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Continue reading Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals

Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 1982 Lockheed Sea Shadow may be rusting away in Suisun Bay, but its Commie-spooking contours haven’t been forgotten. They apparently inspired the design of the Asus G74SX-A1, which just won a HotHardware recommendation for its cheese-eschewing looks as well as its performance, efficient cooling and realistic $1749 price tag. For once, the Core i7-2360QM CPU coupled with a GeForce GTX 560M and generous 12GB dollop of DDR-1333 RAM actually conspired to surpass the manufacturer’s 3DMark benchmark claims. It wasn’t flawless though: overall computing performance was middling compared to rivals; the speakers were shoddy when it came to producing music rather than explosions; and the 17.3-inch Full HD display was slightly wasted on some games that only ran smoothly with high quality settings at 1280×720. Still, all this naval talk makes us fancy some Silent Hunter 4 — and that should play just fine. Check out source link lurking below for the full review.

ASUS G74SX-A1 gaming laptop gets rated, loves a bit of Battleship originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s sad to say, but most of you who are going back to school have probably already returned by now — though if you’re in class right this moment you should probably be paying attention. If you managed to get back to campus without bringing a new laptop along, you might just want to keep reading — Sony’s just released a 15.5-inch addition to its VAIO S Series that not only adds a crucial bit of extra display acreage, but also bumps things up to a full 1080p.

Yes, this is a laptop that can not only be configured with a Blu-ray drive but has enough pixels to do the resulting footage justice, meaning it could make a passable player for movie night. But, does it have the chops to do your workload justice? Is it worth the $1,000 minimum asking price, at least a $100 premium over Sony’s 13-inch models? Join us as we find out.

Continue reading Sony VAIO S Series review (15-inch)

Sony VAIO S Series review (15-inch) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of Samsung’s Series 7 laptops was outed not long ago, but that PC was made for fragging, while the rest in this line of laptops is meant for more pedestrian purposes. The new members of the family come sheathed in the same silver aluminum skin, but sport a smaller 300-nit, 1600 x 900 matte display in both 15.6-inch and 14-inch versions. Those displays are surrounded by a minimalist bezel, which allowed Samsung to stuff a 14-inch panel into a 13-inch chassis. Around the sides, there are two USB 3.0 ports (and one of the 2.0 variety), Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI and VGA sockets (the latter requires an included dongle a la the Series 9).

On the inside, users can get up to a Core i7-2675QM CPU clocked at 2.2GHz, up to 8GB of RAM, Radeon HD 6750M graphics and a 750GB HDD spinning at 7,200RPM. On all but the base model, there’s an additional 8GB of flash memory mounted on the motherboard that helps shave boot times down to mere seconds using Sammy’s FastStart technology. A lithium polymer battery powers everything, and Samsung claims the 80Wh cell will maintain 80 percent of its original capacity for up to 1,500 charges. Prices start at $1,000, and run all the way up to $1,300 for all the fixins’. Sound good? Head on past the break for some hands-on impressions.

Continue reading Samsung unveils Series 7 laptops, we go hands-on

Samsung unveils Series 7 laptops, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung has never really tried to court gamers with its laptops, but a glimpse its new Series 7 family indicates that may be changing. German sites, NewGadgets.de and netzwelt.de, scored the deets on this 17.3-inch behemoth and it’s safe to say the 700G7A is a force to be reckoned with. Pushing pixels to the 1,920 x 1,080 screen is a Radeon HD 6970m with 2GB of RAM, while a 2GHz quad-core Core i7 takes care of any non-graphical tasks. Not impressed yet? Well, you can also trick it out with up to 16GB of RAM and a Blu-ray drive, to compliment its USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI jack, and Bluetooth 3.0 radio. The most convincing sign this rig is squarely aimed at dedicated gamers is the backlit keyboard — the W, A, S and D keys are highlighted in red, while the rest of the spread glows a calming blue. The 700G7A will hit shelves in September for around €1,800 (about $2,600), though there’s no word if said shelves include those here in the states. Check out NewGadgets’ hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Series 7 700G7A targets gamers with monstrous size and specs

Samsung Series 7 700G7A targets gamers with monstrous size and specs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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