Archivi Blog
Velocity Micro unveils three Ivy Bridge desktops, starting at $849
From Acer and HP to Maingear, PC makers across the board are releasing Ivy Bridge desktops before the family of CPUs makes its much-anticipated debut on notebooks. Velocity Micro is following suit, with the announcement of three customizable PCs powered by Intel’s third-generation Core processors. Starting at $849, the Vector Z70 comes standard with a 500GB, 7,200RPM hard drive, 4GB of RAM and a 2.6GHz Intel Pentium G620 CPU (upgradeable all the way to a Core i7 processor, clocked at 3.4GHz). The $999 Edge Z40 is a middle-of-the-road model, shipping with a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTS 450 GPU, a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-23000 and 1TB of storage spinning at 7,200 RPM. On the premium side, the Raptor Z90 is a full-on gaming machine, with GeForce GTX 680 graphics and an Intel Core i7-3770 CPU, plus eight USB 3.0 and four USB 3.0 connections. All three systems are immediately available — click through to the product pages for the complete configuration options.
HP intros Omni 27 all-in-one, Pavilion HPE Phoenix h9 tower (Video)
If you thought HP would take a break after announcing seven all-in-ones last fall, you’d be sadly mistaken: the company just trotted out the Omni 27, its first model with a 27-inch display. In addition to that 1080p (non-touch) screen, it rocks the same Easel design as all those models HP introduced a few months back, which is to say it tilts a relatively modest 25 degrees. Other specs include dual- and quad-core Intel processors, up to 2TB of storage and Beats Audio (duh), and an optional TV tuner, Blu-ray player and HDMI port (yes, HDMI is an add-on). Moving on to a different category entirely, HP also unveiled the Pavilion HPE Phoenix h9 — not its inaugural enthusiast tower, to be sure, but definitely the first to bear the consumer-y Pavilion name. Though the red accents and “armor-plated” design would suggest otherwise, HP’s quick to market this not as a gaming rig, but a prosumer machine. Whatever you want to call it, you’ll find specs worthy of power uses: a choice of Intel’s latest X79 processors or AMD’s eight-core chips, NVIDIA GTX 580 graphics and four DIMM slots capable of accommodating 16GB of RAM and up to three hard drives.
Whichever tickles your fancy, both come loaded with HP’s Magic Canvas software — aka, the UI that used to be called TouchSmart but has since been re-tooled to work even on non-touch machines. They’ll each be available January 8th, with the Omni 27 starting at $1,200 and the Phoenix h9 fetching $1,150 and up. Until then, we’ve got a mix of hands-on and press shots below, with a pair of promo videos waiting for just past the break.
Acer intros revamped desktops, 23-inch multitouch display for kids with ginormous dorm rooms
Last week, Acer unveiled a handful of back-to-school laptops, and today, the outfit’s showing off gear for kids who’ve got a teensy bit more room in the dorms. The company just trotted out a pair of desktops, along with the beastly 23-inch T231H multitouch monitor. Both towers have a staid black chassis with Acer’s clear.fi media streaming software on board. Of the two, the M series (pictured) is clearly for power users, with Core i3 and quad-core AMD Athlon II x4 processor options, 6GB of RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, optional discrete graphics, and a storage tray on top housing four USB 2.0 sockets and headphone and mic ports. The X series, meanwhile, has a trimmer, more compact design, and a modest spec list featuring Intel Pentium dual-core and AMD Athlon II X4 processors, 4GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. As for that 1080p display, it has an 80,000:1 contrast ratio and tilts between a 5-degree and 60-degree angle — not unlike that swiveling HP all-in-one that came out earlier this year. They’re all up for grabs now, with the M and X series starting at $500 and $398, respectively, and the monitor fetching $330. Full PR after the break.
HP trots out Pavilion p7, Pavilion Slimline s5, and HPE h8 desktops
Lest you think the desktop is an endangered species, HP, at least, begs to differ. The company just unveiled three of ‘em: the Pavilion p7, Slimline s5, and the Pavilion HPE h8 — all festooned with black finishes, rounded edges, sliding port covers, and metallic panels designed to blend in with the electronics already populating your living room. Of the three, the p7 is the most mainstream, with a non-threatening chassis that’s about the size you’d expect a tower to be. The Slimline s5 has a similar look, but is about half the size, making it look more like a media hub. Lastly, there’s the HPE h8, whose red accents and beastlier shape mark it as the power tower it is. For the money, you’ll get discrete graphics, optional Beats Audio, and support for dual displays. The p7 and h8 go on sale May 18, starting at $299 and $599, respectively. For the petite s5, you’ll have to step up to a $329 starting price. Look for it on June 15.
