HP Pavilion Media Center TV m8000n PC

Want to be able to consolidate, organize, and enjoy movies, music, TV shows, photos, and videos? You can take charge of your digital entertainment, listening, and viewing when you want, with the Pavilion Media Center TV m8000n. The HP Pavilion Media Center TV m8000n series is a high-end Media Center tower built for the multimedia enthusiast. Features include dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ processor, 2GB of memory, 500GB of drive space, DVD burner, IR remote and TV tuners. With the recent demise of the HP Digital Entertainment Center series, the m8000n will likely be touted as the "media server" that supplies entertainment content to HP MediaSmart TVs and Xbox 360 Media Extenders.

FEATERS:

Price as Tested: $949.99 List
Type: Media
Processor Family: AMD Athlon 64 X2
RAM: 2 GB
Storage Capacity: 500 GB
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 6150
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+RW (Plus), DVD-RW (Minus)

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Xoxide X-UFO Ultimate Aluminum Cube Case

The Xoxide X-UFO Ultimate Aluminum Cube Case is the Humvee of computer cases. Constructed entirely of 2-mm industrial-grade aluminum, this massive 18-inch metal cube provides a tremendous amount of room for exotic lighting, custom cooling systems, and its five external 5.25-inch and nine internal 3.5-inch drive bays.
The bare-bones chassis includes three large acrylic windows, cut-outs for a mind-numbing 11 fans, chrome front-panel switches, and a set of medium-duty casters. You can remove the drive bays, the motherboard tray, and the backplane, and Xoxide plans to offer interchangeable drive bay modules for buyers who prefer different configurations. All three acrylic panes are fitted into the case's U-shaped wraparound cover, which removes them from harm's way whenever you work inside.
With 14 thumbscrews attaching its huge cover, the X-UFO can be cumbersome to open, but a bigger complaint is our evaluation unit's soft, easily marred untreated aluminum surface. Xoxide evidently agrees; the company recently announced red and high-gloss black powder-coated versions that have much tougher finishes.
The X-UFO isn't cheap, but sometimes you do get what you pay for. We've never seen anything like it.

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

XClio Godspeed One Advanced Fully Black Finish

New special cooling system with twin blue illuminated 180mm fans on side panel and twin 4cm blue LED fans on the top panel provides you an extreme cooling solution. All fans are adjustable. There are also four external 5.25", two 3.5" external and five 3.5" internal bays. And they're all tool-less, it's easy for your installation. If you are looking for a sturdy chassis with an excellent cooling system and economic price, there's no doubt that Godspeed One Advanced is your best choice and it's even beyond your expectation.

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1

If you're considering a Panasonic Toughbook, it's likely that your priorities are relatively different from that of the average consumer. Rugged laptops are designed to meet the adverse conditions that people in the military, construction, and various outdoor professions may face—and come through unscathed. That said, a laptop still needs to have some basic elements in order to ensure a decent user experience. Although the Panasonic CF-U1 ($2,500 street) has some neat features—like hot-swappable twin batteries and options for GPS, 3G mobile broadband, and extensions like fingerprint readers and bar code scanners—its basic usability is lacking. The CF-U1's screen is tiny, its keyboard is nearly impossible to type on, and the labsence of any sort of navigational aid (like a touchpad or pointing stick) for its otherwise finicky screen make this pricey tablet extremely difficult to use, let alone recommend.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $2,500.00 Street
Type: Ultraportable, Tablet, Business
Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Atom Z520
Processor Speed: 1.33 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
Weight: 2.3 lb
Screen Size: 5.6 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
Storage Capacity: 16 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: External

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

HP TouchSmart TX2z

Building on the success of its TouchSmart IQ816, an all-in-one desktop with a massive touch screen, HP decided to make a mobile version. Since the HP Pavilion tx2000z already had touch and tablet features built in, it was the obvious candidate to inherit the IQ816's intuitive interface. The HP TouchSmart TX2z takes its touch capabilities further. It's the first Windows-based multitouch (responsive to specific gestures made with more than one finger) tablet, trumping the IQ816's single-touch functions. Being the first to market, however, does not guarantee success. Its fan noise is almost unbearable, the multitouch functions are buggy, and a bloated software suite is crippling.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $1,524.00 Direct
Type: General Purpose, Media, Tablet
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Mobile AMD Turion 64 X2 Ultra XM-86
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 4.9 lb
Screen Size: 12.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 3200
Storage Capacity: 400 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

KidzMouse Disney Keys

Lure your little one to the computer with the child-friendly KidzMouse Disney Keys keyboard. It's narrower than a standard keyboard, as the function keys, the number pad, and several other less-important keys have been removed. The keys themselves are full-size, and they're color-coded to help young typists distinguish different areas. Best of all, most keys—except the Hyphen, Enter, Space, and Arrow keys—won't repeat if held down for long, so that kids don't accidentally type a long string of letters. The keyboard has a USB plug and comes with a PS/2 adapter.
To help kids learn their way around this keyboard, it comes with Disney's Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa, a discontinued learning game that runs on Microsoft Windows XP but only on Classic versions of the Mac OS.
SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave

If your keyboard and mouse are in need of a makeover—or that is, need to be replaced—one option is to purchase a package that includes both peripherals. Logitech and Microsoft both have plenty of these packages, called "desktops," ranging from cheap generic mice and keyboards to more expensive combos that have creative, ergonomic designs. The Logitech Cordless Wave Desktop includes the Wave Cordless Keyboard and the LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse. Both units are new to the market, and are, as their names imply, wireless. They both sync directly to the same USB receiver.
SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000

In an effort towards a better ergonomic experience for the average user, who spends approximately six hours on the computer a day, Microsoft is rolling out the Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000, which combines the company's best selling wired keyboard, the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, with its latest ergonomic mouse, the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. Both input devices of the Natural Ergonomic Desktop borrow heavily from their standalone predecessors, sporting little or no difference at all, though the keyboard does come wireless in this version.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

ZBoard MERC Gaming Keyboard

As a reader of Guru3D.com, you're surely aware of all the great peripherals available to help your gaming. There's products such as the Logitech G15 keyboard with it's LCD display, and there's the G5 and G7 gaming mice from the same manufacturer with their on-the-fly DPI adjustment and weight system. There hasn't been a keyboard or mouse review @ Guru3D for some time now, so we thought we'd change that since keyboards (along with mice) are very important peripherals as they're your communication points with your PC. Whilst the products mentioned above would've made for an interesting review, they have been on the market for over 6 months now. Instead, we were given the opportunity to review something new to market, something quite unique and something that should, in my opinion, be a hit with serious gamers.
It may sound strange to some but you can most certainly strain your anatomy when using your computer for lengthy periods of time. Repetitive Strain Injury plagues many computer users so it's advised that you set your work station/desk and your position up correctly to avoid any potential problems. The way in which you position and use your keyboard can have a significant impact on your comfort. First of all you need to position the keyboard directly in front of you and pull up close to it. Which section do you use the most? Readjust the position of the keyboard so this section is directly in front of you. Next, if you are able to, adjust the keyboard height so that your shoulders are relaxed, your elbows are in a slightly open position, and your wrists and hands are straight. The next step is to tilt the keyboard. If you sit in an upright or forward position, try tilting the keyboard away from you at a negative angle. If you sit reclined, a slight positive tilt will help maintain a straight wrist position. A wristpad can be used to rest your palms between keystrokes, but it is not recommend to rest on the wristpad whilst typing. The mouse should then be placed as close as possible to the keyboard to avoid overreaching and have everything positioned in the same zone.
How about the keyboard itself then? How much thought goes into your choice of peripherals? Think about it. How much time do you spend at your computer each day? Do you work in an office? Do you run a business from home? Do you play multiplayer games online for a clan? Do you spend hours chatting away on an instant messenger service? If the answer to any of these is yes, you should definitely invest in a good quality keyboard. The main factor is your comfort. The keys of a keyboard need to feel light and responsive and the design needs to be an ergonomic one. If these features are present, your accuracy should approve as should your speed. If you are able to go to a store and try out the products before you buy then do so as once you've tried practise typing a few sentences on a display keyboard you'll instantly know whether that keyboard feels nice to type on or not. Quite honestly if you stick to any Logitech or Microsoft product, even their basic models, that keyboard is going to have a good feel to it, you should enjoy using it and it should last for years.
Today's product then. What is it? It's a new product from a company called Ideazon who previously brought us the Z-Board. This product is another keyboard yet this time with an integrated game pad. We mentioned ergonomics earlier, and indeed, how good would it be to have all the keys you need to succeed in any top game surrounding your left hand, without having to reach around the entire keyboard to press them? Sounds good to me, and let me tell you, although it's a rather subjective thing, it definitely works.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Cyber Snipa Stinger 3200 DPI laser gaming mouse

Meet Hilbert. Hilbert is a hardware reviewer at the age of 35; not exactly the frag-meister in the most hottest gaming titles. However, he does love living life fast and knows a trick or two; thus that includes the overall gaming experience. The last time he reviewed a fast "gaming" mouse they were at 600 DPI precision, they here optical and yes .. some mouses in that era even had a little ball ! It's now 2008 and a company releases a laser mouse at 3200 DPI. That's 3200 scanned dots per square Inch people. Hilbert just has to review the product to check if it'll help him improve his gaming experience.
Without further ado ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you the guys from CyberSnipa, soon to be known under the label cyber-e-sport. The folks that market and produce hardcore gaming gear for you guys, the gaming audience. It's one of very few companies solely focusing on gaming products and they have been doing that with success.
With that gaming community in mind they have developed a certain amount of products that should be appealing to you, the Guru3D audience.
The first product from their new series we'll test comes from their Cyber Snipa mouse range of products; the Cyber Snipa Stinger. A product with fine precision, good looks and to some degree, it's even customizable thanks to a dominant software application. I was enchanted to get my hands on the Cyber Snipa Stinger Gaming Mouse. While this piece of hardware is clearly aimed at the hardest of the hardcore FPSers, its resourcefulness and features make it a comfy mouse even for everyday use.
The new Cyber Snipa Stinger doesn't come cheap though. Prepare to cough up €39.90 / 49 USD for it. But is it worth that money then ? Let's find out at the next page where we'll look at some of the technical features, photo's and my experiences with this product.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

SunBeamTech UFO Acrylic Cube Case

Alright, ya'll have seen or at least heard of that movie Cube right? See, clever as Sunbeamtech is, a Cube is something mystical. What ... hey! you don't believe me? Alright alright .. how about this one. Star Trek, The Borg Cube, eh? What about that one?
Okay enough of that. Today we are reviewing a chassis. One made 100% out of see-through Acrylic, and it's shaped as a Cube.
Face it, it's short from stunning how many cases there are out there to pick from. So why Acrylic you ask? Well, ehm ... I dunno. It's just looking so damn cool. See if you forget about the fact that it's the worst material to use as a chassis cooling wise, incredibly "not" handy to work with, scratchable, smears everywhere and oy! The fingerprints. But all that aside, if you get the wiring and lighting right, an Acrylic chassis might be one of the coolest things you've ever built.
SunBeamTech delivers the UFO Acrylic Cube chassis darn cheap as well. The unit as tested today is costing no more than say 60-65 EUR, and that's with the 2 LED fans and frontpanel included. Not bad.
So my biggest problem in this review are the photo's ... how do you photograph something you are not supposed to see ? Well here's your answer, we opted the UV blue reflective coated version. So during the photo-shoot we'll continuously have a UV black light pointed at the chassis. You have no idea it was how silly the photoshoot itself was. But hey, we managed just fine I might add.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Shuttle "G7" Chassis K48 barebones kit

Just about every type of application you might need for your daily computer tasks are ready loaded onto the K48. Simply turn it on and start working. Internet, email, and instant messaging are just a click away. There's a suite of office applications for word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, databases, and drawing diagrams. Enjoy your MP3s and video with the media player. Plus, there's even a photo organizer that let's you touch up images. This is as user friendly as it can get.

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Smooth Creations Customized Volkswagen Bus PC

So then, there's people buying DELL PCs, easy dirt cheap often limited. Then there are Guru3D'ers .. typically guys like you and me who gather their PC components to build a PC from ground up all by yourself. Over 80% of you guys tend to do this too, or at the very least, upgrades their own PCs and installs the hardware themselves.
There is however a next level, custom made PC's that are totally pimped up. Think of the Alienware series, Vadim PCs and Voodoo PCs. Now that market obviously is difficult as Vadim is out of business, Voodoo PCs is a subdivision of HP and is hanging in there (just). So we always find it really interesting to see if there are other companies out there building PCs at that uber high-end.
SmoothCreations is such a company. You can purchase pre-build customized PCs, or if you have won the lottery, pick out your own PC and have it custom tailored. The sky is the limit here, you pick you components from low-end to high end, regular cooling, water-cooling, single GPU or 3-way SLI/CrossfireX you name it and they make it.
It doesn't end there though, because these guys will not only build you a complete PC, they'll make sure it's build with intense detail. Think here in terms of cable management, lighting .. and for what they are renowned for .. their customized spray paints, which are just too fricking sexy.
Skulls, flames, dragons, mermaids, flags, space designs, customized designs, you name it and they paint it. Have a peek here seriously have peek. And these are just a few examples of the wide spectrum of chassis spray-paint designs they make. Their spray paints are and I do dare say this, the best ones you can find on this work. They are awesome .
Everything about Smooth Creations is extreme .. and that's just our cup of tea. So when we where asked to check out one of their rigs we of course couldn't resist.
So when the package arrived I was expecting this dark, evil looking spray-painted PC - something with Aliens, bonfire or villain skeletons ! We open up the box, have a peek .. and huh, spot a Volkswagen painted bus. Of all the things they could have send have send huh ? But I did some digging, and the original VW bus was a legend. To date it's still used on the road with completely hauled over and revised models. There are gatherings and even races among the VW crowd. Very fun to see. I can only imagine how much those people would appreciate what we can show you today.
It's very cool. But the VW Bus paint-job manages to make your PC look more ‘Style Icon’ rather than a terrifying teen daydream. Have a peek and then head on to the next page please.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Apevia X-Telstar

The X-Telstar PC case is designed to complement today's modern decors. Sporting a simple yet elegant panel design and distinctive features including a cool blue LCD screen for monitoring power supply voltages, sound volume, fan speed, and CPU/Hard Drive temperatures. It not only keeps you aware of your PC's environment status, but also is an attention-grabbing element of the case. The built-in fan speed controller allows you to easily regulate airflow and fan noise. The high quality, sturdy construction, and attention to detail throughout this full tower PC case will definitely put you ahead of the game!

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

SmoothCreations Neptune Xtreme Machine

So then, Smooth Creations really doesn't need an introduction as we've looked at their handiwork before. For the uninitiated, SmoothCreations do custom systems with custom paint. They also do laptops and peripherals, but we're here to take a look at one of their majestic custom built systems.
The last machine we looked at from SmoothCreations was the munchies-inducing VW Bus case. That machine was impressive in its own right, if not for the sheer performance then for fact that it actually looked like a Volkswagen Bus. But, it also had a few shortcomings. So, they sent us another one, something quite a bit different.
Did they recant? Did they change their ways? Nope.
This time, they are not messing around. No, this machine came with a liquid cooled Core i7 965 overclocked to 4GHz, a pair of waterblocked BFG GeForce GTX 280 cards in SLI, almost 2 terabytes of storage, and a whopping 12GB of DDR3-1600 memory configuration, all dressed up in a modded and custom painted case.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (SD Slot)

For Apple, integrating nonremovable batteries across an entire product line was a daring move and inevitable after the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (Unibody)—the company's biggest laptop—received one. So it's no surprise that owners of the new Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (SD Slot) can now gloat over its battery prowess while leaving those who carry multiple batteries out in the cold. But adding an SD slot came at the expense of losing an ExpressCard slot—an underappreciated perk that few people cared about, according to Apple. (Even so, my feelings about its removal are a little mixed.) Still, the improved battery life over the previous version, plus a base price lowered to $1,699 (direct), is enticing enough for newcomers. Current 15-inch owners, however, may want to hold off until the next version.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $1,699.00 List
Type: Media
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 5.3 lb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9400M
Storage Capacity: 250 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

HP mini 110

It's hard to see how netbooks could get much cheaper, but each new generation drives the price floor down, offering better parts for less. The HP Mini 110 (1030US) is no exception, incorporating many elements we loved about the Mini 1000 with a few minor improvements and a significantly lower price tag. The Atom processor is the same, but the 60GB, 4,200-rpm spinning drive we called sluggish on our first look has been revved up. Add onto that an improved feature set that now includes an Ethernet port, among other updates, and you have a solid deal. Though I still have a few complaints, including the obnoxious mouse buttons, the Mini 110 is a better package overall.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $329.00 Direct
Type: General Purpose, Ultraportable, Value, Netbook
Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
Processor Name: Intel Atom N270
Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
Weight: 2.6 lb
Screen Size: 10.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Storage Capacity: 160 GB
Networking Options: 802.11g
Primary Optical Drive: External

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Lenovo IdeaPad Y450

As countless shoppers flock to stores to buy low-cost netbooks, they forget that great deals for these tough economic times are also coming in the form of bigger, more-capable, and still-very-portable mainstream laptops. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 (starting at $599) is not only inexpensive, it also comes with a big screen, a desktop-like typing experience, and a bevy of multimedia features. It's a great laptop for kicking off a new school year or transitioning from that old desktop.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $659.00 Direct
Type: General Purpose, Media, Value
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T6400
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 5.4 lb
Screen Size: 14 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Storage Capacity: 320 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

EVGA GeForce GTX 275 1792MB

You know .. time certainly flies in this industry. It hasn't been 'that' long ago since NVIDIA released it's answer towards ATI's Radeon HD 4890 release, early April actually. Both cards extremely competitive toward each other. And of course it didn't take long for NVIDIA board partners to release faster clock and more diverse models based of that GeForce GTX 275. And with 1 GHz clock speeds, neither did ATI for that matter.
On the NVIDIA side of things, one such manufacturer is the always shining eVGA, they released multiple versions of the GeForce GTX 275, and we'll be looking at one today. But not an ordinary version, no Sir.
See, as your girlfriend will confirm, sometimes size matters ... and sometimes, size doesn't matter at all ... hey I said sometimes ;) The product we test today of course is that GeForce GTX 275 yet not with 896 MB of memory, no Sir .. it's doubled up towards an incredible 1792 MB. Said in Mac Donald terms .. eVGA super-sized it.
FEATURES:1792MB DDR3 Memory
PCI-E 2.0 x16
633Mhz GPU Clock Speed
2268Mhz Memory Clock Speed
NVIDIA SLI ready
DirectX 10/OpenGL 3.0
SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

SunBeamtech Acrylic HTPC chassis

Face it, 50% of us Gurus really do like pimped PCs, shiny, bling, heck .. the Feng Shui attitude of, for example, UV lighting in a PC. Therefore it is often used by many of us. Some hate it, some love it .. I'm still in that stage where I am fascinated by that radiating light effect. And so do others, as complete spraypainted PCs, acrylic PC cases, modded cased have been build and based from often merely a simple idea .. a figure, a color, material .. and lighting..
Some take it a step further... acrylic material. A relative cheap to purchase item and when properly built by a chassis manufacturer, very interesting material for the end user. An even better fun fact is that Plexiglas can be made UV reflective and when you combine all these properties nicely together the end results of building a UV reflective chassis can be breath-taking, astonishing really.
It's a challenge though, the chassis needs to fit the purpose and the reality is... when you use transparent acrylic with UV coating... you'll see every and any wire, component, peripheral inside that chassis. So this is not for everybody.
A couple of weeks ago the guys from Sunbeamtech released a HTPC based on such a design, and asked us to review it. Assembling these chassis' is a lot of work so I did at first hesitate. But then when I looked at the specs, I could not resist. A fully functional HTPC chassis, with proper cooling, front panel, UV lit fans all at a very sharp price of just 79 USD. Sunbeamtech offers their Acrylic HTPC case in two versions: a clear non-UV reagent acrylic (HTPC-T) or using a blue UV-reagent acrylic (HTPC-HUVB), the model we reviewed.
So while a chassis like this is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to assemble, both chassis and components wise .. the end-result .. ah just have a look at that photo below and then head on off to the next page where I'll show you the assembly of this chassis.

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910 watt

PC Power & Cooling is a company that has a long lasting name and reputation in the business of power supplies. Their reputation is based on a simple fact: they build high-quality power supplies that last.
They do not care about modability, sheer looks, cable management or bling fans. No Sir, PC Power & Cooling is all about the essence of a high quality power supply. Nothing more. So if we were to stereotype them with one word, then it has to be "quality".
Now, in the world of power supplies a lot has changed over the years. Everybody is selling the darn things and the funny thing is, there are probably less than ten real power supply manufacturers on this globe. Saturated is what this market is, but that's not exactly a negative thing though. The demand for power supplies versus the numerous brands available these days had a positive effect: seen overall, the quality of power supplies have become much much better. Next to that you got more options and features as well. Last but not least, a hip thing these days is of course the efficiency of the power supply.
PC Power and cooling creates the best of the best among power supplies, they however keep their design simple. No multiple 12 Volts rails, no Sir, it all comes from one single rail, apparently more robust and efficient. Cable management ? Ehm, no Sir, all cables are connected as modability would have an effect on overall efficiency here as well.
With a PC power and Cooling power supply, you go back to basics, yet with build quality that is unprecedented. Recently PC P&C released their new Silencer 910W model. A near kilowatt power supply with an efficiency that is bloody fantastic at roughly 88%. Anyone remember the dull grey power supplies from 3-4 years ago? these were ~70% efficient. So if you plan something really high-end that sucks up a lot of power, a PSU like shown today will actually help you save energy and thus reduce your energy bill

SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5500

The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution features Bluetooth 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate wireless technology, which provides an easier setup experience, as well as a more robust and reliable connection than with previous generations of Bluetooth technology. This is the only Cordless Desktop to feature the rechargeable MX Revolution hyper-fast scrolling laser mouse, and a dynamic keyboard display. The built-in LCD screen shows the time and date, calculator, temperature, Web site favorites, a keystroke counter, e-mail updates and media information, such as band and song titles.

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Bella Pro Series 3.0 Keyboard for Premiere Pro

The Professional Series 3.0 is the ultimate line of editing keyboards, delivering features, speed, and flexibility right at your fingertips. The patented, built-in jog/shuttle controller and specialty keys makes editing easier, giving you much more control over your audio and video clips without your hands ever having to leave the keyboard. And with this latest generation of the Professional Series keyboards, the NeoLite, a task light that plugs directly into the keyboards, has been added along with two USB 2.0 ports for a direct connection to your high-speed media devices. You will also learn your application quicker and edit faster with the program-specific, color and icon-coded keycaps.
SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

Gigabyte EG45M-UD2H motherboard

Aaah, it certainly has been a while since we've tested an Intel chipset based motherboard alright. Well, mainstream that is .. I mean the sheer number of X58 motherboards we tested .. well that was just crazy.
Mainstream my dear gurus, is a very big market. It is also a market where true value is to be found. Take for example AMD's 790 series motherboard chipsets. Massive, serious value, lots of features and heaps of connectivity. Intel however also has such a chipset and after all our 790 and Phenom reviews, we felt the need to peek at one.See, Gigabyte submitted one of their Ultra Durable 3 series motherboards (yeah the ones with quality Jap caps, super duper mosfets and an OZ extra copper), well the ladies do say that girth matters .. but the model they submitted comes with a G45 Intel chipset. And that means value as you can already think and spell HTPC and integration there.
This G45M motherboard is based on a Micro ATX form factor. Normally this doesn't leave much room for extras. The motherboard tested today however comes with UD3 technology, that G45 chipset, integrated GPU, HDMI, 8-channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet, plenty of SATA connectors, fairly nice design, 4 DIMM slots, dual-bios, passive cooling .. and all that on a m-ATX form factor design.
SOURCE:www.guru3d.com

Acer AspireRevo

The Acer AspireRevo is a surprisingly affordable, space-saving PC that will capably serve everyday computing needs with ease. Featuring the NVIDIA® ION™ graphics solution coupled with the low-power Intel Atom 230 processor, it perfectly balances extreme value with functionality. In addition to tackling basic computing needs, it was designed to perform as an ideal infotainment solution for streaming movies, TV shows, music and other online media. Its compact design and HDMI interface make it a perfect fit in the living room, where consumers can connect it to a big screen TV for enjoying digital media or casual games with family and friends. Whether used as an infotainment center or a secondary low-cost PC, the Acer AspireRevo’s outstanding value is undeniable.

SOURCE:www.nvidia.com

ZOTAC IONITX

The ultra-compact ZOTAC ION mini-ITX form factor motherboard combines a high-performance NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor with a power-efficient Intel Atom processor for the ultimate eco-friendly platform. Experience fluid and vivid high-definition playback, along with full web browsing, e-mail, and productivity on an impossibly small platform.
Harness the power of 16 high-speed stream processors with NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology for high-definition Blu-ray playback. And enjoy PureVideo™ HD technology to decode HD video formats and enhance standard-definition videos with the ION GPU for flawless HD and superior SD video playback.

SOURCE:www.nvidia.com

Alienware M17

Alienware gaming laptops are built to incite envy. Their designs, which resemble a coat of armor with gill-like ridges, topped off by the signature alien head logo, are sleek and otherworldly. Traditionally, these rigs are limited to those with deep pockets, with don't-even-ask price tags. The new Alienware M17 gaming rig takes a slightly different, more affordable approach. At $2,060 (direct), this 17-inch behemoth can be heavy at times, but its sleek Stealth Black case and ATI CrossFireX dual-GPU configuration are well worth the price.

FEATURES:

Price as Tested: $2,059.00 Direct
Type: Gaming, Media
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
RAM: 3 GB
Weight: 9.4 lb
Screen Size: 17 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 CrossFireX
Storage Capacity: 160 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

SOURCE:www.pcmag.com

ASUS N81Vp-C1

The problem with multimedia laptops is that you always feel as if you have to trade off something to get something else. If you want a big screen and speakers, then you'll need to lug around a heavy computer. If you want a lighter laptop that still packs a multimedia punch, you'll have to give up screen size or even major components. For years laptop manufacturers have been looking for that holy grail—a solution that can provide a full-featured multimedia experience in a lightweight package. ASUS may not have found it with its ASUS N81Vp-C1 ($1,299 list), but it's gotten pretty darn close.

FEATURES:

Type: Business
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T9550
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 5.7 lb

Screen Size: 14 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon 4650
Storage Capacity: 250 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n

Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)

Source:www.pcmag.com

Micro Express MicroFlex 450B Power Desktop PC Review

Aug 21, 2008 - Built around the same Gigabyte X48-DS4 motherboard as the top-performing Polywell Poly X4800-Extreme, the MicroFlex 450B steps down a notch or two on other primary components. A 2.83-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, a single 500GB Seagate ST3500320NS hard drive, and a 512MB ATI 4870 graphics card lurk inside. Though this combo is pared back compared with some other high-end PCs, it still managed a more-than-acceptable WorldBench 6 score of 119 and gaming rates around 200 frames per second.

SOURCE: www.pcworld.com

HP Compaq dc7900 Ultra-slim

You no longer need a huge tower PC dominating your workspace to give your growing business the computing power it needs. The HP Compaq dc7900 Ultra-slim ($919 direct) desktop is a compact business PC that can crunch any number you can throw at it yet doesn't dominate your desk space. The dc7900 is an enterprise-grade model, with the corresponding IT benefits (though with the drawbacks as well). It's a better choice for balancing your books than the $500 consumer-grade PCs out there.

SPECDATA:

Price as Tested: $919.00

DirectType: Business

Processor Family: Intel Core 2 Duo

RAM: 2 GB

Storage Capacity: 250 GB

RAID: No

Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

SOURCE: http://www.pcmag.com/