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Gateway's 17-inch P-6831FX gaming laptop gets reviewed
Given that Gateway just pushed out a round of updates including the relatively ginormous P Series, we reckon it was only logical to expect a review shortly. To be frank, the P-6831FX critiqued over at HotHardware is far from being the most potent machine with a 17-inch panel, but unlike many of its luxurious competitors, this one is actually affordable. So, how much gaming joy can $1,349.99 bring you? Quite a bit when the 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS and 3GB of RAM are included. Reviewers found gaming performance to be downright remarkable, though the 1.67GHz CPU did hamper it a bit in other areas. It should be noted that the unit now arrives with a slightly faster CPU among other minor extras, so if it was good then, we're guessing it's a runaway winner now.
Three WD VelociRaptors get setup in RAID 5 array, testing ensues
Western Digital's hasty VelociRaptor already got reviewed by its lonesome, but for those thinking of getting a RAID system into their rig, HotHardware has taken a trio of 'em, setup a RAID 5 array and put the drives through their collaborative paces. The configuration was made possible thanks to an Areca PCIe X8 hardware RAID card, and the results were rather impressive -- to no one's surprise, might we add. Across the entire volume, performance was generally linear save for a few small valleys along the way, burst speed was 598MB/sec and average read speed was 209.4MB/sec, which pretty much blew the doors off of everything that came before it. Number lovers, there's more where this came from in the read link below.
ATI Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 reviewed: all that and a bag of RV770 chips
If you haven't heard of AMD's new RV770 graphics processor then you either haven't been paying attention or are simply too set in your ways to start calculating your GPU's performance using a 1.0 TFLOP base unit. For the rest, we bring you all the reviews that on-line advertising can buy in the link round-up below. We'll give HotHardware the honor of summarizing the performance of the sub-$200 Radeon HD 4850 and $299-ish 4870: "it appears AMD is back in the graphics game versus rival NVIDIA." Now put on your propeller caps and start clicking.Read -- Hot HardwareRead -- PC Perspective Read -- Hardware Canucks (HD 4870 only) Read -- AnandTechRead -- TweakTown (4870 in Crossfire)
Intel's 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 gets tested
Who says you need a desktop chip packed within a 3-inch thick, 15-pound beast of a "laptop" to get decent FPS while at a LAN party? Intel's speedy Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 checks in at 2.8GHz (prior to overclocking, of course), and promises to punish today's latest games while sipping less power and generating less heat than the aforementioned alternatives. The gurus over at HotHardware were able to sit down with said chip and put it to the test; overall, the Mobile X9000 "proved itself to be as fast as its desktop counterparts in many scenarios, all the while consuming less power as a complete system in the Dell XPS M730 notebook testbed." If you're the type that gets all hot and bothered by benchmarks and graphs, there's plenty of those in the read link below.
NVIDIA's 512MB GeForce 9800 GTX+ hits the bench
Yeah, that bench. NVIDIA's just-announced-yesterday GeForce 9800 GTX+ has already been used and abused for your satisfaction, and the folks over at PC Perspective have the benchmarks to prove it. The 55nm-based card was pit against an 8800 GT and AMD's extraordinarily fresh Radeon HD 4850, but we're not going to insert any spoilers in this space (okay, so it fared well... really well). All the graphs and screen captures you crave are waiting just down there.[Thanks, Ryan]
Leopard running on an Atom Processor
Using PC_efi technology (a means to run OS X on a PC without kernel modification), an anonymous source for netkas.org has managed to run and benchmark Leopard on an Atom chip, which is rumored (and denied) to be headed for Mac. The Atom Processor would certainly make a good candidate for a mini-tablet. It's small enough to fit any form factor, and low power enough to run for long periods in small devices. According to netkas, you can even run one of these on solar power. Here are the results of an Xbench test, courtesy of netkas: More details are available at netkas.org.
Secrets of the Atom cracked, Wind PC revealed
Everyone wants a new generation ultra-portable pumping the Atom processor right? After all, it's Intel's latest and greatest Centrino proc. Not so fast... literally. Impress got their hands on an unofficially released MSI Wind PC (the mini-PC, not the low-cost laptop) and subjected the 1.33GHz Atom processor to a suite of standard tests. While the source is in machine-translated Japanese, that table comparing the Atom with Eee PC 900's Celeron and a typical ULV Core 2 Duo found in a wide range of full-sized, ultra-portable laptops speaks for itself. Keep in mind though that Intel's Atom is supposed to be less power hungry than its peers and CPU benchmarking is hardly the last word when it comes to determining real-world laptop performance -- read/writes to disk, memory, and other system nuances must also be considered. Nevertheless, based on this table and other mounting evidence, first and second generation Eee PC owners shouldn't feel any compulsion to rush out and upgrade to Atom on day 1.[Via Technophone and Notebook Italia]
ZDNet: Benchmarking the Psystar Open Computer
It's a big day for the Psystar Open Computer -- the quasi-Mac clone based on PC hardware and a cracked version of Mac OS X. ZDNet today published their comparison of the Open Computer with a Mac mini, and all three flavors of MacBook. The results? The Open Computer fares pretty well against all of its Mac cousins. It scored nearly 147 with Xbench 1.3. It beats the Mac mini, its closest price competitor, by nearly 50 percent. The Open Computer outperforms even a MacBook Pro (with a 2.4GHz Penryn processor) by 10 points. Not too shabby at all, if you can stand the sound of a jet airplane on your desk (Just kidding. Apparently the noise isn't too bad). ZDNet promises results using GeekBench soon. UPDATE: the GeekBench results are here, and the Open Computer still leads most of the Macs, but by a narrower margin. The MacBook Pro, though, edged out the Psystar 3327 to 3244.
MSI's GX600X TurboBook gets inspected, reviewed
Surely you remember that G600 that MSI showcased at CeBIT, right? We know you're sitting in stunned silence just thinking back, so we'll move forward anyway. The crew over at TweakTown managed to get ahold of the GX600X TurboBook, and rather than just frolicking in fields of flowers with it, they put this puppy to the test. Unlike the vast majority of MSI lappies, this particular one manages to stand out somewhat, with a relatively loud design and a fairly potent set of components to boot. Reviewers found it to be a "peak performer" with "excellent overclocking capabilities," and while the logos may catch a few eyes, these critics felt that those very decals may deter folks from buying an otherwise solid machine. Nevertheless, head on down to the full review -- you may find yourself surprisingly attracted to an MSI. Imagine that.[Via I4U News]
ASUS M50S multimedia laptop seen in the wild
Ooh, shiny! ASUS' CES-announced M50S has finally found its way out of whatever lair it has been tucked away in, and thankfully, the shutterbugs over at PC Perspective snapped a few shots for the world to see. Initial impressions are that it should handle most gaming needs with ease, yet won't destroy your back when toting it from LAN party to LAN party. The built-in Blu-ray burner and multi-function trackpad are quite nice, too. Hit up the read link for the full preview -- a bona fide review should be following shortly.[Thanks, Ryan]
Engadget benchmarks the new iMac
Our friends over at Engadget got their hands on one of the newly released iMacs (the 3.06GHz model, to be exact) and they have put it through its paces. Using XBench, and running Leopard, they compare the new iMac to a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, and a previous gen iMac. The new iMac bests the rest of the competition in almost all categories. Check out the post for the full results, and scope out the unboxing pictures while you're at it.
Apple iMac 3.06GHz unboxing, hands-on, and benchmarking
Look what arrived on our doorstep today! That's right -- the shiny, expensive new iMac that's now equipped with that funky custom and / or overclocked 3.06GHz CPU. Take a look at us wildly unboxing and handling the behemoth in the gallery below, and get a load of its fairly impressive Xbench scores after the break.%Gallery-21755%
Preliminary benchmarks have VIA's Isaiah besting Intel's Atom
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/hardware/Prelim_benchmarks_have_VIA_s_Isaiah_besting_Intel_s_Atom'; You knew this day would come: Intel positioned Atom perfectly to compete with VIA's low-power offerings, and VIA is trying to stay one step ahead in the low power game with its Isaiah processor. Who will be the winner? Well, we'd say it's still a little early to call it, but German site Eee PC News did some quick and dirty benchmarks that show Isaiah on top by a decent margin. At this point the numbers are just in "ALU" and "FPU," but hopefully some real world benchmarks from some retail products can clear this up before long.
AMD's fastest Phenom X4 9850 desktop CPU tested, Intel points and giggles like brat
Today's benchmark day for AMD's fastest desktop processor -- the Phenom X4 9850. Free of the nasty TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) bug, the stage is now set for a head-to-head with Intel's best. While it's a significant step forward for AMD, the 9850 proc hardly compares with Intel's best quad-core desktop CPUs. Nevertheless, as PCPer says, "any enthusiast or gamer looking for a ~$240 processor is going to have a fantastic experience with the 9850." We're just happy to see AMD back on track and ready to compete. Now get to it AMD, faster clock speeds and 45-nm processes please? Intel needs someone banging at the door to keep Moore's Law from becoming Moore's Recommendation. Update: Oh, by the way, the 2.5GHz X4 9850 is now shipping. Read -- PC Perspective Read -- Hot HardwareRead -- X4 950 now available
Intel's Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale gets tested
If you'll recall, we already witnessed a pre-production Wolfdale CPU outpace its competition back in August of last year, but the real deal has finally arrived. Over at Hot Hardware, the folks were able to crack open a retail Core 2 Duo E8500 processor, which comes in at 3.16GHz and features 6MB of L2 cache, a 1,333MHz FSB speed and is built on 45-nanometer technology. When put to the test, reviewers found this luscious piece of silicon to be quite the performer, noting that it was probably a better choice for gamers than a low-end quad-core chip. Still, with an expected price of just under three bills, it wasn't exactly seen as the greatest of values, but if you've got the coin and happen to fit the market, the "Recommended" badge tells you everything you need to know.
Apple MacBook Pro Penryn tests: a little more speed, a lot less heat
Sure, more speed is great, but on OS X most bumps don't have an appreciable effect on everyday work (unless all you're doing is video encoding). We were more interested in what Intel's Penryn processors can do for the MBP's heat envelope, so we maxed out both CPU cores in this brand new machine at let 'em crank for a half an hour. Our test machine may or may not compare to a later 3rd-gen MBP in terms of heat efficiency, but here's the quick rundown:Core Duo (2.16GHz) Peak: 195° F, fans over 5000 RPM Average: 185° F, fans about 4900 RPM Enclosure (bottom): very hot to the touch Enclosure (top): fairly hot to the touch Penryn Core 2 Duo (2.5GHz) Peak: 176° F, fans about 3400 RPM Average: 173° F, fans about 2500 RPM (much quieter) Enclosure (bottom): warm to the touch Enclosure (top): warm to fairly hot to the touch The usual Xbench tests are after the break.
Penryn-based Mac Pro gets benchmarked
It's just been a short two days since Apple rolled out its latest Mac Pro update, but that was apparently more than enough time for the folks at Primate Labs to get their hands on one and put it through its paces. They only got the 2.8GHz model, however, so they weren't quite able to fully back up Apple's claims that it's the "fastest Mac ever," but that's not to say they didn't find plenty to be impressed with. In particular, while the new system trailed the older, 3.0GHz model in floating point performance, it edged it out in integer, memory and stream performance -- a feat all the more impressive considering the new 2.8GHz Penryn system is a fair bit cheaper than its speedier predecessor. Of course, those less concerned with saving a few bucks can opt for the new, top-end 3.2GHz model, which should give you plenty of benchmark bragging rights until Apple dishes out its next update.[Via AppleInsider]
Battleship Mtron: the absurdly fast SSD RAID array
Listen, we know you think your RAID setup is pretty snazzy, and, truth be told, it probably makes our rig look silly by comparison. However, in the computer world, there's always someone out there with a bigger, nastier system -- and we've just spotted one of the nastiest of them all. Next Level Hardware is a site that specializes in putting outrageous setups to the test, and this time they haven't disappointed with their benchmarks on the Mtron 16GB SSD (reportedly the fastest SATA drive in the world). Oh, did we mention the test was on a RAID 0 array of nine drives? Dubbed the "Battleship Mtron," the sickening collection of hardware blazed past the competition (a WD Raptor, less stacked Mtron RAID setups), delivering mind-boggling data swaps like copying a 1GB folder in four seconds. You read that right: four seconds. Like where this is headed? Truck over to the test page and peep all the stats... seriously, it's upsetting.[Thanks, David]
AMD's Spider platform gets the early benchmark treatment
For the first round of benchmarks AMD isn't letting anyone else set up its systems for testing, but that doesn't mean we can't get a decent idea of how the Spider platform's going to perform in the real world. ExtremeTech got to test a machine that AMD set up with a 2.6GHz quad-core Phenom chip, but since those won't be shipping for a few months, they ET also downclocked the chip to 2.3GHz to give us a better idea of what AMD's hit the market with yesterday. The good news is that the sub-$300 2.3GHz chip should perform quite comparatively with Intel chips at a similar price point, but the 2.6GHz hasn't had a solid price set yet, and might have more trouble competing with Intel's GHz-happy line. We won't bore you with the benchmark nitty gritty, and you might want to wait for some true lab-based benchmarks before you make the jump, but it looks like AMD is headed in the right direction.
ATI Radeon HD 3800 series benchmarked: "ATI should be truly proud"
Now that they're out, we bet you're wondering about the performance of that pair of mid-range, ATI Radeon cards announced this morning. According to TG Daily and just about everyone else, the Nvidia GeForce 8800GT is still the best performing midrange graphics card on the market (for a few bucks more, if you can find it). But if you like the performance of the Radeon HD 2900 XT, you'll be happy with your lower priced, but similar performing Radeon HD 3870 according to HotHardware. They go on to call the HD 3850 "quite strong" when compared against mid-range cards like the Radeon 2600 XT and GeoForce 8600 GTS. In fact, Custom PC says that the 3850 "blows both of these cards away." Thanks to the new 55nm manufacturing process, both cards kept power consumption, temperature, and noise levels "way down" in comparison. Lots to love from the benchmarking gang. Only thing left to do now is to track them down for that $179 and $219 MSRP. P.S. If you spot more benchmarks let us know so we can round the critters up.Update: Round-up now posted after the break.
