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Nvidia Optimus laptops: Which are prime?

Over the last few months, we've seen quite a few Nvidia Optimus laptops. Optimus automatically switches between discrete and integrated graphics, powering the horsepower down when not used in order to save a little battery life. It's a similar idea to what's also included on the spring 2010 15-inch MacBook Pro, except Apple never created any branding for the concept.

And there's the rub: it's basically invisible tech, yet Nvidia has branded the concept for greater visibility. Really it amounts to something we'd obviously prefer to have in any laptop with dedicated graphics. Right … Read more

Gateway's new LED monitors claim earth-shattering contrast ratios

Slim and LED has been the new black for quite some time now in the monitor market, so it comes as little surprise that Gateway is entering that particular subset of the market in a big way.

Today, Gateway announced three new LED-based monitors in three models: the 21.5-inch Gateway FHX2152L, the 24-inch Gateway FHX2402L, and the 23-inch Gateway FHD2303L.

According to Gateway, the new monitors will each have a 12,000,000:1 contrast ratio (meh) and, in an earth-shattering turn of events, each will also have a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels!! Hmmm, I may … Read more

Gateway updates desktop line with new all-in-ones

We've already seen holiday shopping season updates from Dell and HP; now Gateway joins the fray with a new all-in-one design. Gateway says that all of its major product desktop product lines have received specification updates, but the new 21.5-inch Gateway One ZX4951 and the 23-inch ZX6951 are the only models to receive chassis makeovers from the previous product generation.

The two new models will share the same rounded, friendly-looking chassis, and the design looks a bit more unified than the previous black plastic model that features two incongruous clear plastic feet underneath the display. The 21.5-inch … Read more

2010 back-to-school retail desktop wrap-up

We've spent the better part of the last two months reviewing the desktops and laptops you're most likely to find when you go to your local electronics retailer. The Apple systems are available at a number of stores, of course, and if you go into any Best Buy nationwide you should find every system we reviewed. Staples and others might have a few of the models listed as well.

You may have seen the wrap-ups of the various retail laptop categories. Now we're turning our attention to desktops. We'll discuss what you'll find at retail stores, and whether or not you should buy it.

Budget desktops

For the purposes of this roundup we consider anything less than $600 to be a budget PC, but we've left off Nettops because they're not fast enough. Mostly we were underwhelmed by the desktops in this group, thanks to poor value or out-of-date features, or, in the case of HP's lamentable Slimline s5510y, both.

Two systems stood out. We liked the Gateway SX2801-01e, although the slim tower SX-line has been kind of a "gimme" for Gateway lately. It has nailed the value equation for that model, offering strong components and performance for its price, as well as connectivity options, like HDMI, that make sense for its form factor. You could use this system as a space-saving box in a dorm room, or as a media-streaming system connected directly to an HDTV.… Read more

Hands-on with Gateway's LT32 premium Netbook

Netbooks have settled into a comfortable set of stock components, offering basic PC functionality for prices unheard of even a few years ago. The typical setup of a 10-inch display, Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Starter is easy to find for as little as $299, and more than adequate for many tasks, from e-mail to Web surfing.

But those low, low prices mean PC makers are eager to upsell, and a handful of Netbook-plus systems have turned up, with larger HD displays, more RAM, and even better CPUs and graphics capabilities, such as the Asus Eee PC 1201, which pairs a bigger screen with Nvidia's ION GPU for what some call a "Premium Netbook" experience.

The latest system to offer a little more Netbook for a little more money is the Gateway LT32. This 11.6-inch laptop skips the typical Intel Atom for an AMD Athlon Neo II K125 processor. While still a single core chip, AMD has always positioned the Neo as a better performer than the Atom, and during initial anecdotal hands-on use, that certainly seems to be the case. The LT32 also includes ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics--still not a discrete GPU, but a small step up from the integrated Intel graphics found in most Netbooks.

Almost as important to the end user experience is the 2GB of RAM (double what's in a typical Netbook) and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system instead of the more common Windows 7 Starter Edition.

The design of the LT32 is reminiscent of the Acer Ferrari One, an excellent 11-inch Premium Netbook from earlier in 2010. That system was even better, with a dual-core AMD CPU and 4GB of RAM, but it also cost nearly $600, putting it in solid mainstream laptop territory. … Read more