Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from James, who wants to break into audio mixing, but needs some noisyboxes for his desk. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

I’m no audiophile, but I would like some decent quality sound for my desktop. I’ve tried 4.1, 2.1, 2.0 setups but none of them made me very happy, which isn’t helping my attempts to get into professional audio work. Is there a lower-end line of speakers that the pros use that I’d be able to afford?

Fortunately for you, James, we can turn this question over to our podcast producer, who suggested that you could do worse than a pair of KRK RP6G2 Rockit speakers, which come in at $400 for a pair. They’re studio monitors rather than purely desktop speakers, but if you want to start working in audio then you’re probably better off with these. Of course, it wouldn’t be Ask Engadget unless we turned this question over to our clever crew of commenters, so if you know of anything that’s better (or cheaper) then fire your answer into the comments below.

Filed under: Desktops, Portable Audio/Video

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Apple’s pre-configured 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs both ship with 1TB hard drives, but if you’re willing to wait a day or two for a custom model to ship, two new flash storage options are now on offer. Any iMac configuration can now be had with either a 256GB or 512GB flash upgrade, priced over the base drive at $300 and $600, respectively. A 768GB flash option remains available with the 27-inch model only, for an additional $900. Education and corporate discounts still apply, but even with a modest price drop, be prepared to fork over quite a bit of cash for the turbo-charged drives, available through Apple’s online store at the source link below.

Filed under: Desktops, Storage, Apple

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Via: AppleInsider

Source: Apple Store

Many already believe that the real highlight of Intel’s 4th-generation Core processor lineup would be a giant graphics update. Today, Intel is revealing that they’re right — and, importantly, that there’s an equally large shift in naming strategy. Where 3rd-generation Core graphics were divided into two tiers, the new generation is focused on three, two of which are built for performance over efficiency. Ultrabooks with 15W U-series processors will use comparatively ordinary (if still faster) HD 5000 graphics. Thin-and-light laptops with 28W U-series chips get a new tier, Iris, that Intel claims is up to twice as fast in 3D as last year’s HD Graphics. Power-hungry parts see even more of a boost: they can carry Iris Pro graphics with embedded DRAM, which should double the 3D speed on H-series mobile chips (47-55W of typical power) and triple it for the R-series (around 65-84W) on the desktop. We also know that M-series laptop and K-series desktop CPUs will have Iris Pro options.

The feature set for the graphics trio is slightly more familiar to us, although there are a few tricks up Intel’s sleeve. All three can draw DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4 visuals, as well as take on OpenCL 1.2 computing and faster media processing. We’re almost more interested in the display modes, though. Along with receiving “enhanced” 4K output, the new Core graphics can handle a 3-screen collage mode — we won’t need dedicated video for a large, multi-monitor canvas. Sadly, Intel isn’t providing more than incidental details about the processors themselves, although it has already teased that we’ll get the full story around the Computex show in early June.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Intel

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Source: Intel

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this roundup, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

Thinking about taking a workstation on the road? Well, today’s collection of discounted links touts a Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 and 2TB Western Digital My Passport portable hard drive for working in a spot of your choosing. As always, the fine details reside on the other side of the jump, but be mindful of those coupon codes — each deal today requires ’em.

Filed under: Desktops, Cameras, Displays, Laptops, Storage

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Source: Slickdeals

One of the staples of Intel’s upcoming Haswell processor architecture is its support for lower-power idle states that can rival tablet chips in power consumption, even on the desktop. However, that may come with a big caveat for budget and custom-built PCs: certain power supplies might not cut it. VR-Zone claims that those idle states require as little as 0.05 amps of current, which could be too nuanced for older or cut-rate supplies that deliver power in bigger clumps. That might not be a problem for companies building complete PCs, but Corsair’s Robert Pearce tells The Tech Report that it may lead to a lot of motherboard builders playing it safe by disabling those specific modes by default. Many of us, in turn, would either have to buy a fresh supply or toggle the power-saving options ourselves. We’ve reached out to Intel to verify the truth, but it may be wisest to make a cleaner break from the past with any near-term upgrades.

Filed under: Desktops, Intel

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Via: TechSpot

Source: VR-Zone, The Tech Report