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Maingear outfits desktops with GeForce GTX 650 and 660, drops prices to lure us in
Whenever there's a new video card or processor, Maingear is almost always on the scene with an upgrade -- sometimes within seconds of its hardware partners. A plan to use NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 650 and 660 graphics chips from day one proves that rule in style, although Maingear is going the distance with some incentives beyond just shiny parts. Along with making the mid-tier GeForce technology an option for every desktop, the PC builder is offering special GTX 650 and 660 versions of its F131 and Potenza gaming rigs that knock as much as $150 off the price. The base prices of $949 for the limited-run Potenza and $1,199 for the F131 keep either system in serious gamer territory and preclude us from calling them tremendous bargains. Nonetheless, it's difficult to grouse very loudly: it's not often that a price drop and a hardware upgrade walk hand in hand.
Fujitsu starts build-it-yourself PC service, lets you go homebrew without the electrical shocks
Big PC companies are often seen as being at odds with the concept of custom-built computers: apart from letting us tick a few checkboxes before we order, they'd rather we not fiddle with the internals. Fujitsu is breaking the mold and embracing some of that DIY culture with its upcoming Hands-on Custom PC Assembly Service. The Japanese can take classes that teach them how to install their picks (from a limited range) of processors, hard drives and RAM. While the program doesn't start completely from scratch -- the motherboard is already installed -- it takes would-be assemblers through many of the experiences of building their own PCs from the ground up. Builders can choose how many components, if they're not quite so ambitious, and learn smart practices like wearing anti-static wristbands. While there won't be as many unintentional jolts of electricity as the real deal, the courses should help PC owners feel comfortable working inside a computer -- not to mention save Fujitsu a few technical support calls. The variable-price courses start in Japan on August 9th for multiple Esprimo desktops and a LifeBook portable. We can only hope that American PC vendors take a few hints and encourage everyone's inner technician.
An early look at Ivy Bridge motherboards: or, the side order without the main
Ssshh. Ivy Bridge is officially still a mystery, remember? Nevertheless, through some quirk of chronology, the accompanying Z77 chipset for motherboards has already been announced. If there's a reason for this early entrance, it's probably because Z77 is backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge, which means that the latest crop of motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, Intel and MSI can be considered fully-fledged products in their own right. Well, kind of, anyway. In reality, some of the key selling points of Z77 won't get activated until you clamp on Ivy Bridge silicon -- including PCIe 3.0 support (hitherto only found on X79 big-momma-boards), so the real testing can't begin in earnest until the new kid arrives. With that caveat out of the way, read on for a quick review round-up.
DarwinMachine Type 339 is an anti-boxism statement, and also a PC
Architect and racecar designer Matthew Kim gets much respect for his messed-up PC builds and now he's had a go at the 9-inch-cubed small form factor. The DarwinMachine Type 339 is perhaps less wacky than the Hammerhead, but its chassis exploits the same premium combo of semi-translucent eco-resin and CNC aircraft aluminum and comes with Kim's usual life-time warranty. The internals are decent enough for home theatre or a spot of gaming: a Core i5-2400S alongside a Radeon HD 6570, 4GB, 40GB SSD and 1TB HDD, but ultimately that $1999.00 price tag is all about the (hopefully dimmable) aesthetics. %Gallery-140363%
VIA's ARTiGO 1150: a $265 barebones nettop with big potential (video)
That VE-900 mini-ITX kit still too big for you, eh? Then check out VIA's latest pico-ITX alternative: the ARTiGO 1150 DIY nettop. It improves on last year's 1100 model with a dual-core Eden X2 processor clocked at 1GHz and a VX900H media system processor for accelerated decoding of video up to 1080p. The palm-sized chassis houses the usual HDMI and VGA outputs, gigabit Ethernet and four USB 2.0 host ports, while also leaving just enough room for you to install up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, one 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD, plus optional WiFi and SD card reader modules. We've found the 1150 selling for $265, which strikes us as appropriately diminutive, but there's a promo video and press release after the break to help you weigh it up for yourself.
Intel Core i7-990X stealthily hits shelves, Origin PC overclocks one to a lap-melting 4.6GHz
These days it's less about the megahertz and more about the cores, but custom PC maker Origin isn't leaving either benchmark untouched. It's taken the as-yet-unannounced six-core, 3.46GHz Intel Core i7-990X processor and pushed it up to 4.6GHz -- a full 200 hertz more than the company's previous hotness, a 4.4GHZ Core i7-980X. The 990X is now available in the company's desktops as well as the EON-17 laptop -- which is honestly pushing the boundaries of lapablity. Think you can do better than that -- say, with a little LN2? You'll find the Core i7-990X at the likes of Mwave and Newegg for what we're sure is a perfectly reasonable $1,050 right now. [Thanks, Travis]
Fractal Design's Define Mini custom PC case ditches LEDs for style
As anyone who's shopped around for a custom PC case knows, the options are virtually endless -- but it's a bit of a different story if you're looking to keep things as sleek and simple as possible. Thankfully, the folks at Fractal Design have now provided one more option for the more modestly-inclined folks out there in the form of their new Define Mini case, which is a Micro ATX version of their larger Define R2 and R3 cases. As you can see above, it's suitably monolith-like, and it doesn't come with too many compromises in terms of specs -- in fact, you'll actually get a generous six HDD trays among all the usual accommodations. No word on a price just yet, but we're guessing it won't demand too much of a premium if the company's other Define cases are any indication.
Origin's Eon15 gaming laptop offers less bang, saves more buck
While some high-profile custom PC vendors are on their way out, Origin PC is just getting started. The company recently launched the Genesis, a desktop that melts gamers' faces at the same time it incinerates their wallets, and the Eon18, a laptop that... honestly does just the same. Come to think of it, flame seems to be a recurring theme for the company, but before you work yourself into a burning hot rage because of your inability to afford Origin product, consider the new Eon15. With only room for a single powerful mobile graphics chip and a single storage drive, it won't be setting new 3DMark or I/O benchmarks like its cousins, but it will let you get away with a 1080p screen, Core i7-820QM processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a GeForce GTX 285M and even a snazzy paint job for a merely painful, rather than excruciating, price. Configurations start at $1,900 -- hey, it's not like you were gonna be using those paychecks for anything else, right?
Hypersonic-PC powers down for the last time
In 1997, Hypersonic joined the likes of Voodoo, AlienWare and Falcon Northwest in the gamble that gamers would buy what were then gut-wrenchingly expensive (think $10,000) custom PCs. Ten years later, it was gobbled up by memory manufacturer OCZ, and soon came to our attention for selling a chic, tiny, but somehow nicely specced 12.1-inch laptop. Today, the company is no more. The Hypersonic website reads that the firm is no longer accepting orders, and Techgage -- speaking to OCZ's chief marketing office Alex Mei -- reports that while OCZ will honor all warranties, the company is ceasing marketing and sales support for the Hypersonic brand. Sad, yes, but at least it's one fewer temptation to lure us extreme gamers into bankruptcy.
Windows 7 to ship early from custom PC makers
Oh boy, we're getting close, eh? The October 22nd retail launch of Windows 7 is just around the corner. But if that's too late then you can get a new system nine days early through smaller custom PC makers. Apparently, Microsoft has given the green light for smaller system builders to begin selling their Windows 7 PCs just as soon as they get their product keys. That magic is set to begin as early as October 13th. A loophole that little Puget Systems in Washington state is more than happy to flaunt on its website (pictured above). So why not take a trip down to the strip mall and spread the wealth around the local community -- you might be rewarded with a custom-built Win7 PC to go with that new Indian Summer scrapbook kit and yarn sampler. Imagine the bragging you could do at all those parties. [Thanks, Sammy]
Suissa Computers offers up custom wooden PCs
What better to match up with that legnatile wood notebook and elm mousepad than a stay-at-home desktop counterpart that wraps nature's best around the sweetest components available? Suissa Computers is targeting the anti-treehugger in us all by offering up a lineup of custom made PCs geared specifically for gaming, entertainment, or home office use. Sporting unconventional, artsy designs, these computers can be encased in a myriad of woods including maple, walnut, oak, goncalo alves, lacewood, leopardwood, paduak, mahogany, zebrawood or purpleheart. Hidden within is an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ / 5000+ dual-core CPU, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, nVidia GeForce 7900 / 7950 graphics card, 600 watt power supply, liquid cooling system, and essentially any other option your mind can envision (and wallet can afford). Each model is only replicated 100 times, when it's then replaced by another freshly-chopped design, so if you see a flavor you dig (and have the $6,150+ to cover the cost of ownership), you should probably snap one up before it hits Suissa's endangered species list.[Via CNET]
