This seriously well-equipped desktop costs just $325 (plus shipping).
(Credit: TigerDirect)It's remarkable how much bang for the buck you can get from a PC these days.
For example, if you're looking to replace an aging desktop with something far more powerful, Tech For Less has a refurbished HP Pavilion a6700y quad-core desktop for $325.04. Shipping will run you about $25.
The system offers some mighty impressive specs for the price, starting with an AMD Phenom 9150e quad-core processor. Multitask all you want; it won't break a sweat.
It also comes with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and built-in 802.11b/g (a rare perk in a desktop).
The system runs Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. I'm sure most users would prefer Windows 7 at this point, but you can always upgrade later--and there's really nothing wrong with Vista as long as it's running on a powerful machine like this one.
The only mediocre spec here is the integrated GeForce 6150SE graphics--fine for everyday computing, but insufficient for high-end gaming and video. At least you can drop in a discrete graphics card later if you feel the need.
Like most refurbished PCs, this one has a 90-day warranty. But, hey, for $325, you can afford to roll the dice a little. And for what it's worth, you can buy a one-year extended warranty for $30.
Not long ago I paid nearly double this price for a system with fairly similar specs. Suffice it to say, this is a helluva deal (check out the stellar user reviews at TigerDirect, where it runs $379.99), one that's hard to pass up if you're in the market for a well-appointed desktop.
Backup deal: It's rare to find deals on Microsoft's new Zune HD, but J&R has a solid one: the 16GB Zune HD for $177 shipped. That's after applying coupon code paypal20 and using PayPal as your payment method.
On Sale Now: $379.99
View the latest prices for HP Pavilion a6700y
On Sale Now: $186.92 - $219.99
View the latest prices for Zune HD (16GB - black)
HP's ultra-compact Pavilion is stuffed with home theater-friendly features.
(Credit: HP)If you're in the market for a PC to serve as the hub of your home theater, look no further than the refurbished HP Pavilion Slimline S3750F. It's compact, loaded, and on sale at Buy.com for $479.99 shipped.
As many of you pointed out in last weekend's post about the Nero LiquidTV TiVo PC, Windows Media Center offers some pretty killer DVR features.
I agree 100 percent, which is why there's a PC much like this HP sitting in my family room, connected to my TV.
The S3750F features a quad-core AMD processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, and a Blu-ray drive/LightScribe DVD burner.
It also comes with an AverMedia ATSC/NTSC TV tuner, which can pull in analog cable or over-the-air digital signals. My advice: add a couple extra tuners so you can record multiple shows from multiple sources simultaneously. (Thursday night is just a bear this year, isn't it?)
HP supplies a remote for couch-friendly operation and 802.11n Wi-Fi for wireless-friendly operation.
My one and only complaint with this system (apart from the 90-day warranty, which I consider minor) is that it comes with Vista Home Premium, not Windows 7. And because it's a refurb, it's not eligible for a free upgrade.
Still, I'm running Vista on my media-center PC, and it's been absolutely fine and dandy. In other words, an upgrade isn't essential, IMHO.
Shop around a bit and you'll see this system selling for at least $800 elsewhere, and as high as $1,000 at many stores (including Amazon). A desktop this loaded for $479 is a real deal.
Get a stylish, smartly equipped quad-core tower for under $300.
(Credit: Woot)I try not to go to the Woot well very often--it's a competing deal-of-the-day site, after all--but this is too good to pass up: a refurbished Gateway quad-core desktop system for $289.99. Shipping runs a mere $5.
Because it's Woot, the offer expires at the end of the day, and stands a good chance of selling out before then.
That's because this is a really nicely loaded tower. It packs a 1.8GHz AMD Phenom X4 9100e 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, and a SuperMulti drive with LabelFlash technology (LightScribe's red-headed cousin).
On the video side, you get an OK-but-not-great-for-games integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 that borrows up to 256MB of system memory. On the plus side, it sports an HDMI port, meaning this system can easily pull media-center duty.
The system comes with Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit). Alas, because it's a refurb, it doesn't qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7.
It does, however, have the refurb-standard 90-day warranty. I don't consider that a major compromise, but some buyers might.
This is, I think, the lowest price I've ever seen on a quad-core desktop, and it's a nicely equipped one at that. If you've been looking for a cheap replacement for that aging XP box, look no further.
(By the way, if this does sell out, check back later. I'll find something else cool for your weekend!)
Quad-core? Check. Blu-ray? Check. Free Windows 7 upgrade? Check!
(Credit: HP)Update: Sorry, folks, looks like the discount code has expired.
If you're in the market for a new desktop that's equally well-suited to games and movies, HP has a ridiculously good deal going. It's the HP Pavilion Elite e9110t, which you can get for $649.99 shipped after a few configuration tweaks and a coupon code.
The tiger in the tank, Intel's 2.33GHz Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor, roars along with 6GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and a 512MB GeForce G210 video card. Those are some kick-ass specs.
Other highlights: a Blu-ray drive with LightScribe-DVD capabilities, an 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter, and a 15-month subscription to Norton Internet Security 2009 (aka the good version).
Perhaps best of all, the system comes with Windows Vista Home Premium but is eligible for a free Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade come October 22.
By the way, this is a new Pavilion, not a refurb, so you get HP's full one-year warranty. Here's how to put it all together, courtesy of DealNews:
- Ctrl-click this link to open the product page in a new tab.
- Click the Customize & Buy button next to the $649.99 option.
- Click the Memory option and choose the free 6GB upgrade.
- Click the Primary CD/DVD Drive option and choose the Blu-ray player.
- Click the Networking option and choose the Wireless-N LAN card and external modem.
- Click Review & Buy, then apply coupon code DTM4558.
Presto! That should get you out the door for $649.99. In an ideal world, this system would also have a TV tuner (which you can add for $80), but it's still one of the best desktop deals I've ever seen.
HP's various discounts on this system end Aug. 15, so you've got a little time if you want to shop around. I'll be mighty surprised if you can find a better configuration for the money.
Normally, when you're reading off specs for laptops, an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor isn't listed--for gaming laptops, desktop replacements, or otherwise--and with good reason. We've had a few quad-core systems in the past, like the Toshiba Qosmio X305, but those Q9000 CPUs were made for these notebooks. So, what do you get when you cram a desktop processor into a notebook? A beast.
AVADirect will be the first reseller in the U.S. to offer a notebook using the Intel Core i7 quad-core desktop processor. The Clevo D900F 17-inch gaming notebook can pack up to 12GB of DDR3, 1.5TB (500GB times three) of storage with RAID support, Nvidia GTX 280M graphics with 1GB GDDR3, and a 12-cell battery.
(Credit:
AVADirect)
Unfortunately, the spec sheet doesn't say how long you can expect that 12-cell battery to last when you're running this thing. Suffice it to say you'll be plugged in most, if not all, of the time. And at 11.9 pounds of hardware meat--excluding adapter plug--I don't think carrying it around on a regular basis is going to enter the mind, so it works out. If nothing else, at least this will be the most compact Core i7 box on the market.
The D900F is not an entirely new design. It was based on an older model known as the D901C. This model also used a desktop processor and desktop components, but was based on the aging Core 2 technology.
AVADirect started taking preorders as of last week and plans to ship out the notebooks to expecting customers the first week in July. Starting price for the notebook is currently $2,538, with the sky being the limit depending on how high you configure it.
(Credit:
Toshiba)
One of the many laptops being announced at CES this week is the Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q725. It will offer the same bells and whistles of recent X305s, except that its primary drive will consist of a 64GB solid state drive, while the secondary drive will be the standard spindle-based 320GB SATA hard disk drive. This hybrid solution will not only boost performance on an already beast of a ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Let's be completely honest. You probably don't need a quad-core CPU in your laptop. But just in case you're one of those guys who needs to feel like you're keeping up with the desktop crew, Acer's gone and crammed a new Intel Core 2 Quad Mobile Processor Q9000 into the new Aspire 8930G laptop.
The company says, "utilizing four processing cores, 12MB of shared L2 cache, 1066 MHz Front Side Bus and clock speed rates up to 2.53 GHz, the Aspire 8930G-7665 brings unprecedented swiftness and realism to 3D games, which extreme users demand."
We say, we were already fans of the previous version, the Aspire 8920, which was one of the very first 18-inch laptops we got our hands on. The new model is only $1,799 with the Q9000, Blu-ray, and an Nvidia GeForce 9700 GPU, which means we'll probably like it, too -- despite the fact that pretty much no one really needs a quad-core laptop.
Intel talked up its supercharged processor at the Montevina unveiling last month, but now the first notebooks with it are making their way to the public.
Some people have wondered if four processing cores inside a laptop is overkill, but Lenovo clearly doesn't think so.
Lenovo's ThinkPad W700 is the first to market with the Core 2 Extreme Quad Core processor. As you might imagine, this isn't one of those thin-and-light notebooks the industry is so high on. Nope, the W700 is a mobile workstation, but "mobile" isn't really the emphasis here.
"This isn't meant to be a mobile workstation--it's mean to be a workstation," said Wes Williams, Lenovo's chief ThinkPad marketing manager. "When you do need to be on the go, it means you can take it with you-- don't need two systems anymore."
Besides being a 17-inch notebook, it comes with the option of dual hard drives with RAID configurations, and an optional Blu-ray burner/player. Not only does that mean this beast is on the heavier side, you probably don't want all those cores churning away on your lap either.
The W700 is aimed at creative professionals and content producers, and has a built-in digitizer and a color calibrator to go along with its 17-inch screen. It comes with Nvidia's Quadro FX mobile graphics processor, which has 1GB of dedicated video memory.
Falcon Northwest has been using mobile quad-core processors before this, but Lenovo is first with Intel's offering. Keep an eye out for other vendors sure to follow soon.
Is four processing cores inside a laptop overkill? Probably not for gamers. Intel is expected to meet this insatiable need for speed when it rolls out it first mobile quad-core processor.
An Intel executive is on the record stating an August roll-out.
And this may happen sooner in August than later. System vendors may go public with information about the quad-core mobile processor as soon as August 11, according to sources. This is when other processors, such as the Core 2 Quad Q9650 (3GHz), are expected to go public.
Falcon Northwest already uses quad-core processors in its laptops.
(Credit: Falcon Northwest)Many of the details of the quad-core mobile processor are public already. At the roll-out for Centrino 2, Mooly Eden, an Intel senior vice president, said the quad-core mobile chip will have 800 million transistors and a 45-watt power envelope--10 watts higher than the 35-watt Intel mobile processors used today. "You'll see gaming machines and (mobile) workstations with more compute power than servers two years ago," Eden said.
The quad-core QX9300 chip will be part of the Intel Extreme series of mobile processors. HP's high-end Pavilion HDX gaming laptop line and Dell's Alienware unit both offer laptops with Intel Extreme mobile processors such as the X9000.
Last week, Intel announced the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100, a dual-core mobile processor running at 3.06GHz.
So, is a quad-core mobile processor overkill? "Definitely not for our customers," said Kelt Reeves, president of enthusiast PC maker Falcon Northwest. "We've been putting quad-processors in (laptops) for a long time."
To date, Falcon Northwest has used desktop quad-core processors and currently uses a Q9550 quad-core chip, which has a 95-watt thermal envelope--unsuitable for a standard-size laptop. But Falcon Northwest quad-core laptops are typically "big power-hungry beasts that weigh twelve pounds," Reeves said. The upcoming mobile quad-core has half the power envelope of the Q9550.
Sun Microsystems made the Olympic cut. Sun will provide server technology using Intel quad-core processors for NBC's Olympic coverage.
(Credit:
Sun Microsystems)
The technology platform will enable live events to be streamed online to NBCOlympics.com during the Beijing Olympics, which take place from August 8-24, Sun and NBC said Monday.
Intel quad-core Xeon processors will power a total of 160 Sun Fire servers that will drive NBC's Web site, according to an Intel statement. Sun Fire X4150 and X4450 servers will be deployed, according to Sun.
The X4150 servers are offered with quad-core Xeon processors such as the Xeon E5440 (2.83GHz, 80 watts) and the Xeon X5450 (3.0GHz, 80W). The X4450 comes with Xeon 7300 series quad-core processsors such as the Xeon L7345 (1.86GHz, 50W) and Xeon E7340 (2.40GHz, 80W).
In addition to live streaming, the platform will provide video archives of completed events, plus blogs, live chat, and athlete profiles based on approximately 2,200 hours of live streaming Olympic broadband video coverage of 25 different sports on the site.
"Sun has worked hard to architect a powerful, energy-efficient platform for NBCOlympics.com that will rapidly scale for hundreds of millions of sports fans," Peter Ryan, Sun's executive vice president of global sales and services, said in a statement.
