Asus Launches G74SX 3D Gaming Notebook

Asus G74Sx gaming laptop, now available for advance order, boasts the latest hardware specs plus a refreshingly unflashy design. This new addition to Asus Republic of Gamers series features a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia graphics card with 3GB of video memory, a 3D display option, and other features for hard core gamers - without the spray-painted glossiness and showy lights of typical gaming laptops.

Inside the G74Sx matte chassis is generous 12GB of RAM (upgradable to 16GB), 1.5TB storage (via dual 750GB HDDs spinning at 7200rpm), the Nvidia GeForce GTX560M video card, and the Intel Core i7 2630QM Sandy Bridge processor. Considering also the laptop's 17.3-inch full 1080p HD (1920 by 1080 pixels resolution) display, backlit keyboard, and Blu-ray drive, you've got one mean gaming and entertainment machine here.

This GPU is based on the GF114 core and packs 384 stream processors, 64 texturing units, 32 ROPs, and 3GB of video buffer memory, making it slightly faster than the GeForce GTX 480M used in other of the company's gaming laptops.According to HardwareLuxx, users can choose between three different display options, all measuring 17.3 inch in diameter.

The top model supports a Full HD resolution (1920x1080) and has a 120Hz refresh rate, so it can display 3D stereoscopic images. Asus rates the maximum brightness at 300 cd/m?.As far as storage is concerned, the notebook can be configured with various HDD, SSD and hybrid storage solutions (two disk drives are available which can also be setup in a RAID volume) and Asus has even added a Blu-ray burner to the mix.Just as it was the case with the previous G73SW, the notebook also features SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connectivity, an HDMI 1.4a port (as well as various other video outputs), and S/PDIF digital audio out.

Lenovo Introduces B520, B320 All-in-One Multi-Touch PCs

Lenovo India continues to lead the transformation in the Indian consumer All-in-One PC market by launching the ultimate All-in-One Multi Touch 3D Entertainment PC IdeaCentre B520 and B320 . A powerful 23 inch All-in-One which uniquely combines a frameless screen with state-of-the-art multi-touch and 3D vision.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B520 is the best AIO for customers seeking a compact, space-saving PC with high-end features that offers a great entertainment experience. Trends reveal that consumers greatly value technology that is space-saving, easy-to-carry, quick-to-deploy and stable with unparalleled user-friendly and energy-efficient features. Hence, they are likely to be more inclined towards All-in-One PCs than traditional desktops.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B520 brings movies and games alive with true-to-life audio, thanks to integrated 5.0 channel speakers supporting SRS premium sound Equipped with the optional 3-in-1 mouse that doubles up as a motion-drive games controller, powerful graphics and the 2nd generation Intel core i7 Processor, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B520 is perhaps the ultimate All-in-One entertainment PC. Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 for Windows 7, with optional RapidDrive SSD technology, lets you boot Windows 7 in as little as 20.5 seconds which will allow the user to start applications 2x quicker. It has NVIDIA GeForce? GT 555M 1GB graphics, 4GB DDR3 memory, up to 2TB HDD, USB2.0, USB3.01 connectors 5in1 card reader, Integrated DVD reader/writer.

The B320 has a screen large 21.5 w/intel core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 4 TB of HD. WiFi, bluetooth serial and DVD burner. The C205, instead, has an AMD Dual Core processor, a screen wide 18.5, 8 GB of RAM, a 500 GB HD and a graphics card MD Radeon HD 6310.

The B320 is trying to be a few things to a few people. Lenovo describes it as a computer that's also a TV.It has a 21.5inch multi-touch display, but there is a Hardware TV feature that allows users to easily switch between TV and PC modes. There's even a picture-in-picture function, and a Core i5 CPU powering it all.

Hp-Pavilion DM1Z 11inch Laptop

HP Pavilion dm1z is a 11.6-inch netbook equipped with a 1.6Ghz AMD Dual-Core FUSION Processor E-350, 3GB DDR3 RAM, and 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection. The laptop highlights a 11.6″ diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display at 1366 x 768 resolution, and AMD Radeon(TM) HD 6310M Discrete-Class Graphics.

The HP Pavilion dm1z series laptop also comes with Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone, 802.11b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, and 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery for 5 to 7 hours. The laptop is running on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system. You see, such a configuration is good enough for our daily use, people are very satisfied with it.Of course, the HP Pavilion dm1z has become a hot selling laptop on Amazon, more and more people are choosing it, so I think I have obligation to share it with you guys today.

As a well-configured 11.6″ laptop, the HP Pavilion dm1z is great for students and travelers, especially business travelers, it?s portable enough to let you take it anywhere with you, so you can handle your business wherever you are. You?ll have wonderful experience with it.The HP Pavilion dm1z series has excellent quality and loud Altec Lansing Speakers, it?s super lightweight and portable at only 3.5lb. The textured mousepad is also comfortable to use and can be easily disabled by double-tapping the small circle in the top-left corner. it also has support for multitouch.

The dm1z finished Handbrake, a video transcoding test, in 9 minutes 4 seconds, when netbooks like the NF310 and Mini 5103 couldn't even run the test. On SYSMark 2007, an overall performance gauge, the dm1z pulled in the highest score (57). The dm1z comes standard with 3GB of RAM, expandable to 8GB, which is more than any amount the Intel Atom processor can support. The HP Pavilion dm1z is next step in netbook evolution, as its new AMD Fusion APU proved you can have great battery life without sacrificing speed.

BenQ Launched 24inch VA PANEL LED TV PANEL with Component Port

BenQ EW2430W offers a stark visual impression: brushed aluminium at front, all straight lines, and a black mirror finish at the back. The 24-inch, VA LED monitor packs in equal brains as beauty -- with a 1080p screen, a true 8-bit colour panel, high contrast ratio and minimal light leakage thanks to the VA technology used.

The monitor also brings in some software tricks to the table: a smart focus feature that can highlight a selected window, ?super resolution? which claims to bump up the native resolution of an image, 3D image noise reduction, and 3D de-interlacing. Underlining the home-theatre credentials, the monitor features picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, allowing you to make the most of dual feeds. We would love to see if this translates into being able to play on our favourite console, while browsing the web, or finishing a boring presentation. Connectivity is plenty: with two HDMI ports, four USB ports, one component jack, 1 DVI-D/D-sub port, audio-in and audio-out; dual 2W speakers complete all that the monitor has to offer.

BenQ 24inch EW2430V VA LED monitor, is equipped with VA LED panel that features an ultra-high native contrast ratio of 3,000:1 for added depth and definition, also minimizes light leakage. Equipped with the ultra-high Dynamic Contrast Ratio (DCR) that equates to 20,000,000: 1; it enhances the details and color contrast, producing flawless true-to-life images. The true 8-bit panel provides a range of 16.7M colors, presents saturated vividness and smoother color transitions in every image.

BenQ EW2430V is designed to support a variety and multiple audiovisual enjoyments. It comes with a headphone jack, audio line in and out, 2x HDMI Ports and support various gaming devices and both analog and digital signals. 4 USB ports are built-in on both models for the digitally savvy, ensuring every USB device will have its own home. A component (RCA) jack for regular housing entertainment devices also empowers the EW2430V Model.

Apple MacBook Pro 2011 13-inch notebook

Intro

Staying true to tradition, Apple completed it's annual revamp of the MacBook Pro lineup in early 2011. The announcement came close to CEO Steve Jobs' birthday.

Although in appearance all the 3 MacBook Pros i.e., the 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch look identical to the previous generation, it's under the hood where these machines have truly been upgraded. So does the new hardware pack a punch or is the upgrade incremental? Read on to find out!

Packaging and Contents

The packaging and content is typical Apple with the aluminum unibody 13-inch MacBook Pro in the standard compact white briefcase-style box. Open it up and you have the device, below which rests the charger, manuals, a soft cleaning cloth and two Apple logo stickers.

First Impression

At first, the device appears to be exactly the same as its predecessor, as beautiful and as sturdy. Even in its simple design, the device is an eye catcher. The only new addition that you will find in the appearance of the device is a small lightning bolt symbol above the mini display port. This is the new high-speed Thunderbolt I/O from Apple. Although there are no devices available in the market that support this interface, they are expected to launch soon.

Performance

The first thing that you will notice in the performance of the device, especially if you are a MacBook Pro user, is that the device feels a bit snappier. Under the hood, this beast is powered by an Intel Core i7 2.7 GHz dual core second-generation processor. Apple has ditched the NVIDIA GeForce 320M that was present in the previous gen 13-inch for integrated graphics. The battery life has improved owing to the new age processors and the absence of a dedicated graphics card. But don't expect to get some serious gaming out of the device as the integrated graphics card will not give you the best of results. You can juice out anywhere between 5 to 7.5 hours of battery life depending on how you use the product.

The full size keyboard is great to type on and is backlit, making it very comfortable and easy on the eyes in the dark. The ambient light sensor on the device ensures that you never have to adjust the keyboard light or the brightness of the screen manually.

The legend-daddy of track pads too is present here. The 13-inch device houses Apple's glass multi touch touchpad, which is undoubtedly the best in the business supporting up to four-finger touch recognition.

The biggest addition to the performance - and, sadly, we can't test it - is the Thunderbolt port which occupies the same physical space as the display port. On paper, the Thunderbolt port can support speeds of up to 10Gbps, but we will have to wait and see if that is true in performance.

The left of the device houses the standard mag safe charging port, Ethernet port, FireWire 800, Thunderbolt/Mini Display port, Two USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader and a headphones port. The disadvantage (and this was there with the previous gen 13-inch pro as well) is the absence of a microphone port. Sure, the onboard mic is accurate but an option would have been nice. Also by now, we would have liked to see USB 3.0 on the MacBook pros. Even if it hasn't turned up as default, a customization option would have been truly satisfying.

The left of the device also houses the battery life indicator, similar to the previous generation Pro.

The right of the device houses the 8x Super Drive that can read/write dual layer DVD's. Again here, the option of a Blu-Ray drive would have been appreciated.

The web cam in the 13-inch MacBook Pro supports 720p HD video for video calls. Apple's FaceTime app also comes pre-installed on the device, which is otherwise available for $0.99 on the App Store for previous generation devices. FaceTime is a great app and works really smoothly. We chatted between the MacBook Pro and an iPhone. The experience was smooth, audio was clear; there was virtually no lag and this reviewer was made dizzy by his colleague constantly rotating the iPhone and changing the orientation on his screen!

In terms of testing the device, it took about 3 min and 30 sec to copy a 8GB .mkv file to the device via USB from a portable HDD.

Converting the same video, which was 1hour 50 minutes in duration and had a resolution of 1920x818 via the free software Handbreak to .m4v (same resolution) took us a whopping two and a half hours!

On GeekBenck (64-bit), the device has an overall score of 7500 as compared to the 2010 model that scored 4012. (Higher score = better performance)

On Xbench the 2011, the 13-inch MacBook pro scored 178.09 as compared to the 2010 model that scored130.99. (Higher score = better performance)

Multimedia

Apart from the regular typing and web browsing, multimedia is what you will primarily use this for. The 13.3-inch LED backlit display has a 1280x800 resolution, which is great for watching 720p HD movies. However, if Apple could give theMacBook Air's display a resolution of 1440x900, why not integrate the same with the new generation 13-inch MacBook Pro?

HD movies stream smoothly on the device. Although 1080p movies ran smoothly on the device we really couldn't take full advantage of the video, as the screen isn't full HD. We watched a bit of Megamind, Iron Man, Tangled and some music videos and the colours were vibrant and the picture detailed. Although, if you sit with the device in an out door coffee shop, you will have some trouble with the glare on the screen.

The sound quality from the in-built speakers is good but the volume could have been better. You can however use third-party software like Perian to improve the audio output. Like its predecessors, the speakers are clear and the audio doesn't distort at high volumes but the speakers lack bass. For everyday music and video needs, the speakers perform very well.

iTunes and iLife comes pre-installed on the device. iLife comprises of the latest version of iPhoto, GarageBand and iMovie. iPhoto is very engaging especially if you are a photos buff. The app is among the best photo managers and it is easy to sync with your iPhone, iPod andiPad with absolute ease.



Verdict

Apple has once again produced a winning notebook. It has great ergonomics, upgraded hardware, superb battery life and the integration of an HD webcam is nice for video chatting. We do wish they had bumped up the screen resolution as they did on the MacBook Air and the option of USB 3.0 and Blu-ray would have been nice as well. But if you around Rs. 85,000 to spend on a new 13-inch laptop, you might want to consider the Dell Alienware M14x or the HP Envy 14.

Specifications:
2.7 GHz dual core Intel Core i7 processor (sandy bridge)
4MB shared Level 3 cache memory
500GB 5400rpm HDD
13.3-inch LED backlit display with a resolution of 1280x800
Intel HD graphics 3000 processor 384MB DDR3 SDRAM shared with the main memory
Built in 720p webcam
8x Super Drive slot
Thunderbolt I/O port
SD card slot
Two USB 2.0 ports
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Backlit keyboard

Pros
Strong ergonomic build
Upgraded second generation Core i processors
Great battery life
Well laid out keyboard
Large Multi-touch trackpad

Cons
No dedicated graphics card
Screen resolution could have been better
Thunderbolt cannot be used to its potential yet
No option for USB 3.0 or Blu-Ray

COOLER MASTER M520

Today’s systems are very different to how they were a few years ago, with new power hungry GPUs being released on a regular basis, and people wanting to go that step further by putting them in SLI, as well as the latest, most delicate circuitry of the very expensive RAM cards and SSDs it’s nice to know that someone’s got the power covered.

In 2007, Coolermaster released their Realpower series: offering reliable, high wattage power for the hardware enthusiast going up to a kW in power. It was SLI and 80+ certified and featured modular design for increased cable management and airflow. Three years later, it is still on sale in major retailers. Why? Because time has proven its reliability and capability.

With this product Coolermaster aimed to do a few things: providing reliable and stable power, providing enough wattage for an enthusiast, reducing system noise and increasing airflow with its modular design and large fan. Did they manage to achieve their goals?

Features:

• Modular design for increased airflow and aesthetic looks

• High efficiency design (>80%) to reduce heat, save money and be eco friendly

• Cables included to power most modern SLI systems as well are large RAID arrays

• High performance silent 120mm with temperature control to keep your system stable without contributing to the overall system noise

• Numerous protection features to keep all your delicate and expensive components alive through power surges and even short circuits

• 3/5 year guarantee

Best Gaming CPUs

AMD's desktop cpu hybrid was officially released at the end of last month and Llano-based processors started tricking out slowly thereafter. So far, though, there are only two models to choose from and both are quad-core models with 100 W TDPs.

The A6-3650 is a 2.6 GHz part with integrated Radeon HD 6530D graphics, while the A8-3850 runs at 2.9 GHz with an integrated Radeon HD 6550D engine. Although the four processing cores are identical between the two SKUs (except for clock rates), the graphics silicon is significantly different. The A6-3650 includes 320 Radeon cores operating at 443 MHz, while the A8-3850 sports 400 Radeon cores at 600 MHz.

Graphics specifications aside, AMD's Llano-based APUs perform almost identically to similarly-clocked Athlon II X4s. And since they cost more than Athlon IIs, there's little incentive to recommend either APU, at least from the perspective of a gamer. At best, these processors are a good option for folks who want a well-rounded entry-level system, as the integrated Radeon HD 6530D and 6550D circuitry is capable of handling light gaming at resolutions below 1680x1050. But serious gamers should choose a discrete GPU with more power. If that's you, your money is better spent on a well-balanced processor and complementary graphics subsystem.

From Intel, we have the new Core i7-980 processor, stealth-launched straight into retail without any fanfare. Essentially a Core i7-980X with a locked multiplier, this 3.33 GHz Gulftown-based processor with six cores is capable of handling 12 threads simultaneously by virtue of Hyper-Threading. At $600, it doesn't offer much more than the 3.2 GHz Core i7-970 we've had access to for months, but it's yet another option for folks who need to run threaded apps.

While we haven't had a lot of time to test the Sandy Bridge-based Pentium G6xx and G8xx processors, we've seen enough to suspect that they're going to be viable options for gamers. Unlike the Pentium G6950, a poor performer, the new G850, G840, and G620 could be strong competitors against the sub-$100 Athlon II processors. We do have a piece on these new Pentiums in the works, and we can say that they're compelling enough to warrant a recommendation at $100.