OK, Mr. Redneck. Even if our computer rig contest is long over, you win. You got the biggest computer desktop of them all. And even if that weren’t the case, that giant anti-aircraft gun says you win anyway. [Thanks Karl!] More »
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Zach, who needs a new home for his PC internals. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“For various reasons, I am going to be moving my computer around a lot more frequently soon, and I am looking for a new computer case that’s relatively easy to take around. Basically, I mean the type of case with handle(s) on the top. It needs to be an ATX mid-tower, and I’d like it as cheap as I can get without it being horrible (I do have an overclocked CPU and a dedicated cooling unit, so it needs to be well-vented).I’m not a fan of garish cases with lots of LEDs — I especially really dislike green / blue LEDs (I’m getting really sick of my current case, which is decked-out in blue). I might be cool with red or orange, though. However, any aesthetics come second to utility and price.”
Zach, we like your style. You’re probably well on your way to becoming a man, and a sophisticated one at that. Here’s hoping you’ll receive loads of similarly sophisticated answers from sophisticated men and women below.
Ask Engadget: best non-garish ATX mid-tower for the budget gamer? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tried booting your corporate PC lately? Dollars to donuts it takes longer than three minutes to complete. The point? You need Sandy Bridge, and you need it now. Dell’s hoping your IT department will agree, with the introduction of the Vostro 460 mini tower bringing along Intel’s second generation Core processors (Core i5 and Core i7 options are available), Turbo Boost 2.0 and an understated design. Customers can also load it up with as much as 3TB of storage, a Blu-ray drive, 1GB NVIDIA or AMD discrete graphics card and a USB 3.0 expansion card. You’ll also get a tool-less chassis, eight USB 2.0 ports, inbuilt security services from Trend Micro and a starting price of $599. Surely that fits into the Q1 budget somewhere, right?
Dell implants Sandy Bridge CPUs within biz-minded Vostro 460 mini tower originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For the most part, Intel’s Sandy Bridge introduction at CES made a giant impact in the outlook of future laptops, but not as much was said over in the desktop world. Quietly, a slew of custom PC makers have slid out revised towers with the second generation Core lineup, with Dell’s XPS 8300, Digital Storm’s entire family, Cyber Power’s Gamer Xtreme 1000 / 2000 and iBuyPower’s Chimera XLC seeing the new Core i5 and Core i7 chips. Care to dig in deeper? Hit the source links below, and be sure to bust out your credit card — Intel’s fastest doesn’t come cheap, you know.
Intel’s Sandy Bridge hits the desktop realm: Dell, CyberPower, Digital Storm and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Not news: NextComputing’s Radius portable workstation is still stretching destroying the bounds of what’s actually considered mobile. News: But now, the Radius is a lot more powerful than the prior iterations. The newfangled Radius is now available with Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, with the latest model of the all-in-one workstation offering multiple full-length / full-height PCI Express slots, multiple terabytes of storage and an integrated display. As for applications? It’s still aimed at those who need serious oomph in the field, and frankly, editing political commercials or crunching SETI data in the Amazon sounds far more enjoyable than doing so in [insert your city here]. No offense of anything.
Continue reading NextComputing’s Radius ‘portable’ workstation infused with Sandy Bridge
NextComputing’s Radius ‘portable’ workstation infused with Sandy Bridge originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MSI’s new tablets felt like prototypes, but the device pictured above is truly far out — it’s the MSI Butterfly, one of several whimsical concepts the company teased about a week ago. We actually ducked into MSI’s booth right before it covered the whole display with a giant plexiglass box and got some reasonable snapshots, but nothing remotely resembling a proper hands-on, so you’ll have to make do with the gallery below and whatever dreams may come.
MSI Butterfly and Angelow all-in-one PC concepts, eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve always thought that Xi3’s Modular Computer was a downright brilliant design, but up until now, we’ve had no real understanding of how it would be exploited. Here at CES, the company has answered that very question, and answered it well. The new Z3RO is little more than a dumb terminal, but if you’re considering a second household PC for the most mundane of tasks, it just might be the solution you’re looking for. You’ll need one of the firm’s Modular Computers to start, and from there you can connect up to three Z3RO terminals. Each one is equipped with a VGA port, USB sockets and audio jacks; once it’s connected to the mothership (read: the Modular Computer), each Z3RO taps into its 2.0GHz computer and creates an entirely new instance on whatever monitor it’s connected to. It’s generally meant for small businesses and libraries, but we’re certain the educational world could benefit from the setup as well. It’s expected to hit mass production at the end of March, but we’re told that it’s available today for an undisclosed amount in limited quantities. If you’re interested in doing the math, a single Modular Computer along with three Z3ROs will net you a per-seat price of $350. A shot of the rear awaits you after the break.
Continue reading Xi3’s Z3RO terminal connects with Modular Computer, kills the need for another PC
Xi3’s Z3RO terminal connects with Modular Computer, kills the need for another PC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lenovo‘s just spewed forth a volcano of all-in-ones, including three IdeaCentres, the A320, B520 and B320. First up the thinnest of the group, the IdeaCentre A320 boasts up to a 2.30GHz Intel Core i5 2nd generation CPU, a 21.5-inch full HD 16:9 widescreen display, up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM and an up to 750GB HDD. It also boasts integrated 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI out, and integrated 2 watt stereo speakers. The IdeaCentre B520 packs up to an Intel Core i7 CPU (also the 2nd generation), a 23-inch full HD 16:9 display, up to 16GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and a up to 2TB HDD. You’ll also get a 3-in-1 mouse, integrated Dolby Surround Sound 5.0 speakers, and a Blu-ray drive. The IdeaCentre B320 has up to an Intel Core i5 processor, a 21.5-inch HD 16:9 widescreen panel, Intel HD Graphics, up to 8GB of DDR2 SDRAM, and an up to 4TB HDD. It also boasts an integrated DVD drive / writer, two 2 watt integrated stereo speakers, optional Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi. And finally, the C205 all-in-one has up to an AMD dual-core E-350 CPU, an 18.5-inch, 16:9 widescreen display, an array of graphics options including AMD Radeon HD 6310 Series, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and an up to 500GB HDD. All of these will be available in June of 2011, with the IdeaCEntre A320, the B520 and the B320 starting at $699, while the Lenovo C205 will start at $449.99. The full press release is after the break.
Continue reading Lenovo debuts IdeaCentre A320, B520, B320 plus C205 all-in-ones
Lenovo debuts IdeaCentre A320, B520, B320 plus C205 all-in-ones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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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.
MSI reveals mad Sandy Bridge motherboard with eight PCIe slots, eight USB 3.0 ports, and three BIOS chips originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Our supply checks say that 10 out of 10 analysts are insanely bullish about tablets — despite the fact that there are only 2.5 competitive products on the market, and one of them only came out a month ago. So, naturally, it isn’t difficult to scrounge up sales predictions that show the tablet rocketing into the stratosphere, cutting into PC market share, while also expanding the market outright to accommodate its post-PC ways. Gartner‘s guess is 55 million tablets next year, while IDC has a more conservative estimate of 42 million, but both predict a sharp, exponential rise in the following years, and IDC takes it one step further: 18 months from now, combined smartphone and tablet sales will eclipse the PC, it claims, with both categories hovering in the mid-400 million range.
Now, that number is mostly smartphones, which isn’t an unprecedented shift in and of itself — the PC took a major hit in popularity in Japan once the kids got ahold of these newfangled phone things — but overall it represents a shift from the open-ended, flexible, and powerful PC to the narrow, task-specific, app-driven nature of the iOS and Android kind. Or you could spin it the completely opposite way: people need phones, so they buy a nice phone. No PC death knell in that behavior, and the tablet is still a very niche product with some good PR. Either way, we’ll be much more impressed with this sort of market battle when it’s the tablet (perhaps with a little help from the smartbook or netbook-lite category) going up against the Windows and Mac PC head-on, without smartphones shouldering most of the load.
Combined sales of smartphones and tablets to surpass the humble PC in 18 months, says IDC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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