It’s a tough world for a consumer desktop PC. Laptops have stolen all the glamour; you need to offer something special if you’re going to stand out among the rank and file of stationary computing. Acer’s Aspire X3400-U2012 may not be a true portable PC but, with a small-form-factor (SFF) chassis paired with desktop components does the grunt-for-the-footprint balance make it a sensible buy? Check out the SlashGear review after the cut.
Apple’s Mac mini was always the compact computer with a few frustrations. Perfectly scaled for doing duty as your HTPC, the absence of a native HDMI port meant hooking the Mac mini up in your living room was never quite as easy as we’d like to expect from Apple. Now, with a slick unibody refresh, more media-friendly specs and a reworked I/O selection, the new Mac mini looks set to take on SFF PCs for the home entertainment crown. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Lenovo’s attempts at all-in-one PCs have so far been confined to their consumer-centric lines, but with the ThinkCentre A70z they’re pushing for your office (or at least your home-office). A sober black monolith with a surprisingly affordable price tag, Lenovo have paired the A70z with ambitious boot-time promises; is that enough to score a place on your desk? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
With the arrival of Intel’s Core i7-980X hexacore processor, we’re told we can expect even greater extremes of performance; several gaming and workstation manufacturers have already announced new models using the desktop CPU. Custom desktop builder iBuyPower sent over their latest machine, the Paladin F Series Desktop, pairing the i7-980X with dual ATI graphics and liquid-cooling. Could this be the fastest desktop we’ve ever tested? Read on for the full SlashGear review.
Windows 7 touchscreen PCs are slowly growing in number, but the all-in-ones we’ve generally seen have used notebook components rather than desktop ones. That makes for a more compact machine, certainly, but it does mean you miss out on processing power. Acer’s Aspire Z5600, however, packs a full desktop CPU along with a 23-inch multitouch-capable display, and the company sent us over their first review unit to see how well it performs.
It’s the biggest all-in-one Apple have ever offered, not to mention the fastest and most media-centric, and it’s pretty much guaranteed to hypnotize anybody wandering into their local Apple Store. The hyperbole practically writes itself, but at the end of the day is the 27-inch Apple iMac more than just a desktop trophy? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Back when we reviewed the ASUS Eee Top ET1602 late last year, we suggested it could be the epitome of a niche product: netbook hardware squeezed into an unusual desktop case. Now all-in-ones are more common, and so ASUS have returned with an updated design, bigger screen and more media-centric intentions. The ASUS Eee Top ET2002-B024C sticks with Intel’s Atom CPU range but now pairs it with NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset for potentially 1080p High-Definition performance. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
It’s been a few months since HP launched their Z400, Z600 and Z800 workstations, and we’ve finally got the company’s mid-range Z600 on the SlashGear test bench. A dual-processor monster that HP envisage being used in midrange CAD, financial modelling and even high-end DCC, the Z600 would also make for a storming video editing workstation; HP also claim it’s environmentally friendly. That’s the theory, anyway: can the Z600 really deliver performance in a home or small-office friendly way?
Where netbooks go, their deskbound nettop brethren eventually follow, and as NVIDIA’s Ion GPU has made its impact on the graphics capabilities of budget ultraportables, so it has its sights set on compact desktops too. ASRock and NVIDIA worked together on the ION 330-BD, a Blu-ray toting nettop that pairs Intel’s Atom processor with NVIDIA’s ION platform, and sent one over to prove to SlashGear that just because the footprint is small, it doesn’t mean the performance is too.
Lenovo’s growing Idea-series of notebooks and desktops is joined by this, the IdeaCentre C300. A range of budget all-in-ones, the C300 packs a 20-inch display, DVD drive and serious levels of storage and RAM; however they also adopt Intel’s low-power Atom processors. Disappointing mismatch, or bargain second machine? Check out the full SlashGear review to find out.
A reasonably stylish all-in-one with a sub-$400 price-tag and 18.5-inch widescreen display: too good to be true or bargain of the century? The eMachines EZ1601-01 poaches Intel’s trusty Atom processor for some desktop duty, offering a squint-free LCD and full-sized peripherals. SlashGear have been testing it out.
Earlier this year we covered the launch of HP’s latest Intel Nehalem-based workstations, and soon enough HP had a Z400 test unit for us to try out. The entry-point to the new range, the Z400 misses out on some of the more innovative design features of its bigger siblings, but arguably the most important thing – the Xeon processor – is there front and center. Read on for our benchmarks and impressions.
