Platform Trends: AMD's Six-Core Comeback?
By Vince Freeman - Published March 1, 2009
As AMD shows off a six-core Opteron processor, IT managers dream of cost-effective server upgrades and desktop performance freaks dream of six-core supremacy. Add a full slate of new Phenom II CPUs, and the underdog chipmaker might have a terrific 2009. So what's the deal with propping up the aging Athlon? [more Chips & Upgrades]

Platform Trends: AM3 At Last
By Vince Freeman - Published February 16, 2009
Remember those Phenom II processors AMD introduced a month ago? They're history, as the chipmaker introduces triple- and quad-cores that plug into either existing Socket AM2 or new AM3 motherboards loaded with DDR2 or -- welcome to the present tense -- DDR3 memory, respectively. Intel Core i7 killers? Nope. Core 2 Duo and Quad challengers? Abso-plug-in-lutely. [more Chips & Upgrades]

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard and DiNovo Keyboard for Notebooks Review
By Eric Grevstad - Published February 6, 2009
One's cordless. One's backlit. Once you get your hands on either, you won't want to let go. We test Logitech's lowest, flattest PC keyboards and find the most precise, responsive typing feel we've ever encountered -- which makes us willing to overlook the fact that the one labeled "for notebooks" has nothing in particular to do with notebooks. [more Peripherals]

Platform Trends: Hard Drives Get Bigger, Faster, and Greener
By Vince Freeman - Published February 1, 2009
A couple of years ago, the advent of perpendicular magnetic recording kicked the storage industry's race for ever-higher capacity into overdrive, but Western Digital's cramming two terabytes into one desktop drive is still an eyebrow-raiser. So is the growing sophistication of the hard disk market, where lower noise and power consumption are starting to count as much as size and speed. [more Chips & Upgrades]

Acer Aspire X3200 Review
By Eric Grevstad - Published January 27, 2009
It may be best known today for its minimalist Aspire One netbook, but don't think Acer doesn't know how to make full-fledged PCs. This compact, AMD Phenom-powered desktop not only has complete 64-bit Vista credentials but packs a Blu-ray player as a bonus, and can be yours -- with a high-def 24-inch monitor for 1080p movie viewing -- for under a grand. [more Computers]

Platform Trends: The GeForce GTX Gets a Facelift
By Vince Freeman - Published January 20, 2009
It took longer than hardcore fans expected, but Nvidia has rallied to reclaim the gaming graphics card crown from archrival AMD and the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2. The secret? Revitalizing the GeForce GTX 200 series with a die shrink and some careful shuffling of clock speeds -- and, Vince Freeman adds, some very clever positioning of the company's dual-GPU card versus its dual-card SLI platform. [more Chips & Upgrades]

Tons To See in 2- and 3-D: Report From CES 2009
By Eric Grevstad - Published January 14, 2009
Even a frowning economy and drop in attendance couldn't dampen -- well, not totally dampen -- the annual industry epic that is the Consumer Electronics Show. HardwareCentral was on hand to check out expected news from Microsoft, an unexpected star turn by Palm, strong performances by AMD, and everything from an outbreak of 3D gaming mania to a faceoff between netbooks and netbook alternatives. [more Opinions]

Platform Trends: Intel's Mainstream Mobile Core 2 Quad
By Vince Freeman - Published January 7, 2009
Quad-core processors have filtered down from elite to mainstream status in the desktop PC market. It was inevitable that the same thing would happen for notebooks, but -- like notebooks passing desktops in overall sales for the first time -- it's come sooner than anyone expected. [more Chips & Upgrades]

The Best, the Worst, and the Ugliest: 2008
By Eric Grevstad - Published January 5, 2009
It's astounding. Time is fleeting. Another 12 months have flashed past, so it's time for HardwareCentral's eighth annual (Special Recession Edition) collection of huzzahs and howls at the products and technologies that defined the year. Here's 2008 in a nutshell, including one tasty and one bad Apple, a crowded field for Product of the Year, and the annual waffling over the next Windows. [more Opinions]

Gyration Air Mouse with MotionSense Review
By Vangie Beal - Published December 29, 2008
When is a PC like a Wii? When it's paired with Gyration's 3D-motion mouse, a pointing device that keeps working when you lift it off your desk and wave, shake, or swipe it in the air. Vangie Beal finds the $100 high-flyer a little clunky when earthbound, but as addictive as, well, a Wii for PowerPoint and other presentation and media-center power users. [more Peripherals]

Epson WorkForce 600 Review
By Eric Grevstad - Published December 23, 2008
A year ago, we were marveling at the speed and output quality of $250 and $300 inkjet all-in-ones. Today, we're marveling at one with a street price of $150: Epson's handsome black printer/copier/scanner/fax has features ranging from an automatic document feeder to Ethernet, WiFi, and auto-enhanced photo printing, and it's fast. Seriously. We mean it's fast. [more Peripherals]

Platform Trends: AMD's Phenom-enal New Athlon
By Vince Freeman - Published December 19, 2008
You've got to draw the line somewhere, and AMD has drawn it between dual- and triple-core processors: While its newest dual-core has the same DNA as the chipmaker's Phenom X3 and X4, it carries the older Athlon name instead of the prestigious Phenom moniker -- but, while it's the new top of the Athlon line, it isn't the fastest. In other words, what gives? [more Chips & Upgrades]

Dell Studio Hybrid Review
By Eric Grevstad - Published December 16, 2008
Every vendor makes a living-room PC these days, but Dell tops them with a bookshelf PC -- smaller (if thicker) than most notebooks and available in a parade of colors, this diminutive Core 2 Duo desktop is as fashionable as they come. The only worry is whether consumers will buy without realizing its lack of expansion room and productivity- rather than gaming-oriented performance. [more Computers]

Platform Trends: Breeding Like ... Netbooks
By Vince Freeman - Published December 8, 2008
Do you have your netbook yet? The compact, low-priced laptops have jolted the mobile PC market to the tune of 14 million sales in their first full year; brought Linux to a new audience; and struck sparks for online applications and storage. But should you opt for an 9-inch, 10-inch, or 12-inch screen? How small is too small when it comes to keyboards? And will the sleek but no-frills minis help or hurt the traditional notebook segment? [more Computers]

Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology Review
By Vangie Beal - Published December 1, 2008
Microsoft says its new flagship mouse's glowing blue bottom is the key to better tracking and higher precision than any optical or laser mouse has offered to date. Vangie Beal throws her mouse pad away to test the company's claim that BlueTrack works on virtually any surface: Denim? Tile? Skin? Carpet? Kleenex? Lego? [more Peripherals]

HP Compaq 2230s Review
By Jamie Bsales - Published November 24, 2008
Getting a nice notebook for under $1,000 hasn't been newsworthy for years, but getting a four-pound slimline -- with a built-in instead of plug-in optical drive and best-in-class security features -- for $999 is very nice indeed. Jamie Bsales checks out a 12.1-inch affordable ultraportable with ample productivity power and an available secret ingredient: Windows XP. [more Computers]

Platform Trends: Intel's Core i7: Quad-Core of Solace
By Vince Freeman - Published November 21, 2008
It's not true that every new Intel processor brings a different new motherboard socket to dash upgrade hopes: The Core i7 brings two. Even so, Vince Freeman says, the new CPU shows such a combination of brute force and flair it might be called the i007. Here's a look under the hood, with some thoughts about why the Core i7 needs more than one chipset and why AMD might be more competitive than you think. [more Chips & Upgrades]