Items tagged with Laptops
It is currently a horrible time to build a new gaming PC. From COVID-19 demand to chip shortages, droughts, and a cryptocurrency boom, many factors make obtaining critical components like high-end processors and graphics cards hard to find at MSRP. Over the weekend, we even heard about the potential for a shortage of SSDs and HDDs due to rising Chinese crypto coin. Today, more bad news is coming in for those looking to build a new rig or upgrade an existing one. Research firm TrendForce projects that DRAM prices will surge between 18 to 23 percent for Q2 2021 versus Q1 2021. The 18 to 23 percent range is for the overall DRAM market, but higher increases are expected for consumer PC DRAM versus...
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AMD is finally getting the respect it deserves, and with good reason—its latest generation Zen 3 lineup is the real deal, in both desktop and laptop form. The demand for Zen 3 is so high that Dell is updating its Alienware laptops with AMD's latest generation processors, pairing them with NVIDIA's newest Ampere GPUs. Not to be overlooked, the combination of AMD and NVIDIA in an Alienware laptop has not been done in over a decade, since the Aurora mALX in 2007. "We heard what you wanted," Dell wrote on Twitter. "The Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5, now with a fresh design and AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile CPUs. Enjoy multi-core performance designed for gaming and content creation, all in one...
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As time goes on, more laptops built around Intel's Evo platform are emerging, bringing with them a combination of specifications and features that meet or exceed specific baseline criteria for performance, battery life, connectivity, and a few other bits. These common threads weave through Intel's Tiger Lake silicon with Xe graphics, which are key cogs in the Evo machine. HP's latest refresh of its Spectre X360 13 for 2021 is one of those laptops, blending luxury styling with Intel's newest generation CPUs and graphics, and the result is an absolutely gorgeous convertible with plenty of zip. The gas mileage is decent on this convertible as well, which is something we'll talk about a little later....
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When it comes to OEM system builders, AMD has been a bit like Rodney Dangerfield, in that it sometimes can't "get no respect," to quote the former comedian (RIP). The company's Zen architecture has been a game changer, though, especially its latest generation Zen 3 CPUs. They are so enticing, there is a rumor Razer will launch its first AMD-based gaming laptop. Up to this point, Razer has exclusively sharpened its Blade laptops with Intel's silicon. Available in 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch variants, each current model sports an Intel Core processor, with Comet Lake, Ice Lake, and Tiger Lake CPU options. But what you won't find among any of Razer's laptop models is an AMD processor. Not yet,...
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Remember those leaked photos of an upcoming Dell gaming laptop that we wrote about last week? Well, they turned out to be real—Dell today formally introduced a new G Series gaming laptop, providing us some additional information that was not available last week, though most of the juicy tidbits will still have to wait a little bit longer. The reason for that is because Dell announced its new G15 laptop in limited capacity in China, and is holding off introducing it in the United States and the rest of the world until next month. Dell tells us it will provide more details soon, related to the upcoming global launch as well as "other exciting consumer launches happening this spring," whatever...
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It appears Dell is readying a new gaming laptop with a bit of an Alienware edge to it (at least in the external design language), but will not actually be part of the Alienware family. Instead, it will occupy a spot in Dell's ever-growing laptop family as the G15 5510, and a handful of leaked images give us a glimpse of the supposed upcoming model. We can't say for sure if the leaked images are legitimate, but they are certainly striking. The design motif is very similar to the Alienware m15 R4 we recently reviewed. This is evident in the above photo, which shows a thicker and different color exhaust system compared to the rest of the laptop, as well as the ventilation slits on the side and bottom....
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Between the bots and scalpers, silicon production shortages, and yes, even cryptocurrency mining (again), gamers are having a tough time buying the latest PC and console hardware. As it applies to the latter, Ethereum is on a sharp rise, having quadrupled in value over the past three months. While depressing, it is not too surprising to learn that miners are even employing the latest generation laptops with GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs nestled inside. NVIDIA only recently announced its mobile GeForce RTX 30 series lineup. Laptop makers are busy making new models that pair the latest and greatest from NVIDIA with the newest silicon from AMD (mobile Ryzen 5000 series) and Intel. The prospect of playing...
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A new generation of high-powered gaming laptops is on the horizon, so on the surface, it may not seem like the best time to buy. And that is true if paying full price. However, retailers have started to clear out inventory to make room for the new stuff, paving the way for some fantastic deals on current generation hardware. Like a hefty $400 discount on Dell's G7 with a 300Hz display (1080p). You can find Dell's G7 marked down to $1,299.99 at Best Buy right now (down from $1,699.99). That is an enticing price for the hardware and form factor—this one takes aim at people like myself who still appreciate and gravitate towards a larger 17.3-inch display. The fast refresh rate stands out and...
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Today is a pretty big day for gamers on the go—it marks the launch of GeForce RTX 30 series laptops sporting the company's latest generation Ampere GPUs, in mobile form. And right on cue, NVIDIA has released a driver update and a bolstered version of its GeForce Experience utility, the latter of which brings support for WhisperMode 2.0. There is a bit to unpack there. Let's start with the laptop GPUs, of which there are three main versions: GeForce RTX 3080, GeForce RTX 3070, and GeForce RTX 3060. Each one can be configured to different power profiles and clockspeeds by the OEMs. And if you are curious what to expect, have a look at our GeForce RTX 3080 laptop performance preview, as well...
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NVIDIA unveiled its Ampere-based RTX 30 series mobile GPUs at a special GeForce Event during this year's virtual CES 2021 festivities. A wide range of notebook design wins were also showed off at various events, spanning a variety of form factors. With the GeForce RTX 30 series, NVIDIA is targeting high-performance gaming notebooks in form factors as thin 16mm, even with the flagship GeForce RTX 3080. Thinner, higher-performance form factors aren’t the only features NVIDIA is touting. A number of upcoming notebooks will also be sporting 1440p, ultra-high refresh rate IPS displays. In fact, the test vehicle we were lucky enough to evaluate for this article – an MSI GS66 Stealth...
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During her CES2021 keynote address, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su, along with a handful of partners, revealed the AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors. At that event, the overall line-up and a few details were disclosed, and over the course of CES many design wins were announced by multiple OEMs as well. Shortly thereafter though, AMD hosted a deep-dive press briefing and discussed a number of additional details regarding the Ryzen 5000 Mobile Series. And today, we’re able to disclose to you more details of AMD's robust new laptop platform, but before we do, a bit of a recap is probably in order... Ryzen 5000 Series Zen 3 Mobile Processor Line-Up Recap There is a wide array of new processors in...
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Shopping for a gaming laptop might soon require a bit more research than it normally would, because of a supposed change in how NVIDIA intends to promote its third-generation Max-Q technology. The latest Max-Q standard is a big part of Ampere's push into mobile territory, which NVIDIA announced at CES 2021 last week, but upcoming laptops might not explicitly discern between a full-power or lower-power GPU. The way things work now is that OEMs typically attach a Max-Q label on laptops with lower power GPUs inside. These are mostly intended for thin and light designs. A full power GPU tucked inside a slim gaming laptop can run hotter than what the system's cooling potential allows. In light of...
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In an effort to facilitate even skinnier laptop design and blanket the laptop market with OLED screens, Samsung Display is getting ready to introduce new OLED panel for notebooks that are thinner than any US coin, be it a quarter, nickel, dime, penny, or anything else. Samsung is calling it the "Blade Bezel," and to achieve the extreme thinness, the company moved the webcam underneath the display. We don't mean the webcam sits at the bottom of the display, as Dell experimented with on some of its previous laptops, like the XPS 13 9370 in 2018—we were never big fans of that placement, because nobody needs a clear view of our nostrils (and fortunately Dell went back to putting the webcam...
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It is CES 2021 time and companies are beginning to show off what they have created over the last year. Now, Dell is back in business with a number of different laptops that have been refreshed with the latest Intel Core processors and some extra nifty features. We have compiled some of what they have to show down below, and there are certainly some interesting things this year... Latitude 5000 Series The Dell Latitude 5000 Series could be the best choice for business and educational purposes of all the offerings from Dell. While that statement is bold, the laptops have some bold specs to back that up. Within the 5000 Series is the 13.3” Latitude 5320, 14” Latitude 5420,...
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A staple of a premium laptop is an OLED display. Not all premium laptops leverage OLED, but the ones that do tend to stand out from the crowd, like Dell's XPS 13 we reviewed last year. Expect to see more laptops sporting OLED screens in 2021. Helping to make it happen, Samsung is planning to unveil more than half a dozen new OLED displays for laptops at CES 2021. From Samsung's vantage point, there is an expanded opportunity to shovel OLED displays into the laptop marketplace, due to rallying demand for laptops as more people find themselves working from home, engaging in online education, and of course gaming. "Just as Samsung’s OLED displays have outstripped LCDs in design elegance and...
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It is incredibly difficult to find a GeForce RTX 30 series card in stock from a seller that has not jacked up the price, but eventually things will settle down. Hopefully sooner than later. Also happening presumably sooner than later—NVIDIA will launch Ampere in mobile form for laptops. As we wait, a retailer in Europe has already posted preorder listings for laptops with mobile GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs inside. To be clear, NVIDIA has not yet launched or even acknowledged a mobile Ampere lineup. We know a launch is coming, however, because (A) it would be silly and bad for business to skip this generation in the mobile sector, and (B) leaks and rumors have been piling up. And typically...
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As time goes on, Intel's 10-nanometer Tiger Lake processors will pounce on more laptop designs, given that it has only been a handful of weeks since the chip maker launched its latest mobile CPUs (which replace Ice Lake). Lenovo was quick out of the gate, however, and the company sent us an interesting sub-$1,000 Tiger Lake configuration from its rather plentiful 2-in-1 lineup. Specifically, the Lenovo Yoga 7i that arrived on our doorstep, and it's a flexible 14-inch convertible which is also the first to land in our lab armed with an 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 processor in tow. Our dalliances with Intel's Tiger Lake platform up to this point have been encounters with higher end SKUs, including...
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Gaming laptops just keep getting better, and more recently, there has been a push for higher refresh rates to keep the action fast and smooth. Adding to the mix, a company called Eluktronics is laying claim to the world's first laptops to feature a 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate, which quite frankly is a delightful combination (depending on the rest of the hardware). These are not the fastest-ever refresh rates on a laptop—the bar has been set to a ludicrous 300Hz, as found on a spattering of models (MSI Dragonshield, ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, and others). But those are all 1080p displays. Gaming at 1440p is gaining traction on the desktops (and the Xbox Series S is built with 1440p...
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AMD's Ryzen 4000 family of Zen 2 processors have been very well-received in the laptop market with the company securing a number of key design wins, thanks to excellent overall performance and power efficiency. And while Ryzen 4000 graphics performance won't knock your socks off, the integrated AMD Radeon Vega GPU can also handle some light gaming workloads. Needless to say, AMD's rise is coming at the expense of Intel, which has long dominated in the laptop sector. Intel has countered AMD's Ryzen 4000 family with its 11th generation Tiger Lake processors with integrated Iris Xe graphics, but even current quad-core CPU models aren't enough to tackle AMD's high-end Ryzen 4000U configurations...
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Thanks to COVID-19 and students doing their schoolwork from home, there might be some contention for the family PC, when all they really need is a Chromebook and internet access. The good news is that while it's not Black Friday yet, it's definitely November, which is means a huge season of deals is now under way. Amazon in particular has a huge list of Chromebook deals that can be yours for under $300 and perhaps restore a little sanity to our homes. We'll start off today's festivities with a trio of machines that have quite a bit in common. All three of these Chromebooks have Intel's Celeron N4000 processor, which has a dual-core CPU that can hit upwards of 2.6 GHz. The first two are...
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Thin and light gaming laptops are no longer a novelty, as practically every PC maker offers their own take on the category. Some of them don't always stand-out from the crowd, however, and can push the envelope on thermals in ever-tighter chassis designs. That is most definitely not the case with Dell's Alienware m15 R3 though, unless you want to compare it to last year's Alienware m15 R2. At a passing glance, this year's refresh looks just like last year's model. That is not a bad thing, as the new m15 R3 is a head-turning laptop with some notable improvements to this newest iteration, including a revamped cooling solution. Quite frankly, we are just fine with the overall physical design staying...
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Yesterday, we wrote about Amazon’s Labor Day deals. Of course, Best Buy has some Labor Day deals in the oven too, and they are pretty hot. This weekend at Best Buy, TV deals are at the top of the Labor Day list. If you have the coin to spare, you can get a 75” 4K TV from Samsung at $849.99, $150 off regular price. This smart TV has an HDR 10+ rating, so it should give you gorgeous colors when watching YouTube, Disney+, or Netflix. It comes with 2 HDMI ports and a built-in TV tuner should you not have a box from your cable provider. Samsung 7 Series 75" TV $849.99 @ Best Buy Stepping down in price but not much in size, we have the LG UN7070 70” 4K TV. This TV...
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