Eurocom Clevo D900F: Core i7 Laptop!
Crazy Canadians. Well, here’s the 17-inch D900F. The 11.9 pound laptop has a Core i7 processor (all three Core i7 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz and Core i7 Extreme Edition 3.2GHz variants are available). It also has x3 500GB hard drives (i.e. 1.5TB of space!), 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a Nvidia G280 GPU and a Blu-Ray burner. Holy crap, you say. Fancy buying one? I’ll suggest sticking your your Eee if you don’t have a full pocket.
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Intel releases Moblin OS Alpha for netbooks
Intel made an Operating System? Oh yes, even though it’s a modified version of Linux (based on Fedora) for netbooks, specifically for installing on Intel hardware, ie., Intel Atom, as well as Core 2.
This is confirmed to work on Dell Mini’s and Acer Aspire One, but Eee’s won’t have working Wi-Fi. Remember, it’s an alpha, so it’s not final yet. Squash those bugs! Read
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Rumor: Mac mini to use Intel Atom, Nvidia Ion?
Tom’s Hardware reports that the expected Mac mini refresh will be coming in March and will be based on NVIDIA’s new Ion platform utilizing Intel’s dual-core 1.6 GHz Atom 330 processor. The Ion platform, announced in mid-December, also utilizes the GeForce 9400M integrated graphics found in the current MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
The source also revealed that the new Mac mini should be released around the time of the CeBIT computer expo beginning March 3rd in Hanover, Germany. No pricing information has been revealed, but Tom’s Hardware believes that the new Mac mini will be priced in the same $500-$700 range as the current model. They also believe that the use of this platform will enable Apple to reduce the size of the already-diminutive Mac mini.
Evidence found in OS X configuration files in mid-December has pointed to the use of NVIDIA chipsets in upcoming Mac mini and iMac revisions, but this is the first indication that Apple plans to use Intel’s low-power Atom processor instead of the larger Core 2 processors found in Apple’s notebook computers and the current Mac mini.
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New Eee PC 1004DN has an Intel Atom N280 1.66Ghz
Wait, another Eee PC? Oh yes. But look at the processor: it’s an Intel Atom N280, which is currently not out yet.
Anyways, here’s what we know about the new processor so far (according to liliputing ):
The Intel Atom N280 features a 1.66GHz clock speed, compared to the 1.6GHz speed of the N270. And the N280 has a 667MHz bus, compared with the 533MHz bus on the N270.
Will users notice a major difference in performance or battery life? It’s not likely, but anything’s possible. An Asus spokesperson tells me that a handful of new Eee PC models will feature the new Intel Atom N280 CPU, while most older models will keep the N270.
Oh, and I noticed two other things when I went and took another look at this netbook for this post. It also features an ExpresCard slot and an 8-in-1 card reader instead of the usual SDHC/MMC card slot that Asus uses for Eee PC netbooks.
CNet reports the N280 also features the new GM40 chipset which will offer better graphics performance, particularly with HD video playback.
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AMD’s Atom competitor: Athlon Neo
And here you thought AMD’s 45-nm Conesus was its next generation netbook / ultra-portable processor. Sorry, for that you’ll have to wait until the beginning of the second half of 2009 according to Bahr Mahony, Director of AMD’s mobile division who we just spoke with here at CES. Instead, AMD’s Athlon Neo ultra-portable platform built around existing 65-nm processes is scheduled to make its retail debut in the US in March. Remember, AMD won’t be challenging Intel in a race to the bottom so Neo is aimed squarely at that soft, chewy marketshare nestled between the underperforming $499 netbook and over-the-top $1,499 ultra-portable. Neo boasts more processing power than Intel’s 45-nm Atom at the cost of a higher load on your battery thanks to the 35W thermal envelop of the Neo chipset combined with a discrete, ATI Mobility Radeon Hd 3410 graphics. The result however is what AMD calls balanced performance from ultra-thin notebooks capable of smooth 1080p playback of your HD media — a feat that Atom-based netbooks saddled with integrated graphics struggle with. Interesting, now let’s see the 3rd party benchmarks. AMD’s data versus the Atom posted after the break.
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VIA Nano 3000 to rival Intel Atom
Not that we didn’t already have a hunch that VIA was working up a dual-core Nano, but it seems that details are beginning to firm up just a bit. According to a new report over at China-based HKEPC, the dual-core Atom-killer will be dubbed the Nano 3000, and while it will still rely on a 65-nanometer manufacturing process, the power consumption should be much lower than existing Nano chips. Furthermore, it’ll reportedly boast SSE4 instruction support, integer / floating point enhancements and improved internal cache performance. The writeup has it that samples could begin shipping out as early as this quarter, with mass production expected to get going in Q3. So, is it safe to say this whole “netbook” thing has grown some legs, or is the Tamagotchi-like crash just around the bend? Read
Josh’s Verdict: Fail. No one can seem to beat Intel.
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Core i7 Overclocking Guide
Oh sure, we’ve seen just how far Intel’s most potent Core i7 chip can be pushed under the most extreme conditions, but honestly, how’s that helping you? In short, it’s not. To that end, HotHardware has whipped up a useful, easy-to-digest guide on overclocking the Core i7 920, complete with benchmarks, recommendations and tips for dealing with excess heat without hooking up a liquid nitrogen tank. Interested to see how to crank a stock 920 to a level that outpaces the pricey 3.2GHz Core i7 Extreme Edition? Read
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Dell’s XPS 730x H2C Core i7 gaming PC benchmarked and tested
If you thought the original XPS 730 H2C was boss, get a load of this. The incredibly diligent benchmarkers over at HotHardware have taken the Core i7-powered XPS 730x H2C under their wings for a fortnight of testing, and they’ve got a baker’s dozen worth of review pages to display their findings. We can’t even begin to cover the array of graphs, bar charts and triple-digit FPS numbers here, but we can tell you that critics were duly impressed with how well the Core i7 performance compared to older Core 2-based offerings. Gaming performance was predictably “fantastic,” and even the single GeForce GTX 280 that it was packin’ held its own under pressure. All in all, this fanciful machine was deemed “a worthy update to what [reviewers] thought was the best XPS 700 series system to date,” and if you’ve got the coin, you’ll probably be incredibly pleased with what it delivers. Dive deep (and we mean deep) in the read link.
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