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Gigabyte Booktop M1305 ultraportable gains external GeForce GT220 GPU (update: now with video!)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 6th 2009 at 2:56AM

Gigabyte's Booktop M1305 was shown as far back as June, but now it seems the stark white ultraportable is nearing its ship date. Nothing about the 13.3-inch rig seems too special at first glance -- after all, a Core 2 Duo, GMA 4500MHD graphics set, 1,366 x 768 panel, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB or 500GB HDD won't set any carpets on fire -- but it's the docking station that makes this one special. When situated in the dock, the M1305 can take full advantage of the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT220 GPU that's squeezed within, making it entirely more capable of pushing out 3D graphics or HD multimedia to connected displays. We know, docking stations are all but dead outside of the enterprise, but who's kvetching about more power once your portable gets home?

Update: hands-on video now after the break!

[Via DVHardware, thanks Thomas]

Continue reading Gigabyte Booktop M1305 ultraportable gains external GeForce GT220 GPU (update: now with video!)

EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Co-opts a GTS 250 for PhysX duties

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:14AM

Ready for some more dual-GPU madness, only this time in the resplendent green of NVIDIA? EVGA has gone and concocted a special Halloween edition of the GTX 275, which has sprouted an entire GTS 250 appendage solely for PhysX gruntwork. Dubbed a new form of Hybrid SLI, EVGA's latest combines -- for the first time, from what we can tell -- two different GPUs and assigns them with specific and mutually exclusive tasks. Whether this concept takes off will depend to a large extent on the effectiveness of PhysX acceleration and whether it can show more efficient scaling than regular old SLI with two boards or more conventional dual-GPU setups like the GTX 295. Color us intrigued, either way.

P.S. - That's what the actual card will look like, we're not making it up.

[Via PC Perspective]

Gallery: EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Co-op PhysX Edition

ASUS' Ion-infused Eee PC 1201n netbook emerges overseas

by Darren Murph posted Sep 20th 2009 at 11:53AM

If ASUS is hoping to stick with that "mid-October" launch date here in North America, we'd say it better get whatever units it has laying around loaded up with an English-speaking version of Windows and onto a large vessel destined for a US port. Still, it's good to see some "proof" that the roadmapped Eee PC 1201n -- a 12-inch netbook with NVIDIA's Ion technology -- is actually on schedule for an autumn release, even if said "proof" is a product listing on an Asian e-tailer's website. Unfortunately, the machine is still humming along on Intel's near-ancient Atom N270 processor, though the 2GB of RAM, high(er) resolution panel, real man's GPU and Windows 7 operating system should help move things along. Per usual, we don't expect ASUS to confirm or deny the legitimacy of this slip, but if you're in the market for an Eee, this may be all you needed to hold off just a bit.

[Via NetbookItalia]

NVIDIA hopes you'll be better able to distinguish its products if it renames them all

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 20th 2009 at 8:33AM

NVIDIA hopes you'll be better able to identify its products if it renames them all

What's in a name? Very little if you're buying computer hardware lately. Back in the day, you could easily compare two CPUs because their names were simply how fast they were -- now you've got series of processors and graphics cards with naming conventions dreamed up by marketing gurus who don't know a front side bus from a school bus. NVIDIA had been shooting for something simple with its G, GT, and GTX lines, but it looks like last year's talk of a re-tooling of its lineup are coming true; all those seemingly straightforward letter prefixes seem set to be dropped in favor of "GeForce" followed by a number. The first to bear this re-branding will be the 40nm, DirectX 10.1 GeForce 210, set to hit the retail channels in October, followed later by the GeForce 230 and GeForce 300. How exactly they all will compare remains to be seen, but we're going to go ahead and speculate that bigger number probably equals higher cost.

Fujitsu unleashes CELSIUS ULTRA specs, offers test drives at gamescom

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 19th 2009 at 5:58AM

And now we know what the "world's fastest" air-cooled gaming rig is made of -- a 3.33GHz Intel Core i7-975 and a pair of souped-up GeForce GTX 295s running in SLI. They're backed up by 12GB of DDR3 memory, a 150GB WD Raptor as an OS drive and two 1TB storage hangars, but you must be wondering where all that German ultra clocking is. Well, the motherboard is of Fujitsu's own making and a custom tweaker-ready BIOS is promised, but the truth is we really can't see anything overclocked especially for this rig. Which is not to say it won't be the most powerful pixel pusher in the world (this week), with hardware like that we're sure you'll be able to run Vista Business without a hitch... oh yea, that's the listed OS, and since we're spilling bad news, recommended price tag is €4,000. If you're anywhere near Cologne this week, head on down to gamescom, and if you ask really nicely, the Fujitsu people might even let you play on this fiery beast of a machine. See it undressed after the break.

[Via Netzwelt]

Continue reading Fujitsu unleashes CELSIUS ULTRA specs, offers test drives at gamescom

ASUS' well-rounded G51 gaming laptop reviewed, lauded

by Darren Murph posted Aug 17th 2009 at 1:39PM

NVIDIA's world-beating GeForce GTX 260M GPU hasn't presented itself in too many gaming laptops just yet, but somehow or another it found its way into ASUS' bargain priced G51VX. Originally showcased back at Computex, this 15.6-inch rig is amongst the cheapest portable gaming machines in its class, packing a 2GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,368 x 768 panel, 320GB (7200RPM) hard drive and a 1GB GeForce GTX 260M handling the graphical duties. The benchmarking gurus over at HotHardware sat this here machine down for a stern talking to, and while they could've stood for the resolution to be a bit higher and the battery life (1.75 hours) to be a tad longer, the actual performance was top shelf. Put simply, it was deemed a "well balanced machine that's a winner at this price point," offering up a far nicer GPU than any other competitors in the $1,000 range. Tap that read link for a look at the full review -- we get the feeling you'll like what you see.

Viako's Ion-equipped HTPC is more like an HD-capable nettop

by Darren Murph posted Aug 12th 2009 at 6:19AM

You can tussle over semantics all day long (particularly machine translated semantics), but there's little doubt that Viako's Ion-equipped machine is more than eager to handle whatever high-def material you throw its way. The Mini E series of HTPCs (or nettops, if you will) looks to be available in a variety of configurations, with the higher-end model snagging an Atom N330 processor, NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, integrated WiFi, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, Ethernet, plenty of USB sockets and audio / in ports. There's no mention of price nor a stateside release date, but those in Seoul ought to find it in their local shops pretty soon.

[Via AVING]

Ion-equipped Samsung N510 netbook shipping stateside next month

by Darren Murph posted Aug 11th 2009 at 8:21AM

Momma always said you had to pay to play, and it looks like those Europeans won't be the only ones coughing up dearly for the pleasure of having NVIDIA's Ion platform shoved within Samsung's forthcoming N510 netbook. According to the fine folks over at Liliputing, a Samsung rep has confirmed to them that said machine will begin shipping to US soil starting in September (far later than the "July" date we heard earlier in the year), bringing with it a sizable 11.6-inch display, HDMI output, GeForce 9400M GPU, Atom processor and the ability to handle high-def and Blu-ray content. Trouble is, all that multimedia prowess will demand a stiff premium, and by "stiff," we mean "$599." So, is anyone actually planning on laying down six bills for a netbook, or did you just convince yourself that a thin-and-light is the way to go?

BFG gifts GTX 285 and GTX 295 cards with self-contained liquid cooling

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2009 at 6:06AM

Believe it or not, this is far from the first time we've heard of a liquid cooled GPU; in fact, NVIDIA was tossing the idea around way back in 2006, when Quake III and Unreal Tournament were still top titles in the FPS realm. BFG Technologies, which currently holds the greatest name for a graphics card company ever, has today introduced its GeForce GTX 285 H2O+ and GeForce GTX 295 H2OC cards, both of which boast ThermoIntelligence Advanced Cooling Solutions (read: self-contained liquid cooling systems). BFG swears that both cards are completely maintenance free, with the GPUs kept around 30°C cooler under load as compared to standard air cooled models. There's no mention of pricing just yet, but both should be available any moment at NewEgg. Good luck resisting the sudden urge to upgrade.

MSI takes the pain, fun out of overclocking with OC Genie

by Darren Murph posted Jul 19th 2009 at 8:34AM

If you thought MSI's obsession with motherboard implants was over after it unveiled Winki to a nearly nonexistent amount of fanfare, think again. The company has just taken the wraps off its latest mobo addition, the OC Genie. In essence, this is the one-touch overclock button that laptop owners have long enjoyed, but for desktops. Right now, the OC Genie is custom built for the company's own P55 motherboard, though it insists that all sorts of mainboards will be supported in due time. If you're curious about the details, you'll have to remain that way for now; all we're told is that activating the module automatically pushes your system to a safe brink within a second, giving even the newbies in attendance the ability to squeeze more from their current rig. In related news, MSI also added yet another model to its growing Classic laptop series, the 17.3-inch CX700, which gets powered by a Core 2 Duo processor, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD4330 GPU and 4GB of RAM.

[Via HotHardware]

Rock delivers BD / Core i7-equipped Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840 gaming laptops

by Darren Murph posted Jul 14th 2009 at 11:02AM

Can you believe it? It's been practically a year to the day since we've seen any new fragging machines from the lads over at Rock, but thankfully things are still moving after being rescued by a rolling Stone. The latest duo to take Europe by storm involves the Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840, both of which can be outfitted with NVIDIA's 1GB GeForce GTX 280M (or two of 'em, if you're feeling froggy), Blu-ray drives, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, WiFi, four USB 2.0 sockets, an HDMI port, Windows Vista (with a gratis upgrade to Win7 this October), a 7-in-1 card reader, 3TB of HDD space and a 3-year on-site warranty. Heck, you can even toss a Core i7 in there if you think your legs are calloused enough to handle it. Both machines can be ordered up right now, with the 790 range starting at £1,999 ($3,258) and the less extravagant 840 line picking up at £1,699 ($2,769).

NVIDIA's 40nm GeForce G210 and GeForce GT 220 desktop GPUs emerge

by Darren Murph posted Jul 9th 2009 at 9:22AM

We can't say we're entirely shocked to see 'em, but a new pair of GPUs based on 40 nanometer process technology has surfaced over at NVIDIA's website. Both of the new devices are expected to be sold exclusively to large OEMs for integration into pre-configured machines, and they'll both support DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 3.0, and CUDA. The lower-end GeForce G210 arrives with a 589MHz core clock speed, 512MB of DDR2 RAM and a 64-bit memory interface; meanwhile, the GeForce GT 220 ups the ante with a 615MHz core clock rate, 1GB of GDDR3 RAM and a 128-bit memory interface. As for outputs, the former packs VGA, DisplayPort and DVI, while the latter sticks with VGA, HDMI and DVI. There's no word on when we'll seen them offered in any entry-level desktop rigs, but surely it won't be long now.

[Via SlashGear]

Read - GeForce G210
Read - GeForce GT 220

eMachines intros ET1300-02, ET1810-01 and ET1810-03 desktop PCs

by Darren Murph posted Jul 1st 2009 at 10:47AM

Just a few short weeks after eMachines outed its EL1300 line of SFF PCs, the company is hitting us up again with a new trio of full-size desktops. The ET1300-02, ET1810-01 and ET1810-03 are all encased within a luminous white mini-tower and ship with a matching LCD monitor, speakers and a keyboard. As for specs, the $449.99 ET1300-02 checks in with an AMD Athlon X2 4850e (2.5GHz) CPU, Vista Home Premium, NVIDIA's GeForce G100 (512MB), 3GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB hard drive, 18x SuperMulti DVD burner, multicard reader, HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs and an 18-inch E182H display. The $369.99 ET1810-03 steps to a 2.2GHz Pentium E2210 CPU, GeForce 7500 integrated graphics and just a single VGA port, while the $299.99 ET1810-01 cranks it down to a 1.6GHz Celeron 420 and 2GB of DDR2 RAM. The trio should be filtering out to respected retailers as we speak.

EVGA rolls out GeForce GTX 285 graphics card for Mac Pros

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 10th 2009 at 7:24PM

We got plenty of advance word about this one, but EVGA has finally gotten fully official with its Mac Pro-friendly version of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 graphics card, which is now available to order from the Apple Store for the not so low price of $450. That'll of course get you a card that's mostly identical to its less-than-new PC counterpart, including 1GB of DDR3 memory, a whopping 240 processing cores, a memory clock speed a 2,584MHz, memory bandwidth of 159GB/sec, and a pair of dual-link DVI ports that can each drive a 30-inch monitor at 2,560 x 1,600 with ease -- assuming you can still afford a pair of 30-inch monitors after you shell out for one of these, that is.

[Via PC World]

Maingear introduces eco-friendly, Ion-powered Pulse SFF PC

by Darren Murph posted Jun 5th 2009 at 10:05AM

Stating that NVIDIA's Ion platform has already snagged wide industry support would be a gross understatement, but for whatever reason, Maingear decided to skip out on all the Computex revelry and blaze a trail of its own. Hailed as the planet's greenest gaming PC (which is certainly up for debate), the Pulse is an energy efficient small form factor PC that offers up Ion graphics. Said configuration is available with Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs and an 80+ certified 300-watt power supply; those who care more about frame rates than Ma Earth can opt for a GeForce 9800 GT ECO, which -- despite being a discrete, power-hungry GPU -- still swallows some 40 percent less power than a standard 9800 GT. You'll also find WiFi support, room for an optional Blu-ray drive and TV tuner, upwards of 8GB of RAM and room for a single 2.5-inch HDD or SSD. The whole box checks in at just 7.6- x 8.3- x 11.4-inches, and it's available for order right now starting at $799. Full release is after the break.