desktoppc
Latest
Dell packs Intel's Lynnfield CPUs into Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 desktops
With the introduction of new Intel CPUs comes the introduction of new rigs, and you can bet that Dell has been champing at the bit to unveil these two beauties. The new Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 machines are amongst the first from the Round Rock powerhouse to include Intel's minty fresh Core i5 and Core i7 processors, with the 8000 aimed squarely at mid-range users who'd prefer a smaller case. Both rigs can be equipped with some pretty decent innards, with up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, room for dual internal hard drives, eight USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, 350W power supply and an optional TV tuner available. Graphics cards from ATI and NVIDIA are also available (ATI's HD 3450; NVIDIA's GT220, GTS240 and GTX260), and if you're really feeling crazy, a Blu-ray drive can also be slotted in. Both rigs can be ordered up today, with the 8000 starting at $799 and the 9000 requiring at least $1,999 to bring home.
Acer rolls out ASM5800, ASM3202, ASX5810 desktop PCs
Sure, Acer's newly-refreshed Predator gaming rig is all well and good if you like your PCs orange and menacing, but less adventuresome folks need PCs too, and Acer's more than happy to cater to them as well with a range of decidedly more understated offerings. New on that front is the company's just-announced ASM5800 (pictured above) and ASM3202 models, the former of which packs your choice of Intel Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom II X4 processors, 4GB to 8GB of RAM, 750GB or 1TB hard drives, and ATI Radeon HD 4650 or NVIDIA GeForce GT 230 graphics, while the later is an AMD-only affair with a Phenom II X4 925 processor, ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics, 2GB to 8GB of RAM, and a 640GB or 750GB hard drive. Rounding out the lot is Acer's slightly slimmer ASX5810 Aspire X PC (pictured after the break), which offers up a Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, GeForce 120 graphics, and a bundled 20-inch LCD. No word on a release 'round here just yet, but all three will be available in Japan by next week for between 69,800 and 139,800 (or about $730 to $1,460).Read - Akihabara News, "ASM5800 & ASM3202: New Desktop PC from Acer"Read - Akihabara News, "ASX5810: New Acer Aspire X Available Next Week"
Packard Bell debuts updated ixtreme desktop PC
Packard Bell already rolled out its updated line of imedia desktop PCs earlier this month, and it's now done the same with its higher-end "ixtreme" desktop, which gets some upgraded specs and a sleek new look. While that exterior is certainly a step up for Packard Bell, it's not quite as eye-catching as the specs, which include your choice of Core i7, Core 2 Quad, or AMD Phenom II X4 processors, up to 12GB of DDR3 memory, a max 3TB of storage space, your choice of a few NVIDIA graphics options (including the 1GB GeForce GTS 250), an optional Blu-ray combo drive, and ten USB ports for anything that won't fit inside. No word on a release 'round here, of course, but folks in the UK will be able to pick this one up this month with a starting price of £599 (or just under $1,000).[Via Randomly Accessed, thanks Steve]
Sony's VAIO R Master splits the tower
Come young grasshopper, it's time to meet the Sony VAIO R Master. Now, instead of looming over your desktop as a giant tower of yore, Sony has wisely spilt the VAIO R's innards into two smaller slabs connected via some USB/PCI Express magic. This allows you to arrange the clutter to your liking with up to 1.8-meters (about 6-feet) of tethered separation. The smaller of the boxes contains the most frequently accessed components such as BD drive and various memory card, USB, and Firewire slots while the fatter base holds the rest of the computing guts configurable with up to 4x 500GB SATA disks, a 2.96GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU, 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT graphics, a suite of analog and digital TV tuners, up to 3GB DDR2 RAM and plenty of PCI/PCI Express expansion slots to get you through a couple of product release cycles. All that and a bundled 24-inch, 1920x1200 pixel LCD connected over one of the base unit's two DVI outputs, one of which is HDCP-enabled, and plenty of software from Adobe and Sony to make the most of this multimedia powerhouse. And if you're quick, you can snatch the new R from the hand of Sony Japan starting October 28th for ¥192,000 (roughly $1,632) or more than ¥555,000 (about $4,717) fully equipped.[Via Impress]
