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Toshiba Portege M780 marries Core i7 with tablet ergonomics, goes official
What would we ever do without our eagle-eyed readers? Bob has spotted the above M780 tablet PC from Toshiba (which we first heard of a couple of weeks ago) on the company's official site, though its product page has yet to be linked to from any of the home pages. So it's official, but sort of prematurely so. Browsing through the spec sheet, this update to the M750 seems to lack for nothing, as its maxed out variant (priced at $1,799) offers a 2.66GHz Core i7-620M, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 7200RPM 320GB hard drive. Okay, you could stand to upgrade those integrated graphics perhaps, but it's a potent package nonetheless. It's also interesting to see these 12-inch convertible tablets maturing to the point of offering viable workstation performance, as the M780 is joined by Lenovo's ThinkPad X201T and Fujitsu's upcoming tablet in offering Intel's finest and fastest dual-core processor inside. [Thanks, Bob] Update: Toshiba has completed the ceremonies of officialdom now, with a full press release, which also notes the addition of a multitouch panel to the Satellite Pro U500.
Pentium 4 takes on modern CPUs in a benchmarking showdown, suffers ignominious defeat
If there's one thing that bugs us about desktop component reviews, it's that they tend to compare the latest hardware against the stuff immediately preceding it. Everyone wants to know what the improvements between generations are, but for many it's also equally useful to know how 2010's freshness compares to their own computers, which might have been bought or built a few years back. For those precious prospective upgraders, Tech Report have put together an extremely thorough benchmarking session which compares the venerable Pentium 4 670 and its silly 3.8GHz clock speed to a pair of new budget parts: the Core i3-530 from Intel and quad-core Athlon II X4 635 from AMD. Naturally, they've also included other contemporary parts like the high-end Core i7s and Phenoms, as well as a Core 2 Quad Q6600 from a couple of years ago to bridge the gap between the ancient 90nm Prescott and the 32nm young pretenders. It's all quite fascinating in the geekiest (and therefore best) of ways, so why not hit that source link and get reading.
ThinkPad X201's official maintenance manual reveals new models' specs
That X series refresh we've been waiting on from Lenovo seems to have become imminent as the company's website has published the latest version of its maintenance manual, which now includes the models X201, X201s, X201i and X201si. The X201 will come with Intel CPU options ranging all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M -- a true powerhouse with 4MB of cache that is already available on T410 and T510 models -- while the slimmer X201s will plump for the lower-volted Core i7-640LM, clocked at a reputable 2.13GHz but also consuming 10W less power than its chunkier sibling. The X201i and X201si will likely prop up the pseudo-affordable part of Lenovo's range with Core i3-330M parts. And oh yes, touchpads are now an option -- not being excited about this upgrade, however, is not.
Acer developing 'ace in the hole' ultrathin, putting MacBook Air on notice
Acer was perhaps the biggest believer in Intel's Core 2 Duo ULV processors, with its Timeline range running almost exclusively on Intel's lower voltage parts, so it's no surprise to hear that the Taiwanese vendor is investing heavily again in Intel's 2010 ULV variants. We're talking Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs here, so performance should get a nice boost, but the best news is confirmation of something we'd heard earlier: the final product's profile will be an aggressively svelte 1.9cm (0.7 inches) in thickness, which will match the headline feature of Apple's MacBook Air. The plan is to launch "this year," and indications are that this hero machine will figure heavily in Acer's push to oust HP from the top spot in global laptop shipments. To say that we're looking forward to it might be an understatement.
HP slips out stylish, Core i3-based G62t laptop
It may be in the same family as HP's budget-minded G60 laptop, but the company's new G62t model has more in company with the high-end Envy 15 in terms of appearance, and that's certainly alright with us. Equally respectable are the laptop's specs, which include a standard Core i3 processor (upgradable to Core i5 or i7), 3GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 15.6-inch LED-backlit display, and a DVD burner (upgradable to Blu-ray if you like). The biggest downside is the non-upgradeable integrated Intel HD graphics -- but with a starting price of $699 (and plenty of HP coupons floating around), we're guessing plenty of folks will be willing to accept that slight drawback. [Thanks, Thai Tan]
Lenovo names T410i, T410si, and T510i ThinkPads in honor of Core i3-330M inside
Hey everybody, new ThinkPads! Lenovo seems hellbent on crushing its reputation for pricey hardware -- while presumably maintaining the related renown for rugged reliability -- and today it's snuck out a set of new i-appended variants of its flagship T series laptops. The T410i, T410si and T510i come equipped with the budget-friendly Core i3-330M CPU from Intel, which runs at 2.13GHz, alongside otherwise typical specs. Memory goes from 2GB to 8GB of DDR3, two megapixel webcams come as standard, and fingerprint sensors can be tacked on as well. Even more friendly to businesses on a shoestring is the option for Windows XP pre-installations on the T410i and T510i. Prices are not yet available, but the whole trio should be coming out by the end of this month, so not long to wait now. [Thanks, Peter]
HP's 8440 and 8540 EliteBooks ready to ship with Core i7 inside
HP promised us a mobile workstation refresh in February, and sure enough, today we are staring down the retail pages for its quartet of upgraded business laptops. The new top of the line EliteBook models come in 14- (8440p/w) and 15.6-inch (8540p/w) varieties, with the w-appended models sporting appropriately beefed up NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics with up to 1GB of dedicated GDDR5. If you want to grab one for under a grand, you'll have to make do with the reasonably powerful Core i5-520M / 2GB DDR3 RAM combo, but we're most excited by the future customization options, which include a low-voltage Core i7-820QM CPU with 8MB of internal cache, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB in SSD storage. Course, we can't put prices to these spectacular beasts just yet, as HP is still only offering preconfigured rigs, but we think it'll be less than five figures. [Thanks, Jared]
Gateway's FX series desktops revamped, SX / DX series find solace in Core i3 and i5
In the market for new desktop machinery? Gateway's gone ahead and given its gaming-centric FX series a facelift for the new year -- nothing Alienware-esque crazy, but we do like the accessible ports up top, right next to the control dial for LED-infused lighting effects. Enough about the superficial, let's go inside: a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 processor, ATI Radeon HD5850 with 1GB discrete memory, 1.5TB HDD with additional expansion bays, up to 16GB RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, and a $1,299 starting price. There's a 16x DVD drive, and if you don't mind forking over a little extra, you can get a separate 4x BD-ROM drive. As for the rest of the lineup, while still donning old skin, the SX series has been boosted by a 2.93GHz Core i3 processor, and the DX series a 3.2GHz Core i5 and that 4x BD-ROM drive. You know the drill by now: FX glamor shots below, press release just after the break. %Gallery-84531%
MSI's new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops put Intel's new processors to good, workaday use
Smell that? That's a smell of a real man's budget computer, doing real manly things like task processing and pixel churning. MSI's new CX420, CR420 and CR720 laptops aren't much for looks, but under the hood you can find new-gen Core i Series processors across the board and ATI Radeon HD5470 graphics in the CX420 (pictured). Sure, there's only Intel integrated HD graphics in the CR420 and CR720, and the 1366 x 768 14-inch displays in the CX420 / CR420 are a bit of a letdown, but knowing MSI we're sure the prices for this trio will more than make up for any mild disappointments on the spec sheet. Hit up the PR for the full breakdown, but there's no release date to be found just yet.
AMD and Intel's six-core CPU plans revealed by mobo makers
You have to love DigiTimes and those loquacious sources it seems to keep finding. The latest word from the Taiwanese grapevine suggests that both Intel and AMD will be bringing out six-core CPUs to the consumer market by the middle of this year. We're using the term "consumer" rather loosely here as Intel's first Gulftown chip is expected to be priced north of $1,000. The Core i7-980X is slated for a March release, which just fits inside the Q1 window that earlier rumors had suggested. If you butter your bread on the AMD side, you'll have to wait a while longer as those 45nm Thuban chips -- hereafter to be known as the Phenom II X6 1000T series -- won't be landing until at least May. The usual caution when dealing with anonymous sources is advisable, but this sounds like a roadmap with a high likelihood of being accurate.
Netgear's Push2TV wireless TV adapter caught nonchalantly hanging out in the wild
Interested in getting prepared for all your Wireless Display (WiDi) needs? Looks like Netgear's Push2TV wireless TV adapter is already on the shelves of at least one Best Buy, right in front of a $99 price tag that matches the press release from before. The back of the box photo, seen after the break, doesn't shed any new light on the device. Unless you're really into (near term) future proofing of your wireless display needs, it might be best to wait for a few more options when it comes to fancy-schmancy new compatible machines. [Thanks, Colin]
Netgear's Push2TV wireless TV adapter gets official, decidedly Intel only
Streaming content to your TV from a laptop is a wonderful thing, but doing it usually entails perching it precariously on your home entertainment center and fishing for that HDMI cable that's inevitably fallen back behind your TV. No fun. Netgear's Push2TV will get your video to the TV and keep your posterior on the couch, as predicted when it hit the FCC last week. The video signal is captured on the machine and then sent wirelessly to the device, which connects to your gear via HDMI or composite. Unfortunately we don't know what kind of resolutions or audio signals will be supported yet, but it's based on Intel's WiDi technology, so that means a member of the 2010 Intel Core family will be required. Bought yourself a hot new lappy just before the tax year ended? You're probably out of luck. We are too, if that makes you feel any better. PR after the break.
