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Maingear's eX-L 18 grabs for "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title
You know, this whole "most powerful laptop" game is pretty hilarious. Back in '05, CompAmerica's (who?) Orca 9098 held the title with a cutting-edge 3.8GHz Pentium 4, and over the years, we've watched outfit after outfit pull the award back and forth, much like those tugging games we used to play as tots. Regardless, it seems as if Maingear's down for the fun, today rolling out the planet's all new "world's most powerful gaming laptop" in the eX-L 18, which arrives with an undisclosed Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processor, twin NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to three 2.5-inch SATA or SSD drives, an optional Blu-ray drive and a screen that's probably larger than your mother's desktop LCD. And by that, we mean 18.4-inches with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. If you're down with lugging around this beast, you can get one headed your way provided you've got at least $2,999 you're willing to see off.
Alienware's M17X gaming laptop with twin GTX 280M GPUs truly is all powerful
The announcement wasn't scheduled for a few more days -- four according to the teaser site -- but it looks like Alienware's All Powerful gaming laptop has been set free anyway. So, does it live up to the clues? Pretty much... how does a pair of 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPUs strike you? No Core i7 listed, instead we're looking at a Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPU at the top end with up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and 1TB of 7200-rpm disk or a 512GB SSD if you prefer. RAID 1 or RAID 0? Sure. Rounding things out is a nine-cell battery of unstated performance, FireWire, 4x USB, eSATA, ExpressCard, 802.11n WiFi, 8-in-1 media card reader, dual-layer Blu-ray, a 1920 x 1200 pixel edge-to-edge LCD, DisplayPort and HDMI-outs all wrapped up in a massive chassis weighing 11.68-pounds with a 15.98 x 12.65 x 2.11-inch footprint. It's also packing a GeForce 9400M G1 GPU with HybridPower technology that allows you to scale the graphics back to conserve battery power. Prices start at $1,799 for a lot less than we mentioned above.As a footnote to the details above, PCWorld also says that Alienware will use next week's E3 show to update us on its 42.8-inch curved monitor we went hands-on with back in January of 2008. [Thanks, Steve]
Eazo's Z70 wooden PC looks uncommonly natural, expensive
If Eazo's ultra-dark X70 was just too rich for your blood, we have all ideas the Z70 will really be out of reach. This luxurious tower -- coated in some sort of exotic rosewood and presumably sourced from the same jungle as Odeon's Sex Panther cologne -- includes a Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processor and lots of other components that we simply aren't privy too. The good news is that the internal water cooling system should prevent said CPU from lighting the wood on fire; the bad news is that a spill could eventually cause severe decomposition. You can't win for losin', can ya?[Via BornRich]
Toshiba's three-GPU Qosmio X305-Q708 / Q706 laptops now available
Given that you've surely got rafts of free cash to burn through right now, we know you're eager beyond belief to drop north of four large on a new gaming notebook. To that end, we're utterly thrilled to announce that Toshiba's Qosmio X305-Q708 (starts at $4,199, goes to just under infinity) is available for purchase direct from the company. If that just seems downright insane to you, the three-GPU X305-Q706 is also available now for "just" $1,999.99. The big ticket inclusion here? An NVIDIA GeForce 9400M paired with two GeForce 9800 GTS GPUs. Or, enough to make Crysis weep.
Toshiba gets serious with $4k Qosmio X305-Q708 gaming laptop
Look out, Alienware / Voodoo -- a formidable opponent just rolled in, and it appears that some prankster stuck a Toshiba logo on whatever machine is hiding underneath. All jesting aside, Tosh is revamping its -- shall we say, vivid -- Qosmio X305 by introducing the Qosmio X305-Q708, which houses a potent Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD, 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive, dual-layer DVD writer, twin NVIDIA 512MB GeForce 9800M GTS graphics cards, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Windows Vista Ultimate. You'll also find a full-sized keyboard with a ten-key number pad, four Harman Kardon speakers, HDMI / DisplayPort connectors, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Wireless USB / USB Sleep-and-Charge technologies and a 17-inch TruBrite LCD (though resolution remains a mystery). It should be available any moment for around $4,199.99, but we'd factor in a few extra hundies to have Colorware blot out the putrid "fiery Fusion" finish (seen better after the break).
Hardcore Computer bringing oil submersion cooling to the masses
Dousing your gaming rig in oil is a technique we've seen from custom shops before, but not quite like the offerings from Minnesota-based start-up Hardcore Computer. Its Reactor line of submerged gaming rigs, shipping to real, live customers in about a month, use custom enclosures to dunk everything from the CPU to the SSDs in a blue-dyed, non-conductive concoction that we hope is mineral oil (it doesn't break down and go rancid like canola). A pump circulates the liquid through a side-mounted radiator for cooling while all the wet components slide out of the top for potentially mess-free maintenance. You can get your choice of Core 2 Extreme processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and even three GeForce GTX 280 GPUs stacked right on top of each other if you have the bank. Prices start at about $4,500, which isn't as bad for a crazy setup like this, with a well-spec'd, triple-SLI machine coming in just under $10k. We'd certainly call that hardcore -- despite the gushy center.Update: It looks like Maximum PC spent some time soaking in this one and posted some early impressions and a bunch more pics. As it turns out the goo inside isn't blue after all; it's just lit-up that way. [Thanks, Havok and Jamie]
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.
ASUS ARES CG6155 gaming PC: 4.0GHz QX9650, GeForce GTX280, bragging rights
What's that, Acer? Your vicious Predator not feel so dominant now? ASUS just dropped a bombshell with the official release of the ARES CG6150 that first surfaced at CeBIT, and for gamers who accept nothing less than cutting edge, this is your rig. From the top, we've got an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (overclockable to 4.0GHz) processor, NVIDIA's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 3-way SLI setup with GeForce GTX280s, up to 4TB of HDD space, a Blu-ray optical drive, twin gigabit Ethernet jacks, two power supplies and a custom liquid cooling arrangement. ASUS is being tight-lipped (as usual) with pricing / release information, but let's just assume you'll need a serious stack of Benjamins to even sniff this beast.
Alienware relaunches Area-51 ALX desktop with overclocked 4GHz QX9770
Hold onto your frame rates folks, as Alienware has just relaunched its more-potent-than-ever Area-51 ALX desktop. The bona fide gaming rig packs a 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9770, but rather than being satisfied with Intel's work, this thing comes overclocked to 4GHz -- it's "maximum stable output." As expected, you'll find the outfit's own High-Performance Liquid Cooling solution to keep things from turning into molten hot lava, and you'll also have your choice of twin NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GPUs or an ATI CrossFireX configuration with dual ATI Radeon 3870 X2 cards. Furthermore, you'll notice 4GB of DDR3 RAM, dual Ethernet ports, an optional Blu-ray burner, oodles of hard drive space and all the other high-end niceties you've come to expect from the company. Only problem? The $5,549 starting price that comes along with the 4GHz CPU and required 1,200-watt PSU.
Intel reveals plans for quad-core laptop CPUs
It looks like your favorite lap burner will get all quad-ified this year, thanks to the folks at Intel, and a little something we call "enthusiast pressure." The hot-to-the-touch CPU rumor mill claims that we'll see the quad-core, 45nm QX9300 hit the scene after the Centrino 2 (aka Montevina) chips are launched in the second quarter of the year. The general feeling is that the quad-equipped laptops will primarily be heavier, desktop-replacement systems, as the Core 2 Extreme processors are still fairly power hungry. If you haven't already fallen off the edge of your seat, you have our congratulations.
Intel's quad-core QX9300 laptop CPU in Q3?
Check it high-enders. DigiTimes has been milking their Taiwanese motherboard sources for information about Intel's laptop-class, Core 2 Extreme QX9300 processor. They've come away with a Q3 ship date and price of $1,038 when purchasing the quad-core proc in bulk. Digitimes' own sources had originally pegged the QX9300 for a May release. But such is the life of the muckraker.
Foxconn's Extreme Overclocking setup is actually rather extreme
We've seen some overclockers go to pretty great lengths to keep those chips cool while they crank up the GHz, but Foxconn's demonstration at the company's CeBIT booth is really a sight to behold. They appear to be using copious amounts of liquid nitrogen, along with other black magicks, to boost a Core 2 Extreme processor almost past the 6GHz mark. We're a little short on specifics, but this setup was certainly hot, and by hot we mean cold.%Gallery-17559%
Vigor's Colossus gets you close to Skulltrail, bankruptcy
We're not going to set this one up with some creepy bedtime story like Vigor does on its own website, but seriously, this beast is kind of scary. The aptly-dubbed Colossus houses Intel's Skulltrail platform along with two Core 2 Extreme QX9775 quad-core processors, and that's just the beginning. You'll also find a menacing (albeit somewhat unsightly) chassis, a 1,000-watt PSU, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, twin 74GB Raptor hard drives, 2TB of storage on a pair of RAIDed SATA HDDs, dual 512MB GeForce 8800 GTS Xtremes, a dual-layer DVD burner (skimp much?) and a 3.5-inch floppy drive for loading up your tax template from 1998. As you can probably surmise, this one won't run you cheap, so we'll leave it to you to decide if forking out a small fortune $6,799 is worth it.[Thanks, Zee]
Intel gets official with Skulltrail, gives it an incredibly dull name
We actually thought Skulltrail was a pretty slick name for a gaming platform, but it looks like the suits at Intel were afraid of having too much fun -- say hello to the "Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform." Yep, it's official, just announced at GDC. Based on the new $649 D5400XS mobo and a pair of $1,499 3.2GHz QX9775 Core 2 Extreme chips, Intel says prototype machines have been the fastest ever tested, with 3DMark06 scores of 6481 and Cinebench 10 scores of 20,160 when configured with a pair of CrossFire'd ATI Radeon HD 3870 cards -- but don't fret, the platform also supports NVIDIA SLI cards. It looks like a variety of high-end system builders will be shipping Skulltrail (sorry, that's what we're calling it) machines over the next 30 days, including Falcon Northwest, Voodoo, and Velocity Micro -- better start saving those pennies.
HP's revamped Pavilion HDX monster now on sale
You've read about it, you've heard about it and you've even seen its ghost sneaking out from your closet at night, but now you can finally buy this beast of a machine with its all new hardware. The Pavilion HDX -- which stretches the very definition of a laptop -- is available right now at HP's website, complete with an optional (but really required, you know?) 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, 20.1-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) display, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS and optional HD DVD / Blu-ray drives. Sure, you can claim one as your own for "just" $1,999.99, but HP's "recommended configuration" puts you at $3,645.97. You gotta pay to play, right?[Thanks Vance and Andrew]
CineMagix Grand Theater Entertainment System pops out from Velocity Micro
In addition to their new desktops and notebook, made-to-order honchos Velocity Micro are also throwing a little love to your living room with the CineMagix Grand Theater Entertainment System. Powered by your choice of Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad or Extreme processors, the unit features CableCARD support, optional dual digital cable tuners, optical 7.1 surround sound and system design by the Dolby Home Theater crew. Add storage to taste and centralize your media bits HD and otherwise starting at $2095 come February 4 of this year.
Velocity Micro intros new gaming, desktop and notebook lines
Custom manufacturer Velocity Micro brought some new goodies to CES, including a brace of gaming PCs, a mid-range desktop, and configurable notebook. The Raptor Signature Ultimate Gaming line (pictured, left) takes approximately 5995 of your hard earned smackers (depending on config) in exchange for a personal blessing by Velocity founder Randy Copeland and some actual functionality in the form of Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and quad 3.0GHz cores. The Edge M40 system (pictured, right) is billed for those "beyond casual gaming," so if you're beyond Peggle but not quite ready to call yourself a hardcore gamer, this could have your name on it. The Edge M40 is built on AMD's new Spider platform and sports AMD Phenom processors and your choice of ATI or nVidia motherboard, starting around $2000 with plenty of options for the tinkerers amongst you. For those still mired in casual gaming, the mid-range Vector Z20 might be your ticket starting at $899, or perhaps the $1499 and up NoteMagix C90 Ultra notebook for some Puzzle Pirates action on the road. Street dates vary on these but all will be rolling out within the next month.
Intel's QX9770 quad-core to blow away competition in Q1
Want to see what AMD is up against come Q1? You're looking at it, the 3.2GHz, quad-core, QX9770 Core 2 Extreme processor from Intel. Like Intel's current headliner -- the QX9650 -- we're talking 45-nm Yorkfield class silicon here with 1600MHz front side bus and 12MB L2 cache. HotHardware got their hands on the proc a bit early and call it the fastest quad-core processor they've ever tested, "bar none." Generally speaking, they found it to be about 5 - 8% faster than the QX9650. As you can see from the graph up there, it easily smokes the $300 Phenom 9700 and the $350 2.6GHz Phenom 9900 (both due in Q1) likely won't fare much better. Just keep in mind that Intel's top-performer will cost you around $1,200 by the time it pops in Q1. Somehow, we don't think that's going dissuade any Crysis gamers out there.
Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX9650 review roundup confirms the 45nm Penryn hype
Intel's first 45-nm processors have just rolled off the assembly line in the form of the quad-core QX9650 desktop CPU. This 3.0GHz Yorkfield-class proc based on Intel's Penryn microarchitecture brings a 1,333MHz front side bus to Intel's Core 2 Extreme family of processors. Sounds a lot like Intel's 65-nm 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6850 Kentsfield-class processor launched in July, eh? Not so. According to benchmarks already announced by Bit-tech, Hot Hardware, PC Perspective, and more, the new processors are smokin' fast while consuming "much less" power in the process. With final thoughts like, "the new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is simply the fastest processor for gaming, media encoding and just about anything else you could do on your PC," really, what else does the average consumer need to know? Overclockers, silencers, and enthusiasts: these links are for you:[Via I4U News] Read -- PC World review Read -- Hot Hardware review Read -- Bit-tech review Read -- PC Perspective review
Dell intros X38-based Precision T3400 desktop
Looks like Shuttle isn't the only desktop maker cranking out a new X38-based rig in the past 24 or so hours, as Dell is also introducing one of its own in the Precision T3400. Not diminutive by any stretch of the imagination, this workhorse can be equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme processor, up to 8GB of 800MHz EEC memory, as many as four internal hard drives, your choice of NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards, dual optical drives and a front-mounted multicard reader to boot. Dell states that the new machine is available worldwide and starts at around $1,000.
