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Acer rolls out new Aspire 5750, 5750G, and 7750G laptops with Intel's latest processors
Acer's just outed several of its latest laptop offerings, including the new Aspire 5750, 5750G and 7750G, and all three have Intel's 2nd gen Core i7 2630QM CPUs. The Aspire 5750 and 7750 boast up to 6GB of memory, while the 5750 is upgradeable to 8GB via two 4GB modules. Likewise the 7750G has a hard drive capacity of up to 750GB, while the 5750 has an up to 640GB HDD. All three have a host of graphics options, and the 5750G comes with NVIDIA's brand new GeForece GT 540M graphics, which the 7750G comes with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6550 or 6650 graphics standard. All three models have LED, backlit displays, with the Aspire 5750 and 5750G measuring in at 15.6-inches, while the 7750G is a 17.3-incher with a resolution of 1600 x 900. All three laptops have Dolby Advanced Audio v2 virtual surround sound and HDMI ports, and the 7750G has an optional BluRay drive. All three Aspire models will be available on January 9th, and the 5750 and 5750G will have a starting price of $899.99, while the 7750G will start at $1029.99. Full press release is after the break.
Acer bumps out Aspire Predator AG3600 gaming rig
Acer has just announced its newest Predator Series gaming rig, the AG3600. Spec-wise, this bad boy's got a 2nd generation Intel Core i5 2300 CPU under the hood with Intel's H67 chipset and Turbo Boost 2.0. It's also packing discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 graphics, 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and a 1.5TB SATA hard drive. In addition, it's got a multicard reader, three PCI Express x1 slots, 10 USB 2.0 ports, three audio ins, mini HDMI, DVI and a D-SUB port. The Predator AG3600 is available now for somewhere in the realm of $899. Full press release is below.
Fujitsu unleashes four LifeBooks with new Intel processors, AH572 promises 3D viewing and recording
The Intel Core 2011 laptops just don't stop rolling in here at CES, and today Fujitsu is jumping on the Sandy Bridge train with four new LifeBook laptops. We'll start with the most intriguing of 'em all -- the 15.6-inch AH572, which not only boasts 3D viewing with included polarized glasses but can record 3D video through its dual integrated cameras. For $999, there's no doubt that the 3D features sound pretty awesome and we're planning to go hands-on with that all later tonight, but let's not forget about the rest of the impressive package -- it packs a Core i5-2410M processor, Intel's WiDi 2.0, and supports up to 6GB of RAM. Not enough power for ya? Chin up, Fujitsu's got the 17.3-inch NH751 too, which boasts an quad-core Core i7-2630QM processor, NVIDIA's fresh 500M graphics, and a Blu-ray drive for $1,200. In true Fujitsu spirit, there's also a convertible tablet; the 13.3-inch T901 is powered by Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 processors and is the first tablet to include NVIDIA's Optimus graphics. Like most of Fujitsu's other tablets, it has a multitouch display with an active digitizer for taking notes as well as a modular bay for swapping in a second battery or hard drive. This one will retail for about $1,900 and won't be available until this spring. Last but not least is the 12.1-inch P771, which is all about packing power into a smaller chassis. The black glossy system is powered by Intel's latest Core i7 processors, has a USB 3.0 port as well as a dual-layer DVD drive. There's no word on pricing on the last of the four, but if you're dying for a few more details on the LifeBook quadruplets head on down below for the full press release. %Gallery-112290%
Samsung 9 Series laptop unveiled, ready to slice some MacBook Air
Oh yes, that up there is Samsung's new 13.3-inch 9 Series laptop, and yes, it's said to be the "thinnest and lightest 13-inch notebook available." Revealed ahead of Samsung's CES presser, the duralumin machine weighs just 2.89 pounds and measures .68 inches thick -- in comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Air measures 0.11 to 0.68 inches thick and weighs 2.9 pounds. Those specs seem pretty darn comparable to us, but there's no denying this thing is rail thin, so we guess we can let Samsung slide with its lofty marketing claims. Unlike the others that have attempted to craft incredibly thin Windows laptops (see: Adamo XPS), Samsung has managed to cram this thing with power, ports, and features. There's no optical drive, but it has Ethernet, HDMI, and USB sockets and a headphone jack. Perhaps even more impressive is what's Inside -- it's got a brand new Core i5 2537M processor, 128GB SSD, and 4GB of RAM. Not enough for you? Its backlit keyboard, 400 nit LED-backlit display, and two 1.5-watt speakers and a sub-woofer should seal the deal. So, how much for that beauty? Samsung says it should be around $1,600, though it isn't providing a release date right now. We are bursting at the seams to get our hands all over that daring black chassis -- stay tuned for some hands-on impressions. %Gallery-112392%
Acer debuts Aspire AS8950G laptop with updated Intel CPU
Acer's just announced its newest addition to the Aspire laptop lineup, the AS8950G. The latest Aspire packs the just announced Intel Core i7 2630 QM CPU, an ATI Mobility Radeon 6850 GPU with 2GB of dedicated video memory, 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM (which is upgradeable to 16GB), and a 750GB SATA drive (with support for up to 1.5TB). The 18.4-incher also boasts and LED backlit full HD display, BluRay drive, and five built-in speakers and a subwoofer for surround sound. Other than that, it's got an HDMI port, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Gigabit ethernet, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. The Acer Aspire AS8950 is set to be available on January 9th at a starting price of $1599.99. Full press release is after the break.
Origin PC takes Genesis and Big O gaming desktops to 5GHz with overclocked Core i7 2600k
Who says you need a vat of liquid nitrogen and a voided warranty to push your gaming rig to 5GHz? Here at CES, Origin PC has just announced one killer upgrade for its Genesis and Big O desktop range: an overclocked Core i7 2600k processor that's pushed to 5GHz from the factory. Naturally, the release coincides with Intel's new Sandy Bridge rollout, with this particular chip touting Turbo Boost 2.0 and an integrated memory controller. You'll also get three-way SLI, a customized liquid cooling setup (phew!) and a refreshed EFI BIOS from ASUS that features "convenient mouse controls and an entirely new user interface." If you're looking for something a wee bit more portable (but not exact bantam), you'll be thrilled to know that its Eon 15 and 17 gaming laptops will also start shipping soon with Intel's second-generation Core i5 / i7 CPUs; pair that with a GeForce GTX 485M, an optional TV tuner and four slots of DDR3 memory, and you'll have yourself a sufficient little LAN party rig. There's no mention of dollars and cents, but we're confident the build sheets will be updated soon on Origin's order pages.
MSI fords the sands, announces sixteen laptops with Intel Core 2011 chips (update: all-in-ones, too)
We'd heard MSI was seriously considering a pair of Sandy Bridge all-in-one PCs, but when it comes to laptops the company's definitely going whole-hog -- it just announced no fewer than sixteen new laptops with those fancy new Intel second-generation Core processors. The chunky G-series will sport those new quad-core Core i7 chips, with the 17.3-inch GT780 and 15.6-inch GT680 delivering Dynaudio speakers, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 500 and 400-series graphics and dual SSDs, while the GR620 and GE620 are left to fend with lower specs of some sort. The F-series retains the Core i7 chips, but swaps in switchable NVIDIA GT 500-series graphics, excepting the 14-inch FX420 which makes do with Core i5 and loses the dedicated number pad. Finally, the C-series will shoot for eight hours of battery life. MSI's not dropping terribly detailed specs at this point (though you'll find a few in the gallery below) but if you're aiming high, you won't have long to wait for a rig -- that GT680's hitting later this month for $1,500, and the top-tier GT780 in Q2 of this year. PR after the break. Update: Guess what we saw when the press conference ended, and we stood up to leave? Those Sandy Bridge all-in-one PCs. Find pictures (and specs!) in gallery number three. %Gallery-112594%%Gallery-112600%%Gallery-112611%
Mac OS X gets installed on Sandy Bridge, instructions available for the willing
Mac OS X getting installed on the latest Intel hardware before it's officially supported by Apple? Shocking, we know, but you can rest assured that some intrepid individuals have already taken the plunge and installed Snow Leopard on some brand new Sandy Bridge hardware, and they've thankfully provided some instructions so you can too. As you might expect, however, that's not quite a quick and easy process -- it involves a patched kernel and, according to the tonymacx86 Blog, it isn't recommended for long-term use. If that hasn't scared you off, you can find all the details you need at the link below.
HP updates Envy 17, dv6, and dv7 with Sandy Bridge, gives Mini 210 some new threads
No surprises here -- HP just updated a bunch of its consumer laptops here at CES, and the biggest change is that the Envy 17 and Pavilion dv6 and dv7 have been kicked over to Intel's Sandy Bridge second-gen Core processors. In addition to the new chips, the Envy 17 is getting HP CoolSense cooling and switchable AMD Radeon 6850M graphics with support for Intel Wireless Display -- pricing and availability haven't been determined yet, but we wouldn't expect it to be cheap. On the other hand, the dv6 and dv7 are mostly the same apart from the processor bump, and they'll be $899 and $999 when they hit on January 9th. Oh, and the Mini 210 is getting two new pink plaid case lids, which is almost as cool as new processors. Right? Right. Look at those after the break.
Multiple Intel Core 2011 PCs spotted at Vancouver Future Shop, yes it's still the present
Ooh, what's this? A couple of desktops rocking Intel's latest and greatest, available for purchase perhaps a few days too early? Matthew T. spotted these machines at a Vancouver Future Shop, advertising Core i7 2600 and Core i5 2300 processors, which fall squarely in the Intel Core 2011 (née Sandy Bridge) family. Both come from Gateway and both offer all that core 2011 has to offer, which in the case of these desktops isn't too much since neither has a Blu-ray drive to take advantage of the new 3D HDMI 1.4 support and neither has much use for WiDi 2.0 wireless displays. But, don't let that stop you from being the first on your block to Core it up 2011 style. [Thanks, Matthew T.]
Intel to launch Insider movie service with 1080p content, WiDi 2.0 will let you stream it to your TV
We knew it was Intel's plan to launch its Sandy Bridge or Core 2011 processors at CES, but leave it to Chipzilla to throw in some total surprises ahead of the show. Yes, you read the headline right -- Intel's planning to launch its very own movie and video service in the first quarter of 2011. Unlike iTunes or really anything else out there, Intel's Insider will allow those with Core 2011-powered laptops or desktops to purchase or rent the latest movies in full HD -- yes, good ol' 1080p. But, why exactly is Intel teaming up with studios, content owners, and video distributors when so many others out there are trying to do the same thing? In essence, the company sits in a good place to combat a lot of the issues movie studios have had with HD video distribution -- Insider is tied to the new 2nd generation Core processors, and thus provides hardware protection, rather than software protection of the content. According to Intel's Erik Reid, the company has already struck deals with CinemaNow and Warner Brothers, and the plan is for all content to be made available at the same time as the DVD or Blu-ray release. It is unclear whether there will be an Insider portal for all this content or if other services will just be certified to work on the hardware platform, but we will be finding out much more once the show starts. Naturally, Intel doesn't only want you to watch those brand spankin' new 1080p movies on your laptop screen -- it is pushing WiDi in a big way, and the second generation, which will be baked into new Core 2011 systems, will support 1080p streaming and will eventually enable streaming of protected content, including DVDs and Blu-ray discs. WiDi 2.0, as they are calling it, will work a lot like the original version we like so much and allows you to extend your desktop to an HD monitor, but unfortunately, it will require a new HDTV receiver to enable the full HD capability and it still has that two second lag. No word yet on who is making those boxes or how much they'll cost, but we're hoping to learn a few more details about Intel's big push to tie video content to its new processors at its CES press conference in just a few days.
Intel's 2nd Generation Core processor family announced, includes 29 new CPUs and enhanced graphics
They're here! That is, Intel's Sandy Bridge mobile and desktop processors herein known as the 2nd Generation Core processor family or more simply as Intel Core 2011 processors to us. After months of teasing and on-stage demos, Chipzilla is finally unleashing the details of its new Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, and considering there are 29 new CPUs in total as well as new integrated graphics options (now known as processor graphics) there's quite a bit to digest. Hit the break for our rundown of the new platform and a look at some of Intel's newest performance and graphics-focused features. %Gallery-112306%
MSI details Sandy Bridge, Fusion all-in-ones ahead of CES, teases a sliding screen
We just finished reviewing a feature-packed MSI Wind Top, but come CES next week we'll have three more to try: the AE2410, AE2210 and AE2050, each with the very latest silicon inside. Notebook Italia reports that the Taiwanese computer company's using Intel's new Sandy Bridge CPUs in each of its 24- and 22-inch rigs, and grabbed a low-power AMD Brazos APU for the likely budget 20-inch model -- which will reportedly still include a Blu-ray drive like its Core 2 Duo cousin. All three will sport 1080p touchscreen displays and USB 3.0 ports, but also a spiffy new feature called Super Charger that will charge attached USB gadgets even when the computer is off. Innovations, to be sure, but perhaps not as exciting as the concept items pictured above and below -- up top is the MSI Butterfly, which reportedly has a sliding multitouch screen with ten points of contact, and after the break, see the luxurious MSI Angelow. Here's hoping for prices, specs and high-res pictures once we get to the show.
Santech can't wait for CES, lists a bunch of Sandy Bridge CPUs on new N67 laptop
Man, who needs to go to CES anymore? Intel's frailly maintained secrecy around Sandy Bridge processor identities has been blown to smithereens today by Italian systems integrator Santech. The company lists a now familiar Core i7-2630QM (quad-core, 2GHz) alongside an i7-2720QM (2.2GHz), an i7-2820QM (2.3GHz), and an i7-2920XM (2.5GHz), confirming once and for all that Intel has completely lost its mind when it comes to naming chips. Other specs include up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 750GB of magnetic storage or 160GB of the solid state stuff, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and a 15.6-inch display that can be either glossy or matte, with a resolution of either 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080, depending on your preference and budget. Deliveries are said to start on January 27th and prices range between €1,200 ($1,577) and €3,000 ($3,943).
LucidLogix virtualization tech enables AMD and NVIDIA GPUs to play together with Sandy Bridge
It's baaack. We've gone well over half a year without hearing a peep from black magic makers LucidLogix, but here on the doorstep of CES 2011, the company has resurfaced just in time to ride on the coattails of Intel's forthcoming Sandy Bridge platform. Sandy is expected to take over CES when companies start to introduce new PCs in just a few days, and thanks to Lucid's virtualization software, we wouldn't be surprised if a few are served with NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. This here technology enables the two to play nice, making the outlandish fantasy of using a multi-GPU, multi-vendor setup a reality. DirectX 11 is also supported, with the only real requirement being to "connect the display screen directly to the motherboard's Sandy Bridge display output." We'll be taking a closer look at the peacemaker once we land in Vegas, but for now, go ahead and prepare yourself for a beta version of 'Virtu' -- it'll hit at some point next month.
MSI reveals mad Sandy Bridge motherboard with eight PCIe slots, eight USB 3.0 ports, and three BIOS chips
Straighten up and salute the Big Bang Marshal, MSI's attempt at redefining the term "overkill." This XL-ATX board packs a total of eight PCI Express lanes (though it only has the bandwidth to simultaneously feed four x16s or eight x8s -- relevant if you're crazy enough to think about using more than four GPUs), three separate BIOS chips, extra 8-pin and 6-pin 12V power intakes, and a thoroughly excessive set of power regulation components. The less extremely minded among you will appreciate having a full array of eight USB 3.0 ports on the back, though we can't get over the measly four DIMM slots on offer. Word is that features might change before the Marshal goes to market in the first quarter of next year, so let's hope more room for your RAM sticks is among the tweaks between now and then.
ASUS looks set to release five Sandy Bridge laptops, all with serious horsepower
ASUS is already down with Sandy Bridge on the desktop side, but you had to know the company would be finding room for Intel's latest in it's mobile offerings, too. Notebook Italia has what looks to be solid confirmation of four separate models, starting with a big honkin' gaming rig, the G73SW. It has an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, 8GB of DDR3, Geforce GTX 460M graphics, USB 3.0, dual storage bays (enabling mixing and matching of SSD and platter), and a 17.3-inch LCD that manages the full 1920 x 1080 resolution. Price looks set to start around $2,500. Also unveiled are four somewhat less gamer-oriented but still might fast models, grouped in the N53SV and N73SV series. All feature the same 2GHz processor and all have the new GeForce GT 540M processor that was recently seen rocking Acer's 5742G, which will drive either a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display or the larger 17.3-inch, 1080p display depending on which model you go for. Prices on this series are said to start at just $1,200 and go way up from there when they ship in January.
Intel's Core i7-2630QM Sandy Bridge CPU spotted inside an HP dv6 in Singapore
HP's disregard for Intel's officially scheduled Sandy Bridge launch continues today, with the news that Singaporean malls are already stocking Pavilion dv6 laptops with the new Core i7 silicon lurking within. It's the same quad-core i7-2630QM chip that popped up on a dv7 spec sheet not too long ago -- it runs at 2GHz by default, but dynamic overclocking and disabling of cores can take that up to the 2.8GHz mark. Keeping it company inside HP's 15.6-inch laptop are 4GB of RAM and AMD's Radeon HD 6570M GPU. The entire machine is described as indistinguishable, in terms of construction, from HP's current crop of dv6s, leaving the precious internals to justify a price of 1,899 Singapore dollars (about $1,460). [Thanks, Wayne]
Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs and motherboards now on sale in Malaysia, what Consumer Electronics Show?
Let us all warmly greet the Core i5-2300, the i5-2400, and the Core i7-2600, three desktop-bound members of Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge CPU brigade. You'll note that all three are fully dressed in their retail attire in an image coming from Malaysian electronics store Compuzone, which also has a full pricing and speed breakdown for these central processing units. The 3.4GHz Core i7 part costs 939RM ($301), followed by 609RM ($195) for the 3.1GHz 2400, and 585RM ($188) for the 2.8GHz 2300. It seems like Intel's up to its old tricks again, letting some stock roll out early in distant Asian locales. At least this should mean there'll be plenty to go around once the CES 2011 launch of these chips is out of the way. Hit the source for more details and to scope out pricing for the new LGA1155 motherboards. [Thanks, Melantha]
2011 to bring 200 PCs combining GeForce GPUs and Sandy Bridge, first laptops to be quad-core
What's NVIDIA got up its sleeve for CES, you ask? A whole host of Sandy Bridge laptop and desktop machines, by the sound of its latest press release. The green giant of graphics has proudly announced a new record of 200 OEM design wins for Intel's incoming CPUs. The big draw of Sandy Bridge is that it's the first processor to include an integrated GPU embedded directly within its die, which is projected to improve power efficiency and overall performance -- though clearly it hasn't been impressive enough to get PC vendors to abandon discrete graphics chips. If anything, they seem to be going in the other direction and insisting on a discrete GPU as well. In other news, whether with or without NVIDIA's help, the first Sandy Bridge laptops will feature quad-core parts. Such is the word directly from Intel, with one insider adding that the dual-core debutants will get their chance a month after CES, around the middle of February. Skip past the break for NVIDIA's boastful PR or hit the source for more on Intel's plans.
