ASUS’ well-rounded G51 gaming laptop reviewed, lauded

NVIDIA’s world-beating GeForce GTX 260M GPU hasn’t presented itself in too many gaming laptops just yet, but somehow or another it found its way into ASUS’ bargain priced G51VX. Originally showcased back at Computex, this 15.6-inch rig is amongst the cheapest portable gaming machines in its class, packing a 2GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 1,368 x 768 panel, 320GB (7200RPM) hard drive and a 1GB GeForce GTX 260M handling the graphical duties. The benchmarking gurus over at HotHardware sat this here machine down for a stern talking to, and while they could’ve stood for the resolution to be a bit higher and the battery life (1.75 hours) to be a tad longer, the actual performance was top shelf. Put simply, it was deemed a “well balanced machine that’s a winner at this price point,” offering up a far nicer GPU than any other competitors in the $1,000 range. Tap that read link for a look at the full review — we get the feeling you’ll like what you see.

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ASUS’ well-rounded G51 gaming laptop reviewed, lauded originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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. One more, less cosmic shot after the break.

Continue reading Maingear’s eX-L 15 gaming laptop arrives on planet Earth

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Maingear’s eX-L 15 gaming laptop arrives on planet Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS G60Vx lappy smuggled out of the Peoples Republic of Gamers for in-depth review

Sure, it looks good enough on paper, but how does the new G60Vx gaming laptop from ASUS stack up in the real world? The kids at Bit-Tech have got their hands on this guy and have been cool enough to let us in on their findings. According to the review, the machine “acquits itself pretty well,” with the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM and Blu-Ray drive all holding up their end of the bargain — aside from the “stuttery” and “dramatically low” framerates encountered while playing Crysis (well, it is Crysis, after all). That said, the device will play “a good number of modern games at the native resolution,” even if they deem resolution “irritatingly low” for 2D use. But, you know what? That ain’t all, not by a long shot… to see the benchmarks and analysis in their full, unexpurgated glory, hit that read link.

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ASUS G60Vx lappy smuggled out of the Peoples Republic of Gamers for in-depth review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI takes the pain, fun out of overclocking with OC Genie

If you thought MSI‘s obsession with motherboard implants was over after it unveiled Winki to a nearly nonexistent amount of fanfare, think again. The company has just taken the wraps off its latest mobo addition, the OC Genie. In essence, this is the one-touch overclock button that laptop owners have long enjoyed, but for desktops. Right now, the OC Genie is custom built for the company’s own P55 motherboard, though it insists that all sorts of mainboards will be supported in due time. If you’re curious about the details, you’ll have to remain that way for now; all we’re told is that activating the module automatically pushes your system to a safe brink within a second, giving even the newbies in attendance the ability to squeeze more from their current rig. In related news, MSI also added yet another model to its growing Classic laptop series, the 17.3-inch CX700, which gets powered by a Core 2 Duo processor, ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD4330 GPU and 4GB of RAM.

[Via HotHardware]

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MSI takes the pain, fun out of overclocking with OC Genie originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alienware M17x gaming laptop gets “special edition” Nebula Red color option

Not satisfied with a gaming laptop that can be maxed out with a top-end Core 2 Extreme Quad processor and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics? Then how about a red gaming laptop that can be maxed out with a top-end Core 2 Extreme Quad processor and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics? That, as you might have deduced, is the latest option available on the “all powerful” Alienware M17x laptop, which takes the red accents already found on the laptop and runs with ’em (check the gallery below for a closer look). Of course, “special editions” rarely come free, and this new Nebula Red color option is no exception, with it setting you back an extra $99 on top of the laptop’s $1,799 base price.

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Alienware M17x gaming laptop gets “special edition” Nebula Red color option originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rock delivers BD / Core i7-equipped Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840 gaming laptops

Can you believe it? It’s been practically a year to the day since we’ve seen any new fragging machines from the lads over at Rock, but thankfully things are still moving after being rescued by a rolling Stone. The latest duo to take Europe by storm involves the Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840, both of which can be outfitted with NVIDIA’s 1GB GeForce GTX 280M (or two of ’em, if you’re feeling froggy), Blu-ray drives, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, WiFi, four USB 2.0 sockets, an HDMI port, Windows Vista (with a gratis upgrade to Win7 this October), a 7-in-1 card reader, 3TB of HDD space and a 3-year on-site warranty. Heck, you can even toss a Core i7 in there if you think your legs are calloused enough to handle it. Both machines can be ordered up right now, with the 790 range starting at £1,999 ($3,258) and the less extravagant 840 line picking up at £1,699 ($2,769).

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Rock delivers BD / Core i7-equipped Xtreme 790 and Xtreme 840 gaming laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: Best gaming laptop for under $1,500?

Believe it, vaquero — you just happened upon this week’s episode of Ask Engadget, the only time of the week where you get the opportunity to bestow your wealth of gadget knowledge onto a fellow reader in need. Given the open-mindedness of Niko here, we couldn’t help but pass on his inquiry:

“What’s the best gaming laptop for under 1,500 bucks? I had my eye on the P7805u (Gateway), but it seems Best Buy has run out for the time being. Also, as a secondary question, I like the specs on brands such as iBUYPOWER and CyberPower and the like, but are they reliable? I’m a little worried about buying labels that aren’t huge like Dell, Gateway, etc. Thanks!”

So, make sure those of you who’ve avoided the big boys chime in here — who knows, maybe it’s actually better to snag a machine from a lesser-known label. After you’ve contributed, feel free to send in your own question to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Ask Engadget: Best gaming laptop for under $1,500? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS G60 gaming laptop rolls out, gets examined

Eye-catching paint job aside, ASUS’s new G60 “Republic of Gamers” gaming laptop may not seem all that different from the company’s previous G50 model at first (or second) glance, but there are indeed a few somewhat notable differences both inside and out. Perhaps the most significant is a new 16-inch screen which, in addition to being ever so slightly larger than the previous 15.4-incher, also packs a full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Otherwise, you can expect to get a Core 2 Quad processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 1TB of storage from the dual hard drives, GeForce GTX 260M graphics, and a Blu-ray drive, to name but a few expectedly high-end specs. Still no official word on a release over here, but it looks like folks in the UK will be able to pick this one up in September for £1,500, or just under $2,500. In the meantime, you can hit up the links below for a closer look.

[Via Pocket-lint]

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ASUS G60 gaming laptop rolls out, gets examined originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alienware M17x unboxed… by Mr. Bicep

We noted that Alienware’s “All Powerful” M17x gaming laptop was a hefty beast when we got our hands on it last month, so who better to unbox this 11.5-pound monster than Bruce Pechman, also known as Mr. Bicep? Apparently Bruce scored one of the first models off the line after betting the Alienware reps at E3 that he could do 17 straight one-arm lifts of the demo machine over his head, and his maxed-out rig packs a quad-core Core 2 Extreme, dual GeForce 260M graphics cards and a slot-loading Blu-ray burner — all of which arrived in this gigantic 32-pound box. Yeah, it’s a little ridiculous — but you know you want it.

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Alienware M17x unboxed… by Mr. Bicep originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung intros 17.3-inch R720 multimedia laptop

There ain’t too many options when it comes to finding that special 17.3-inch laptop in your life, but we’re thrilled to see at least one more PC maker putting those oddly sized LCD panels to use. Quietly announced across the pond, the R720 is the natural successor to last summer’s smash hit, the R710. Said machine sports a LED-backlit panel, ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics, stereo speakers (with “subwoofer”), a full-sized numeric keypad next to the QWERTY layout, four USB 2.0 sockets and Windows Vista Home Premium running the show. Sadly, it seems as if we’ll have to wait patiently on more details (price, release, HDD size, etc.), but we get the idea this one’s headed for UK stores first, anyway.

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Samsung intros 17.3-inch R720 multimedia laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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