar’s antitrust counterclaims in Apple’s copyright infringement lawsuit against the wannabe Mac cloner. According to the judge, Psystar’s hotshot legal team failed to provide facts “plausibly supporting the counterintuitive claim that Apple’s operating system is so unique that it suffers no actual or potential competitors.” Not only that, but the judge also found that Psystar actually contradicted itself in pointing out that Apple has to advertise heavily to promote OS X against competing operating systems that perform the same tasks, and that Apple is “certainly entitled” to ask its customers to only use OS X on Apple machines. Yeah, that’s a smackdown. Psystar has until December 18th to amend its complaint and try these arguments again, but we can’t say we think it’s got a shot in hell here — and something tells us that that court-mandated alternative dispute resolution process isn’t going to get very far in Psystar’s favor either.

Disclaimer: Nilay’s a lawyer and sells bootleg OSx86 machines out the back of his van, but he’s not your lawyer and this isn’t legal advice.

[Via Macrumors]

Psystar’s antitrust claims against Apple dismissed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

AMD has already outlined its plans to harness the power of its GPUs for some added computing muscle, and it looks like NVIDIA is now taking things one step further by announcing its new GPU-based Tesla Personal Supercomputer, which promises to deliver the power of a traditional supercomputer cluster at 1/100th of the price. That “personal supercomputer” is actually a platform based on NVIDIA’s new Tesla C1060 GPU Computing Processor, which itself is based on NVIDIA’s CUDA parallel computing architecture. The supercomputers themselves will come from a whole host of manufacturers that have already partnered with NVIDIA, including ASUS, Dell, Lenovo, and a number of more specialized computer makers. While complete details on those systems are still a bit light at the moment, they’ll apparently be “priced like a conventional PC workstation,” and the first few out of the gate should be available starting today.

NVIDIA announces cost, energy-saving Tesla Personal Supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Remember when Microsoft was hit with a lawsuit over its “Vista Capable” stickers? How about when the judge unsealed emails revealing that after a long battle to promote Vista’s graphics-intensive Aero UI, it capitulated and lowered the requirements for the sticker so Intel could keep on selling its graphically-challenged (i.e., WDDM noncompliant) 915 chipset? Yeah, that was awesome. Connoisseurs of corporate drama should appreciate the latest development — the judge has made public a second batch of emails revealing that MS execs were at odds about that decision. Senior VP Will Poole apparently made the call to appease Intel, but co-President of Platform & Services Jim Allchin (along with many others who had been fighting for the other side for months) was “beyond being upset,” saying “this was totally mismanaged by Intel and Microsoft. What a mess.” The mess he was referring to: an unhappy partner in HP, which had spent millions to meet the old standards… and presciently, the lawsuit we’re watching now. Alright, maybe not so awesome for everyone.

More “Vista Capable” emails unsealed, revealing sassy civil war originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

The details have emerged today on a couple new LG “high performance” desktops in Asia, so if you’ve been lying awake at night wondering when a new XPION would be hitting the scene, perhaps this evening you’ll rest a little easier. The R20 is a slim form factor desktop PC featuring a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, 3GB memory, a GeForce 9500GS GPU, and a cooling system “based on Multi Direction Platform Cooling, which also makes it run fairly quietly.” Even less is known about the S20, aside from the fact that it’s a standard-sized desktop, sports an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz CPU and a GeForce 9600GT GPU. That’s all we have at the moment, little dude. So just try and relax — you’ll know more as soon as we do.

[Via Hallyutech]

LG unveils new XPION R20, S20 Core 2 Quad desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

The details have emerged today on a couple new LG “high performance” desktops in Asia, so if you’ve been lying awake at night wondering when a new XPION would be hitting the scene, perhaps this evening you’ll rest a little easier. The R20 is a slim form factor desktop PC featuring a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, 3GB memory, a GeForce 9500GS GPU, and a cooling system “based on Multi Direction Platform Cooling, which also makes it run fairly quietly.” Even less is known about the S20, aside from the fact that it’s a standard-sized desktop, sports an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz CPU and a GeForce 9600GT GPU. That’s all we have at the moment, little dude. So just try and relax — you’ll know more as soon as we do.

[Via Hallyutech]

LG unveils new XPION R20, S20 Core 2 Quad desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

Now that Intel’s mighty Core i7 is all out in the open, it’s no shock to see a wave of gaming rigs come along boasting said chip. Following in the footsteps of Dell and Gateway comes Alienware with the Area-51 X-58 — a beast that’s a leap above (in terms of power and price) the recently revealed Area-51 750i. Serious gamers can select from the Core i7 920 (2.66GHz), 940 (2.93GHz) or Core i7 Extreme (3.2GHz) along with dual gigabit Ethernet jacks, one or two 2GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2s, up to 2TB of HDD space, an optional dual-layer Blu-ray burner and the usual complement of ports. The sky’s the limit once you really start speccing it out, but the ball gets rolling at “just” $1,649.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Alienware also introduced the even more robust ALX X-58, which starts at $3,699. Full release after the break.

Continue reading Alienware gets in the Core i7 game with Area-51 X-58 desktop

Alienware gets in the Core i7 game with Area-51 X-58 desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

Not one to be outdone by the likes of Dell, Alienware and Gateway, Commodore Gaming is also offering up Core i7-based gaming rigs. Unlike the big boys, however, Commodore’s choosing not to expand its current lineup any further; instead, it’s simply offering up the new pieces of silicon as options in the machines it already sells. Don’t venture over expecting anything to be cheap, else you’ll be sorely disappointed. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs

Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

Not one to be outdone by the likes of Dell, Alienware and Gateway, Commodore Gaming is also offering up Core i7-based gaming rigs. Unlike the big boys, however, Commodore’s choosing not to expand its current lineup any further; instead, it’s simply offering up the new pieces of silicon as options in the machines it already sells. Don’t venture over expecting anything to be cheap, else you’ll be sorely disappointed. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs

Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops

Dell made a lot of noise about its otherwise-ordinary Art House laptops today, but we didn’t hear a peep about the XPS 430 desktops that slid online as well. The update to the XPS 420 now starts with a 6GB rack of DDR3 RAM and an updated selection of Intel Core 2 Quad processors running on a 1,333MHz bus with 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics — the base $1,307 model has a 2.33GHz Q8200 while the higher-powered $1,767 configuration has a 2.5GHz Q9300 and comes bundled with a 22-inch SP2208WFP LCD. True to Dell form, you can go crazy on the BTO tip and order the 430 jacked with a 3.0GHz QX9650 Core 2 Extreme, 8GB of RAM, a 2TB RAID, and Blu-ray burner for $3,267, but we’ve got a feeling those less-insane stock configurations might sell just a hair better when orders start shipping in November.

[Via Electronista]

Dell’s XPS 430 tower makes a stealth entrance originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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