Gaming Desktop -- Engadget

gaming desktop posts

BFG inadvertently outs new Intel Core i7 950 / 975 CPUs in Phobos gaming PC

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 1st 2009 at 5:25PM

So, here's an interesting one. Intel has yet to officially launch the two newest members of its Core i7 crew, but that little factoid isn't stopping BFG Technologies from doing the honors. Today, the company has introduced its freshest gaming rig, the Phobos, complete with Core i7 950 (Phobos Advanced) and Core i7 975 (Phobos Elite) CPU options. Furthermore, BFG is claiming that these new machines are the first ever to offer one-touch CPU and GPU overclocking, as all that can be handled on the front-mounted touch panel on the tower itself. Heck, there's even an integrated iPhone / iPod dock on the top of this bad boy. The Phobos rigs are yours to order right now starting at $5000 (Advanced) / $8000 (Elite), and the full release is after the break.

Gallery: BFG inadvertently outs new Intel Core i7 950 / 975 CPUs in Phobos gaming PC

Continue reading BFG inadvertently outs new Intel Core i7 950 / 975 CPUs in Phobos gaming PC

Maingear freshens up F131 gaming desktop

by Darren Murph, posted May 7th 2009 at 2:32PM

Maingear's latest gaming desktop doesn't arrive with any 3D goggles or fairy dust, but it does boast a nice sheet of specifications and a surely polarizing motif. The relaunched F131 offers gamers quite a lot of options, providing a choice between AMD's Phenom II or Intel's Core i7 and even the ability to shove a trio of ATI Radeon 4890 graphics cards in there for triple-digit frame rates. Deep-pocketed consumers can also get 8TB of HDD space, acoustic dampening technology for whisper quiet operation, Maingear's M.A.R.C. custom laser etching and upwards of 12GB of DDR3 RAM. The newly decorated F131 is up for order now starting at $1,299, but it doesn't take long to push that figure well beyond the two grand mark.

HP Firebird 802 gaming rig gets $500 price drop

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 19th 2009 at 10:46AM

Well, it's only been available for a few short months but HP has already seen fit to give its flagship Firebird 802 gaming desktop a fairly sizable price drop -- $500, to be specific. That includes a $150 cut to the $1,799 base price and a $350 instant rebate that brings the price down to a pretty darn reasonable $1,299, questionable keyboards aside. For those that haven't been pricing gaming rigs lately, that'll get you a Core 2 Quad 9400 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800S graphics cards (with 512MB of DDR3 memory on each card). Of course, any price drop of this size also invariably bring of the question "why?" and, in the case, the reasons are still a bit hazy. While HP discontinuing the line outright seems to almost certainly be out of the question, a slight revision does seem at least possible, if not necessarily imminent -- although, any way you shake it, $500 off is $500 off, so we're not complaining.

[Thanks, Ali]

Some of Acer's Predator PCs recalled: they'll set your games on fire, but also your desk

by Paul Miller, posted Mar 19th 2009 at 10:56AM

Those aesthetics aren't the only "dangerous" aspect to Acer's Predator gaming desktops. Apparently the insulation on some of the computer's internal wiring can become stripped, and has proceeded to short-circuit and melt internal components and the external casing in two separate reported incidents. Acer is recalling the ASG7200 and ASG7700 machines sold between May and December of last year, and customers can contact Acer for a free repair. Number of boxes affected? About 215. Not exactly raining fire in the streets, but we suppose those 213 remaining folks would like to know their Very Important Session of The Witcher is about to be interrupted.

iBUYPOWER's Gamer Power 906 rig does Intel Quad-core for a bit over $700

by Paul Miller, posted Mar 18th 2009 at 5:50AM

Sure, there are endless desktop configurations out there and oodles of good deals, but we're still smitten with this particular setup from iBUYPOWER: the Gamer Power 906. Putting that name to good use, they've managed to toss together an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor, NVIDIA 9600GT graphics with 1GB of RAM, a 500GB SATA hard drive and 4GB of system memory. There was even enough change left over for interior lighting -- and we all know about the direct correlation between ground effects for nerds and frags per minute. Available now for $710.

[Via SlashGear]

Mouse Computer doles out dueling Core i7-powered desktops

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 14th 2009 at 2:04AM

It has seriously been a hot, hot minute since we've seen a compelling new desktop from the doors of Mouse Computer, but lo and behold, we've finally found a pair worth glancing all the way to Japan just to swoon over. The outfit's NextGear L720 and Masterpiece V1200 lines arrive with all manners of Core i7 CPUs within, each boasting between 3GB and 12GB of DDR3 RAM, SATA hard drives and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Prospective buyers can also load one up with a Blu-ray drive should they choose, but you can plan on laying down ¥110,000 ($1,121) at the very least to get your palms around one.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

IBuyPower trots out GeForce 3D Vision-equipped desktops

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 10th 2009 at 1:02PM

IBuyPower's been on a pretty good roll of late with these new gaming desktops, and it's keeping things interesting with its latest two. Rather than just shoving the latest processors from AMD and Intel into the Gamer Fire 640 and Gamer Paladin F830 and calling it a day, it has thrown in a 22-inch Samsung SyncMaster LCD and NVIDIA's GeForce 3D Vision system with each rig. As for the Gamer Fire 640 specifically, it comes loaded with an AMD Phenom II X3 720 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a GeForce 9800GTX+ (512MB), dual-layer DVD writer and Vista Home Premium 64-bit. The Paladin gets loaded with a Core i7 920, 6GB of memory, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce GTX 260 GPU. Detailed specs (along with the full release) are just past the break, but if you're scouting base prices, they sit at $1,349 and $1,999 in order of mention.

Continue reading IBuyPower trots out GeForce 3D Vision-equipped desktops

Dell's Phenom II-equipped XPS 625 benchmarked to the hilt

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 6th 2009 at 2:27AM

Yeah, we already heard that Dell's Phenom II-equipped XPS 625 was a solid value, but what does that really mean? The testing fiends over at HotHardware sought to find out, and after putting this gaming beast through more tests than it ever wanted to endure, they mirrored most of the earlier (positive) sentiments. In fact, it was found to boast one of the best price-to-performance ratios out there, and the "minimalist" software installation definitely earned brownie points in our book. One thing that bothered critics, however, was the excessive amount of noise. We too have noticed that Dell's ginormous XPS towers -- which, by the way, reviewers also found to be unnecessarily heavy and unwieldy -- can emit some serious decibels under heavy loads, but you'd think the engineers in Round Rock would've figured out a solution by now. Still, those quirks are probably small hassles to deal with given the savings compared to similar rigs, but we'd highly recommend digging into the read link just to be sure.

IBuyPower dishes Dragon-based gaming desktops under $1,500

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 12th 2009 at 8:54PM

Yet again, IBuyPower is stepping out with a few new gaming rigs for the bargain-minded among us. The most recent duo to be outed by the company is the Gamer HAF 91B and the Gamer Fire, both of which are based on AMD's latest Dragon platform and Phenom II CPU. The former gets going at just $999 and includes the Phenom II X4 920 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB SATA II hard drive, a dual-layer DVD writer, ATI's 512MB Radeon HD 4850 graphics card, a CoolerMaster HAS 932 case and a 550-watt power supply. The more fiery sibling ups the ante with a Phenom II X4 940 CPU, a 750GB HDD, LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray drive and an NZXT Guardian 921 chassis. 'Course, you'll be paying $1,439 for that one, but either way you'll be keeping things below the evidently magical $1.5k mark. Order away, should you be so inclined. Full release is after the jump.

Continue reading IBuyPower dishes Dragon-based gaming desktops under $1,500

HP's Firebird with VoodooDNA 802 / 803 now available starting at $1,799

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 9th 2009 at 10:50AM

We know it's a little easy to lose track of time with the world's craziest consumer electronics show steaming ahead, but today actually is January 9th. The meaning of that? HP's two Firebird gaming towers are go for purchase. Both the Firebird with VoodooDNA 802 and 803 are available for purchase right now, with starting prices pegged at $1,799 and $2,099, respectively. The primary difference between the stock configurations are the CPUs (a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad versus 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad), the hard drives (2 x 250GB verses 2 x 320GB), the sound card (the 803 has a Creative X-Fi mini-PCI audio card) and the fact that the 803 comes packed with a slot-loading Blu-ray drive. Hit the read link to get your shopping on.

Dell's XPS 730x H2C Core i7 gaming PC benchmarked and tested exhaustively

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 23rd 2008 at 1:05PM

If you thought the original XPS 730 H2C was boss, get a load of this. The incredibly diligent benchmarkers over at HotHardware have taken the Core i7-powered XPS 730x H2C under their wings for a fortnight of testing, and they've got a baker's dozen worth of review pages to display their findings. We can't even begin to cover the array of graphs, bar charts and triple-digit FPS numbers here, but we can tell you that critics were duly impressed with how well the Core i7 performance compared to older Core 2-based offerings. Gaming performance was predictably "fantastic," and even the single GeForce GTX 280 that it was packin' held its own under pressure. All in all, this fanciful machine was deemed "a worthy update to what [reviewers] thought was the best XPS 700 series system to date," and if you've got the coin, you'll probably be incredibly pleased with what it delivers. Dive deep (and we mean deep) in the read link below.

Commodore knocks a home run with MLB-themed gaming rigs

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 26th 2008 at 12:46PM

Hard to say if these MLB-themed gaming PCs will be "a line drive to right" with gamers out there, but Commodore has certainly "rounded the bases" in order to deliver some pretty fanciful machines. The officially licensed desktops boast an exclusive C-kin paint job only possessed by the "true five-tool" PC manufacturing companies, though we have heard that the Core i7 within was "indirectly linked to HGH." At any rate, clean-up hitters can "round third and head for home" (or the order page, as it were) right now, but don't expect to underpay one of these "all-stars" and get away with it. Full release is just past the break, and we don't want to see any lollygagging on your way down.

Continue reading Commodore knocks a home run with MLB-themed gaming rigs

Acer yells "me too!" while shoving Core i7-based Aspire M7720 out the door

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 25th 2008 at 1:02AM

Ah, the deluge of gaming rigs that comes after each and every major CPU announcement made by Intel. As the overflow slows to a trickle, Acer is looking to get its rig out before it just seems like old hat. The purported Aspire M7720, which was announced over in Taiwan, will arrive in a relatively drab chassis and house a potent Core i7 processor, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, a 750GB hard drive and ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 1GB of memory. There's no definitive word on when the rig will actually leave the dock and head stateside, but considering that it's already behind the eight ball, we'd put our money (speaking of, it'll start around $1,200) on soon.

[Via Electronista]

ASUS summons Core i7 power in ROG CG6190 gaming desktop

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 21st 2008 at 12:06AM

If you thought your ARES CG6155 was hot stuff during the sweltering summer, well, you were right. Sadly, your bragging days have come to an end, as a new era of cutting-edge buyers are fixing to one-up you with the purchase of ASUS' ROG CG6190. Timed to be released alongside Intel's potent Core i7 processor, this beast is built around the X58 chipset and includes an eye-catching chassis, 52% faster processing speed in 3D gaming applications (thanks, overclocked Core i7!), up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM and support for an NVIDIA triple-SLI GPU setup or an ATI CrossFireX rig. You'll also notice a biometric fingerprint scanner, a unique 2-kilowatt dual power system, customized liquid cooling modules and a SupremeFX X-Fi audio card. As ASUS loves to do, we're left in the dark on pricing, but we'd guess it'll launch somewhere between expensive and ludicrously pricey here soon.

[Via ComputerMonger]

Dell's Core i7-powered XPS 730x reviewed: potent and pricey, like it should be

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 4:26AM

Whenever Intel (or AMD, for that matter) drops a wicked quick new chip, everyone knows it ain't gonna be cheap. Critics over at Computer Shopper would like to remind you to keep that in mind as you scope out Dell's Core i7-powered XPS 730x, 'cause the thing sports a price tag that's rather absurd. Dollars and cents aside, the machine is about as powerful as one could hope, offering enough muscle to churn through the most demanding of games. The biggest issue these reviewers had was that many other capable Core i7 rigs could put up similar FPS numbers for substantially less dough, and in the end, it didn't find the flash in Dell's enclosure to be worth the surcharge. Granted, that didn't stop the beast from snagging an 8.1 out of 10 on the review scale, but that's probably assuming you've got the disposable income lying around and ready to burn.