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Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title
You know, this whole "most powerful laptop" game is pretty hilarious. Back in '05, CompAmerica's (who?) Orca 9098 held the title with a cutting-edge 3.8GHz Pentium 4, and over the years, we've watched outfit after outfit pull the award back and forth, much like those tugging games we used to play as tots. Regardless, it seems as if Maingear's down for the fun, today rolling out the planet's all new "world's most powerful gaming laptop" in the eX-L 18, which arrives with an undisclosed Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processor, twin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to three 2.5-inch SATA or SSD drives, an optional Blu-ray drive and a screen that's probably larger than your mother's desktop LCD. And by that, we mean 18.4-inches with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. If you're down with lugging around this beast, you can get one headed your way provided you've got at least $2,999 you're willing to see off.
ASUS G50 / G71 laptops and ARES CG6155 gaming PC now available
It's been awhile (or a long while, in the case of the ARES CG6155) since we've heard about these machines, but ASUS has at long last decided to start shipping 'em to retailers. The aforesaid gaming desktop still doesn't have a publicly available price tag, but ASUS assures us that it's out there now for those who know where to look. Thankfully, it was a bit (and we stress "bit") more forthcoming with details on the G50 and G71 gaming notebooks, which are also available as we speak for $1,249.99 and take-your-best-guess, respectively.Read - ASUS ARES CG6155Read - ASUS G50 and G71
Hardcore Computer bringing oil submersion cooling to the masses
Dousing your gaming rig in oil is a technique we've seen from custom shops before, but not quite like the offerings from Minnesota-based start-up Hardcore Computer. Its Reactor line of submerged gaming rigs, shipping to real, live customers in about a month, use custom enclosures to dunk everything from the CPU to the SSDs in a blue-dyed, non-conductive concoction that we hope is mineral oil (it doesn't break down and go rancid like canola). A pump circulates the liquid through a side-mounted radiator for cooling while all the wet components slide out of the top for potentially mess-free maintenance. You can get your choice of Core 2 Extreme processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and even three GeForce GTX 280 GPUs stacked right on top of each other if you have the bank. Prices start at about $4,500, which isn't as bad for a crazy setup like this, with a well-spec'd, triple-SLI machine coming in just under $10k. We'd certainly call that hardcore -- despite the gushy center.Update: It looks like Maximum PC spent some time soaking in this one and posted some early impressions and a bunch more pics. As it turns out the goo inside isn't blue after all; it's just lit-up that way. [Thanks, Havok and Jamie]
DayWalker case mod is amazing, can't solve Wesley Snipes' tax evasion problems
There was no shortage of case mods at NVIDIA's NVISION conference, but this one in particular managed to snag the majority of the spotlight. Created by Richard "DarthBeavis" Surroz, the Blade-themed DayWalker actually houses three separate computer systems; two are for playing games, while the other acts as a server. Conceptually, at least, the rig is designed to enable two users to play against one another, and given the "50+ fans" and triple SLI GTX 280 GPU setups (among other things), it's no shock to hear that it'd cost around $18,000 to $20,000 to build again. 'Course, that's chump change when you're stuffing away millions of dollars owed to the government -- just ask Snipes... oh, wait.
Invisible hand slashes NVIDIA GTX 280 and GTX 260 prices
As expected, NVIDIA just slashed the price of its top-end GTX 280 and GTX 260 graphics processors in recognition of AMD's new RV770 GPU. The GeForce GTX 280 is now $499 ($649 at launch) and the GTX 260 is priced at $299 (down from $399). Once again demonstrating that it's not from the benevolence of the hooker, the thug or the police, that we expect more realistic havoc in Liberty City, but from GPU manufacturers' regard to their own self interest.
NVIDIA said to be dropping GeForce GTX 280 price in response to AMD
It only launched a few weeks ago, but it looks like NVIDIA could already be set to cut the price of its top-end GeForce GTX 280 graphics card -- a move that would be prompted, as you might have guessed, by AMD's cheaper but powerful Radeon HD 4800 series. According to HotHardware, that word comes from "multiple NVIDIA board partners," who say that the card could be dropping to as low as $499 (the same as AMD's competing card). One board partner reportedly added that the price "may be a little higher, or potentially even a little lower." Obviously, all of that is still up in the air until we hear from NVIDIA itself but, as HotHardware points out, it could certainly pay off to hold out a couple of weeks if you've been considering taking the plunge on one of these.
Mousse Computer's Masterpiece V960XV1 gets down with GeForce GTX280
We're tempted to wonder if this Mousse Computer outfit is related to Mouse Computer (or if someone's S key was just acting up), but nevertheless, the Masterpiece V960XV1 is just one of the few rigs out right now with NVIDIA's potent GeForce GTX280 within. Aside from that gem, you'll also find a 3.2GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 1.3TB of SATA hard drive space, a Blu-ray burner and an 11-in-1 multicard reader. Early estimates peg this one at €3,500 ($5,427), which is probably a fair price to pay to have your face melted completely off.[Via Engadget Spanish]
ASUS ARES CG6155 gaming PC: 4.0GHz QX9650, GeForce GTX280, bragging rights
What's that, Acer? Your vicious Predator not feel so dominant now? ASUS just dropped a bombshell with the official release of the ARES CG6150 that first surfaced at CeBIT, and for gamers who accept nothing less than cutting edge, this is your rig. From the top, we've got an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (overclockable to 4.0GHz) processor, NVIDIA's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 3-way SLI setup with GeForce GTX280s, up to 4TB of HDD space, a Blu-ray optical drive, twin gigabit Ethernet jacks, two power supplies and a custom liquid cooling arrangement. ASUS is being tight-lipped (as usual) with pricing / release information, but let's just assume you'll need a serious stack of Benjamins to even sniff this beast.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 280 gets cracked open and reviewed
It's not all that often we see a video card get dissected, but it's also not very often that we see a card with as much hardware as NVIDIA's new top-end GeForce GTX 280, which proved to be enough to get the folks at Custom PC to crack one open for a looksee. As you can see above, after removing more than a few screws, they were able to take a peak at the card's lone, massive GPU, which not surprisingly produces enough heat to require the huge cooler and heat sink that conceals it. Of course, they also put the card through its paces and, while they did find that it's bar-none the fast single GPU card out there, the performance compared to a GeForce 9800 GX2 makes the situation a bit murkier, especially given the GTX 280's hefty price tag and lofty system requirements. That apparently wasn't enough to keep it from getting their seal of approval, however, with it earning a more than respectable 84% rating.Read - Custom PC, "Taking apart the GeForce GTX 280"Read - Custom PC, GeForce GTX 280 Review
NVIDIA unearths GTX 280 and GTX 260 graphics cards
Surprise! NVIDIA has officially unleashed its new GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 graphics cards. The GTX 280, NVIDIA's flagship model, is reportedly 50% faster than last year's 8800 GX2 when in its overclocked AMP! Edition, and it is loaded with around twice as many transistors as the 9800. The new single-chip processor packs some serious number crunching, such as a 142 GB/s memory bandwidth with a 512-bit memory interface. Other final specs look to include 1GB GDDR3 memory, two Dual Link DVI connectors, and, of course, an overclocked chipset. In short, it's the fastest graphics card you can get. Don't go nuts just yet, though -- the GTX280 with 1GB of RAM will run you a cool $649. The lower-end GTX 260 with 896MB is a more palatable $399. GTX280 availability starts tomorrow, and GTX 260s will hit the streets on June 26. And to finally put this joke to rest: Yes, they will run Crysis.[Via CNET]
