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 Platform Trends: Intel Does the New Chipset Thing
By Vince Freeman -
Published June 9, 2008
Intel has finally filled out its lineup of supporting silicon for the 45-nanometer-process Core 2 Duo and Quad processors unveiled in January. The new 4 Series chipsets bring some of the benefits of Intel's fire-breathing X48 Express enthusiast platform to mainstream PC buyers, and the G45 Express gives a boost to the 1080p HD video bandwagon. So why does CPU guru Vince Freeman see a missed opportunity? [more Chips & Upgrades]
Eee, Atom, Aspire, Wind: It's a Small (Notebook) World at Computex
By Eric Grevstad -
Published June 3, 2008
What comes after Eee? Everybody from HP and Acer to Dell and MSI, not to mention class leader Asus, wants to star in the second generation of compact, low-cost, just-right-for-traveling-light laptops. This week's Computex show is packed with the ultraportable notebooks known as netbooks, with Intel's new Atom CPU in a prominent supporting role -- and Nvidia and VIA waiting in the wings. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: AMD/ATI: Slowdown? What Slowdown?
By Vince Freeman -
Published May 26, 2008
Both product lifespans and prices are falling for PC graphics cards, but that hasn't stopped AMD from pushing the envelope with a new ATI Radeon HD 4000 series marking the industry debut of GDDR5 memory technology -- and a new brand campaign telling retail shoppers not to settle for the usual integrated graphics. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Falling Off the Catwalk
By Eric Grevstad -
Published May 23, 2008
The economy's in a slump and PCs are in danger of becoming interchangeable commodity products anyway. So how can hardware manufacturers perk up sales and prop up profit margins? Chrome trim and pretty colors, of course, as vendors ranging from Dell to Staples introduce limited-edition artistic cases and fashionable decorations. HardwareCentral editor Eric is bemused. Apple is unworried. [more Opinions]
Lenovo ThinkPad X300 Review
By Eric Grevstad -
Published May 15, 2008
Fair warning: It costs $3,000. Fair warning: You won't care. Lenovo's lightweight goes toe to toe with Apple's MacBook Air -- well, it would if the Air had a DVD burner, a LAN connection, and a sharper screen. Think about a solid-state hard disk, full-sized keyboard, ample battery life, and impeccable green credentials in a 13.3-inch, just-over-3-pound slimline. Now try to be satisfied with your current notebook. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: DDR-3 Heads for the Mainstream
By Vince Freeman -
Published May 9, 2008
Long ago, Intel decided that desktop PCs should use RDRAM, and riots in the marketplace forced a reversal. Now the processor giant is spurring the move from today's DDR-2 to higher-bandwidth, more energy-efficient DDR-3 memory for desktops -- and, with the forthcoming Centrino 2 spec, notebooks as well. Vince Freeman looks at the pros, cons, price points, and performance issues surrounding the transition. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Samsung SCX-4500 Multifunction Printer Review
By Eric Grevstad -
Published May 6, 2008
It's one fancy desk accessory: Samsung's 6.5-inch-high black box looks more like a jet-black piece of home theater equipment or modern sculpture than the monochrome laser printer/scanner/copier it is. The $300 all-in-one's speed, quiet operation, and output quality are impressive, too -- but small-office operators will have to decide whether to make a few sacrifices for style. [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: AMD Hits a Triple with the Phenom X3
By Vince Freeman -
Published April 28, 2008
Market-wise, the gap between dual- and quad-core PC processors may not be big enough to drive a truck through. Or a subcompact. Or a shopping cart. But AMD is betting it's got room for a new family of triple-core CPUs. Will the Phenom X3's sales pitch of better multitasking for the price of a dual-core attract buyers? And what happens if tri-core demand exceeds AMD's supply of didn't-quite-pass-inspection quad-cores? [more Chips & Upgrades]
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 2.0 Review
By Eric Grevstad -
Published April 18, 2008
You won't get more legroom in coach, but you'll get a handful of point-and-click productivity with Microsoft's newest mouse: Like laptop mice, it has a snap-in USB receiver that won't get lost in the bottom of your briefcase, but it's a full-grown, fully comfortable desktop mouse instead of one of the child's-hand-sized miniature models usually offered to notebook users. Is it the one mouse to use with both of your PCs? [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: The Wild World of Graphics Cards
By Vince Freeman -
Published April 11, 2008
At the rate they're releasing products, Nvidia and AMD/ATI may soon run out of model numbers. Desktop PC graphics cards have never had shorter life spans or quicker price cuts, as last year's performance champions are suddenly mid-market or even destined to be entry-level cards. Will GDDR-5 keep the mad momentum going? Is Asus serious about showing off not a dual- but a triple-GPU one-card solution? [more Chips & Upgrades]
HP 2133 Mini-Note Review
By Eric Grevstad -
Published April 8, 2008
Will kids in your school district get this year's coolest subnotebook before you do? HP says its three-pound, 8.9-inch-screened, adult-sized-keyboarded little laptop is headed for classrooms. But that doesn't mean business travelers -- or shoppers who've been eyeing Asus's hot-selling Eee PC -- can't check out HP models ranging from $499 Linux to $749 Vista Business configurations. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: X4 Marks the Spot
By Vince Freeman -
Published March 31, 2008
Okay, AMD Phenom, take two, quiet on the set! (Really quiet, in the case of the 65-watt quad-core for home-theater PCs.) Yes, four months after its bumpy introduction, AMD's top processor is getting a do-over -- raising clock speeds; squashing the TLB bug that cast a shadow over the first Phenoms; and adopting easy-to-understand X4 labels for quad- and X3 for tri-core CPUs. Radically undercutting Intel's Core 2 prices shouldn't hurt, either. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Gateway FX7020 and FHD2400 Review
By Eric Grevstad -
Published March 25, 2008
The low-priced desktops on superstore shelves are fine word processing and Web-surfing machines, but will disappoint consumers planning to visit the game software section in the adjacent aisle. Gateway tempts retail shoppers who can't afford exotic gaming rigs with an $1,100 powerhouse that packs AMD's quad-core Phenom 9600 and Nvidia's sensational GeForce 8800 GT. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: Intel Deploys Its Troops
By Vince Freeman -
Published March 17, 2008
What's the only thing that can hurt sales of Intel's dominant Core 2 Duo and Quad processors? It's not AMD's Phenom -- it's buyers deciding to wait for the products the chipmaker has in the pipeline. CPU guru Vince Freeman explains why the release of Intel's 45-nanometer-process quad-core "Yorkfield," higher availability of the dual-core "Wolfdale," and a new desktop chipset and quad-core laptop processor should give Intel a Q2 for the record books. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Zonbu Zonbook Review
By Joseph Moran -
Published March 7, 2008
It's easy to find a $600 laptop these days, but a $279 notebook is something else -- definitely something else, in the case of Zonbu's 15.4-inch-screened, VIA C7-powered portable. Using Linux instead of Windows, the self-updating, self-backing-up laptop frees you from PC maintenance for a cell-phone-style subscription fee of $15 a month. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: Shifts in the Multicore Landscape
By Vince Freeman -
Published February 29, 2008
The state of the art's not just top of the line: After unveiling its 45-nanometer-process engineering with quad-core Xeon and Core 2 Extreme CPUs, Intel has finally added affordable dual-core versions to its Core 2 Duo line. But while these "Wolfdale" processors win raves, AMD is making moves elsewhere -- giving China first dibs on a dual-core Sempron and preparing to add tri-core models to its flagship Phenom series. [more Chips & Upgrades]
PCs for Five C's
By Eric Grevstad -
Published February 26, 2008
Grand Openings is back! Well, half back, anyway, as HardwareCentral's once-quarterly quest for the best notebook and desktop PCs priced under $1,000 returns -- with a rock-bottom new budget of $500. We're not talking about humble family PCs, either: Join our online hunt for dual-core CPUs, hefty hard disks, and a sufficient-for-Vista 2GB of RAM, hitting system vendors' own Web sites, retail chains, and discount warehouses. [more Computers]
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