Computer Systems - Page 28

CES 2015 - Acer is on a roll today, unveiling its new Revo One RL85 entertainment PC, which is a "stylish personal computer designed to become the entire family's entertainment center."

Acer's new PC is built for entertainment, content streaming and much more, with the ability to be powered by an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor. We have dual display support, with one HDMI and one mini DisplayPort output, which supports up to 4K monitors or TVs. There are three HDD storage spots, each capable of taking a 2TB drive for 6TB of total drive space in Raid 0/1/5. Wi-Fi 802.11ac is also here, which will provide wireless freedom throughout the house.

Where the Revo One RL85 shines is in its design, with Acer crafting a PC that can be placed anywhere and not look out of place. It comes in both black and white, with a nice polished glossy look with "aesthetic curved lines and rounded corners." We have an SD card slot, four LED smart indicators, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and miniDP. Acer is shipping the Revo One with an optional multi-use remote control, which will make placing the PC in your lounge room even better.

If you're a fan of extremely well-built systems and don't have the patience, skill or time to do it yourself - pre-built computers from retailers and specialist companies is certainly a viable option.

MSI has teamed up with XOTIC PC to provide to the public this insane system, boasting components including SLI-980's, a water cooled Intel i7 5960X and an inclusion of a monstrous 32GB of RAM.

The press release issued doesn't have any quoted retail price and a quick search of the website comes up empty, but you can expect this system to come a quite a hefty cost.

Digital Storm has just taken the wraps off of its new Eclipse PC, a new small form factor PC that is "designed to offer a premium gaming experience at an affordable price" with its $699 starting price.

The new Eclipse PC has a small footprint of just 15 x 4 x 14 inches, so it can be used on most shelves either laying down or standing up. The chassis that Digital Storm have used is constructed of reinforced plastic with a steel body. Every pre-built Eclipse comes with a full-sized video card and Intel processor.

There are four levels of system to choose from, with each level including 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM and Windows 8.1 as its operating system, with the first three systems including a 1TB 7200RPM HDD and optional optical drive. Starting at $699 we have an Intel Pentium processor, AMD Radeon R7 260X 2GB GPU and H97 chipset motherboard. For $200 more you can upgrade to the R9 270X 2GB and Intel Core i3 4350 processor. For $999 you get the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB and Core i5 4590 processor, while the $1299 option bumps it up to the GTX 970 and Core i5 4690K while offering a Z97 chipset, 120GB Samsung EVO SSD, 1TB 7200RPM HDD and a DVDRW drive.

Robots aren't yet taking over, if you want to enjoy your time in your house before this happens - maybe the Ninja Sphere is for you.

Developed as a small Australian start-up, Ninja Blocks has proudly presented the second installment of their product - said to help you control simple house functions with ease, expanding the controlled devices to almost anything that you wish (compatibility required however).

The Ninja Sphere can be placed as a center piece on your lounge room coffee table, stylish in design and not too big in structure this new device can turn on and off the lights with a simple tap, swiping your hand over the surface will allow you to change which device is controlled, tap again and this piece of technology will now be told by the sphere to turn on or off.

Intel is planning to release diminutive thumb-sized computers next year. These Small PC's are fanless designs that are roughly the size of a USB thumb drive, and Intel actually demonstrated one of the devices at their recent investor conference. Intel didn't speak to the actual performance of the unit, but we do know that some Atom processors are small enough to fit into such devices.

The market for these small computers is actually in the tens of millions of devices per year, and there are already competing designs on the market featuring ARM processors and the Android operating system. By expanding x86 computing ability into this small form factor it opens up new potential use-cases. This class of tiny compute devices rarely have much storage, if any at all, onboard. Intel might be planning on integrating their new 3D NAND, which can pack up to 1TB of storage into a 2mm package, into the new devices. This would provide Intel a massive advantage over competing devices.

Intel did reveal they can be plugged into smart TV's and monitors and provide an instant computing solution. This may foreshadow Intel trying to penetrate into devices such as Amazon's Fire TV stick and Google Chromecast designs.

Apple unveiled its new 27-inch iMac during the week, which featured a beautiful 5K display with a resolution 5120x2880, and now iFixit have given it the usual teardown treatment. So what better way to spend your day after you've spent thousands of dollars buying the new Retina 5K iMac, than to rip it apart, right?

iFixit's teardown reveals that Apple's new iMac features an easily accessible RAM upgrade panel, and when it came to the 5K panel, the iFixit crew found that it requires a steady hand to remove it, but it's not all that hard. The 27-inch 5K panel itself is made by LG, with most of the hardware powering it coming from Texas Instruments. Going deeper into the new iMac, the iFixit team found that the layout of supporting hardware was close to identical to that found in last year's model.

The new 27-inch 5K iMac received a repairability score of 5/10 from iFixit, with the team saying that the user-replaceable RAM, HDD and CPU were all good to see,but the HDD and CPU upgrades the removal of the entire display. iFixit did add that the glass and LCD being fused together, along with the fact that there is double-sided sticky tape there that needs to be replaced to remove and replace the display, received negative marks from iFixit.

Apple held its second media event in the space of a month today, unveiling the new iPad Air 2, iOS 8.1, OS X Yosemite, and the new 27-inch iMac with Retina display.

Apple's latest desktop PC is something the company was excited about, as it features the Retina 5K display, boasting a resolution of 5120x2880. At 5120x2880, we have 14.7 million pixels, or 7x the resolution of 1080p, and even a big 67% more pixels than 4K. Apple now claims this is "the world's highest resolution display". Remember though, Dell has a 5K monitor it unveiled last month, too.

The company has said that it had to create new technologies in order to drive the display, which included a custom made timing controller, and specifically engineered oxide-based TFT. Apple is also pushing some of its tech from the Retina iPad, such as organic passivation to allow the sheer amount of pixels blasting onto the screen. Even though we have a 5K display, it uses 30% less energy than previous models thanks to high efficiency LEDs. Even at 5120x2880, it is just 5mm at the thinnest edge, which is the same as the previous generation iMac.

MSI refreshed its 27" All-in-One gaming PCs so they now utilize the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M and GTX 980M video cards, powered by the Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB DDR3L RAM, MSI Super RAID technology, and the Killer E2200 Game Networking.

"Gamers crave performance and our new lineup of 27-inch gaming AIOs will leave them breathless," said Andy Tung, MSI Pan America CEO, in a press statement. "The outstanding combination of state-of-the-art components, including NVIDIA's latest GPU, deliver the most immersive gaming experience available and is guaranteed to outperform any other unit on the market."

The NVIDIA GeForce 900M series has received a large amount of attention from consumers, as OEMs roll out a new generation of mobile gaming products.

iBUYPOWER introduces its newest 'ultra-simplified' entertainment center: SBX Entertainment System. The team designed this new unit to make it reflect the aesthetics and physical characteristics of a game console, but with the raw power that only high-end desktop systems can provide.

The unit is designed keeping living room computing in mind, and iBUYPOWER assures that its new system can provide 60FPS gameplay at high definition resolutions. As you'd imagine, just like any game console or any properly configured and optimized desktop rigs, this is made to provide the best out-of-the-box PC gaming and entertainment experience.

"What we really wanted to do was make an impact in the living room. We wanted to really show the world that the power of desktop gaming machine can be experienced in the living room in a totally seamless way, " said Darren Su, Co-founder and VP of iBUYPOWER. "All preconceptions of what entertainment in the living room should and can be, are out the door."

Worldwide PC shipments during Q3 did better than expected, dropping just 1.7 percent instead of the previously estimated 4.1 percent drop, according to the IDC research group.

Lenovo now has 20 percent of the global PC market, ahead of Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and Apple - as each company look to revitalize the struggling market. Companies are struggling to try to adapt to an increasingly mobile market - and while PC hardware continues to evolve - many consumers and businesses don't need to upgrade current PCs at the same rate they did just a few years ago.

"Reaching the 20% mark in global PC share is a great milestone for Lenovo - and we got there even faster than expected," said Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo CEO, in a statement. "While others have been looking for a game plan that works, we have been executing ours and the results speak for themselves. Not only have we reached another record high and solidified our PC leadership position for the 6th straight quarter, but we have diversified our business at the same time."

We all know that upgrading your PC can be hard, but one of the key decisions of upgrading any PC is the processor. Most people will go Intel, and rightly so, the company has the best performing CPUs on the market.

The advertisement shows a frustrated user who is sitting at his brand new PC, and it crashes. Time slows down, and then goes in reverse, where he regrets his decision of buying the competition, walking back to his PC store and changing his mind. Intel puts this down to 6 simple steps when buying a new PC.

This includes the Processor Speed, RAM, HDD, Graphics Card, Software and Extras. Intel processors run faster, use less power, and if you have the money to spend, can scale up to incredible speeds that make your desktop PC closer to a supercomputer from just a decade or so ago with up to 16 threads on the latest Core i7-5960X.

IDF 2014 - Supermicro Releases X10 Server Solutions Featuring New Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2600/1600 v3, DDR4 and NVMe at IDF 2014.

Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro said "Supermicro's X10 Green Computing solutions offer the most optimized DP/UP server and storage platforms on the market supporting advanced technologies and new Intel Xeon E5-2600/1600 v3 processors. Leading the wave is our new 1U/2U Ultra SuperServers which integrate hot-swap NVMe SSDs and SAS3 storage with high bandwidth 10G/40G networking in a new thermal optimized architecture that minimizes fan count and fan power consumption to provide exactly the best platform for enterprise-class virtualization and hyper-scale computing applications. Combined with our new X10 TwinPro, MicroBlade and FatTwin systems as well as the industry's widest range of server building blocks with Titanium level high efficiency power supplies, Supermicro is delivering total solutions to address the critical power, space and cost challenges facing today's data driven businesses."

Supermicro has many new products to offer up with this new release of X10 servers. At IDF 2014, we happened to catch up with Supermicro to check out the new products they have to offer.

Alienware has just unveiled its new Area 51 gaming PC, something that is making a comeback. The original design rewinds back to 2006, but there's now a new design, and it looks quite slick.

From top to bottom, the new Area 51 chassis has been redesigned, featuring a unique body which Alienware calls its "triad case." It's not just for good looks, but it's designed to better vent warm air upwards, and out of the case, when it's backed right up against a wall. When the Area 51 system is sitting flat, the sloped front bezel makes getting to the USB ports much easier.

There's also some LEDs to help you find the rear panel in the dark, which is good to see from Alienware - an actual useful reason for having LEDs instead of just vanity. There are built-in handles on each corner that make taking the Area 51 gaming PC a great case for lugging around to LANs, especially with its 45 pounds of heft to tote around - and while that's heavy, handles will at least make it easier. What about specs? We have Intel's latest Haswell-E CPUs, DDR4 support, 1500W PSU, and much more.

Acer today announced its Chromebox CXI line of PCs for low-budget consumers, designed for education, small to medium businesses and budget-conscious users.

The system is powered by an Intel Celeron 2957U dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, 16GB solid state drive, 2GB or 4GB RAM, and should boot in just 8 seconds. Chromebox CXI also includes 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth 4.0, one HDMI port, combination audio jack for microphones and headsets.

"The Acer Chromebook CXI is an excellent fit for schools and any other institution or business where conserving costs and space are high priorities," said Simon Hwang, Acer President of Stationary Computing and Display Business Group, in a press statement. "Due to the ease of management, the Chromebox can significantly reduce technical support and consequently lower the total cost of ownership."

Lenovo has just taken the wraps off of its new ThinkStation P Series, P500, P700 and P900 workstations at SIGGRAPH 2014. Completely redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up to offer more flexibility and ease of use with a new look. Features include enhanced thermal management, tool-less upgrades and Lenovo's new FLEX module technology.

"After a period of intensive research, development and testing, we're excited to introduce our next generation workstations to the market, as we truly believe this is the best designed workstation ever," said Victor Rios, Vice President and General Manager, Workstation, Lenovo. "We built on the advancements delivered in our 30 Series workstations and engineered the P Series with new levels of innovation based on extensive customer feedback. The result for users is optimum performance, outstanding reliability and unparalleled usability that is unlike anything they have experienced."

Rios continued: "Performance Boosting productivity starts with incomparable computing and graphics performance. With the Lenovo ThinkStation P Series, users can run their mission-critical applications to their limits - from advanced rendering and simulation to analysis of vast data sets." The following can be found in the new ThinkStation P Series of workstations:

The Chromebook may not be putting a massive dent in the consumer market when it comes to outselling OS X and Windows machines to the public, but in the business and education market Chromebooks are growing massively. In the three weeks that ended on June 7, Chromebooks were a solid 40% of all computers sold in the commercial realm.

Commercial sales include sales to businesses, schools, governments, and other organizations. Beating out Mac and Windows machines in the education environment is a big deal as that is a very coveted market for all manufacturers. The reason so much weight is placed on educational sales is that when you get users when they are young, they are more likely to stick with a platform forever.

"Chrome's unit strength ahead of this year's education buying season shows how it has become a legitimate third platform alongside Windows and Mac OS X and iOS," Stephen Baker, NPD vice president of industry analysis, says. "The next test for Chrome will clearly be the most difficult, as both Apple and Microsoft get more aggressive in pricing and deal making over the next few months", Baker says. "By the end of the third quarter we will have a much clearer picture of the long-term impact Chromebooks will have in the commercial channel".

Computex 2014 - Last year we got a chance to see ASRock team up with BMW Designworks USA to create a new barebone system. The M8 was born and we found ourselves instantly in love with what was being offered by the company. Jump forward a year and ASRock have taken the cover off an updated version of the great looking M8 system.

While the chassis looks the same; inside we've got a few new key components to bring it into 2014. First we've seen the ITX motherboard get updated to the latest Intel Z97 chipset bringing support for the latest crop of processors. The other big upgrade is the power supply which now sees an SFX 600 Watt unit. This gives us the chance to install a higher-end video card without a problem continuing to show us that you can pack some serious punch into a nice slim system.

As for the rest of the system you can see not too much has changed. We've still got the A-Command OLED button that gives us the ability to see a bunch of different settings. Other features include USB 3.0, 4-in-1 Card Reader and Gigabit LAN alongside Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac support.

Computex 2014 - Hanging out with Zotac this afternoon we got a chance to check out what the company was doing with the latest batch of ZBOX systems. While gaming might not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking at these small systems; that's indeed set to change with the launch of the new EN760.

Sporting the speedy NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M the ZBOX EN760 which can be bought as a bare bone or pre built will no doubt grab the attention of gamers who are looking for something both competitively priced and small. Carrying the Dual Core i5 4200U Intel Processor alongside 8GB of DDR3 and a 1TB Hard Drive you'll find yourself having a great time with this tiny system.

Buying the barebone version, though, you'll be able to jam 16GB of DDR3 in to the system via the two SO-DIMM slots along with a nice fast SATA III SSD or SATA III mSATA drive. Along with support for that, we find Dual Gigabit LAN, DVI-I and HDMI video outputs along with Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac networking.

Dell was one of the companies who showed-off its Steam machines under its Alienware Brand. But during an interview with Alienware Chied Frank Azor with The Wall Street Journal, he revealed that making a branded Steam Machine was challenging for them. To add more burden to the challenge, it was the least profitable system they would ever sell.

According to the interview, the only reason they've made a Steam Machine was to be associated with Valve. Azor added that they were very optimistic about PC gaming's future and with the functionality to be used with a TV.

In other words, the only reason Alienware have put so much effort in building their branded Steam Machine was because they believed in PC gaming, and wanted to be a part of Valve's goals.

The circuit boards are used in everyday electronics and PCs are based on epoxy glass and solder. The recycling process is tedious in this case as it requires to dismantle components safely. Its because of this, discarded electronic items simply are found in landfills. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), In2Tec and Gwent Electronic Materials have developed a solution to improve the ability to recycle circuits boards up to 90% with the help of water.

The three British companies have developed a special type of adhesive that can make PCBs recyclable up to 90% using water. This technology is called ReUse, which is short for Reusable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics.

"What happens to end of life electronics is one of the fastest growing waste streams," says Chris Hunt, head of the Electronics Interconnection Team at NPL. "Existing electronic circuit assemblies are based on reinforced epoxy glass systems and solder. A circuit board itself is a significant part of a final product, but it's made with a thermoset of glass that isn't easily recyclable."