Still in the market for a gaming laptop?
Subject: Mobile | April 4, 2013 - 04:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Cyberpower, Fangbook X7-200, gaming laptop
If you are one of the few with the money and desire for a gaming laptop you have probably looked at CyberPower as a supplier in the past. They recently updated their Fangbook series and Legit Reviews got a look at the X7-200 model, with a Core i7-3630QM, GeForce GTX 675MX, 16GB of DDR3-1600 and a 60GB Intel 520 SSD for your OS backed up by a WD Scorpio Black 750GB for storage. Thankfully they chose a 1920x1080 panel for this 17.3" screen as 1366 would not live up to the components inside. There are quite a few other extras in this laptop, up to and including a KillerNIC; read the full review for the entire list.
"The fine folks at Cyberpower PC have sent us over one of their latest creations, and truth be told, I'm looking forward to this one! What we have today is the Cyberpower Fangbook X7-200 gaming notebook. The entire Fangbook series features a massive 17.3" screen (1920x1080 HD LED-Backlit), Intel Core i7-3630QM quad-core processors (to start), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX and GTX 680M graphics. To say that these things are beasts doesn't do them justice. The Fangbook has the different versions to it, each with slightly different specifications and price points. The Fangbook X7-200 that we have in our hands today starts out at $1549..."
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- Acer Aspire S7 @ The Inquirer
- Dell Latitude E6430s vs Latitude E6430u: classic vs Ultrabook @ Hardware.info
- Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 Review @ TechReviewSource
- ASUS VivoBook S500CA Review @ TechReviewSource
- Lenovo ThinkPad W530 @ Hardware.info
- Cyberpower PC Fangbook X7-200 Gaming Notebook Review @ Ninjalane
- Toshiba Satellite U845T-S4165 Review @ TechReviewSource
- Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Review @ TechReviewSource
- Samsung Series 9 13.3-inch Ultrabook @ Hardware.info
- Mobile GPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP
- LG Optimus L9 Smartphone @ Tweaktown
- Sony Xperia TX Smartphone @ Tweaktown
- 3DMark for Android review: which mobile GPU is the fastest @ Hardware.info
- Seidio Surface for Nexus 4 @ LanOC Reviews
- Dell XPS 10 review: Windows RT according to Dell @ Hardware.info
- 3DMark for Android: Tested on Several Popular Android Devices @ Tweaktown
- Gigabyte S1082 Windows 8 Slate Tablet @ Modders-Inc
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Introduction
Courtesy of Oyen Digital
Oyen Digital, a popular manufacturer of portable storage enclosures and devices, provided us with its MiniPro™ eSATA / USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive enclosure for testing USB 3.0 enhanced mode on the ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe motherboard. This enclosure offers support for USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and eSATA ports in conjunction with a 2.5" hard drive. We put this enclosure on the test bench with the ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe board to test the performance limits of the device. The MiniPro™ enclosure can be found at your favorite e-tailer for $39.95.
Oyen Digital
The MiniPro™ SATA / USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive enclosure is a simple aluminum enclosure supporting any 2.5" form factor hard drive up to SATA III speeds. The enclosure itself supports USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and eSATA connections. Because of its use of the ASMedia 1053e chipset for USB 3.0 support, the enclosure supports both USB 3.0 normal mode transfer speeds and UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) mode transfer speeds. UASP mode is a method of bulk transfer for USB 3.0 connections that increases transfer speeds through the use of parallel simultaneous packet transfers. Per our sources at ASUS, UASP can be explained as follows:
The adoption of the SCSI Protocol in USB 3.0 provides its users with the advantage of having better data throughput than traditional BOT (Bulk-Only Transfer) protocol, all thanks to its streaming architecture as well as the improved queuing (NCQ support) and task management, which eliminated much of the round trip time between USB commands, so more commands can be sent simultaneously. Moreover, thanks to the multi-tasking aware architecture, the performance is further enhanced when multiple transfers occur.
The downside of UASP is that the receiving device (Flash drive/external hard drive etc) must also be UASP enabled for the protocol to work. This requires checking your peripherals before purchase. However since UASP is an industry standard, the device support for ASUS UASP implementation is not restricted to a particular controller manufacturer or device type, so the overall number of peripherals available should undoubtedly grow.
Technical Specifications (taken from the Oyen Digital website)
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Ports |
eSATA 6G (Up to 6.0 Gbps) USB 3.0: (Up to 5.0 Gbps) |
|
Interface |
SATA III (up to 15mm SATA 2.5" HDD/SSD) |
|
Chipset |
USB 3.0 ASMedia 1053e eSATA |
|
Weight |
10 oz. |
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Certifications |
CE, FCC |
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Requirements |
Windows XP/Vista/7/8 & above; MAC OS 10.2 & above; Linux 2.4.22 & above |
Continue reading our review of the Oyen Digital MiniPro™ enclosure!
NVIDIA releases the GeForce GT 700M family
NVIDIA revolutionized gaming on the desktop with the release of its 600-series Kepler-based graphics cards in March 2012. With the release of the GeForce GT 700M series, Kepler enters the mobile arena to power laptops, ultrabooks, and all-in-one systems.
Today, NVIDIA introduces four new members to its mobile line: the GeForce GT 750M, the GeForce GT 740M, the GeForce GT 735M, and the GeForce GT 720M. These four new mobile graphics processors join the previously-released members of the GeForce GT 700m series: the GeForce GT 730M and the GeForce GT 710M. With the exception of the Fermi-based GeForce GT 720M, all of the newly-released mobile cores are based on NVIDIA's 28nm Kepler architecture.
Notebooks based on the GeForce GT 700M series will offer in-built support for the following new technologies:
Automatic Battery Savings through NVIDIA Optimus Technology
Automatic Game Configuration through the GeForce Experience
Automatic Performance Optimization through NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0
Continue reading our release coverage of the NVIDIA GTX 700M series!
How is the Razer Edge not another N-Gage?
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | March 28, 2013 - 01:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: razer blade, gaming
You may remember Nokia's failed N-Gage, the phone that thought it was as console but turned out to be a failure; it seems that Razer is going to market with a similar product called the Blade. This time we have a product that is a tablet with aspirations to console-hood as you can tell from the gamepad-type controls surrounding the 1366x768 10.1" screen. Inside you will find an Intel Core i7 processor, a 256GB SSD, and 8GB of RAM all of which adds up to a heavy weight mobile device with not much in the way of battery life. Gizmodo tried it out at GDC and played BioShock Infinite on Ultra with no problems whatsoever so the performance is there. On the other hand can a $1500 gaming tablet compete with full Ultrabooks or streaming devices like Project SHIELD?
"A gaming laptop in a tablet. It's a thought experiment that raises a whole host of questions: Is that even possible? Can it possibly be good? Would anyone even want it if it were? And finally: How much does it cost? The Razer Edge's answers translate roughly to "Yes!", "Sort of.", "Maybe?", and "Erm, you better sit down.""
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Oculus Rift developer kit hands-on video at GDC 2013, shown playing Hawken @ Tweaktown
- Intel to separate 3rd-generation ultrabooks into 3 price groups @ DigiTimes
- Microsoft's 'Gemini' project will be the Windows Blue of Office @ The Register
- ARM says GPGPUs could lower overall chip costs @ The Inquirer
- Blackberry has sold one million Blackberry Z10 smartphones @ The Inquirer
- IBM unfurls SDN network manager @ The Register
- BIGGEST DDoS ATTACK IN HISTORY hammers Spamhaus @ The Register
- How to Improve Your Wi-Fi Signal Using a Soda Can in 6 Steps @ MAKE:Blog
- Interview with Richard Huddy about Intel moving beyond DX @ Kitguru
ZAGG invisibleSHIELD: Buy One Product, Get 2nd Product for Free
Subject: General Tech, Mobile | March 26, 2013 - 01:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals
Top deal
ZAGG invisibleSHIELD: Buy One Product, Get 2nd Product for Free
Computing Hardware & Peripherals
Linksys AE6000 Wireless-AC Dual-Band USB Adapter for $56.99 with free shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: HSDISH5).
HDTVs & Theater
LG 60LS5700 60" 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV for $1,378.00 with free shipping (normally $2,000).
LG 47LM6700 47" 1080p 120Hz 3D LED HDTV $899.00 with free shipping (normally $1600).
Samsung UN40EH6000 40" 1080p LED HDTV for $597.99 with free shipping (normally $850).
Samsung HW-E450 2.1-Channel Soundbar System (refurbished) for $174.99 with free shipping (normally $300 - use coupon code: DIG5).
Klipsch QUINTET 5.0 Speaker System for $343.19 with free shipping (normally $550).
Gadgets
Cobra iRadar Radar Detector for Android or Apple Devices for $59.99 with free shipping (normally $150).
ARM is a company that no longer needs much of an introduction. This was not always the case. ARM has certainly made a name for themselves among PC, tablet, and handheld consumers. Their primary source of income is licensing CPU designs as well as their ISA. While names like the Cortex A9 and Cortex A15 are fairly well known, not as many people know about the graphics IP that ARM also licenses. Mali is the product name of the graphics IP, and it encompasses an entire range of features and performance that can be licensed by other 3rd parties.
I was able to get a block of time with Nizar Romdhane, Head of the Mali Ecosystem at ARM. I was able to ask a few questions about Mali, ARM’s plans to address the increasingly important mobile graphics market, and how they will compete with competition from Imagination Technologies, Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.
We would like to thank Nizar for his time, as well as Phil Hughes in facilitating this interview. Stay tuned as we are expecting to continue this series of interviews with other ARM employees in the near future.
ASUS VivoBook comes close to the original spirit of the Ultrabook
Subject: Mobile | March 19, 2013 - 03:21 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: asus, VivoBook S500, ultrabook, win8
The ASUS VivoBook is under $1000, lightweight with a touchscreen for Win8 and it does have an SSD, a small 24GB cache SSD but enough to trim down on boot times and resume from sleep all of which come close to the original specs for an Ultrabook. Legit Reviews tried out the 1366x768 Core i5-3317 powered Ultrabook, configured with 4GB RAM and a SanDisk cache drive. It lasted a reasonable 2 hours and 21 minutes in Futuremark Powermark, simulating heavy usage but when it came to the storage subsystem it really lagged behind the competition. Overall ASUS did make compromises to keept the price low, but if you are looking for an ultramobile touch device and don't need fast storage it is a decent choice.
"Are you looking for an affordable Intel Ultrabook that features Windows 8 with Touch? The ASUS VivoBook S500 just launched this week and is an entry level 15.4" Intel Ultrabook that is loaded with features and costs under $700 shipped. Read on to see how the ASUS VivoBook S500 Ultrabook performs with an Intel Core i5-3317U processor, 6GB DDR3 memory, 500GB 5400RPM hard drive and 24GB SSD for caching purposes."
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- Acer Aspire S7 13″ (S7-391) Ultrabook @ XSReviews
- Dell Inspiron 17-3721 Review @ TechReviewSource
- HP ENVY 4 TouchSmart (ENVY 4-1102xx) Ultrabook Review @ Custom PC Review
- Microsoft Surface RT review: the first Microsoft tablet @ Hardware.info
- Acer Iconia W510 Hybrid Tablet @ TechSpot
- Nextbook Premium7SE Tablet Review @ TechwareLabs
- DeepCool N9 Aluminum Notebook Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews
- Logitech T651 Rechargeable Trackpad for Mac Review @ Legit Reviews
- Antec PowerUp 6000 and Go Charger Mobile Accessory Review @ Hi Tech Legion
- Benchmarking Ubuntu Linux On The Google Nexus 7 @ Phoronix
- Sony Xperia Z @ The Inquirer
- Sony Xperia Z review: Sony's flagship Full HD phone @ Hardware.info
- Mid-range smartphone round-up @ Hardware.info
- HTC One review: there can be only One @ Hardware.info
- Cygnett Aviator iPhone 4/4S Case Review @ Madshrimps
- Poetic Palette Nexus 4 @ LanOC Reviews
GTC 2013: Prepare for Graphics Overload
Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Mobile, Shows and Expos | March 18, 2013 - 09:10 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: GTC 2013, nvidia
We just received word from Tim Verry, our GTC correspondent and news troll, about his first kick at the conference. This... is his story.
Graphics card manufacturer, NVIDIA, is hosting its annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC 2013) in San Jose, California this week. PC Perspective will be roaming the exhibit floor and covering sessions as NVIDIA and its partners discuss upcoming graphics technologies, GPGPU, programming, and a number of other low level computing topics.
The future... is tomorrow!
A number of tech companies will be on site and delivering presentations to show off their latest Kepler-based systems. NVIDIA will deliver its keynote presentation tomorrow for the press, financial and industry analysts, and business partners to provide a glimpse at the green team's roadmap throughout 2013 - and maybe beyond.
We cannot say for certain what NVIDIA will reveal during its keynote; but, since we have not been briefed ahead of time, we are completely free to speculate! I think one certainty is the official launch of the Kepler-based K6000 workstation card; for example. While I do not expect to see Maxwell, we could possibly see a planned refresh of the Kepler-based components with some incremental improvements: I predict power efficiency over performance. Perhaps we will receive a cheaper Titan-like consumer card towards the end of 2013? Wishful thinking on my part? A refresh of its GK104 architecture would be nice to see as well, even if actual hardware will not show up until next year. I expect that NVIDIA will react to whatever plans AMD has to decide whether it is in their interest to match them or not.
I do expect to see more information on GRID and Project SHIELD, however. NVIDIA has reportedly broadened the scope of this year's conference to include mobile sessions: expect Tegra programming and mobile GPGPU goodness to be on tap.
It should be an interesting week of GPU news. Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more coverage as the conference gets underway.
What are you hoping to see from NVIDIA at GTC 2013?
Not quite an ultrabook but more than a tablet, Samsung's ATIV Smart PC
Subject: Mobile | March 7, 2013 - 03:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Samsung, ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, win8, digital audio converter, ultrabook
Samsung's ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is a convertible tablet with aspirations to be an ultrabook, it is 1.97 lbs, with an 11.6" 1080p touchscreen powered by a Core i5-3317U with 4GB of DDR3-1600 in single channel configuration. For connectivity you get a a MicroSD port, a single USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports on the dock, Micro HDMI and analog audio with Wi-Fi, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0. The Tech Report tested its battery life for both surfing and playing 720p video, seeing 6 hours in the first case and 5 hours in the second with very little difference when tested docked. The final verdict was mixed, while it is almost an ultrabook and almost a convertible tablet in many ways it inherited the worst of both worlds; though if you find yourself needing both devices in your life this ATIV might be a good compromise for you.
"This Windows 8 convertible has x86 ultrabook guts, an 11.6" 1080p display, and speedy solid-state storage. Attach it to the bundled keyboard dock, and it turns into a quasi-ultrabook. Is this the ultimate Windows 8 mobile machine, and is it worth the nearly $1,200 asking price?"
Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
- MSI GX60 1AC-021US Review @ TechReviewSource
- Lenovo IdeaPad S400 Review @ TechReviewSource
- Tablets of 2013: Nexus vs. Surface vs. iPad @ Techspot
- DeepCool M3 Notebook Cooling Pad @ Benchmark Reviews
- ASUS S56C 15.6-inch Ultrabook Review @ Techgage
- Toshiba Satellite C875-S7340 Review @ TechReviewSource
- ACER Aspire S7 11.6 inch Touch Enabled Ultrabook Review @ Legit Reviews
- ASUS G75VW-DH72 Gaming Notebook Review @ TechwareLabs
- Mobile CPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP
- Mobile GPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP
- Cygnett Metalicus Silver Aluminium Case for iPhone 4 & 4S Review @ Madshrimps
- Nokia Lumia 620 vs. HTC 8S vs. Huawei Ascend W1 @ Hardware.info
- HTC One vs iPhone 5 head to head video @ The Inquirer
- Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD Smartphone @ Benchmark Reviews
- Caterpillar Cat B15 hands-on @ The Inquirer
- HTC One X+ vs Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 5 @ The Inquirer
ASUS PadFone Infinity Bows at MWC 2013
Subject: Mobile, Shows and Expos | March 1, 2013 - 04:35 PM | Matt Raymond
Tagged: snapdragon 600, qualcomm, padfone infinity, padfone, MWC 13, MWC, asus
Mobile World Congress 2013 pulled up stakes yesterday in Barcelona, but the buzz will echo worldwide for quite a while. While fewer companies are unveiling flagship devices at the big industry shows, one new entrant into the mobile sphere definitely caught our eye: the ASUS PadFone Infinity.
Image via ASUS.com
Not to be confused with ASUS's 7" phablet Fonepad, the PadFone Infinity is the company's third version of its two-in-one phone/tablet, and it has taken major strides beyond its predecessors, the PadFone and the PadFone 2.
On its own, the handset is a 5" LTE phone, powered by Qualcomm's 1.7 GHz Snapdragon 600 Quad-core CPU, with 2 GB of RAM and the integrated Andreno 320 GPU that can crank out 1080p video sweetness (improving on the PadFone 2's 720p), and with 64 GB of onboard storage. Also included is 50 GB of free ASUS Webstorage for two years.
The PadFone Infinity ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (although the demo video embedded below says 4.1) and is the first in its family to sport an anodized aluminum unibody with a brushed-metal back case.
Image via ASUS.com
But slide it into the PadFone Station, and suddenly you're holding a full-HD, 10.1" tablet. Basically, it's like getting two devices on a single carrier contract.
The devices' battery performance is fairly impressive, at least when taken in tandem. The phone lists 19 hours of 3G talk time, which can triple when connected to the Station. The phone's battery claims 6.5 hours of browsing and nine hours of video playback, to each of which you can add 7.5 hours when connected to the Station.
The phone's 5" display--up from 4.3" and 4.7" in the first two generations respectively--features 1920x1080 pixels (the same as the pad's 10.1" screen) with a resolution of 441 PPI. (Compare at 326 PPI on the iPhone 5's Retina Display.)
Image via ASUS.com
The dimensions of each device are relatively svelte. The phone is 8.9 mm thick, tapering sharply to 6.3 mm at the edges, and weighing in at 141 grams (roughly 5 ounces, for the metrically challenged). The pad is 10.6 mm thick and adds 530 grams (nearly 19 ounces) to the overall weight.
On the chassis you'll find a MyDP port, which supports Micro-USB 2.0 and 1080p video-out, 3.5 mm audio, and a Nano SIM slot. The front camera shoots 2 megapixels, while on the rear is an almost obscene 13MP, f/2.0 camera that features a burst mode of 8 frames per second. It shoots 1080p MPEG4 video at 30fps or 720p at 60fps.
ASUS says the PadFone Infinity will be available in April in Taiwan and in "selected other countries from early Q2 2013" at the hefty price of 999 euros (roughly US $1,300). Sadly, there is no word of a U.S. release.
Check out ASUS's demo video:
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