Computer Systems News - Page 40

CES 2014 - This morning we got a chance to stop by the Digital Storm suite and check out their new Bolt II hybrid Steam Machine. Robert Wall, senior technician for Digital Storm gave us a full rundown of the new hybrid Windows and Steam OS system in the video below.

The Bolt 2 Steam Machine that was demoed featured an purpose-built custom case that is able to pack everything into a nice and tidy small form factor footprint. Processing power is handled by an Intel i7 4770k CPU along with 16GB of Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM. An NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780Ti handles the GPU duties while a Corsair H100i dual fan unit keeps the CPU running nice and cool. Air flow and lighting are controlled via Digital Storm's proprietary lighting and cooling module, and further adds to the uniqueness of this unit.

Power is handled by a normal ATX PSU up to 700W in size, and a pair of 30mm fans are installed to ensure no stagnant pockets of hot air form inside the chassis. Surprisingly the Bolt II is about as silent as a PC can get. While in the suite, I was unable to notice any noise at all coming from the device that was running under the flat-screen TV. Digital Storm says that the Bolt II will be priced from $1500 up to $2500 depending on component choices and features.

CES 2014 - Lenovo has just finished taking the wrapping off its new ThinkVision Pro2840m 4K-capable display, but now we're hearing about the new N308 all-in-one PC, and a new 4K display with Google's mobile OS, Android, on-board.

The Lenovo ThinkVision 28 is the first 4K monitor to feature Android, but is being pushed as a professional 4K display first, with the Android desktop when required. The new ThinkVision 28 display features three HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and five USB 3.0 ports for connectivity. Matt Bereda, Lenovo's Marketing Director, said: "Now you get a very high resolution display that you can use for work situations, as well as being able to have an Android interface that can access applications."

Inside of the ThinkVision 28 is an NVIDIA Tegra processor, and stock version of Android. One of the standout features here is that there is no Lenovo UI being splashed over the stock Android OS - which is a nice surprise. Bereda added: "There are base Android apps installed, similar to what you'd get with your phone. You can expect a similar interface. Kind of the baseline video, camera type of apps, but then you will also be able to download others."

Global gaming PC manufacturer CyberPower Inc. is now working with EVGA and are now offering mini-ITX based gaming rigs that come in a compact liquid-cooled chassis. The Hadron Hydro is designed for users that want power and space for their gaming hardware along with liquid-cooling for your GPU and CPU in a compact package. The chassis of the Hadron Hydro is 6.6" wide x 13.7" high and 12.1" deep and only 1.7" taller than the Hadron Air.

It features the same minimalist look on the front panel of the Hadron Air. The Hadron Hydro is powered by a 500 watt gold rated power supply, the Hydro can accommodate many Mini-ITX form factor motherboards including Intel's B85 to Z87 express chipsets, 4th generation IntelCore Haswell processors, and even full size GeForce GTX Titan video cards.

The water cooling kit features a 240mm radiator, high performance CPU block, stainless steel fittings, tubing, and coolant. You can choose from nine different top of the line Intel processors. Hadron Hydro has two 3.0 USB ports, support for slim slot optical drives, HD audio in/out, and two 2.5/3.5in drive bays.

Today CyberPower Inc. launched a new small form factor gaming PC to its already impressive lineup. The new Hadron Air Gaming PC is based on a mini-ITX setup that is housed in EVGA's new Hadron Air chassis. Measuring in at just 6.5-inches by 12-inches by 12-inches, this little PC packs a much larger punch than you would expect.

Available in two base configurations, the Hadron Air Gaming PC features the latest Intel and AMD processors, as well as full size NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan, or AMD R9 290x GPUs. The Chassis is sleek and modern, yet remains minimalist in design, making sure that style meshes perfectly with function.

"The Hadron gaming desktop supports all Mini-ITX form factor motherboards with Intel's Z87 Chipset as the preferred choice for the Hadron 100i, 200i and 300i. Customers can select from nine Intel processors from the Intel Core i3-4130 3.40 GHz processor to a powerful "Haswell" Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50 GHz processor with 8MB Intel Smart Cache and Hyper Threading technology. CYBERPOWERPC also has the Hadron 100a featuring AMD A-series "APUs" and its FM2 socket A75 chipset.

We are just 11 days from the release of Microsoft's Windows 8.1, and boutique system builders are beginning to announce availability of the operating system on new PCs. Today Origin PC announced that it has now began offering Windows 8.1 on all new desktops and laptops and will begin shipping those systems on October 17th.

"One of my favorite things about Windows 8.1 is now having the ability to choose where you want to boot directly to, your desktop or directly to the start screen menu." said Kevin Wasielewski ORIGIN PC CEO and co-founder. "With Windows 8.1, it's an evolutionary step in the right direction and we're extremely excited to immediately begin offering it to all ORIGIN PC customers to have it ready to ship by launch day."

Origin PC says that all existing customers who run Windows 8 can upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free on launch day through the Windows App store. For those who wish to stick with the tried and true Windows 7, Origin PC says that it will still continue to offer Windows 7 for the time being. With the inclusion of a "start button" Windows 8.1 is slowly working its way back to its roots, but personally, I am sticking to Windows 7.

This week, MSI launched two new mobile workstations, the GT70 20K and the GT60 20J. Both workstations feature NVIDIA Quadro graphics processors and Intel Core i7 processors for adequate power even when on the go. MSI says that the GT70 and GT60 have both been certified by Adobe, Autodesk, and Solidworks.

The GT70 features an NVIDIA Quadro K3100M graphics processor and the GT60 sports a K2100M GPU, which have both been designed to tackle the most intensive software out there, including AutoCad Design Suite, Avid Media Composer, Pinnacle Studio 16, AutoDesk Smoke, Siemens NX, PTC Creo Parametric 2.0, and more. Both units possess NVIDIA Optimus technology, which enables designers and engineers to perform simultaneous rendering or structural/fluid analysis on the same system.

"MSI has long been praised for the performance of our gaming laptops, and the new workstations leverage that expertise to deliver the same quality and effectiveness for professionals," said Andy Tung, Vice President of Sales for MSI Pan America Region. "We've successfully combined the power and design of our acclaimed GT70 and GT60 laptops with the performance needed to tackle professional applications.

If you haven't been able to tell, I am a certified home theater junkie. I have built my share of HTPCs, Raspberry Pi-based media servers, and even hacked a few phones to serve as streaming devices. Nothing I have done can come close to the awesomeness that Steiger Dynamics has just released.

Today, Steiger Dynamics announced what I consider to be one of the sexiest home theater PCs ever constructed. The new LEET Monochrome Limited Edition Gaming HTPC is a special edition of the company's Core and Reference lines of elegant, high-end HTPCs.

"The LEET Monochrome Limited Edition Gaming Home Theater PC endows gamers and creative professionals with peak performance capabilities and visually immersive computing," said Martin Hehensteiger, CEO and co-founder of STEIGER DYNAMICS. "The Monochrome Limited Edition Gaming HTPC gives enthusiasts an insane amount of power in a system that is both aesthetically beautiful, and incredibly dynamic."

Earlier this week at the 2013 Intel Developer Forum, Intel announced the addition of two new products to its small form-factor NUC lineup, both of which feature the company's new Haswell processors. The D54250WYK sports a Core i5-4250U and the D34010WYK houses the i3-4010U.

While both of these Haswell processors feature hyper-threading, only the Core i5 model supports TurboBoost, which can boost the processor's clock speeds up to 2.6 GHz when temperatures are favorable. The Core i3 model is stuck at its 1.7GHz clock and features a slower integrated GPU than the HD Graphics 5000 IGP inside the i5.

Other than the processors, the two models are basically the same machine. Both feature 4K monitor support thanks to DisplayPort technology, and a mini HDMI connector also provides additional video out connectivity. Gigabit Ethernet is also supported via a port on the back of the box.

We loved the Intel NUC when we looked at it, but we always need more power, speed and features. This is something Intel is working on, where they were showing off a new Haswell-powered NUC at PAX Prime 2013.

The new NUC is dubbed Intel NUC D54250WYK DIY kit that uses the Intel NUC Board D54250WYB. Intel will be releasing the Intel NUC kits under the Intel NUC D54250WYK DIY kit that uses the Intel NUC Board D54250WYB, which will be released later this year. Intel looks to be dropping Thunderbolt from the next-gen NUC units, which is a shame.

The Intel NUC Kit D54250WYK featured a Core i5 4250U processor, which runs at 1.3GHz but can be pushed up to 2.6GHz with Turbo enabled, and is a dual-core part with 3MB of smart cache. Intel HD Graphics 5000 is included, with the entire processor coming in with a TDP of just 15W, which is just incredible.

VMWorld 2013 - Today, Lenovo announced that it has expanded its end-to-end enterprise solutions portfolio with the addition of a new thin client. The Lenovo Think Centre M32 is powered by Intel's Celeron platform and includes rich legacy support that provides enterprise-level functionality while delivering great value to customers who need a desktop virtualization solution.

"The ThinkCentre M32 is a small form factor thin client that adds value to our quality desktop products and helps enterprises meet end-to-end IT solutions for desktop virtualization," said Victor Rios, vice president and general manager of Think desktop, workstation, and visuals. "It has the Energy Star 5.2 green certification, making it great energy saving solution at a great value for virtual desktop environments."

Offered in Linux, LeTOS, or Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating systems, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M32 also features Lenovo's Terminal Manager software that allows IT managers an effective, secure, and easy-to-use management software. Lenovo says that the M32 will be available starting October 2013 and will sell at a price point of approximately $259.