Hasta La Gadget!

MSI’s gaming laptops have looked the same for years, but we aren’t going to judge. As Mother always told us, it’s what’s inside that counts, and the new GX640 — now stateside after a two month vacation in Europe — is quite the upgrade. That familiar red-and-black chassis now houses a 2.26GHz Core i5-540M alongside 4GB of DDR3 memory, and the 1680 x 1050 LCD display is driven by a Mobility Radeon HD 5850 for mondo graphical performance. 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a six-cell battery and a 500GB, 7200RPM HDD round out a value-packed $1100 Amazon.com package, but if you’re looking for a little more juice (and prepared to squeeze), you’ll find you can customize this mean, 5.8 pound machine with a Core i7 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, SSDs and a nine-cell Li-ion at XoticPC.

MSI’s customizable GX640 gaming notebook now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In 2007 — right before Acer swallowed the firm whole — computer manufacturer Gateway sold their entire business lineup to MPC. Three years and one bankrupt MPC later, Gateway’s ready to give it another go with brand new business desktops, and some decently specced ones at that. The new Gateway DT-series mid-towers support up to Core i7 CPUs and 16GB of DDR3 memory alongside a 1TB hard drive, and wonder of wonders, the small form factor Gateway DS-series can hold just the same. Both run on Intel’s Q57 and H57 Express chipsets, both have slots for optional PCI Express x16 graphics cards, and both have chassis stolen directly from their parent company — Google “X480G” and “M480G” if you don’t believe us. Compared to your shiny new gaming rig, the specs may seem ho-hum, but a Core i7 rig that fits underneath an LCD monitor is still a fairly big deal inside that cube of yours.

Update: Looking to bolster your business with a few of these machines? You’ll have to get in touch with your international associates; Acer tells us the DT and DS desktops are only headed to Europe.

Continue reading Gateway brings back business division with DT, DS-series desktops (update: Europe only)

Gateway brings back business division with DT, DS-series desktops (update: Europe only) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So we’ve just gotten our cold, live hands on the new MacBook Pro — you know, the one with the Core i7 CPU? We’re obviously going to be taking this puppy for a spin around the block (a 15-inch version with a 2.66GHz CPU), but we wanted to show you what it looks like (exactly the same as always), and mention a few takeaways from our conversation with Apple about the product. As you already know, the 15- and 17-inch models have a new GPU configuration, utilizing Intel’s integrated HD graphics alongside NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 330M. What you might not know is that the new laptops have done away with the previous method of switching from integrated to discrete graphics, that is, forcing you to select one or the other and then logging you out and back in for the switch. This process is hugely streamlined in the new versions, providing switching on the fly from integrated to discrete, and requiring zero input from the user (similar to NVIDIA’s Optimus). The switches take place on an app-by-app basis judged on what kind of resources that particular application you’re opening requires — so this should be interesting to see when it comes to third-party titles. Apple is also only providing two options here; keep the automatic GPU switching on, or switch to only discrete graphics. So if you’re planning on running these babies just in integrated mode, you’re out of luck.

Other additions to the laptops include “inertial scrolling” (a la iPhone), which feels like a software change to us, but is apparently related to new trackpads on these models, and new configuration options when buying, such as getting yourself a 1680 x 1050 high res display (yes, please) or opting for a 512GB SSD (clocking in, weirdly, at $1,400 for the 2.4GHz models, but $1,300 for the 2.53GHz and 2.66GHz versions). Speaking of money, you may have noticed that Apple bumped the cost of the base 15-inch MacBook Pro from $1,699 to $1,799 — not a welcome change in today’s bummer of an economy, though they’ve brought down the entry to the 17-inch to $2,299. At any rate, you can check out some snaps of the new system below, and hang tight for a full review coming soon.

MacBook Pro Core i7 unboxing and preview originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems silly to give up all expectation for a MacBook Pro refresh. After all, isn’t a spec bump for Apple’s flagship laptops a total inevitability? Still, the arduous wait has begun shake our faith, and we’re happy to see even this sliver of evidence to snap us from our stupor. An internal Microcenter system is listing four new laptops with new part numbers, which, if legitimate, almost certainly harbor new Core i5 and Core i7 processors (maybe even those NVIDIA Optimus graphics if we’re lucky). According to the Microcenter employee who sent this out, a similar thing happened in November with a correct model number and price for the new MacBook. Mac Rumors claims to have been able to receive independent confirmation on the numbers, so we might really have something here. Now, as for a specific launch date, the best we have so far is that April 13th rumor, but with a tips box buzzing with rumors, we’re starting almost feel confident in seeing a new MacBook Pro this century.

[Thanks, Ross W.]

MacBook Pro updates almost upon us? Screenshot of new model numbers offers hope originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We spotted this suit-and-tie wearing pair sneaking through the FCC’s lairs a few weeks ago, and now we know the whens and wheres of buying one… in the UK, anyway. The Dell Latitude E6410 is currently listed with a base price of £749 ($1,128) and features a 14.1-inch display (WXGA and WXGA+ options), a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, Windows Vista or 7, a pair of DDR3 RAM slots, NVIDIA’s NVS 3100M (512MB) graphics, a variety of storage options, a Blu-ray or DVD drive, optional mobile broadband and all the expected ports around the edges. The E6510 steps up to a 15.6-inch panel (with a 1080p version selectable) and offers up a few extra CPU options, but otherwise it’s identical. There’s no word on when these kind fellows will make their way stateside, but if we were the betting type, we’d put our pounds and / or greenbacks on “real soon.”

Continue reading Dell Latitude E6410 and E6510 emerge overseas, Core i5 / i7 and all

Dell Latitude E6410 and E6510 emerge overseas, Core i5 / i7 and all originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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