Computer Systems - Page 52
All the latest Computer Systems news, with everything related to new gaming PCs, SFF systems & plenty more - Page 52.
Commodore C64x Extreme, sports Core i7, 8GB RAM, sans external floppy drive
Ah, the Commodore. I have such great memories of thee. But, Commodore USA's C64 computer recreations have been quite good since last year, and now we have the third variant, the C64x Extreme. This unit sports the 80s flair, but 2011-specced. Inside, it features an Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU capable of turbo boosting to 3.3GHz.
Also, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD integrated graphics and a decent 2TB. On the outside, where this thing looks quite amazing, we have two USB 3.0 ports, three USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA port. Also included is HDMI, 3.5mm S/PDIF, VGA and DVI. Apart from the kitchen sink, the C64x Extreme also includes Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, an Ethernet port and even a DVD-RW drive.
The only downfall is it comes with Linus Mint 11 pre-loaded, and will only fully support Windows once the company's "retro inspired" Commodore OS Vision becomes available. While it looks insanely cool and will most likely being a nostalgic tear to your eye, it will also kick you in the balls and rob you, too. It'll set you back $1,500. But, to you, it might just be worth it. I'll be down on the ground holding my nads in pain, while dreaming of this amazing beast.
RumorTT: Apple to discontinue Mac Pro line?
Even though Sandy Bridge-E is about to drop, Apple might not be interested in investing anymore time or money into their full-size workstation line outside of this year because of limited sales of the Mac Pro. Apple has reportedly developed a revision to the Mac Pro, that may or may not even get released according to people familiar with the matter said management as far back as May of this year.
Apple have reportedly had discussions about the future of the Mac Pro, and that their days were inevitably numbered. Internal discussions have gone as far as mentioning that the sales of the Mac Pro to both consumers and enterprises have dropped off so considerably that the Mac Pro is no longer a particularly profitable operation for Apple. Then there's the Thunderbolt issue.
Thunderbolt was introduced this year, and allows the other, more popular members of the Mac family to assume the vast majority of the roles that once required the high-end Mac Pro's.
Continue reading: RumorTT: Apple to discontinue Mac Pro line? (full post)
Close-up with Blizzard Battle.net gaming blade server, on sale for charity
BlizzCon 2011 - As we walked through the BlizzCon 2011 halls, we manage to spot one of the Blizzard Battle.net gaming blade servers from around the world that are going on sale for charity.
These are HP p-Class server blades that were previously used to provide Blizzard's Battle.net gaming service. This particular server was named "Eldre Thalas" and was in operation between February 22, 2005 to June 9, 2010. The plaque reads:
ASUS' ROG Tytan CG8565 desktop weapon is now bleeping on radar
ASUS is about to unleash a new ROG gaming rig in the form of a desktop machine which it calls the Tytan CG8565. It was first seen on radar during Computex earlier in the year, but a date of release wasn't mentioned at the time. A pre-order listing for it has just been spotted in Europe, however, indicating it to be just around the corner now.
Upon first glance the mid tower sized chassis looks to have been inspired by 'ballistic missile submarines', which was of course ASUS' intent with several of its Republic of Gamer series notebooks also running off similar design queues.
As for the most important aspect, its guts, it runs a 2nd-gen Core i5 or i7 processor on Intel's Z68, up to 32GB RAM, GeForce GTX 560 Ti or GTX 590 graphics card, DVD writer or Blu-ray combo drive and ASUS Xonar audio. It provides four USB 3.0 ports total as well as DVI and HDMI outputs and a 16-in-1 card reader. A single button on the case provides for instant overclocking to really help get those FPS numbers up there.
Continue reading: ASUS' ROG Tytan CG8565 desktop weapon is now bleeping on radar (full post)
HP outs new business All-In-One PC - Compaq 8200 Elite
While things are a little up in the air as to what exactly is on the cards for HP following this news late last week, it hasn't stopped them releasing new models just yet, with a new all-in-one PC becoming available in stores from today under their Compaq series.
The new Compaq 8200 Elite is a business oriented all-in-one PC which uses a 23-inch LED-backlit 1920x1080 display. Packed inside is a 2nd Gen Intel Core (Sandy Bridge) processor, up to 8GB of system memory, a HDD (or optionally, SSD), webcam, SRS Premium Sound and highly efficient power supply (up to 89% efficiency).
HP backs the Compaq 8200 Elite with a 3 year warranty (honored, regardless of what becomes of the company in its volatile future) and bears a base price of $999 USD.
Continue reading: HP outs new business All-In-One PC - Compaq 8200 Elite (full post)
Apple offers trimmed down, cheaper iMac for education customers
A new cheaper version of the iMac has popped up on Apple's education-only store today which should quickly to be quite a popular option for schools buying in quantity.
The 'crippled' Education-Only iMac costs just $999 which is 21.5" sized with a 3.1GHz Core i3, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard disk, Radeon HD 6750M w/ 256MB RAM and a mini DisplayPort connector. No thunderbolt port to be seen on this cut down model, but otherwise it's much like the base-model Sandy Bridge iMac that came out earlier in the year at a price point of $1,149 for education customers.
Accessible only to people purchasing systems on behalf of their institution, there is also the option to purchase the white unibody MacBook as well as an earlier (2009) model of the iMac - the 20" Core 2 Duo one, each costing $899.
Continue reading: Apple offers trimmed down, cheaper iMac for education customers (full post)
Geek packs computer hardware inside old beer keg
Generally, computers and beverages don't mix well. If you spill a beer or a soft drink on your computer, you may be kissing your rig goodbye. I am sure that many people (myself included) are perfectly willing to risk killing their computer in an effort to partake in their favorite frosty beverage while they play some computer games.
Continue reading: Geek packs computer hardware inside old beer keg (full post)
ORIGIN Unleashes $22,799 PC-Xbox 360 Hybrid Gaming System
Checked your piggy bank lately?? Been doing the paper run for your neighborhood? Good. You'll need it for this beast.
Continue reading: ORIGIN Unleashes $22,799 PC-Xbox 360 Hybrid Gaming System (full post)
Preview of Alienware's Gulftown equipped Area-51 ALX
Alienware are well reknowned for bringing some of the most extreme all-out pre-built gaming rigs to town and they've certainly done their best to top any previous efforts with the soon to be available Area-51 ALX desktop PC.
Continue reading: Preview of Alienware's Gulftown equipped Area-51 ALX (full post)
MAINGEAR offer up one of a kind SHIFT gaming system in support of Haiti victims
In offering support for the Haiti earthquake victims, custom PC builder MAINGEAR are now running their Relief for Haiti charity auction in which they are advertising a special edition verion of their award winning flagship SHIFT gaming system on eBay with 100% of the proceedings to be donated to the "Save The Children" charity organization.