Items tagged with Notebook
Intel's Tiger Lake mobile platform came out of the gate swinging, with excellent performance and improved power efficiency. The early Core i7-1185G7 development platform we evaluated set several mobile processor records in our benchmarks, and retail notebooks were just as strong when they arrived. So far we've reviewed two such notebooks from ASUS and Dell, but both of those targeted the 2-in-1 segment and commanded a bit of premium as a result, due to their smaller sizes and expanded feature sets. For folks who don't mind (or rather, prefer) the traditional clamshell form factor, and would like to save a couple hundred bucks, MSI has a solution in its new Prestige 14 EVO laptop. MSI's...
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Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 series, the company's flagship notebook lineup, is no stranger to our offices. The various iterations of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon are some of our favorite ultra-light notebooks. In recent years, Lenovo has pushed the X1 family into 2-in-1 convertible devices as well, and we've very much liked these types of systems in the past as well. Today, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 5 has returned to us, with a 360-degree hinge and a punchy 14-inch 4K display. The updated ThinkPad X1 Yoga arrived with an Intel 10th-generation Core processor. However, Intel's product naming recently has been somewhat confusing, to say the least. 10th Gen Core i7 processors come in two flavors: the...
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Lenovo has announced it will be updating some of its Yoga notebooks this fall. Last year's Yoga C640 and Yoga C740 get new names to match Lenovo's latest product branding. The C640 becomes the Yoga 6 while the C740 becomes the Yoga 7i 14-inch and 15-inch. Along with the new name, the machines also get new hardware and features for 2020. Soon both Yoga 7i models will be updated with Intel's upcoming 11th generation Tiger Lake processors. Yoga 7i models also get a new flip to boot feature where opening the lid boots the system up. This feature will make it quicker and easier for computer users to get the laptop up and running for distance learning or remote working. Yoga 7i 15 Lenovo fits both...
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Acer has announced a bunch of new notebooks and desktops aimed at the gaming crowd and those looking for thin & light machines for portability. The first of the machines falls into the Thin & Light category and is called the Swift 5. Acer touts the machine as its newest ultrathin-and-lite notebook that features next-generation Intel Core processors. The Swift 5 features Intel's 11th generation Core (Tiger Lake) processors with onboard Xe graphics, and can be fitted with an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX 350 GPU. Despite the powerful hardware inside the machine, Acer is still able to keep it under 2.2 pounds and only 0.59-inch thick. The computer maker also designed the Swift 5 with a touchscreen...
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Recently, Dell introduced a new and impressive notebook to the market aimed at gamers, called the G5 15 SE. One of the key features of that gaming notebook is AMD's new SmartShift technology. Any AMD fans who are hoping that technology would land in other brands or models of laptops may be disappointed to hear that Dell has the exclusive on that technology until 2021. But what's so special about SmartShift? The AMD Ryzen 4000 family of processors were unveiled at CES 2020, and one of the more exciting technologies that the CPUs enable, when paired with an AMD Radeon GPU, is SmartShift. The technology pools the thermal and power budget for the GPU and CPU, and doles out those resources depending...
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MSI has pulled the wraps off a new gaming notebook at CES 2020 called the GE66 Raider. The machine is due out later this year and will use the incoming Intel 10th generation H series CPUs, up to the Intel Core i9 H-series. MSI is aimed to offer the best with regards to mobile graphics performance, so it will pair the machine with up NVIDIA GeForce RTX discrete GPUs. Two of the key details regarding the machine's specs are a massive 99.9 WHr battery and an optional 300Hz 15.6-inch display, which will be a boon to 1080p eSports gamers. The battery is the largest capacity allowed on flights, as the FAA caps capacity at 100 WHr. The keyboard used in the machine has per-key RGB lighting,...
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Dell has unveiled a new laptop that starts at $799 and is called the Dell G5 15 SE. The machine has third-gen AMD Ryzen Renoir-H Mobile CPUs paired up with a discrete Radeon RX 5600M graphics card. The G5 15 SE supports SmartShift for automatic, dynamic, power shifting between the CPU and the GPU for improved performance over past generations of the machine. The G5 also runs AMD Radeon software to dynamically regulate framerates, reduce latency, and sharpen images for gamers. The display is a 15.6-inch Full HD unit, while an optional 144Hz display supports FreeSync. Dell also offers an optional WASD 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard that is customizable via the Alienware Command Center. That command...
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ASUS has unveiled some new laptops and desktop computers that are aimed directly at the gamers out there that are looking for an upgrade. The first are new gaming notebooks that slot into the TUF Gaming family including the 15-inch TUF Gaming A15 and F15 along with the 17-inch TUF Gaming A17 and F17. All of the machines are designed to deliver high-performance and dependability. The notebooks use the latest AMD Ryzen 7 4000 Series Mobile processors or 10th gen Intel processors. They can be fitted with NVIDIA Turing-based GPUs and offer display options with up to 144Hz refresh rates. The TUF Gaming A15 and A17 are the AMD Ryzen versions of the notebooks that pair the Ryzen 7 4000 series mobile...
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HP has released a pair of premium notebooks at CES 2020, including the HP Spectre x360 15 and the Elite Dragonfly notebooks. The Spectre x360 15 is the most powerful machine to slot into the Spectre line yet, and is powered by up to a 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce graphics. The battery inside promises up to 17 hours of runtime per charge. The notebook has a 90% screen-to-body ratio for the 4K OLED 15.6-inch display with DCI-P3 with a 30% wider color gamut range. HP fits the notebook with WiFi 6 for faster networking speeds. The notebook was built with security in mind and has an IR camera and an HP Webcam Kill Switch along with a dedicated mute button for the mic. It also...
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Acer is rolling out some interesting devices at CES 2020 that will land later this year. One of the products is the ConceptD 7 Ezel convertible notebook aimed at creative professionals. Acer says that the laptop is designed to allow creators to make and share ideas with a color-accurate 4K UHD touch screen display that swivels and rotates in any of five usage modes. The machine is "ideal" for heavy workflows, says Acer, and features up to a 10th Gen Intel Core H-Series processor, the latest NVIDIA GPUs, 15.6-inch screen, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 2TB NVMe PCIe SSDs. Acer is also offering a ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro with a Xeon processor, up to an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 GPU, ECC memory, 15.6-inch...
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Lenovo is unveiling a bunch of new items at CES 2020 that all slot into the Creator series that includes desktop computers, laptops, and displays. The desktop computer is the IdeaCentre Creator 5, and it is meant to be a workhorse multipurpose desktop PC for home office or family use. The machine runs Windows 10 Home and has a new UI called Lenovo Vantage. The machine is ISV certified and has a special thermal design that makes minimal noise. The machine can be fitted with up to 10th gen Intel Core i9 processors and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics. RAM can be configured up to 32GB, and the machine has up to a 2TB HDD and up to a 1TB SSD. Lenovo is announcing this desktop a long way from...
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Mobile gamers who want to get a new gaming laptop need to be on the lookout at Acer.com. Acer is teasing a massive Black Friday discount on one of its high-end gaming notebooks: the Predator Triton 700. The laptop has a massive discount at $2,000 off the normal retail price. Acer is playing coy with the exact timing of the sale. As of this writing, the Predator Triton 700 Gaming Laptop is listed at its normal retail price of $2,999.99, Acer says to keep checking back for the sale to start. When the deal goes live, the notebook will sell for $999.99. For the money, the notebook crams in a lot of impressive hardware. Acer Predator Triton 700 Gaming Laptop - $2,000 off at $999.99 The notebook has...
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Alienware may just be the most well-known gaming desktop and notebook brand on the planet. The company's gray alien logo graces everything from proper, upgradeable desktops like the Aurora R9 to the huge desktop-replacement Area-51m notebook complete with actual desktop hardware. What we have on hand today isn't quite so big and bulky, however: the new 2019 edition of the company's workhorse m15 gaming notebook, the m15 R2. We had a chance to spend some one-on-one time with this sweet portable machine back at Computex, but now it's come through our labs from the alien mothership for an extended visit. When we first pulled the m15 R2 from its box, we were a little surprised how small it is. Sure,...
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Dell's XPS family of premium laptops has long been synonymous with excellent performance and build quality. In particular, the XPS 13 lineup has included some of the most highly awarded ultraportable PCs on the market today. Today, we have Dell's latest XPS 13 on hand: model 7390, which is a 2-in-1 model with a 360 degree hinge and a 13.3-inch multi-touch IPS display that converts what looks like an otherwise-traditional laptop into a tablet. Perhaps more importantly, this is the first retail notebook we've gotten our mitts on with Intel's 10nm CPUs, codenamed Ice Lake, in tow. In fact, Dell says this is the first notebook shipped to market with an Ice Lake processor inside. Anticipation...
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Gigabyte has launched its latest notebook computer and the machine is aimed directly at the content creators out there. The machine is called the Aero 17, and it has a 17-inch chassis in the same space as some other 15-inch offerings. The chassis is 2.1cm thick and offers a Nanoimprint Lithography embossed surface and CNC aluminum cutouts. Cooling was a big deal for Gigabyte; the machine has two large fans that have 71 fan blades each combined with five full copper heat-pipes and 11 air intake/exhaust vents to keep the available Intel Core i9 octa-core processor cool. The Aero 17 has NVIDIA GeForce RTX Studio certification helping creators to edit 4K video and perform heavy 3D modeling tasks...
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Lenovo has tossed several new notebook computers onto the market, and the new ThinkPad T490 is among them. This machine can be fitted with up to 10th gen Intel Core i7 processors. The T490 is a relatively svelte machine measuring in at just 17.9mm thick, and with a starting weight of 3.2 pounds. Buyers can choose from several display types including a 500 nit, WQHD Dolby Vision screen or a 400 nit FHD display. The integrated audio system includes Dolby Premium up-firing speakers, and the notebook has dual far-field microphones to improve conferencing audio. The large battery delivers up to 15 hours of productivity, and Rapid Charge tech allows it to deliver 80% capacity with an hour charge. The...
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In May, Asus pulled the wraps off a very cool laptop computer at Computex called the ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581). The big feature of that machine was the full-width 14-inch 4K ScreenPad Plus touchscreen sitting under the display, above the keyboard. When the machine was announced, the two big mysteries were the launch date, and pricing; both of those questions have been answered. The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is available now in two different models. The entry-level machine is the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581GV-XB74T), and it sells for $2,499.99, and the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581GV-XB94T) sells for $2,999.99. The difference between the two versions is hardware. It's worth noting that while the entry-level...
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Intel and AMD currently have the once of fiercest rivalry that we’ve seen in years in the CPU market right now. Intel admitted the renewed competition in a leaked memo in June. Intel had a bit of a rebound in Q2 2019 with stronger CPU availability that has pushed overall PC shipments up for the quarter. IDC says that the overall market for PCs, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations for the quarter totaled 64.9 million units. The PC market overall saw growth of 4.7% for Q2 2019, which IDC calls "noticeably higher" than expectations. The research firm says that two big reasons for the higher than expected growth in the PC market were easing supply shortages, and looming...
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Microsoft has been very successful with its own line of Surface 2-in-1 machines that include the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Go. In May, a patent surfaced that hinted a Surface Pro 7 with a USB-C port and new type cover was in the works. Earlier this month reports indicated that Microsoft was showing off a dual-screen Surface device to employees. Now, Microsoft has teamed up with a company called Kano for a DIY computer that looks like a chunky Surface Go-style 2-in-1 aimed at kids. The Kano PC is a computer that kids build themselves and the kit can be preordered for $299.99 with shipping at the end of October 2019. The goal of the Kano PC is to allow kids to build their own computer, learn how...
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Acer has unveiled notebooks that are powered by the latest AMD Ryzen Mobile processor with integrated Radeon Vega graphics ahead of Computex 2019. Acer is cramming the second-gen Ryzen mobile processors into the Nitro 5 and Swift 3 notebooks. The Nitro 5 can be optioned with up to a second-gen AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor with a Radeon RX 560X GPU inside. The machine has a 15.6-inch full HD IPS display with 80% screen-to-body ratio. The Nitro 5 has Gigabit WiFi with 2x2 MU-MIMO technology and plenty of connectivity options. Connectivity includes HDMI 2.0, USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 and more. To keep the hardware cool, the Nitro 5 has dual fans and Acer CoolBoost technology that can increase fan...
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Intel has announced that it will open Project Athena Open Labs in Taipei, Shanghai, and Folsom, California to support performance and low-power optimization of vendor components for laptops built to its design specifications. The Project Athena Open Labs are located in key ecosystem hubs and are operated by teams of Intel engineers with SOC and platform power optimization expertise. The three labs will commence operations in June 2019. Intel says that its expanded level of integration with the PC ecosystem will accelerate the development of advanced laptop designs and capabilities. The labs will add to the component selection process for OEMs and enable a continuous cycle of tuning and testing...
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Razer has unveiled its latest gaming laptop, which is an update to the Razer Blade Pro 17. The machine packs a big 17.3-inch display into a chassis that Razer says is 25% smaller than other 17-inch gaming notebooks in its class. Despite the smaller chassis, the machine will stay cool under demanding workloads thanks to the Razer vapor chamber cooling system and multi-fan design. The CPU inside the Blade Pro 17 is a a new 9th gen Intel Core i7-9750H with a base clock of 2.6GHz and boost clock up to 4.5GHz. That CPU has six cores and supports HyperThreading; graphics are handled by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q, or GeForce RTX 2080 with Max-Q. Razer ships the notebook...
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