Last month, Toshiba gave its Tecra line the Ivy Bridge treatment, outing the enterprise-focused R940 and R950 with fingerprint readers and the Smart Client Manager. Today it circled back to give smaller businesses something new, though the company confusingly chose the same naming scheme for its more budget-priced Tecra machines. Not to be confused with the corporate crowd’s Tecra R940 and R950, these two models are available only through ToshibaDirect, and they forgo some of the higher-end business security features like the fingerprint reader to keep the price down. The 14-inch Tecra R940 starts at $600 and can be configured with a third-gen Intel CPU, optional AMD dedicated graphics and up to 16GB of RAM. The 15.6-inch Tecra R950 also goes for $600 and up, and both laptops can be configured with 320GB hard drives all the way up to 512GB SSDs. Check out the presser below, and you can hit up the product pages to check out the full configuration options.
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer might be working overtime to keep Apple at bay, but the PC market that his company largely built is hurting, if you ask researchers at Gartner and IDC. Both estimate that shipments of traditional computers dropped by a tenth of a point in the second quarter of 2012 — not a good sign when Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors and a wave of Ultrabooks were supposed to usher in a PC renaissance. While the exact numbers vary, the two paint a partly familiar picture of the world stage: HP and Dell are taking a bruising, while ASUS and Lenovo are making huge leaps forward. Depending on who you ask, though, Acer is either kicking Dell down to fourth place or occupying that all too comfortable spot itself. The economy and tablets are once again blamed for making would-be PC upgraders jittery, although this time it may also be the wait for Windows 8 leading some to hold off.
If there’s a point of contention, it’s the US figures. Gartner and IDC alike agree that Acer, Dell and HP all took a drubbing. The two analyst groups are at odds with each other when it comes to everyone else, though. Apple will have gained market share to as much as 12 percent, but either increased or shrank its shipments; it’s Lenovo or Toshiba completing the top five outside of the usual suspects. Accordingly, take results with a grain of salt until all the PC builders have reported in. Nonetheless, if the groups have the same reasonable level of precision as they’ve had in the past, Microsoft may have to defer its ambitions for a little while longer.
This week we’ve got our hands on the orange and black beast of a gaming desktop computer known as the Acer Predator AG3620G-UR21P. The build we’ve got comes with a beastly set of hardware, starting with the new Third Generation Intel Core i7-3770 processor, 3.4GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.9GHz. This tower also comes with NVIDIA graphics, a 128GB SSD drive, and so many ports on the top and back that you wont know what to do with all of them.
Hardware
The actual casing and set of ports is extremely similar to other Acer models such as the AM3970 – though that model is made much more for the everyday user while this Predator unit brings on a shape and color scheme much more suited to the gaming-specific user. Sharp angles are clear to be seen all around the unit while bright fire orange stripes run up and over so you’re ready to race.
Up on top you’ve got what Acer calls their Multi-in-One digital media card reader with essentially every sort of card port you can imagine. Though if you’re a modern gamer you’ll probably either be using disks or digital downloads, these will come in extremely handy when you switch camera types or are handed a strange card from a friend full of photos of your last LAN party – if you’re the kind of person to take photos at such an event, of course.
Also on top are 2 USB 3.0 ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports as well as a mic port and a headphones port. On the back you’ll see every sort of port you could need to get off the ground for a fabulous one-display gaming experience. This includes a couple of covered ports in our build that you’ll be able to have active should you choose them for your build (you might want that display port, for instance), but we’re perfectly alright with using the DVI Video and HD-capable HDMI ports for now.
Included with this tower, as it is with most/all Acer desktop units, you’ll get a pretty standard USB keyboard and optical mouse if you’re currently going without. They work fine, but you might want to think about an upgrade if you’re actually going to go hardcore with your gaming love. Also included inside are 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN and 802.11b/g/n Wireless for some sweet connections, and High Definition 5.1 Channel Audio Support ready to go as well if you’ve got a massive room you want to fill with the crunching bone sounds of your digital enemies.
Up front we’ve got a 16X DVD+R/RW SuperMulti Drive, inside a 2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive, and the whole bit is running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit – and of course it’s upgradable to Windows 8 if you do so choose in the near future. Inside we’ve also got the lovely NVIDIA GeForce GT630 Graphics with 2GB Discrete Video Memory as well as a 2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive, Intel B75 Express Chipset, and again, that lovely new Ivy Bridge i7.
Have a peek at the results from our standard for desktop and notebook computing benchmarks, Geekbench, and certainly feel free to peruse the rest of our results from similar units in our Desktop Reviews portal. You’ll find that this device is right on the cutting edge when it comes to manufacturer assembled units, and
Benchmark Score – Acer Predator G3620
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
12961
16071
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
25559
Memory
Memory performance
8934
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
8024
Have a peek at a few more details on the system in this readout as well:
System – Acer Predator G3620
Manufacturer
Acer
Product Type
Desktop
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Motherboard
Acer Predator G3620
Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
3.39 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
8
Cores
4
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
8.00 MB
Memory
16.0 GB DDR3 SDRAM 666MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
American Megatrends Inc. P01-A1
Wrap-Up
In the end, what you’ve got here is an Acer machine, through and through, in an iteration aimed directly at the most high-powered and graphics intensive games you’ve got on hand. We’ve played everything from Diablo III to Batman: Arkham City on this device and have found that be it masses of characters smashing up the display or a vast playable world with realism in abundance, you’ll still be running strong.
The unit we’re using here will cost you a cool $1199.99 from Acer’s online store and it is indeed in stock right now. Head to our timeline below as well to check out additional Acer reveals and hands-on experiences we’ve had in the past couple of weeks!
The Samsung Series 9 was one of the best Windows ultraportable laptops last year. Even though it didn’t quite keep up on specs or benchmarks with some of the top-end machines, it was the most usable of the bunch. This year, as ultrabooks have made massive improvements over the past generation, the Series 9 remains one of the best. But it’s still not perfect. More »
Love the ASUS Transformer? Then I am sure that you will love Fujitsu’s new Stylistic Q702/F tablet! Here as well the Stylistic Q702/F comes with a removable keyboard that will let you enjoy your tablet either like a computer or either like a regular slate! However, unlike the ASUS Transformer, the Stylistic Q702/F is powered by an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5-3427U, 4GB of RAM and a nice 64 or 128GB SSD as well as a 11.6” 1366×768 screen. Other specs includes USB 3.0, WiFi, HDMI, SD, a 5Mpix …
Fujitsu has today unveiled two new laptops in its range. The first is a laptop and tablet hybrid dubbed the Stylistic Q702, while the second is a convertible laptop (remember those?) called the LifeBook T902. The Stylistic Q702 is constructed from a magnesium shell that weighs around 850 grams, doubling as a laptop when inserted into the keyboard dock which also provides extra battery life.
It’s on the large side at 11.6-inches, but features an LED backlit 1366×768 display and a Core i3 or i5 Ivy Bridge processor. 4GB of RAM comes as standard with the tablet, and you can configure the hard drive up to a 256GB SSD. Graphics are handled by the integrated Intel HD 4000 GPU, and there’s USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports as well as HDMI output and an SD card slot. Once you dock the tablet into the keyboard, you get an extra 4-cell battery as well as an Ethernet jack and VGA output.
The LifeBook T902, meanwhile, features a 13.3-inch 1600×900 display with Gorilla Glass. Inside is an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 or Core i7 processor, and up to 16GB of RAM. The default hard drive is a 320GB offering, although you can configure up to a 256GB SSD. The laptop includes two USB 3.0 ports and a single USB 2.0 port, HDMI output, VGA, Ethernet, an SD card slot, and the option for 3G or 4G connectivity depending on the market. A 1080p webcam can also be configured, with battery rated for around 7 hours and 40 minutes.
The Stylistic Q702 and LifeBook T902 should both be available sometime in the third quarter, with the Q702 starting from $1,099 and the T902 at $1,899. Both will be running Windows 7 when they ship, but can be upgraded to Windows 8 without any issues.
Back at Computex last month we saw dozens of Windows 8-ready Ultrabooks on display: sliding-ones, touchscreen ones, foldable ones. Curiously, though, there were virtually none aimed at businesses — you know, one of Microsoft’s key customer groups. Today, though, Fujitsu is unveiling not one, but two devices aimed at the corporate crowd: the Stylistic Q702 laptop/tablet hybrid and the LifeBook T902, a convertible laptop.
Starting with the Q702, it’s an 11.6-inch tablet that works with an optional keyboard dock and also supports pen input. Yes, that’s a form factor we know all too well at this point, but this one at least manages to differentiate itself with business-friendly features like TPM, Intel Anti-Theft technology, Computrace support and built-in WWAN and LTE connectivity (so far, we know AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will be on board). Under the hood, it runs Ivy Bridge processors (Core i3 or i5) with 4GB of RAM and an SSD with up to 128GB of storage space. As you’d expect of an 11.6-inch Windows tablet, the resolution is 1,366 x 768, though Fujitsu also added Gorilla Glass coating and ratcheted the brightness up to 400 nits. On its own, the 1.88-pound tablet is rated for 4.5 hours of runtime (the dock adds an extra 5.5). Speaking of which, in addition to a built-in battery, the dock adds two USB 2.0 / 3.0 ports, Ethernet jack and VGA.
Moving on, the LifeBook T902 replaces this guy with a higher-res 13-inch Gorilla Glass display (1,600 x 900 this time) and is powered by Ivy Bridge processors (i5 and i7 chips, to be precise). Inside that 4.1-pound body you can cram up to 16GB of RAM, along with optional WWAN or LTE radios. It’s also home to a modular bay, which you can use to add a spare battery or hard drive, or maybe even an optical drive. Fujitsu rates the battery life at up to 11 hours, but that’s assuming you go ahead and buy that second battery. Here, too, you’ll find security features like TPM and Computrace support, but unlike the Q702 tablet it adds a fingerprint sensor and IT-friendly vPro chips.
The Q702 and T902 will both ship with Windows 7, but are naturally upgradeable to Win8. Look for both to arrive sometime in the third quarter, with the Q702 hybrid starting at $1,099 and the T902 going for $1,899 and up. Full PR after the break, along with a press shot of the convertible.
Samsung added the Silver color edition to its Notebook Series 9 line up. Samsung Series 9 is an ultra-slim and light weighted premium notebook series created by Samsung’s craftsmanship and the newly launched Silver edition aims to attract the young customers in their 20s. While the existing Mineral Ash model which looks like two tone colors depending on lights delivers a sense of luxurious refinement, the new Silver model highlights the image and characteristic of an ultra-slim and …
HP announced a raft of new Ivy Bridge desktops back in April, but it had a few more all-in-ones up its sleeve. Today the company is unveiling a mix of business- and consumer-targeted machines: the Compaq Elite 8300, Compaq Pro 6300, Envy 23 and Pavilion 23.
Let’s tackle the business models first. Starting at $879, the 23-inch Compaq Elite 8300 is available with second- or third-gen Intel processors and integrated or discrete graphics options. A $929 configuration comes with a multitouch-enabled display. The Compaq Pro 6300, going for $799 and up, doesn’t offer touch functionality, but it includes corporate-friendly security software via HP ProtectTools and, like the Elite 8300, can be configured with either Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge CPUs. The 6300 features a 21-inch LED-backlit display and an optional 2-megapixel webcam. The Compaq Elite 8300 will go on sale September 10th, while the 6300 will hit stores on September 3rd.
On the home PC side of things, there’s the $950 HP Envy 23, which sports a 23-inch 1080p screen and a free-standing design with edge-to-edge glass. Beats Audio is on board, and the model is available with Ivy Bridge or AMD trinity processors, up to 2TB of storage, an HDMI-in port, a Blu-ray drive and a TV tuner. Like the Envy 23, the $650 HP Pavilion 23 has a 23-inch 1080p panel and is configurable with up to a 2TB hard drive and either Intel (up to Core i5 Ivy Bridge) or AMD CPUs. Both models will go on sale August 5th. You know the drill: head past the break for the full press release and our hands-on photos.
Good things come in pairs, right? Earlier this year Samsung revamped its high-end Series 9 line with two new Ultrabooks: an impressively thin 15-inch model, along with a more portable 13-inch machine. So far this year, we’ve gotten a chance to review the larger version which remains one of our favorite ultraportables ever, thanks to its minimal design, fast performance, lovely display and long battery life.
“So what?” you’re thinking. “Why bother revisiting the miniature version?” For one, friends, Samsung only recently refreshed the Series 9 with third-generation Intel Core processors, and we were eager to make note of any performance gains. More importantly, though, the 13-inch Series 9 faces stiffer competition than its big brother. There truly isn’t another big-screen notebook quite as thin or as light as the 15-inch Series 9; if those are the attributes that matter most, that’s the laptop you’re best off getting. But the smaller Series 9 finds itself fighting for space on retail shelves amidst high-end ultraportables like the MacBook Air, ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A, the HP Envy Spectre XT and, well, you get the idea. So how does this $1,300 system fare against such worthy opponents? Read on to find out.
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