Falcon Northwest's Latest Talon Performance Desktop
Image Courtesy Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest is known for its high performance Mach V gaming desktop system. While this system offers some outstanding performance, it also comes with an outstandingly high price tag. To offer high performance systems to those on a budget, it created the Talon. With the release of the new Intel P55 chipset and Core i5/i7 processors to go with it, Falcon has redesigned their Talon to take advantage of this lower cost platform. Can they really provide a solid performance desktop for the price? Find out in my review of the Falcon Northwest Talon desktop.
HP/Compaq's PC Support
HP is one of the largest computer companies. Most consumers are probably most familiar with HP for their printing business. In fact, HP has a very diverse range of computer products that they support. So if you are thinking about buying a HP product or happen to have one that is having issues, be sure to check out my profile of their support department.
Included in the profile are the various avenues that users have for support, some published ratings of the their product support, tips and advice. In addition, I have a survey so users can rate how they felt HP/Compaq handled their support issues. If you happen to have used their support services, please vote to let others know how you feel how they handled your problem. If you have used their support, please add your opinions in the survey and share your experience.
How would you rate HP's support?
Dell's Familiar Looking Studio XPS 9000
Image Courtesy Dell Inc.
Dell has reworked much of its performance desktop lineup since its purchase of Alienware. This includes the removal of the XPS performance desktops and replacement with a more subdued Studio XPS lineup. Their new top of the line consumer desktop system is the Studio XPS 9000 that might look very familiar to a previous Studio XPS system. Is this really a new performance desktop system from Dell? Find out in my review of the Dell Studio XPS 9000 desktop.
Highly Customizable Core i7/P55 Performance System From CyberPower
Image Courtesy CyberPower Inc.
Intel's Core i7 changed the performance computing market with some outstanding performance gains over the previous generation of processors. The biggest problem though was the extremely high cost of the Intel X58 chipset required to run them. Intel has released its more affordable P55 chipset and corresponding Core i5/i7 processors to go with it. CyberPower is taking advantage of this new platform to offer some excellent performance desktops with a wide range of configuration options. Does this customizable performance desktop provide a good option versus building one yourself? Find out in my review of the CyberPower Gamer Infinity XLC performance desktop.
Alienware's Latest Area-51 Gaming Desktop
Image Courtesy Dell Inc.
Alienware has made some significant design changes to their Area-51 case. The case now features aggressive, angular edges and accents compared to their previous rounded designs. The case also moves around a few components in significant ways. Are the updates to their flagship gaming desktop system more than cosmetic? Find out in my review of the Alienware Area-51 performance desktop.
Alienware's New Intel mATX Performance Desktop
Image Courtesy Dell Inc.
Alienware's Aurora desktop has always been a low cost performance desktop system. To achieve this, the company always used AMD's processors as they were a lower cost alternative to Intel. With Intel's dominance in the performance processor department with the new Core processors, the company decided to rework their Aurora system into an Intel platform. To differentiate it from their Area-51 and ALX versions however, it uses a more compact desktop tower. Does this smaller format and Intel processor up the performance while keeping the prices low? Find out in my review of the Alienware Aurora performance desktop.
Computer Deal of the Week
Image Courtesy Acer
Know someone who has a high definition TV? Would they like to be able to browse the Internet and watch high definition videos on it? Most people don't need a full desktop computer to do these, but most nettops lack the features for HD video. NewEgg has the Acer Aspire Revo for just $200. Unlike many other nettops, this one comes equipped with the NVIDIA ION LED graphics that gives it HD video support. It can even handle YouTube's new HD video with the Flash 10.1 beta. Other features in the Aspire Revo include an Atom N230 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet (no wireless), HDMI video output and the Windows XP operating system.
Disclaimer: All deals are those advertised by the retailer in question and may have rebates or other conditions of purchase for the products. Please be sure to read all disclaimers from the seller before purchasing.
Laptop Networking Buyer's Guide
One of the major goals for those purchasing a laptop PC is the ability to connect to the Internet from just about anywhere. This makes the networking features an important aspect when selecting a laptop computer. So, how exactly does one know what networking features are in a laptop? This article looks to explain the basics of PC networking that one can find to help them select the laptop that is right for them.
Lenovo's First ION Based Netbook
Image Courtesy Lenovo
Lenovo had announced many months ago plans to release several netbooks based on the NVIDIA ION platform. The wait dragged on as the release date was pushed back for Windows 7 release but that wait is now over. Their first netbook to use the ION chipset and graphics is based on their 12-inch IdeaPad Netbook. Does the performance make up for the long wait and added cost of the ION? Find out in my review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 ION based netbook.
Gateway Support
Gateway is a much different company that it was just a few years ago. Much of this can be attributed to their purchase by Acer. Not only has this shifted much of their product to be very similar to Acer's but they also moved away from being a made-to-order company to one that only does retail sales. Have all these changes also affected how they support their products? Find out in my profile of Gateway's Support department.
Included in the profile I list the various avenues that users have for support, some published ratings of the their product support, tips and advice. In addition, there is a survey for users to rate their experience with Gateway's support. Previously, the votes were evenly split between excellent and poor but more votes are starting to come in on the lower end. If you have used their support, please add your opinions in the survey and share your experience..
How would you rate Gateway's support?