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ASUS' ROG G751 review: a properly oversized gaming laptop
So, you noticed that NVIDIA has trotted out its latest GPU architecture and you're wondering if you should retire your old gaming laptop for something with a little more... pep. You aren't alone. Every time NVIDIA downsizes its flagship GPUs for the notebooks, manufacturers flood the market with new and improved laptops promising to give desktop gaming rigs a run for their money. The phrase "desktop-class" usually gets thrown around with reckless abandon, but the new machines never quite match the performance of their fully grown counterparts. Will this year's Maxwell-based 980M GPUs fare any better? Let's find out: The ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) G751 just landed in Engadget's bullpen, and it's aching to be reviewed.
Razer Blade review (late 2012)
Razer has made a habit of catching us off guard -- breaking the mold as an accessory manufacturer by building laptops, prototype game handhelds and controller-toting tablets. Their Blade laptop cut through our expectations as well, featuring a beautiful aluminum shell and one of the thinnest profiles of any gaming rig on the market. It had some serious flaws, though: it was underpowered, had minor build issues and simply fell short in the audio department. Its maker, apparently, wasn't deterred: mere months after the original Blade's own debut, Razer is now introducing a successor. Most of the changes are internal: this model swaps out the original's Sandy Bridge CPU and last-generation NVIDIA graphics for a newly announced 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-3632QM processor and a Kepler-based GeForce GTX 660M GPU. It caught our interest -- Razer had previously insisted its first laptop wasn't built just for power, but for a premium experience. Now, the firm seems to be focusing on both (now that's a premium experience we can get behind). So, is this upgrade enough to make up for the OG version's shortcomings? Read on to find out.
Maingear announces Nomad 17 gaming laptop, comes with custom paint job
Maingear certainly loves to turn out solidly specificated hardware, and today is no exception. Its latest offering? The Nomad 17. As the name suggests this is a 17-inch notebook for gamers on the go. (Nomad, get it?) The new addition will support third-gen Intel Core i7 chips (up to 3.8GHz) and a maximum 32GB of RAM, with a choice of hard drive configurations. It's not all about the under-the-hood grunt, though, with Maingear offering a choice of six colors for what it's calling "hand-painted premium automotive paint jobs." As for the other spec options? You can expect NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M or 680M graphics, a 1,920 x 1080 display, combo Blue-ray optical drive, b / g / n wireless along with USB 2 / 3, DVI-I, HDMI and Fire Wire ports. So, this definitely sounds like a ride you can make your own. Assuming you're good with the $1,599 starting sticker price that is.
Maingear introduces Vybe, a 15-inch notebook that's ready to go in 48 hours
Need a super-spec gaming notebook in a hurry? Maingear's new Vybe laptops should be right up your street. Once ordered, the pre-built units can leave the company's New Jersey HQ in under 48 hours, packed to the gills with all the options you'd expect from the company. The range is packing Ivy Bridge CPUs, Kepler-running GeForce 650M or 660M with 2GB RAM and a 1080p, LED-backlit matte (matte!) finish display. The four options available are laid out in a table after the break -- but rest that itchy mouse finger a moment more, as while the base "Good" and "Better" systems are available from today, you'll have to wait until August 17th if you're looking for the "Best" or "Ultimate," the latter setting you back $1,999.
Origin PC EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops available now, priced from $1,525
In the market for a beastly portable gaming rig that won't break the bank? Origin PC today announced availability of its EON15-S and EON17-S gaming laptops, with pricing starting at $1,525 and $1,576, respectively. You'll of course still be able to hand over an arm and a leg depending on how you opt to build out your system, but considering that the base model is priced at nearly half the amount its predecessor was when it was announced this time last year, we imagine additions will wield a softer blow than they did in 2011. Both systems include Intel HM77 Ivy Bridge chipsets, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M, 670M or 675M graphics with Optimus power-conservation technology, and a 5.1 ONKYO surround sound system. Both cases offer unique designs, with black, red, silver or custom finishes, and a colorful backlit keyboard. What else could you possibly need? Perhaps a press release and a few more pictures -- and we've got both for you right here.
Sandy Bridge E squashed into $3,000 Clevo P270WM gaming suitcase
If you thought Intel's super-charged Core i7 CPUs were only for desktops, then AVADirect reckons it can change your mind. The company's Clevo P270WM notebook comes strapped to the back of either a six-core i7-3930K or an over-sized i7-3960X, while still leaving plenty of room for dual GeForce GTX 580M graphics, a Bigfoot Killer WiFi adapter, three hard drives and four memory slots offering up to 32GB of RAM. Topping it all off is a 3D-capable 17.3-inch Full HD LED glossy display and backlit keyboard. The base configuration with the 3930K processor, single graphics card and 750GB HDD will set you back over $3,000, and if you have to ask how much the NVIDIA Quadro graphics option costs then you're probably better off with something like this.
Samsung Series 7 700G7A targets gamers with monstrous size and specs
Samsung has never really tried to court gamers with its laptops, but a glimpse its new Series 7 family indicates that may be changing. German sites, NewGadgets.de and netzwelt.de, scored the deets on this 17.3-inch behemoth and it's safe to say the 700G7A is a force to be reckoned with. Pushing pixels to the 1,920 x 1,080 screen is a Radeon HD 6970m with 2GB of RAM, while a 2GHz quad-core Core i7 takes care of any non-graphical tasks. Not impressed yet? Well, you can also trick it out with up to 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive, to compliment its USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI jack, and Bluetooth 3.0 radio. The most convincing sign this rig is squarely aimed at dedicated gamers is the backlit keyboard -- the W, A, S and D keys are highlighted in red, while the rest of the spread glows a calming blue. The 700G7A will hit shelves in September for around €1,800 (about $2,600), though there's no word if said shelves include those here in the states. Check out NewGadgets' hands-on video after the break.
Toshiba reveals the Qosmio F750 glasses-free 3D laptop, we go hands on (video)
Toshiba just unveiled what it claims is the world's first glasses-free 3D laptop, the Qosmio F750. It's a heavy-set beast dedicated to gaming and movies, with a 15.6-inch Full HD lenticular screen that can display 2D and 3D simultaneously in separate windows. It also rocks an HD webcam that follows your movements and adjusts the 3D effect accordingly, so you can peek at the that lovely third dimension from almost any angle you like. Innovative stuff indeed, but we were underwhelmed when we caught a glimpse of Toshiba's concept model back in January. So, has the technology improved since then? Check out our hands-on impressions and video after the break. %Gallery-127693%
Alienware M18x shipping now, hernia threat level set to high for American delivery men
Here it is tinfoil hat gaming enthusiasts, the Alienware M18x laptop. Sure, you've been told it existed and even seen some photos of a purported prototype, but a savvy person such as yourself wants to see the proof with his or her own eyes. Now Dell is willing to deliver one of these 16-pound beasts to your doorstep for the starting price of $1,999. Let's be serious though, you're not interested in that pedestrian 2GHz Core i7 that ships with the base model. You want the intergalactic speed delivered by that Core i7 Extreme overclocked to 4GHz and dual 2GB Radeon 6970m graphics cards. Top it off with a pair of 256GB SSDs and 32GB of RAM and you're looking at a $6,000 laptop. Nobody said this thing was gonna be cheap -- besides, it's gonna cost some serious dough to cover up the disappearance of the M15x. [Thanks, Nicklas] Update: It looks like you can purchase your Alienware M18x today, but it won't actually ship until later this month. Put in an order with Dell and the company quotes a preliminary ship day of May 24th. On the plus side -- your UPS man will have time to strengthen his core.
MSI gets a SteelSeries keyboard, builds the GX780 gaming notebook around it
The worst part about buying a fancy new gaming keyboard? It's hard to show the thing off if it never leaves your basement apartment. MSI's newly announced GX780 notebook combines a colorful backlit 102-key SteelSeries-designed keyboard with the (relative) portability of an 8.6 pound gaming laptop. The keyboard features 1,000 different color combinations, five lighting modes, 10 key simultaneous input, and a layout the company calls "The Golden Triangle" -- trademark pending, we're sure. The 17.3 inch notebook has some solid non-keyboard specs as well, including GeForce GT555M graphics, a second gen Intel Core i7 processor, and an impressive maximum 16GB of DDR3. No word on pricing or availability, but hopefully the MSRP isn't as colorful as that keyboard. Full press release after the break.
Origin EON17-S gaming laptop overclocked to 4.5GHz, up for order
You won't need to compromise much with Origin's EON17-S gaming notebook, though a $3,000 dent in your wallet could severely compromise your purchasing power for the next few months. That's the starting price for this gaming laptop, with a 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-2920XM Quad-Core processor factory overclocked to 4.5GHz, and maxing the system out with 32GB of RAM, dual 480GB SSD's, and a 2GB NVidia GeForce GTX 485M GPU will send the price tag north of $10,000. Small price to pay for months of geek cred at your neighborhood LAN party, right? We'd rather use the money as a down payment on a Tesla Roadster, but if helping to rebuild the economy with the best, brightest and heaviest (at 8.6 pounds) computing monster sitting on your lap is just what you need, then look for yours in the mail come May 17th.
Alienware M18x and M14x first hands-on!
Now that Alienware's latest gaming notebooks have broken free from their classified captivity, perhaps you'd like to know how their form factors stack up? Well, we just so happen to have gotten our grubby paws on the extraterrestrials, and they're looking mighty fine. We'll warn you though, that the chart-topping M18x is a beast in more ways than one -- it may not be a literal 600-pound gorilla, but after one heft of its 16-pound frame we started wondering if luggables were back in vogue. While the M18x's factory-overclocked 4GHz processor and HDMI-input sorely tempted us, we were rather more taken with the Alienware M14x's svelte frame, which should prove quite tempting for those who dig its more petite profile. While it doesn't have the anodized aluminum shell of its big brother the M18x, its red matte plastic exterior has a high-quality feel to it, though we spotted an unsightly seam along the right edge of the prototype unit. It's also unfortunately got a super-glossy screen, but the Klipsch speakers impressed -- much more than a simple gimmick, they're plenty powerful for a 14-inch notebook and sounded fairly crisp. We briefly played Call of Duty: Black Ops on the M14x, and found the keys to have plenty of travel and provided a satisfying click with each press as we wandered Cuban streets, and the touchpad was quite responsive as well (though we didn't have a chance to test its multitouch capabilities). It's heavier than other laptops with similar screen real-estate, but it's still an totally totable PC -- and the heft is a welcome tradeoff in exchange for the added horsepower under the hood as compared to its Jenny Craig competition. %Gallery-121630% Sean Hollister contributed to this report.
Alienware M18x, M14x and M11x R3 finally official, world can now move on
Last week, we received a top-secret communique from Dell's Alienware division, bidding us attend a San Francisco event -- where, we were told, we'd be privy to some highly classified announcements. Of course, this being Dell and not the CIA, we already knew more or less what we'd see: Alienware's latest batch of powerhouse gaming machine. Today, the aliens have landed with two new notebook computers -- the Alienware M18x and M14x -- and a hefty spec bump for the littlest alien in the form of the M11x R3. Each brings Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors and NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics to the fore, as well as some oh-so-slightly tweaked frames, and the M14x and M18x bring WirelessHD tech to sling images to your screen. The M11x and M14x are available now on Dell's site starting at $999 and $1,199, respectively. For your cash, you'll get 8 hours of battery life in the M11x and 6 hours in its chunkier sibling. Scheduled to land in May, the M18x weighs a scale-tipping 16 pounds, and adds an HDMI input (because PC gamers own consoles, too), and the factory overclocked 4Ghz processor and five programmable keys with up to fifteen different macros for your customizing delight. We're off to get some hands-on time with Dell's new little green (and blue and red) extra terrestrials, so stay tuned... PR after the break. %Gallery-121611%%Gallery-121607%
Alienware M14x manuals leak out, confirm the gaming notebook once and for all
Just yesterday Dell's leaky website poured out details about the upcoming Alienware M11x R3 gaming notebook, and it didn't take long for its larger brother to follow suit -- today, we've got the full user and factory service manuals for Alienware's M14x, confirming a number of juicy rumors. Unfortunately, there's no mention of a Full HD 1080p LCD screen for the 14-inch visitor from another planet, but there will apparently be both 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900 options on tap, both driven by NVIDIA's GeForce GT555M switchable Optimus graphics with up to 3GB of dedicated memory. Of course, you'll also find Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs and up to 8GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, SATA 6Gbps and optional 3G / 4G connectivity, optional WirelessHD, a two megapixel webcam, and even a 8-cell, 63Whr battery to make portable gaming vaguely possible. Hit up our source link to see how Dell put this machine together -- and how you can tear it apart -- while we wait for the company to finally make the smokin' hot notebook official, and let us know how just badly our wallets will feel after it rips their innards out.
Dell's Alienware M15x now available with GeForce GTX 460M, a $120 upgrade
Originally teased at Computex, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460M has just recently started to slip out into a limited amount of laptops, and naturally, Dell's Alienware line is amongst the first to get it. The almighty M15x can now be configured down in the source link with a 460M that boasts 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory, and best of all, it's only a $119.84 upgrade over the stock 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850. Mama always said frames per second were worth paying for, now didn't she? [Thanks, Zhi Hao]
MSI's GE600: nine Benjamins, now shipping from Newegg
Though we question the MSI GE600's status as "gaming notebook" given it doesn't hold a candle to the company's signature red-and-black machines, those looking for a well-rounded, noble laptop -- not to mention a sub-$1000 price -- will now find just that on Newegg. For nine hundred clamshells, you'll get 16 inches of low-res 1366 x 768 real estate, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 320GB 7200 RPM hard drive and Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics, all fed their requisite bits and bytes by a 2.26GHz Core i5-430M CPU -- plus all the usual ports, Bluetooth and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. Care to dine in the lap of semi-luxury? Now shipping.
MSI at CES: Wind U115 / U120, NetOn all-in-one PC, gaming laptops galore
If you thought that MSI would allow CES to pass it by without unleashing a veritable smorgasbord of new kit upon us, you're dead wrong. For starters, the company will be showcasing its Wind U115 and U120 netbooks for the first time in the public eye at CES, and those oh-so-intriguing NetOn all-in-one machines we spotted overseas will also be making their US debut. Said rigs will arrive in 16-, 19- and 22-inch flavors, and it's expected that Intel's dual-core Atom will be powering the trio. Carrying on, we've got the EX625 and EX623 entertainment lappies joining the EX family with inbuilt subwoofers and Blu-ray drives, and the GT725, GT727, GT627 and GX420 will all be sliding into the gamer-centric GX line. Finally, MSI will be demonstrating its first "eco-friendly carbon fiber concept gaming notebook," so we'll definitely be sashaying over to wrap our paws around that. Head past the break for the full release.
Alienware "Special Edition" m5790 offers up overclocked Core 2 Duo
It seems that the "most powerful" laptop in Alienware's ever-growing lineup has already lost its crown, as the (somewhat) budget-friendly m5700-series has received a new member, and the "Special Edition" m5790 delivers a base price that won't elicit rage from the SO, but offers up an overclocked CPU option to satisfy your speed cravings nonetheless. Aside from the 17-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth, WiFi, and combo drive, the machine seems fairly vanilla, but if you cough up $800, you can get an overclocked 2.66GHz Intel T7600G Core 2 Duo processor to spice things up. Among the other upgrades that push the pricetag on this lower-end machine up into the clouds are a $200 UXGA screen, $430 for 2GB of DDR2 RAM, $270 for 200GB of HDD space, $600 for a built-in Blu-ray drive, and $350 for ATI's Mobility Radeon X1900. So if you're in the mood for seeing just how much self-control your mousing finger really has, surf on over to the read link and (try to) buy only what you want need.[Via TGDaily]
Asus officially unveils its G1 and G2 gaming notebooks
If you've been holding off on picking up a mobile gaming machine, Asus has officially launched two gamer-focused designs that should pack the power those FPS freaks want need. The 15.4-inch G1 and 17-inch G2 sport common innards and unique styling cues, as the G1 rocks green outer LEDs while the G2 is complimented in red. Beneath the hood of these beasts is your choice of Intel's T7600/T7400/T7200/T5600/T5500 Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 160GB SATA hard drive, LightScribe-compatible dual-layer DVD burner, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, Bluetooth, and 802.11a/b/g. The G1 sports WXGA / WSXGA Color Shine LCD options and a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce Go7700 graphics set, while the G2 gets a WXGA display and the 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 card. You'll also find a fair assortment of ports, including video output, an ExpressCard slot, a flash card reader, and a few USB 2.0 ports to boot; additionally, the outer casing is built to withstand the less-than-gentle travels a mobile LAN machine is bound to endure, and the customizable "OLED instant display" can presumably showcase battery life, performance statistics, or available updates on the fly. While concrete pricing hasn't quite been nailed down yet, both notebooks will supposedly come with the pictured backpack and mouse combination, but we're sure this fairly well-loaded laptop will demand a hefty premium when it hits the market.[Via Electronista, thanks Jonathan]
Velocity Micro launches NoteMagix L80x Ultra in Best Buy
While you might not be exactly keen on waltzing into your local Best Buy for gadgetry purchases (for various reasons), Velocity Micro is going all in, hoping that millions of others just might. The gaming-centric boutique is unveiling its latest NoteMagix offering -- dubbed the L80x Ultra -- in select Best Buys today in favor of its own website. Pumping up the specs from the plain ole L80, the 6.5-pound L80x Ultra reportedly packs a 15.4-inch LCD, 2.0GHz T7200 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, nVidia GeForce Go 7600GS graphics, an integrated webcam, and a fingerprint scanner. While elaborate details concerning the wireless suite, host of ports, and collection of stickers you can expect to find on the palm rests aren't currently available, we do know that it'll set you back $1,999 -- if you manage to dodge that additional "protection plan," of course.[Via TGDaily]
