Filed under: Laptops

If the Intel-based GX620 and GX720 were too, um, Intel-y for your liking, how’s about a fat slice of AMD? MSI has just announced the availability of its freshest duo of AMD-powered gaming notebooks, the GX630 (shown above) and GT735 (shown after the break). Both units pack a Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor and possess the ability to be overclocked by up to 15% at the touch of a button with the Turbo Drive Engine technology. The former also boasts a 15.4-inch LCD, NVIDIA’s 512MB GeForce 9600M GT, up to 4GB of RAM, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, integrated stereo speakers, a 4-in-1 card reader, VGA out, a 2-megapixel webcam and a DVD writer (Blu-ray optional). The brawnier GT735 steps it up with a 17-inch panel, ATI’s 512MB Mobility Radeon HD 3850, a five speaker system including a subwoofer and most everything else already found on its partner in crime. Snap either up now for $1,049.99 / $1,249.99 in order of mention. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading MSI ships AMD-powered GX630 and GT735 gaming laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

Look out, Alienware / Voodoo — a formidable opponent just rolled in, and it appears that some prankster stuck a Toshiba logo on whatever machine is hiding underneath. All jesting aside, Tosh is revamping its — shall we say, vivid — Qosmio X305 by introducing the Qosmio X305-Q708, which houses a potent Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD, 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive, dual-layer DVD writer, twin NVIDIA 512MB GeForce 9800M GTS graphics cards, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Windows Vista Ultimate. You’ll also find a full-sized keyboard with a ten-key number pad, four Harman Kardon speakers, HDMI / DisplayPort connectors, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Wireless USB / USB Sleep-and-Charge technologies and a 17-inch TruBrite LCD (though resolution remains a mystery). It should be available any moment for around $4,199.99, but we’d factor in a few extra hundies to have Colorware blot out the putrid “fiery Fusion” finish (seen better after the break).

Continue reading Toshiba gets serious with $4k Qosmio X305-Q708 gaming laptop

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

Don’t hold out on us — we know good and well you’ve been eying HP’s bigger than big HDX 18 ever since it got real last month. For those unable to resist the urge to find out what life’s like with an 18-inch entertainment notebook gracing their lap (and likely the lap of the guy one cube over), you can order this sucker up right now. Yep, the HDX 18t Premium series gets going at $1,549.99, but it won’t take too many configuration tweaks to push that figure well over the $2k mark. Have fun!

[Via Laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops

First things first: LaptopMag’s Pavilion HDX 16 was entirely more equipped than the basic $1,249 unit that was uncovered last night, so it makes sense that they were swooning over the (optional) 1080p display and the (optional) Blu-ray drive. Granted, those extras will cost you, but it’s items such as those that made this notebook so appealing to critics. Overall, the unit performed well in all of the areas that mattered, with strong WiFi scores, decent battery life and excellent processing power. Of note, reviewers did wish for a smoother touchpad and more responsive touch-sensitive buttons, but outside of that, we didn’t hear too many complaints. Looking for the 30 second version? “Overall, the HDX 16 is a desktop replacement in a mainstream notebook’s body that delivers great value for the price.” Got it?

Read - Hands-on
Read - Full review

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Whoa, boy — HP just went loony on us tonight, and in the midst of everything else, we found a new pair of HDX notebooks. Kicking things off is the X16, which boasts a woefully under-pixelated 16-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution display, a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, NVIDIA’s 512MB GeForce 9600 GT, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB 5,400RPM hard drive, dual-layer SuperMulti optical drive and built-in WiFi / Bluetooth. As for the beastly X18, you’ll find a lot of the same kit internally, but the 18-inch 1,920 x 1,080 display is one we can really salivate over; additionally, this one ups the ante with twin 250GB HDDs and a Blu-ray reader. Each unit includes the essentials: an Ethernet port, multicard reader, integrated Altec Lansing speakers, ExpressCard slot, four USB 2.0 sockets, audio in / out, HDMI / VGA and a 4-pin FireWire connector. Both units should ship later this month starting at $1,249 and $1549, respectively.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Most everyone digs a surprise, but the novelty tends to wear off after the third or fourth iteration of the same trick, wouldn’t you say? Rather than just coming right out and showing us the wares, Voodoo’s Rahul Sood is playing the tease card again with an obviously undisclosed new product. In an apparent attempt to keep the wave (started by the Omen and Envy 133, by the way) rolling, Mr. Sood has dropped a sliver of a hint on The Next Bench. He states that “there’s also this other thing [Voodoo is] working on right now,” but he very purposefully fails to elaborate. Just keep it sexy and overpowered and we won’t kvetch about the build up… too much.

[Thanks, William]

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Right, so Voodoo’s succulent Envy 133 looks a lot better in high-res images than in some highly compressed, artifact-laden YouTube clip, but that’s what your imagination is there for. For those still waiting for their freshly shipped machine to hit the doorstep, hop on past the break for an unboxing sure to make you even more impatient. Or just restrain yourself and experience it first-hand in a few days. Totally your call.

[Thanks, Bernt]

Continue reading Voodoo Envy 133 unboxed on video, lookin’ good

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Filed under: Laptops

Not a whole to say that we haven’t already summed up in the title, but that hot little Voodoo Envy 133 is finally shipping right about now. A whole host of to-be owners have already received tracking numbers, and some folks have already had the pleasure of peeling away the tape and gettin’ busy. So, are you still waiting for yours to leave the dock, or is it already halfway to your abode?

[Via CNET, image courtesy of Playername]

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Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

Let’s see, we’ve got tons of black, a semi-gothic dragon thing, a “Z” in the brand name and a mythological creature in the product name. Yup, Zepto’s new Hydra A17 is exactly what gamers need. Sure, the P9500 Core 2 Duo processor, 1920 x 1200 17-inch screen and NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX with 1GB of VRAM don’t hurt. There’s even a subwoofer and 4GB of RAM, yours for a mere £2,029 (about $3,585 US). Luckily, you can strip this one down to £1,420 (about $2,510 US) but you’ll have to sign over your gamer cred at the door — we might not even let you thread safety pins through your eyebrows.

[Via PC Launches]

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Gaming, Laptops

Although netbooks seem to be all the rage right now, there’s still a lot of demand out there for laptops that are only able to be labeled as such due to their design. Take a look at Paul’s question as he attempts to locate the best desktop replacement on the market today.

“I am currently looking to replace my desktop PC with a high spec laptop. Portability isn’t a concern as it will spend most of its life on a desk. Here are a couple of things I am looking for: biggest screen possible, plenty of HDD space, plenty of RAM, and plenty of GHzs. Cheaper is better, but my budget is up to around $3,000.”

This fellow didn’t specifically mention gaming as a concern, but we’ll go ahead and assume he’s not buying a 9+ pound laptop to tinker on Minesweeper all day. So, what’s the preferred laptop that weighs more than some mini-towers? And what’s a question that’s been on your mind? Send it in to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

Right on schedule, Gateway has set free its P-7811 FX gaming laptop, and we got our hands on one right before you can get your own. Our test unit shipped with the aforementioned Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.26GHz with a 3MB L2 cache, Windows Vista Home 64-bit, Intel PM45 Express Chipset, NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory, a 17-inch WXGA screen, 200GB 7200 SATA HDD, 4GB DDR3 800MHz RAM, HDMI, 9-cell battery, and 1.3MP webcam. We’re pretty pleased with the performance of the machine, although dialing up Crysis to its max settings made it choke a bit. We’re still not sold on the computer’s stylings, but in a dark room of gaming goodness, who’s paying attention to gaudy lights and overly-shiny carbon anyway, right? Peep the hands-on pics and a brief video of Crysis in action after the break. And yes, we know we suck at the game.

Continue reading Gateway P-7811FX gaming laptop unboxing and hands-on

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Filed under: Laptops

Not that these units are a complete surprise or anything, but HP’s taking the time to get really, really official with its minty fresh EliteBooks. Up first is the beastly EliteBook 8730w (that’s the 6830s pictured), which packs a 17-inch DreamColor display, a quad-core Intel CPU, 8GB of RAM and one of NVIDIA’s 1GB Quadro FX graphics cards. Keeping things going are the EliteBook 8530w and 8530p, both of which boast a 15.4-inch display, 8GB of RAM, a Core 2 Duo chip (8530w supports optional quad-core) and HP’s own brushed anodized aluminum DuraCase. As for pricing and release information? Good luck on the guessing.

[Thanks, Christopher]

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Filed under: Laptops

MSI has clearly been busy with its Wind here lately, but that doesn’t mean it has forgotten entirely about the gaming crowd. The 15.4-inch GX620 and 17-inch GX720 were both made official today, even though they made their debut at CeBIT. Now that the specifications are nailed down, here’s what you’re looking at: an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA’s 512MB GeForce 9600M GT, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 2-megapixel webcam, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, a 320GB SATA drive, an optional Blu-ray drive, 6-cell battery and the usual assortment of ports. Sadly, there’s no mention of prices just yet, but click on past the break for the full release.

Continue reading MSI gets official with Centrino 2-based GX620 / GX720 gaming laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

If you’ve been waiting for Gateway’s P-7811 FX gaming laptop, the wait is almost over: it will begin shipping August 14, that is, if an open-lipped Best Buy is to be believed. As for specifications, you’re looking at an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 cache with 1066MHz FSB), PM45 Express chipset, 15-inch WUXGA display at 1920 x 1200, Nvidia GeForce 9800M-GTS with 512MB GDDR3, 200GB 7200RPM spinner, 8x DVD burner, HDMI 1.2, eSATA, a 5-in-1 media card reader, 1.3MP camera, and a 9-cell Li-ion battery. The $1,499 machine weighs in at 9.2-lbs and will be ready for your Crysis, Spore, etc. in a couple weeks.

[Via NotebookReview]

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Filed under: Laptops

Anyone remotely familiar with the Zepto brand understands that it doesn’t mess around when it comes to PC gaming, and anyone (in the UK, at least) remotely interested in treating themselves to an all new machine should certainly give this one a glance. The 15.4-inch Nexus A15 arrives in a fairly respectable £599 ($1,181) / £699 ($1,378) base configuration, but things get entirely more exciting when adding in the 2.53GHz Intel P9500 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive (or 32GB SSD, if that’s your thing), a Blu-ray optical drive and a 6-cell battery sure to wither away in no time flat. All the regulars are on board too: WiFi, NVIDIA’s GeForce 9600M GT, Windows Vista, audio in / out, a multicard reader, Ethernet and a few USB ports for good measure. Have fun making those previously mentioned price points look absurdly small.

[Via PCLaunches, thanks vinit]

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For those who won’t even glance in the general direction of a gaming laptop unless it weighs in at 12+ pounds, you’ll probably be unable to take your retinas off of Maingear’s forthcoming beast. Word on the street has it that the aptly-titled eX-L will posses a potent 3.06GHz Core 2 Extreme X9100 CPU, which will predictably be overclocked by an undisclosed amount. Graphically, we’re told to expect a couple of ATI GPUs or a single NVIDIA unit, while the 17-inch display, built-in speakers (with subwoofer) and 802.11n WiFi are pretty much par for the course. Pricing and availability details are still being withheld, but it sounds like this one won’t be coming your way cheap.

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Filed under: Laptops

Given that Gateway just pushed out a round of updates including the relatively ginormous P Series, we reckon it was only logical to expect a review shortly. To be frank, the P-6831FX critiqued over at HotHardware is far from being the most potent machine with a 17-inch panel, but unlike many of its luxurious competitors, this one is actually affordable. So, how much gaming joy can $1,349.99 bring you? Quite a bit when the 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS and 3GB of RAM are included. Reviewers found gaming performance to be downright remarkable, though the 1.67GHz CPU did hamper it a bit in other areas. It should be noted that the unit now arrives with a slightly faster CPU among other minor extras, so if it was good then, we’re guessing it’s a runaway winner now.

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Filed under: Laptops

Okay, so maybe Cizmo’s CX1730M is based heavily on Clevo’s M570TU, but it’s still one beast of a machine. This 17-inch monster packs a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 160GB SATA hard drive, WSXGA+ panel, a 2-megapixel webcam, dual-layer DVD burner (or optional Blu-ray drive), NVIDIA’s 512MB GeForce 8800M GTX and a plethora of ports. Amazingly, this one tips the scales at “just” 8.7-pounds, which actually isn’t half bad for a unit this potent. Additionally, it looks as if you can order this puppy in a variety of hues — including the above pictured camouflage — right now starting at €1,427 ($2,249).

[Via NotebookItalia]

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