Systems
The performance of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) desktops has improved significantly over the years, thanks to advancements in semiconductor fabrication and processor architecture. Thermal solutions suitable for these 4in. x 4in. machines have also been evolving simultaneously. As a result, vendors have been able to configure higher sustained power limits for the processors in these systems. With Intel and AMD allowing configurable TDPs for their notebook segment offerings, UCFF systems with regular 45W TDP processors (albeit, in cTDP-down mode) are now being introduced into the market. GEEKOM became one of the first vendors to release a Core i9-based UCFF machines with the launch of the Mini IT13. Based on paper specifications, this high-end Raptor Lake-H (RPL-H) UCFF desktop is meant to give the mainstream RPL-P NUCs...
HP 2018 Envy 34-Inch Curved All-in-One Gets Cozier
HP has announced a new version of its top-of-the-range Envy 34 all-in-one computer. The new PC has a six-core CPU along with a new graphics processor. One of its...
15 by Anton Shilov on 5/14/2018HP Envy 27-Inch AIO Updates: Six-Core Coffee Lake, 4K Display, NVMe
HP on Monday announced new versions of its Envy AIO systems with 27-inch displays. The latest all-in-ones are upgraded across-the-board with the newest six-core Coffee Lake CPUs as well...
6 by Anton Shilov on 5/14/2018Intel NUC8i7HVK (Hades Canyon) Gaming Performance - A Second Look
The Intel NUC8i7HVK (Hades Canyon) was reviewed back in late March, and emerged as one of the most powerful gaming PCs in its form-factor class. Our conclusion was that...
40 by Ganesh T S on 5/14/2018Lenovo Lists ThinkPad E485/E585: AMD’s Ryzen Mobile Land in Business PCs
Lenovo has quietly published specifications of its ThinkPad E485 and ThinkPad E585 laptops based on AMD’s Ryzen Mobile processors on its website. Coming in classic black chassis and featuring...
33 by Anton Shilov on 4/18/2018Dell Launches AMD Ryzen-Based Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 Convertible, Starts at $700
When AMD announced its Ryzen Mobile processors last October, it had three launch customers with three laptop models. Back in early March this year Dell joined the Ryzen Mobile...
53 by Anton Shilov on 4/16/2018Acer’s Chromebox CXI3 Available in Four Configs: Up to Core i7-8550U, Up to $777
Acer has quietly started to sell its Chromebox CXI3 UCFF desktop, which it formally introduced earlier this year. The minuscule 0.9-liter system runs Google’s Chrome OS and the manufacturer...
7 by Anton Shilov on 4/16/2018Mainstream Gaming: HP Updates Pavilion Gaming Desktop/Laptop Lineups
On the heels of Intel releasing their 8th Generation Core processors in late 2017, OEMs hustled to get their next generation of desktops and laptops ready to accept that...
4 by Joe Shields on 4/11/2018Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop: 15.6-inch, Up to Core i7, GTX 1050 Ti, From $749
Acer has announced a new version of its Nitro 5 laptop this week. The new variants will be powered by Intel’s latest Coffee Lake-H processors, and can use NVIDIA’s...
13 by Anton Shilov on 4/4/2018Origin PC Evo15-S Gaming Laptop: Core i7, GTX 1070 Max-Q, 1080p144
Today Origin PC released its new Evo15-S gaming laptop. The new device uses NVIDIA’s Max-Q based video cards to give a notably thinner and lighter device than the average...
13 by Joe Shields on 4/3/2018ASUS Launches ROG Zephyrus M (GM501): A More Traditional Flagship Gaming Notebook
ASUS this week introduced its a second laptop under its flagship ROG Zephyrus gaming notebook brand. Dubbed the Zephyrus M (GM501) the new laptop is a slightly more straight-laced...
11 by Anton Shilov on 4/3/2018GIGABYTE Updates Aero 15: Six-Cores, GTX 1070, 1080p, 144 Hz, 5mm Bezel, $2300
Among the many laptops getting refreshed this morning, GIGABYTE has introduced upgraded versions of its Aero 15-series gaming laptops. The new notebooks retain a relatively compact form-factor, but feature...
8 by Anton Shilov on 4/3/2018The Intel NUC8i7HVK (Hades Canyon) Review: Kaby Lake-G Benchmarked
Intel has enjoyed great success with its NUC line of ultra-compact and small form-factor (UCFF & SFF) PCs. While the UCFF form-factor managed to provide enough horsepower for office...
126 by Ganesh T S on 3/29/2018Xiaomi Announces 15.6-inch Mi Gaming Laptop: Mid-Specs with Aggressive Pricing
Chinese brand Xiaomi this week announced its new Mi Gaming Laptop, its first endeavor into the gaming side of laptops. The 15.6-inch Full-HD 1080p gaming laptop will offer up...
19 by Joe Shields on 3/29/2018Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EK71080 Compact Gaming PC Review
Gaming systems and small form-factor (SFF) PCs have turned out to be growth segments in a desktop PC market that has been subject to severe challenges recently. Many vendors...
18 by Ganesh T S on 3/28/2018NVIDIA’s DGX-2: Sixteen Tesla V100s, 30 TB of NVMe, only $400K
Ever wondered why the consumer GPU market is not getting much love from NVIDIA’s Volta architecture yet? This is a minefield of a question, nuanced by many different viewpoints...
28 by Ian Cutress on 3/27/2018GIGABYTE's ThunderXStation with Dual Cavium ThunderX2 Arm SoCs
GIGABYTE this month introduced its ThunderXStation workstation based on two Cavium ThunderX2 processors featuring Armv8 architecture. The machine is primarily aimed at software developers porting or developing various applications...
23 by Anton Shilov on 3/27/2018Meltdown & Spectre: Analyzing Performance Impacts on Intel's NUC7i7BNH
One of the consequences of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, besides the immediate security concerns, is what it has meant for our ongoing testing and benchmarking operations. Along with...
84 by Ganesh T S on 3/23/2018Logic Supply Unveils Fanless Wallet-Sized CL200 UCFF PCs: 4G-Ready, up to 9 I/O Ports
Logic Supply this week introduced its new series of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs that boast a fanless design as well as rich connectivity via an optional 4G modem. The...
21 by Anton Shilov on 3/22/2018Compulab Passively-Cooled Airtop2 Inferno with GeForce GTX 1080
Compulab has announced its first passively-cooled gaming desktop computer developed using the company’s expertise in fanless SFF systems. The Airtop2 Inferno uses an enhanced version of the Compulab’s proprietary...
14 by Anton Shilov on 2/24/2018HP’s Snapdragon 835-Based Envy X2 2-in-1 Available for Pre-Order, Starts at $999
HP has started to take pre-orders on its new Envy X2 2-in-1 notebook based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 SoC and Windows 10 S. The 12.3” device is designed as...
42 by Anton Shilov on 2/24/2018