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Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs 'em with updated internals
If you've been hunting for a new Windows 7 gaming rig, we've got good news: Maingear's just stepped up its line of Vybe desktops and it sure looks appetizing. Like before, there's a trio of pre-fabricated variants, but the goodies are now packed within a redesigned shell finished in black or white (SE and SS models only). The $949 Vybe S starts things off admirably with an overclocked 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 2310 rated at 3.3GHz (capable of turbo-boosting to 3.7GHz). It's further loaded with a 1GB NVIDIA GTS 450 GPU, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB 7,200RPM HDD, 7-in-1 card reader, 7.1 surround sound support and a 24x DVD burner that's all hooked into a USB 3.0 / SATA 6G Intel DP67BA motherboard. The $1,129 SE spices things up with an overclocked i5 2500 rated at 3.7GHz (boosting up to 4.1GHz) and a 1GB GTX 560 GPU that's connected to an SSD-toting Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 motherboard. Lastly, there's the $1,699 Vybe SS for those who like their noob-slaying experience with extra picante. It's packing an overclocked and water-cooled 4.5GHz+ Core i7 2600K, a duo of those GTX 560 GPUs and 8GB of RAM to make sure you won't experience any hang-ups running Crysis. You can opt to customize the SE and SS rigs with more powerful parts, although you'll be waiting a bit longer for shipping. You'll find details at the source and healthy serving of eye candy in the gallery below. %Gallery-132803%
Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching
It's been a while since we last laid eyes on Maingear's fine looking Clutch-15, and while it's still rocking that sexy exterior, the latest iteration has a little surprise for you under the hood. With the recent addition of NVIDIA's graphics switching Optimus technology, this portable's bringing the juice -- battery juice, that is. Aside from that, things look mostly the same, inside and out; you've still got your pick of Intel Core i3 or i5 CPUs, a 750GB HDD or 512GB SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and the same (still disappointing) WXGA display. This go 'round, however, the dedicated graphics have been bumped up a touch with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 525M GPU (1GB). If automated graphics switching is your thing, you can get your custom laptop on at the source link starting at $1,030. Full PR after the break.
Maingear throws Sandy Bridge, GTX 485M into eX-L 15 laptop
Here's hoping you don't mind having your existing laptop made antiquated by this one. Just months after Maingear introduced its Clutch-15 and Alt-15 machines, along comes yet another 15.6-incher... and this one's claiming to be the world's fastest in its category. The eX-L 15 packs a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution (with glossy or matte options!), a variety of new Sandy Bridge chips (with the Core i7 2920XM capping things off), NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460M (1.5GB) / GTX 485M (2GB), up to 16GB of DDR3-1333 memory, a 2x Blu-ray reader, HDMI / DVI outputs, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports and a pair of USB 2.0 sockets to round things off. The starting tag of $1,579 certainly isn't easy to swallow, but where else are you getting a powerhouse like this with a Full HD matte display? Exactly.
Maingear targets mid-range PC gamers with Alt-15 and Alt-17 laptops
Just a month after pushing out a smaller duo of gaming laptops, Maingear has now revealed an entirely new line catering to mid-range gamers. The Alt-15 and Alt-17 both start right around the magical $1,000 point, and moreover, both rely on NVIDIA's graphics-switching Optimus technology to conserve battery life when you don't need the GPU pegged. The Alt-15 is a 15.6-incher with a Core i5 or Core i7 Mobile processor, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 425M (1GB), up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, an optional Blu-ray drive, your choice of an HDD or SSD, Windows 7, a fingerprint reader, HDMI / VGA outputs, a USB 3.0 socket (plus a trio of USB 2.0 sockets) and a $1,049 base price. The bigger, beefier Alt-17 gets away with a 17.3-inch LCD (1080p) and most of the same specifications as listed above, though you'll see a starting tag that's $50 more. Hit the links below if you're up for a little customization.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 detailed: 512 CUDA cores, 1.5GB of GDDR5 on 'world's fastest DX 11 GPU' (update: video!)
It might not be November 9 all around the world yet, but NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580 has already had its spec sheet dished out to the world, courtesy of CyberPower's seemingly early announcement. The new chip will offer a 772MHz clock speed, 512 processing cores, and a 192.4GBps memory bandwidth, courtesy of 1.5GB of GDDR5 clocked at an effective rate of 4GHz. CyberPower is strapping this beast into its finest rigs, and for additional overkill it'll let you SLI up to three of them within one hot and steamy case. Now let's just wait patiently for midnight to roll around and see what the reviewers thought of NVIDIA's next big thing. Update: CRN has a $499 price for us and a recital of NVIDIA's internal estimate that the GTX 580 bests the GTX 480 by between 20 and 35 percent. It seems, however, that the embargo for this hot new slice of silicon is set for early tomorrow morning, so check back then for the expert review roundup. Update 2: Lusting to see one on video? How about two side by side? Skip past the break for the eye candy [Thanks, Rolly Carlos!].
Maingear slides out Clutch-13 and Clutch-15 laptops
If we didn't know any better, we'd easily mistake Maingear's newest duo as the sexiest portable duo we've seen today. And maybe it is. The up-and-coming pre-fab PC builder has just unleashed a new pair of laptops, the Clutch-13 and Clutch-15. Predictably, the former is a 13.3-incher while the latter clocks in at a more usual 15.6-inches, and both feature Intel's newest Core 2010 CPUs and looks that (almost) kill. The smaller guys is equipped with a WXGA (1366 x 768) resolution panel, 1.2GHz Core 330UM, integrated Intel graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 750GB HDD (or 512GB SSD if you're feeling whimsical), 802.11g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, an HDMI output, eSATA, ExpressCard slot and compatibility with an optional docking station that adds an ODD among other useful niceties. The Clutch-15 sticks with the same WXGA resolution (disappointingly, might we add), but offers up a choice of Core i3/i5/i7 CPU, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 330M GPU (1GB), WiDi support and a full-size keyboard with number pad. They're available as we speak starting at $1,099 and $899 in order of mention, so feel free to gloss over the next hour of work while configuring your own.
Maingear debuts eX-L 17 gaming laptop
What's bigger than a Maingear eX-L 15 laptop but smaller than a Maingear eX-L 18? If you said a Maingear eX-L 16 you'd be dead wrong, but if you said a Maingear eX-L 17 you'd have amazingly guessed the name of the company's latest gaming laptop. As you can see, this 17-incher sticks pretty close to the company's other laptops in terms of appearance, and Maingear is also unsurprisingly claiming that it offers the "most powerful components ever assembled into a 17-inch notebook." That includes your choice of Core i5 or Core i7 processors, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, NVIDIA GeForce GTX480M, or Quadro FX 2800M graphics, up to 8GB of dual channel DDR3 RAM, a max 750GB hard drive or 512GB SSD and, of course, your choice of laser engraving options on the lid. Also like Maingear's other laptops, this one doesn't exactly come cheap -- configurations start at $1,899.
Maingear, iBuyPower and CyberPower reveal Phenom II X6 1090T-based bargain desktops
It's akin to clockwork, as they say -- Maingear, iBuyPower and CyberPower have all decided to pump out new and / or revised gaming desktops based on AMD's latest and greatest (and cheapest, some would argue) six-core processor, barely waiting 24 hours to do the honors. The Phenom II X6 1090T certainly has the whole low-price thing going for it, enabling this trio of PC builders to offer up complete systems starting at under $1,000. Maingear's new Limited Edition Vybe packs a $999 price tag, USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support, ATI's Radeon 5000 series graphics, a DVD burner, 640GB WD Caviar Black SATA 6G hard drive and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. Over in CyperPower land, users can select a variety of 1090T-based rigs starting at just $699, while iBuyPower is revamping the Chimera 2-Q, Gamer Fire and Gamer HAF systems to include the new silicon and an all-too-tempting sub-$1k starting point. The whole lot is available to be customized right this moment, but we're in no position to help you choose between options A, B, C, D, E or F. And G is looking mighty promising, too.
Maingear rolls out updated eX-L 15 gaming laptop
Maingear's original eX-L 15 gaming laptop may have been something back in the heyday of August, 2009, but times have changed and, now, so has Maingear's eX-L 15 gaming laptop. Supposedly the "fastest 15-inch HD gaming notebook on the market," the updated ex-L 15 packs your choice of Core i5 or i7 processors, along with ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics, an LED-backlit 1,920 x 1,080 display, up to 8GB of RAM, and a whole range of different hard drive / SSD choices, among other standard gaming laptop options. As you might expect, however, the price can easily top $4,000 with just a couple of clicks, but those satisfied with the base-level offering can snag one for $1,599.
CyberPower, Digital Storm and Maingear add NVIDIA Fermi GPUs to flagship gaming PCs
Origin PC kicked things off on Friday by shoving NVIDIA's latest and greatest into its Genesis desktop, and now a few more in the custom PC game have upped the ante by offering a similarly delectable taste of Fermi. NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 470 and 480 have been all the rage over the weekend, and if those raucous benchmarks have you convinced that the time to buy is now, a trio of system builders are here vying for your attention. Digital Storm's Black|OPS rig can now be ordered with a GTX 480 (starts at $2,891), while CyberPower is giving prospective customers the ability to add the latest Fermi GPUs into a smattering of towers. Maingear's formidable SHIFT supercomputer is also seeing the update, but it's really asking for trouble with a triple GTX 480 configuration that demands a minimum investment of $6,199. In related news, ASUS, Zotac and a slew of other GPU makers are cranking out new boards based on the minty fresh core, so you shouldn't have a difficult time finding one if the rest of your rig is a-okay for now.
Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition hits a slew of new gaming desktops
Intel's six-core, twelve-threaded Core i7-980X Extreme Edition has turned the hardcore gaming community on its head, and just about everyone is scrounging around in a (mostly futile) attempt to locate $999. For those in dire need of an entire system replacement, it seems that today's the day to start looking. Shortly after we heard that this 32nm Gulftown chip would be landing with Alienware and Origin PC rigs, a veritable plethora of other outfits have shown up to make similar announcements. Digital Storm has popped an overclocked (4.4GHz) version into its Black|OPS machine (which conveniently starts at $5,642, while CyberPower is now offering the silicon in its Black Mamba, Black Pearl and Gamer Xtreme 3D machines. Maingear's also sliding said CPU into its world-beating Shift "supercomputer," and anyone shopping a high-end Velocity Micro system will also see the option. We suspect most every other PC maker in existence will be following suit soon, so if your prefab PC builder hasn't yet jumped on the bandwagon, just hold tight. Real tight.
Maingear mX-L 15 multimedia laptop available now
It looks like Maingear's mXl-15, the long-awaited little brother to the eXl-15 gaming laptop has finally entered the building. This 15.6-inch laptop packs an Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, ATI Radeon Mobility 4570 512MB graphics, an LED backlit display (your choice of 1355 x 768 or 1600 x 900), up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, eSATA connection, and your choice of HDD or SSD storage, and a multitouch touchpad. Truth be told, the base price of $1,000 is rather fetching -- although "base price" has a way of fading into the distance as you start adding options. Ready to take the leap? Hit that source link to get started.
Maingear introduces F1X gaming desktops with overclocked Core i7 CPUs
It's no Shift, but Maingear's new line of F1X gaming rigs are still delightfully potent in their own right. Starting at $2,249 (F1X 200) and sailing well north of $5,149 for the top-end F1X 500, this trio of desktops runs on a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 and packs an 80GB SSD boot drive, an overclocked Intel Core i7 CPU and an optional Blu-ray burner. The big fellow touts a 3.6GHz OC'd Core i7-975, 12GB of DDR3 memory, a 1.5TB Western Digital storage drive, 6x Blu-ray writer, a closed-loop watercooling system, 1,000 watt power supply and twin ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPUs (1GB). The other guys step things down just a wee bit, but you can rest assured that today's latest games will be handled with ease should you snag any of 'em. Speaking of which -- they're only available from Tiger Direct, Circuit City (the website) and CompUSA, so don't waste your time looking elsewhere for a better deal. %Gallery-83555%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Desktops
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Let's face it, not everyone needs (or wants) to carry their computer around on the daily routine. Sacrificing portability can have its advantages -- and while nettops and all-in-one PCs have become a much more dominant force this year, the traditional, highly upgradeable desktop tower is still the reigning bang-for-the-buck champ. Just make sure your certain special someone has enough desk real estate for whatever potentially-enormous chassis you decide to take home and wrap. %Gallery-80501%
Maingear SHIFT reviewed: $7,000 can shatter a lot of records
It's the priciest rig we've seen since we laid eyes on Alienware's latest gaggle of machines back at TGS, and it's not even from a company that you would generally take seriously in the gaming PC arena. But according to Computer Shopper, that small-man bias should be shelved, and fast. Maingear's newly unveiled SHIFT can be had for just over $2,000 if you stick with the basics, but CS managed to review a loaded-out $7,113 edition that produced "record-shattering performance." The "uncompromising design" and build quality was also lauded, through the college-fund shattering price tag prevented it from notching a 10/10 rating. Feel free to tap the read link for the full skinny, but honestly, this thing simply did exactly what it should've done for the price; anything less than world-beating would've been a disgrace at seven large.
Maingear unveils Core i7-packin' SHIFT, your own 'personal supercomputer'
We'll be straight with ya -- we're betting these "personal supercomputer" claims are just a bit out of line with reality, but even still, there's no denying that Maingear has shoved an insane amount of horsepower beneath the (admittedly large) hood of its newest rig. The beastly SHIFT does away with copious LED lighting and blinging accents found on many modern gaming PCs and instead opts for a classier, more ominous tower. Within, you'll find a vertical airflow system, a Core i7 processor, your choice of ATI or NVIDIA graphics, 8GB (and up) of DDR3-1600 RAM, up to 6 HDDs or 12 SSDs, DVD and Blu-ray options, an Asetek liquid-cooling solution, Razer peripherals, an optional Killer NIC Xeno Pro and Windows 7 running the show. The Intel P55 rig gets going at $2,199, while the X58 model starts $400 higher; for those in creative design fields, Maingear's expected to unveil a SHIFT just for you in the near future. Head on past the break for the full release. %Gallery-77033%
Maingear, CyberPower and iBuyPower gaming desktops pick up ATI Radeon HD 5870
ATI's Radeon HD 5870 GPU has already taken its rightful place within a few of Alienware's newest desktops, but as with most every major GPU launch, a few of the smaller guys are also taking the opportunity to offer gamers the option to pick one up inside of a new rig. Maingear's Ephex, F131, Prelude, and Dash can all be ordered up right now with the staggeringly potent graphics card, and if none of those suit your fancy, CyberPower would be more than happy to have your business. In fact, it has squeezed the DirectX 11-friendly GPU into the Gamer Xtreme 4200 (starts at $999), Gamer Xtreme 5200 (starts at $1,393) and the AMD-based Gamer Dragon 9500 (starting at $927). Still on the hunt? iBuyPower has an eerily similar trio, though their lineup starts at just $819. Hit the read links below if you feel like putting together a system for kicks, but don't blame us when the order button presses itself.Read - Maingear rigsRead - CyberPower rigsRead - iBuyPower rigs
Maingear's eX-L 15 gaming laptop arrives on planet Earth
Maingear may have given up on the "world's most powerful gaming laptop" title for the time being, but it's still keeping expectations pretty high for its new ex-L 15 laptop, which has just arrived on the scene from parts unknown. Judging from the specs, however, it won't have much trouble keeping up with the competition, with it packing your choice of top-end Intel processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a max 1TB SATA hard drive or 160GB SSD, a built-in DVD burner or optional Blu-ray drive, and your choice of a glossy 15.4-inch 1680 x 1050 display or (thankfully) a 1,920 x 1,200 display with a matte finish. Sold? Then you can pick one up right now for a starting price of $1,899, or you can wait until September when the slightly lower-end mX-L 15 model will be available.
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.
Maingear's Axess HD Gamer PC looks to blow your mind, empty your wallet
Make no bones about, Maingear's new Axess HD Gamer (and by merit of its namesake, HTPC, too) is nothing if not a powerhouse for those wanting to pay an arm and a leg for a souped up gaming experience. You want specs? At its best, we're looking at an Intel Core i7 on a X58 chipset, dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT in SLI, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, Windows Vista / Media Center, and two 3.5-inch storage bays supporting 320GB SSD or 2TB HDD. If you need more nerd cred, ghost of vaporware past Phantom Lapboard serves as one of the bundled input devices, as does the NVIDIA GeForce 3D vision kit and a 22-inch Samsung LCD. Starting price is $1,799, but if you wanna go for broke -- and whether not you can, you probably want to -- top configurations can run you well over $5,000.
