CES - Computers and hardware

LAS VEGAS-As always, HP has a solid line of new laptops to show off at CES. We've reported on each one individually, but below is a handy guide to finding the new systems. Our favorite at the moment is probably the Pavilion dm1, an 11-inch laptop with AMD's new Fusion processor/graphics combo.

>> HP debuts AMD Fusion in 11-inch Pavilion dm1 Continuing the march toward 11.6-inch laptops, HP is making the new Pavilion dm1 its CES 2011 showpiece. At slightly less than 1 inch thick and 3.5 pounds, the dm1 is one of the … Read more

Intel unveiled its long-awaited new line of desktop and laptop CPUs at its press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show today in a demonstration that positioned them as a way to handle high-quality video and gaming without a separate processor.

The processor lineup known as Sandy Bridge, which the company is now calling 2nd Generation Intel Core, boosts performance by grafting the graphics chip onto the CPU. It means hardware makers, especially for budget PCs, won't have to implant a separate graphics processor from rivals Advanced Micro Devices or Nvidia.

"It's about user experience, but you also … Read more

Gateway has been successful in bringing strong desktop systems to the budget-minded market with its DX series of multimedia PCs, and we're treated to another refresh to the whole line at CES 2011. With three additions including the DX4350-43, DX4850-27e, and DX4850-45, these PCs should hold true to their legacy as affordable, general-purpose PCs.

Under the hood, all three desktops will feature Intel's new second-generation Core i5 2300 processors, an Intel H67 Express Chipset, Wi-Fi, a Blu-ray player, and up to 3.5 terabytes of storage with the addition of Gateway's 1.5TB SATA hard drives--a big … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Here's a question we're interested in seeing answered over the next few months: will the 21-inch, $799.99 MSI WindTop AE2210 and its 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 2500s outperform one of the many similarly priced mainstream PCs from HP that have stuck with multicore AMD CPUs?

In truth, we suspect HP is savvy enough to manage its pricing accordingly, and while it is offering some AMD-based Pavilion Elite midtower PCs, it also has a few Sandy Bridge models of its own in that product line.

Still, we're curious to see what happens across the mainstream … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Last year, Intel's new processors predictably resulted in a slew of new laptops afterward bearing the updates. To no surprise, Toshiba's newly updated laptop lineup incorporates Intel's second-generation Intel Core i-series processors, and the product line affected is big: new Qosmios, new M-series and A-series laptops, and even some new budget L-series laptops, too, along with a new version of the Satellite A665 3D Vision-enabled notebook we reviewed last year. Click below to check out some pictures of the models, and read on for specs.

LAS VEGAS--Rounding out its recently expanded Aspire Predator gaming desktops, Acer this morning announced a new budget-oriented Aspire Predator G3600.

For $899, and equipped with Intel's Sandy Bridge Core i5 2300 quad core chip and an Nvidia GeForce GT 420 graphics card, the Aspire Predator G3600 will join the high-end Predator G7000 line and the mid-range Predator G5000 series when it hits retail, which is supposed to happen today.

The budget G3600 packs a less stylized design than its line-mates, but it seems to offer a reasonably good deal for under $1,000. In addition to the CPU and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Samsung laptops have caught our eye for more than a year now, with an increasingly impressive design aesthetic and fairly good prices to boot. Today, its announcement of a thin, 13-inch laptop aimed squarely at the MacBook Air-loving crowd seems to indicate a direction in higher-end products, too, and we certainly can't complain.

The 9 Series comes with a second-generation Intel Core i5-2537M CPU, 4GB of DD43 RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive, along with Windows 7 Professional. The design looks great so far: its metal finish has beautiful curved edges, and Samsung boasts it's the thinnest … Read more

We can't say we like the busy design of MSI's new 23.6-inch WindTop AE2410 all-in-one, but it has some intriguing features, and starts at a reasonable price.

For $899 when it comes out later this quarter, the AE2410 will offer Intel's new Core i7 2630QM mobile Sandy Bridge CPU. You can opt for a discrete graphics card upgrade with this system, but its integrated Intel HD graphics core on the CPU may provide enough basic gaming and home entertainment capability for casual consumers. We'll know more once we can test a few of these mainstream … Read more

Three months ago, the Gateway SX 2850-33 earned our Editors' Choice Award for versatility and speed, and Gateway is upping the ante again with the introduction of four new additions to the SX line that feature Intel's new Sandy Bridge series of desktop chips. They are the SX2803-25e, SX2851-09e, SX2851-41, and SX2851-41e.

Design-wise, the SX desktops still feature the curves we praised in the past, but Gateway has updated the top of the chassis with a padded "device deck" that should be handy for storing MP3 players, external hard drives, and various cameras. Additionally, the front lip … Read more