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Toshiba intros Qosmio X875 gaming laptop with Ivy Bridge, fairly tame digs
In case it wasn't clear, Toshiba's overhauling its entire consumer lineup for the back-to-school season, and that includes its lone gaming rig. The 17.3-inch Qosmio X875 replaces last year's X775, ushering in Ivy Bridge and that same reined-in design we we've seen in recent photos. Though Toshiba's remaining fairly mum on specs (we bet this has something to do with not wanting to steal Intel's thunder), we can confirm it packs "third-generation" Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GTX 670M graphics with 3GB of video memory, dual hard drive bays, quad Harman Kardon speakers and four memory slots, with up to 16GB of RAM on board out of the box. The resolution can be either 1600 x 900 or 1080p, with that latter pixel count only available on the 3D model. As you can see in the photos, Toshiba's moved to a subtler aluminum aesthetic it's calling Black Widow, but what you can't tell from that vantage point is that this guy is 25 percent thinner than its predecessor. In case you needed more proof this is an Ivy Bridge machine, note the release date: this beastly fellow won't be available until June 24th. At that point, it'll start at $1,299, though the highest-end configuration will set you back a cool $2,499. That's more than two months away, of course, so for now you'll have to content yourselves with our teaser shots below.
MSI GT783 hands-on
A sub-three-pound laptop? Been there, done that -- at least if you're MSI. Three years after bringing netbooks and other cute things to CES, the company is focusing on more robust machines -- so much so that while other OEMs are launching me-too Ultrabooks, it's trotting out a gaming box instead. The latest addition to the family is the GT783, a 17-inch beast of a portable rig we saw while making the rounds at CES. Chief among the specs is NVIDIA's top-shelf GTX 580M GPU with 2GB of video memory, though your $2,300 will also buy you a quad-core Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM (upgradeable to 32GB) and a matte, 1080p display. Rounding out the list are dual drives: a 128GB SSD and 750GB 7,200RPM HDD. During our demo, we took a brief detour into Battlefield 3, and though we didn't have Fraps at the ready to monitor frame rates, we can tell you it ran smoothly, even at max settings. The programmable backlighting is alright too, though we're not convinced 35 colors will do it for you like a yellow chassis.
Samsung bringing its Series 7 Gamer to the US, we go hands-on (video)
We're going to get this out of the way up front: Samsung is showing off a lot of laptops this week at CES. Given how of the moment Ultrabooks are, we can see why Sammy would choose to highlight its Series 5 Ultras and redesigned Series 9. The emphasis on skinny PCs has been so fervent, in fact, that you might not have heard the company is bringing its first gaming laptop, the Series 7 Gamer, stateside. We're told Samsung is currently planning on offering just one configuration, with a Core i7 CPU, 2GB AMD Radeon HD6970M card, a 5,900mAh battery, JBL speakers and a 300-nit, 1080p display. For those who haven't seen this in action yet, it sports a backlit keyboard, with the all-important WASD keys conveniently highlighted in a different color, along with an analog dial for toggling power modes. On the outside, Samsung's logo glows with the help of an LED backlight, but disappears when the lid is shut. Expect it to hit this side of the Atlantic in April for $1,799, and in the meantime we've got hands-on photos and video, but sadly, no answer to that question for the ages: red or marigold yellow?
Sony VAIO F Series review (late 2011)
Sony barreled into CES earlier this year flaunting a 3D monster laptop boasting a 16-inch 1080p display, a built-in 3D transmitter and a fancy button that promised to instantly add an extra dimension to your boring "regular" 2D movies. It was the latest in the outfit's VAIO F Series, and it was ready to snatch $2,000 straight out of your wallet -- but not all of us can throw down that kind of scratch. Still looking for a suitably powerful desktop-replacement that won't decimate your bank account? That same 2011 VAIO F Series rig just might be your ticket, sans 3D trickery -- and knocked down to a base price of $980. Does this somewhat more budget-friendly variant still pack enough punch to knockout your hefty desktop PC? Let's find out. %Gallery-138564%
Toshiba's Satellite L Series continues its world tour, adds 2D-to-3D conversion
Back at CES, Toshiba unveiled a batch of low-cost Satellite L Series laptops in the US, and now it's taking its show on the road, with new models on tap for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. These include the 13.3-inch L730 and L735, the 15.6-inch L750 and L755, and, if you're hankering for a desktop replacement, the hulking 17.3-inch L770 and L775. This latest spin on the L Series boasts 3D support, connecting to 3DTVs over HDMI and, in some cases, converting 2D content to 3D. As in the States, shoppers abroad can add up to 8GB of RAM, and will get their choice of Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors and various AMD CPUs, including triple- and quad-core options. Also look for multitouch trackpads, 5,400RPM hard drives as large as 750GB, 1.3 megapixel webcams, a mix of USB 3.0 and sleep-and-charge USB 2.0 ports, and a choice of integrated Intel HD graphics or a discrete NVIDIA GeForce 315M card with up to 1GB of video memory. No word yet on when they'll go on sale or how much they'll cost, but those curious for more can hit the source link for the full spill.
HP Envy 17 review
When it comes to selecting our favorite mainstream Windows laptops these days the HP Envy 14 is pretty much at the tippy top of the list. (Hey, we don't just give anything away to our college-bound readers, you know?) But while the 14-inch version of the magnesium-alloy laptop may have impressed us with its new backlit keyboard and internal organs, we've still been aching to know how the bigger and badder Core i7-powered Envy 17 stands up. With a 1920 x 1080-resolution 17.3-inch display, 1GB of ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics, a USB 3.0 port and Blu-ray drive, can you really blame us? There's no doubt that the Envy 17 is one epic desktop replacement, but for $1,599 (the starting price is $1,299) we've got to tell you you're not purchasing perfection. Just what holds back the Envy 17 from being the be-all end-all multimedia monster? We'll divulge all in our full review after the break. %Gallery-105014%
Lenovo announces ThinkPad Z61p mobile workstation
Lenovo has just announced a new addition to its Z61 series of ThinkPad notebooks -- which currently consists of the Z61t and Z61m -- in the form of a "mobile workstation" called the Z61p. Like the other models in this lineup, the 15.4-inch Z61p offers consumers several Intel Core processor options (maxing out with the 2.0GHz Core Duo T2500), but improves upon the graphics setup by including a Mobility Fire GL V5200 chipset from ATI with 256MB of VRAM. Other features include 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM (expandable to 3GB), up to 100GB of hard drive capacity (in either 5,400RPM or 7,200RPM varieties), a 1,920 x 1,200 pixel display, WiFi, Bluetooth, an ExpressCard slot, and the popular ThinkVantage suite -- though you're not getting the 3G WWAN or titanium case options found on the other Z61 models. While all the pricing details are not immediately clear, it looks like a well-configured system will be going for around $2,400 when these become available next week.[Via laptoping]
VoodooPC's 17-inch, dual-core Envy u:734 notebook
If VoodooPC's $5,000 Envy u:909 gaming laptop is a bit too rich for your blood, the company has come out with a more reasonably-priced 17-inch model that still manages to pack in a dual-core processor and top-of-the-line graphics card. The new Envy u:734 starts at "just" $3,800 and features a T2400 Core Duo processor (upgradable to the T2500 or T2600), nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX video card, 1,900 x 1,200 pixel widescreen display,1GB of RAM (2GB max), an 80GB HDD (160GB possible), 8x DVD burner, and the usual suite of ports, card readers, and wireless radios (three flavor WiFi and Bluetooth). You can place your order for this 8.1-pound desktop replacement starting today, and as usual, you can choose from about a million different color schemes along with numerous tattoo options for shlocking up personalizing your rig.[Via DailyCE]
