Apple Mac mini (GeForce 9400M) unboxing and hands-on

Sure, it may not look too different on the outside (save for that Mini DisplayPort jack and copious USB 2.0 slots), but the Mac mini is all… newish. Two variations of the tiny desktop just hit the doorstep here, and we’re going to be putting them into a few use cases to see how much they sweat, but until that goes down, check out the unboxing and hands-on pics below!

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Apple Mac mini (GeForce 9400M) unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA gets further up Intel’s chuff with pledge to develop an x86 CPU

NVIDIA gets further up Intel's chuff with pledge to develop an x86 CPUHoo boy, we haven’t seen a corporate case of Hatfield vs. McCoy like NVIDIA vs. Intel since, well, last month’s little Apple vs. Palm tiff. While these two makers of all things silicon have rarely been on the best of terms, things have been rather testy lately with Intel slamming NVIDIA’s Ion platform, complaints to which the company summarily dismissed. But, the GPU maker with big aspirations apparently wasn’t done there, continuing the rebuttal by pledging to attack the core of Intel’s business: the x86 processor. This verbal salvo was fired by Michael Hara, NVIDIA’s VP in charge of investor and public relations, who indicated the company would start making CPUs for integrated devices like MIDs and netbooks sometime in the next two to three years. We can’t say as we blame NVIDIA for wanting a piece of Intel’s delectable Atom pie, but given how long we’ve been hearing rumors of an NVIDIA x86 CPU, we’ll believe it when we see it. Maybe these two should just go ahead and set up the PR cage match already?

[Thanks, Alex]

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NVIDIA gets further up Intel’s chuff with pledge to develop an x86 CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA intros GeForce GTX 280M / 260M and GTS 160M / 150M laptop GPUs

It’s a big day here in Germany for NVIDIA, as it has chosen CeBIT to announce four new mobile GPUs. Without question, the biggest newcomer is the GeForce GTX 280M, which NVIDIA claims is “the fastest laptop GPU on the market, with up to 50 percent more performance than previous generation enthusiast laptop GPUs.” The company is also pushing out the somewhat less exciting GeForce GTX 260M, GTS 160M and GTS 150M, all of which feature the company’s own CUDA compiling architecture and support PhysX gaming effects. ASUS, Clevo and MSI are all showcasing lappies based on the new GeForce GTX 200M and GeForce GTS 100M Series GPUs here in Hannover, though there’s no word on when any of those mysterious machines will ship to drooling consumers.

[Via HotHardware]

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NVIDIA intros GeForce GTX 280M / 260M and GTS 160M / 150M laptop GPUs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA Ion to begrudgingly support Core 2 Duo by Q4?

It’s easy to overlook amidst all PowerPoint-fueled fisticuffs but, in addition to slinging rebuttals at Intel and muttering insults under its breath, NVIDIA also appears to have dropped a bit of news about its next-generation Ion platform. While we had already heard that Ion 2 would be supporting VIA’s Nano processor in addition to Intel’s Atom, it looks like it’ll also support Core 2 Duo processors, and even Pentiums and Celerons for good measure. That, of course, is not all that surprising given Ion’s roots in NVIDIA’s current MCP79M/MCP7A chipset platform, and there’s certainly plenty of time for things to shake out further before that promised Q4 rollout date — and, knowing these two companies, things probably will.

[Via Electronista]

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NVIDIA Ion to begrudgingly support Core 2 Duo by Q4? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA responds to Intel’s Ion dismissal, all eyes on recess for confrontation

It wasn’t too hard to see this one coming, but NVIDIA has now shot back at Intel and responded point by point to each accusation Intel made recently about its Ion platform. For starters, while NVIDIA doesn’t exactly dispute that Ion is just a repurposed MCP79M/MCP7A chipset, it does say that Ion is a “modern 2 chip solution,” while Intel is relying on a “4-year-old 3 chip design.” NVIDIA also points out that Ion is certified by Microsoft to deliver the “premium Windows experience,” and not just Windows XP, and that, contrary to Intel’s claim, Ion does in fact offer similar battery life to an Intel-based system while also delivering ten times the performance. In related news, Intel CEO Paul Otellini himself hit NVIDIA with a few jabs yesterday at a Goldman Sachs conference in San Francisco, saying that NVIDIA is simply not in a strong competitive position, and that, “if you don’t have a microprocessor, what else do you have to sell?” Meanwhile, AMD was said to be wandering around the cafeteria, looking for a seat at the lunch table.

Read – Tom’s Hardware, “Nvidia Fires Back at Intel’s Anti-Ion Sentiments”
Read – CNET, “Intel CEO comments on Nvidia, economy, flash”

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NVIDIA responds to Intel’s Ion dismissal, all eyes on recess for confrontation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel rips into NVIDIA’s Ion platform

Intel and NVIDIA aren’t exactly hiding their differences with each other these days, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change anytime soon, especially when it comes to NVIDIA’s turf-encroaching Ion platform. According to a document apparently now making the rounds in some circles, Intel not only says that NVIDIA is simply reusing an integrated graphics chipset designed laptops and desktops, which will “in turn leads to higher costs as well as high power consumption,” but that NVIDIA is overstating interest in Ion from OEMs, saying that “as of this writing, no customer has publicly disclosed plans to design Ion-based products.” Intel reportedly further goes on to say that “NVIDIA’s Ion HD playback may not be as good as NVIDIA claims,” and even if Ion is more powerful, “neither gaming nor video transcoding are relevant to netbook and nettop users.” As if that wasn’t enough, Intel closes things out by saying that since it’ll be releasing its own update platform by the end of the year, “the window of opportunity for Ion is very short.” Of course, there’s still no indication that any of this will lead to a hard break between Intel and NVIDIA, although NVIDIA does at least now have VIA to fall back on.

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Intel rips into NVIDIA’s Ion platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few new rumors point to two new NVIDIA-packing iMacs

A few new rumors point to two new NVIDIA-packing iMacs

With more and more players getting in on the all-in-one market, both on the high and the low end of the scale, you just have to figure Apple’s going to respond with something new and flash to make everyone go “ooh.” There were numerous hints last year about a refresh to the line, and now we have a few more that again point to updated NVIDIA-based machines in 20- and 24-inch glossy sizes. The above photo is supposedly from some secret Apple marketing material, and the company is said to also be reducing stock of the old ones at retailers in preparation of a typically dramatic switcheroo. As far as when that will happen, your guess is as good as ours at this point — you know how much Cupertino loves surprises.

[Thanks, iB3nji]

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A few new rumors point to two new NVIDIA-packing iMacs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweetlog: Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q725

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Sure, this fiery laptop boasts quad-core power and Nvidia graphics, but just a 1,680-by-1,050 screen? Seriously? http://tinyurl.com/c4tbt7

NVIDIA Ion platform to support VIA Nano processors this year

It’s pretty clear NVIDIA already has some big plans for its new nettop / netbook-specific Ion platform, and it looks like its reach is about to get broader still, with company president Jen-Hsun Huang reportedly confirming that the platform will also support VIA’s Nano processor by the end of the year. As you may recall, the two companies had been in off and on talks about a partnership last year before things finally fell though in November, and there was even a point where it seemed like NVIDIA might actually acquire VIA. No word from Intel on this latest development, although it doesn’t seem like it’ll be affecting the Atom’s status as the go-to processor in the short term. There’s also unfortunately no indication as to exactly what sort of VIA-powered, Ion-based systems we can expect to see, although it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if they followed the Ion / Atom combo and went with a nettop first.

[Via GadgetMix.com]

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NVIDIA Ion platform to support VIA Nano processors this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear intros Prelude 2 3D gaming system

Maingear bills itself as a fine purveyor of “high performance luxury computers,” hand built machines such as the Remix workstation (for “creative professionals”), and now Prelude 2, a 3D gaming workstation that features the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision setup, a 22-inch SyncMaster 2233RZ display, and a desktop PC rocking an Intel Core i7 processor — all for $1,999 (though were guessing that once you start tweaking things here and there the price can rise pretty quickly). More detailed specs are sadly unavailable at the moment, but if you’ve been itching to jump on the 3D bandwagon (not that we approve, but whatever) this one is probably worth a look. Full release is after the break.

Update: Feel free to check out the order page over at Maingear’s site for all the system’s specifications and customization options.

Continue reading Maingear intros Prelude 2 3D gaming system

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Maingear intros Prelude 2 3D gaming system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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