Tag Archives: Ivy Bridge

Aug 20

Acer Veriton 6620G has powerful CPU with Intel ...

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Acer has announced a new line of compact desktop systems, the Veriton 6620G. like its predecessor, the series is intended for business use, although it is available for consumers as well. the systems should appeal to the target audience by the presence of Intel´s vPro technology and three years of warranty. 

The 6620G series is capable of housing a third-generation (Ivy Bridge) Core i7 CPU, but can also be fitted with a cheaper processor. Acer has added 2 GB of memory to the system, which can be expanded to up to 16 GB. A 500 GB (7200 RPM) and an optical drive are also present in the base configuration. Acer claims that the motherboard uses only solid-state capacitors, increasing the stability and the life expectancy of the system.

Up to three monitors can be attached to the integrated video chip simultaneously through the 2x DisplayPort and DVI connectors. the new Veriton is available in two models; the X6620G small form factor (SFF) and the M6620G mini-tower. the first has a single 5.25″ and 3.5″ bay, while the mini-tower version offers two 5.25″ and six 3.5″ bays (two of which are external). Both systems have USB 3.0 functionality, although only the smaller X6620G has such ports available on its front panel as well.

The X6620G and M6620G have surfaced on Acer’s Australian website, where they’re priced around £630. In this cheapest configuration, the systems are powered by a 2.8 GHz Intel G640 processor with 3 MB of cache memory. It’s still unknown when the systems will be released.

Acer Veriton 6620G has powerful CPU with Intel vPro

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Jul 31

Geek deals: 20% off Lenovo IdeaPad U410 ultrabook

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When Apple took the market by storm with their ultra-thin aluminum laptops, PC manufacturers were, in a sense, caught with their pants down. While there were thin & light PC laptops available, they all tended to be lacking in one way or another; whether it was battery life, weight, or ports. After that point Intel stepped in to take matters into its own hands in 2011.

The result was the Ultrabook specification. Like with its previous technology marketing efforts, a la Centrino, Intel would put a lot of marketing effort (and dollars) behind this new platform, but partners have to meet certain requirements with their hardware. The first generation Ultrabooks, built on the Sandy Bridge processors, were more of a first step than Intel’s dream laptop. The 2nd generation Ultrabooks, just now available with Ivy Bridge processors, are noticeably improved and the final results are rather impressive. Check out Intel’s Ultrabook requirements:

  • CULV Ivy Bridge processor (17W TDP)
  • Thickness: 18mm for <13.3-inch, 21mm for 14-inch or greater, 23mm for convertible tablets
  • Minimum battery life: 5 hours
  • 7 second resume from hibernate
  • SSD with minimum 80MB/s transfer rate
  • USB 3.0

Lenovo’s new IdeaPad U410 Ultrabook meets all of these requirements and then some. Lenovo calls for up to 8 hours of battery life, which even if that’s overblown by 20% is still well over 6 hours of runtime. And that’s not even using the integrated HD 4000 GPU that most Ultrabooks resort to; the U410 packs an NVIDIA GeForce 610M 1GB graphics card. when you consider that’s running a 14-inch LCD on the latest technology with a battery that must fit in a 0.8-inch / 4 lb chassis, it is rather impressive.

The U410 doesn’t disappoint anywhere else either, four USB ports (two of which are 3.0 spec), media card reader, and HDMI output. While it unsurprisingly lacks an optical drive, the U410 does still retain an Ethernet port. Audio should be decent with two 2W speakers that get a nice quality boost from Dolby Home Theater technology (the same found on my ThinkPad, offering fully customizable sound profiles).

For a limited time you can get the U410 with a 20% off coupon starting at $759 with a 2nd gen Core i3 CPU. Bumping up to the 3rd gen Core i5 will run you $799 and give you a choice between two stunning colors: Sapphire Blue or Ruby Red.

Visit LogicBuy for the Lenovo IdeaPad U410 14-inch ultrabook

Geek deals: 20% off Lenovo IdeaPad U410 ultrabook

Jul 24

Review: Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Ultrabook with 1.7GHz ...

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Barely seven months ago, Lenovo released its excellent IdeaPad U300s, the company’s consumer-friendly entry to the ultrabook market. Now Lenovo is back with an update, the U310.

To the casual eye, not a lot appears to have changed. It’s still a 13.3-inch aluminum slab of a laptop with a 1366×768-pixel resolution screen. the island keyboard still offers a great layout and good action (though the keys now feel a touch small in comparison to some recently reviewed machines), and the huge clickpad has finally had the kinks worked out of it.

The biggest switch under the hood is the move to Ivy Bridge, with Lenovo subbing in a 1.7GHz third-generation Core i5 for the old 1.7GHz second-generation Core i7. There’s a substantially better port selection now, too, with an extra USB port (bringing the total up to three, two 3.0 and one 2.0), wired Ethernet, and an SD slot. the HDMI port from the U300s stays as-is.

Surprisingly, the U310 I reviewed performed almost identically in benchmark tests to the U300s I reviewed in November. That’s interesting, because the prior machine featured a 256GB SSD, and the U310 features a slow, 5400rpm 500GB traditional hard drive. It seems the faster CPU and slower hard drive manage to cancel each other out in the end. at about 4 hours, 20 minutes of video playback, even battery life is almost the same as it was last time around. But there is a catch: at just $800, today’s U310 is a whopping $700 cheaper than the U300s.

The U310 isn’t without some drawbacks, though, the biggest of which is some apparent binging that now has the laptop topping the scales at a beastly 3.6 pounds, versus 2.9 pounds for the U300s. (The switch from SSD to HDD is responsible for only a tiny fraction of that.) once a competitor on the weight front, the U310 is suddenly one of the heaviest 13.3-inch ultrabooks on the market. And while the metal shell makes it impressively sturdy on the whole, I was far from thrilled with the plastic bezel surrounding the LCD. A fingernail will easily pry this flimsy piece up, and I’m concerned that these bezels coming off will eventually be a big problem for U310 owners.

As a budget consumer ultrabook, the weight issue isn’t likely to be a deal-killer for the target buyer Lenovo has in mind. And I’m happy enough with the rest of the package to still give it a solid recommendation.

WIRED Awesome value, with solid performance. Trackpad problems resolved. Screen bezel notwithstanding, remarkably sturdy. Now available in pink.

TIRED IdeaPad got fat. LCD remains dim, with washed out colors if you aren’t viewing head on. Still no keyboard backlighting.

Review: Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Ultrabook with 1.7GHz Ivy Bridge

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Jul 04

Microsoft Surface – Amazing Tablet PC ...

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Microsoft has unveiled a new family of products which can be considered a standard in terms of design and specifications – Microsoft “Surface” tablets, with Windows 8 and hardware that is based on new Intel Ivy Bridge chipset.

The tablet will have a screen diagonal of 10.6 inches and will be equipped with Windows 8 and Windows Pro RT, and will become available in the second half of this year, according to general manager of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, in the event presentation held Monday night in Los Angeles.

The design is impressive, consisting of VaporMg housing (Vapor-Mag), made from a metal alloy with a premium finish, specific to luxury products, and a cover with capacitive QWERTY keyboard and multi-touch trackpad. This external device connects through a magnetic interface and adds only 3 mm thick tablet. The keyboard is able to interpret gestures, being equipped with pressure sensors. Microsoft will sell the keyboard separately, in five different color themes.

Along with the Touch Cover, Microsoft unveiled a second alternative – Type Cover keyboard with physical keys, illuminated and touchpad, as do especially the premium notebooks. The Type Cover keyboard has 5 mm thick.

According to Microsoft, the price for Surface tablet will be announced shortly before the release date and will be a competitive one.

Short specs:10.6 inch screen, full HD resolutionIntel Ivy Bridge ChipsetInternal storage 64/128 GBMicroSD supportUSB 3.0802.11n Wi-FiMini DisplayPort13.5 mm903 gr. weightLi-Ion battery, 42 Wh.

Microsoft Surface – Amazing Tablet PC Running Windows 8

Jul 03

Microsoft Announces Surface Tablet PC

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As many had speculated, Microsoft announced a new tablet PC at an event today in Los Angeles. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was on hand to unveil yet another Microsoft foray into the hardware world, but this time is producing an actual PC for the first time in its history.

After a brief review of the software giant’s history in hardware development, Ballmer announced a new Microsoft tablet called the “Surface.” Microsoft says the Surface is designed to fully exploit the capabilities of its new Windows 8 operating system.

“With Windows 8 we don’t want to leave any seam uncovered; we wanted to give it its own hardware innovation,” Ballmer said. “It’s something new, something different, a whole new family of computing devices from Microsoft.”

Microsoft is actually releasing two versions of the device: a thinner and lighter (9.3 mm thick, 1.5-pound) consumer version that runs the Windows RT operating system (a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors), and larger version (13.5 mm thick, 1.9 pounds) running the Windows 8 Pro OS, which is aimed at business users.

The Pro version, which uses an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, and runs all the standard Windows desktop software like Word and Excel, as well as the Metro apps. It can even run Photoshop, and supports USB 3.0.

The RT version, on the other hand, doesn’t support standard Microsoft Office desktop apps; instead, it runs a limited functionality version of Office called “Office Home & Student” as well as Windows Explorer. the RT version supports USB 2.0.

  • 676 grams
  • 9.3 millimeters thick
  • 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display
  • 31.5 watt-hour battery
  • microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
  • Office Home & Student 2013 RT, Touch Cover, Type Cover
  • VaporMg Case & Stand
  • Configurable for 32 GB, 64 GB

  • 903 grams
  • 13.5 millimeters thick
  • 10.6-inch ClearType full HD Display
  • 42 watt-hour battery
  • microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
  • Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
  • VaporMg Case & Stand
  • Configurable for 64 GB, 128 GB

Microsoft said during the announcement today that it tried to design the Surface to feel like a book. And the cover of this book is one of the Surface’s most distinguishing features. It is similar to the Smart Cover that protects the iPad, but Microsoft goes Apple one better by installing a physical, multitouch keyboard on the back of its cover. the cover is connected to the tablet itself, and folds over to protect the Surface’s screen.

The Surface’s optically bonded 10.6-inch display is also notable. Microsoft describes it as “permanent scratch and wear resistant,” and says that it minimizes glare, which makes it perfect for reading. the Surfaces video chops include HD 1080p screen resolution, and a DisplayPort to output full high-res video to a TV.

Microsoft says the Surface is the “first PC with a vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium shell.” the Surface stands upright on a kickstand that’s connected on hinges to the back of the tablet.

Microsoft announced no pricing for the new tablet, and no availability date.

Microsoft has just released photos of the Surface (above) and a promotional video:

Microsoft Announces Surface Tablet PC

Jun 15

Lenovo launches new Ivy Bridge U310 and U410 ...

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Lenovo's new U410 ultrabook.

(Credit:Lenovo)

Lenovo has unveiled two new laptops in its latest attempt to shake up the ultrabook market.

The IdeaPad U310 and U410 ultrabooks come equipped with the latest Intel Ivy Bridge chips, offering a choice of the Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor.

The U310 (PDF) comes with a high-definition 13.3-inch 1,366×768 pixel screen. Weighing in at 3.75 pounds, it offers up to seven hours of battery life. Buyers can choose between a conventional hard drive with as much as 500 gigabytes of space or a solid-state drive with up to 32GB. An optical USB drive is also part of the package. Memory can go as high as 4GB.

The integrated video graphics are courtesy of Intel’s GMA HD 3000. Connections include two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, and a reader for SD and MMC cards.

The retail price for the U310 starts at $749.

The beefier U410 (PDF) offers a high-definition 14-inch 1,366×768 pixel screen. This ultrabook weighs 4.19 pounds but offers up to nine hours of battery life. Hard drive choices range from a 1TB conventional drive to the 32GB SSD. and buyers can opt for as much as 8GB of RAM.

The graphics also raise the bar with an Nvidia GeForce 610M card with 1GB of memory. otherwise, most of the other specs are similar to those of the U310.

The U410 kicks off with a price of $799 for the basic model.

Lenovo is also touting the integrated speakers of both machines, equipped with Dolby Home Theater for better sound quality. the Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology can wirelessly display videos and other content on a big screen. the U310 and U410 are optimized with Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience 3 to enable faster bootups and quicker returns from sleep mode.

Both models will be for sale on Lenovo’s Web site this week. later this month, the two will reach the shelves of major retailers across the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Russia, India, China, and Japan.

Lenovo is one of many vendors promoting ultrabooks as the latest concept to woo computer buyers. With PC sales hurting, the industry is pushing the light and thin appeal of ultrabooks as one way to revive business.

“Ultrabooks are an industry game changer that shift not only the way people think about laptop design, but also how much performance technology can be packed into such a thin and light device,” Peter Hortensius, president of Lenovo’s Product Group, said in a statement.

Hortensius believes that ultrabooks will benefit from price drops and the launch of Windows 8.

“We are bullish on where these kinds of products will go,” Hortensius said, according to Computerworld. “They will come in the sub-$800 category so they will be much more affordable.”

Ultrabooks should also take advantage of some of the new features and capabilities in Windows 8, leading Hortensius to believe that customers will gravitate toward Windows 8-enabled ultrabooks.

“Historically when you look at transitions, consumers switch quickly because they want the latest and greatest,” he added, according to Computerworld.

Lenovo launches new Ivy Bridge U310 and U410 ultrabooks

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Jun 10

Computex 2012: Acer Iconia W700: 11.6 Inch Windows ...

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Acer strikes again at Computex as does Windows 8! The Iconia W700 tablet is quite a lot like the one already presented. Its a little larger than its little brother the W510, at 11.6 inches instead of the W510′s 10.1 inch display and it looks a little more powerful.

The tablet doesn’t have a keyboard. instead, Acer included a stand which can be adjusted to a 20 degree or 70 degree angle – depending on whether the user wants the W700 in vertical or in landscape mode  for video. The large display has 1920 x 1080 pixels – and it has been announced as an HD tablet. The tablet makes for good sound Dolby Home Theater and the Ivy Bridge-powered unit has at least 3 USB 3.0 ports and a Thunderbolt port. we think it will likely be priced between $799-$999  and you also can get it with a keyboard option. Acer wants to sell the tablet in combination with the stand and keyboard as a “desktop replacement” – we’ll wait and see if this plan takes off when we have more details.

Here’s the hands-on video with Nicole;

Sources: Endgadget, The Verge and NetbookNews.de

Computex 2012: Acer Iconia W700: 11.6 Inch Windows 8 Tablet *Hands-On Video*

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Jun 07

ASUS Transformer Book hands-on – SlashGear

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By now you’re probably thinking, “I want a notebook/tablet hybrid, but I don’t want to be crippled by an Atom processor to get work done.” ASUS is way ahead of you on this one. In addition to the Tablet 600 and 810, the company has announced a new Transformer Book line. Again, it’s the same concept, but with larger screens and some more horsepower for those who really need the extra muscle.

If you’re looking for something a little smaller or more compact, these aren’t the products for you. the Book line will feature 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch, and 14-inch screens, all running full HD 1080p IPs panels with support for multitouch. the entire line will be running Intel’s mobile Ivy Bridge platforms, specifically some ULV Core i3, i5 or i7 chips. ASUS is also promising discrete graphics instead of the integrated HD 4000 GPU, as well as SSD and HDD options.

USB 3.0 connectivity will also be onboard, as well as 4GB of RAM. a five megapixel camera will serve as the primary camera, plus an “HD” webcam on the front for video calls. ASUS isn’t saying what kind of battery life we can expect from the range, and we imagine its something the company is still trying to figure out too, but if it’s anything like the rest of the Transformer range, expect batteries in both the dock and main tablet. Once again, there’s no word on pricing or availability.

ASUS Transformer Book hands-on – SlashGear

May 27

MacBook Pro 2012: Ivy Bridge “beats” ...

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May 27th, 2012, 01:35 a.M.– ahead of its possible June or July release date, Apple’s upcoming Mac OS X Mountain Lion is not the “much anticipated” feature of the new MacBook Pro, says the new poll. Intel’s Ivy Bridge Processors takes spotlight.

Sorry software fans, but Intel’s Ivy Bridge processor is reportedly the star of the next MacBook Pro, whether you like it or not.

According to MacWorld Australia’s unscientific poll, Intel’s new chipsets leads the unofficial popularity race of the rumored MacBook Pro features. with nearly 40 per cent of the poll’s respondents, it shows that customers are waiting for the new laptops because of Intel’s processors which are not “exclusives,” and are also present in other ecosystems, like the upcoming Windows 8 for example.

Apple’s software with the combination of the quad-core Intel chips could be the reason behind the landslide victory in the small poll, and apparently, the hardware, especially the processor, affects the overall performance of the desktop’s user interface.

One of the models of the new MacBook Pro is expected to include Intel’s Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM quad-core running at 2.7GHz, based on a leaked benchmark results.

According to BBC News, quoting an industry analyst, Intel will continue to lead the processor race. with the help of upcoming Windows 7 and 8 PC and laptops, and the possible MacBook Pro 2012, Intel will reportedly maintaining its slow growth until the release of its next-gen chipset, Haswell.

This year, Apple is expected to compete with at least a dozen new Windows laptop computers and ultrabooks with Intel’s chips, but according to the poll, at least 10 per cent of respondents are hoping for a bigger battery.

The most popular MacBook Pro rumor available online is the MacBook Air-like design rumor, reportedly without the optical drive, with a larger solid state drive, and possibly with the bigger battery, and 6.5 per cent of the poll participants said they want to see “that kind” of MacBook Pro, and if the rumor is correct, then the next-generation MacBook Pro laptops could be the lightest of its kind ever, beating previous versions that offered the large and heavy optical drive.

Liquidmetal, the rumored technology of the upcoming computers, is also a popular feature, the new poll revealed. however, some experts believe that this year’s MacBook Pros will not include Liquidmetal technologies on its cases.

Surprisingly, at least for me, is the lack of anticipation on the next version of the Mac OS X, the Mountain Lion. Apple is expected to distribute the new software with iOS-like features via its Mac App Store beginning this summer, and if the new MacBook Pro will hit stores next month, then it is expected to ship with the new OS X 10.8 pre-installed.

One analyst told a stock market-centric news agency this month that Q2, or the second quarter of this year, is the Mac-quarter and the next line of Apple laptops will attract more customers than other PCs running the open platform Windows. But next quarter, Apple will face rivals with Redmond’s new operating system, Windows 8, an OS that is trying to hit two birds using one stone–the two birds: the Mac and the iPad.

I should note that iPad is attracting more customers than MacBook Pros, and the price and portability of the tablet PC drive sales, says experts. Also last quarter, the new iPad 3 introduced LTE or Long Term Evolution making it the first Apple product with such feature that offers faster data uploads and downloads. One analyst said the 4G LTE, at least in the United States, was the product’s key feature.

So, what will be the key feature of the new MacBook Pro?

MacBook Pro 2012: Ivy Bridge “beats” Mac OS X Mountain Lion

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May 18

Lenovo Packs ‘Thinnest’ ThinkPad ...

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Lenovo on Tuesday announced a range of new ThinkPads with Intel’s latest third-generation Core processors, including a ThinkPad ultrabook that the company claims is the “thinnest ultrabook in the world.”

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The ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook has a 14-inch screen, weighs under 1.8 kilograms and is 18.8-mm thick. It will have the latest Intel ultrabook processors, code-named Ivy Bridge, which are expected to be officially announced next month.

Lenovo also updated the popular ThinkPad T-series and X-series lineups, making them faster while adding more battery life to the models. The company also has new connectivity and multimedia capabilities that could be helpful for business users. The laptops will be available on June 5.

For the first time 4G mobile broadband connectivity has been added across ThinkPads, including the new X1 Carbon ultrabook, said Dilip Bhatia, vice president and general manager of the ThinkPad business unit. The service will initially be available in the U.S. and some other countries for US$1.99 for 30 minutes. Lenovo is partnering with telecom carriers worldwide to make the service available to ThinkPad customers.

The company did not share pricing for X1 Carbon, but said the system will become available in the coming months. The ultrabook’s pricing could be in the ballpark of the company’s existing ThinkPad T430U ultrabook, which starts at $849, Bhatia said.

The X1 Carbon ultrabook will be part of the existing line of thin-and-light ThinkPad X1 laptops. many top PC makers are releasing ultrabooks. Last week Hewlett-Packard announced the Envy Ultrabook for consumers (starting at $749) and EliteBook Folio 9470M ultrabook for businesses ($1,149). Dell and Acer are expected to start selling ultrabooks in the coming months.

The ultrabook and new laptops will also have improved voice-conferencing capabilities, with dual-microphone and web cameras that can track a moving face. also included are noise cancellation capabilities, which could be helpful in removing keyboard typing sound while in videoconference, Bhatia said.

The new ultraportable ThinkPad X230 model has a 12-inch screen and is available with an optional slice battery — a flat, extended battery that can be attached under the laptop — that could give the laptop 24 hours of battery life. The laptop is less than three pounds with a six-cell battery. The new X230T model is just like the X230, but includes a touchscreen, giving it the flexibility of a tablet computer, Lenovo said. The X230 starts at $1,179, while the X230T starts at $1,479.

Lenovo has also updated the popular T-series lineup with the ThinkPad T430, T430s and T530 models. The laptops will have optional high-definition displays and offer 30 hours of battery life with an optional slice. The laptops will come with either with 14-inch and 15-inch screens, and the T430 starts at $879, the T430S at $1,399. Lenovo did not immediately provide a price for the T530.

In addition to offering new chips, the mainstream ThinkPad L430 and L530 laptops — both starting at $879 — are thinner, and available with either 14-inch or 15-inch screens.

Lenovo is also introducing a docking station that will have five USB 3.0 ports, always-on mobile charging and multiple video-out ports. The price for the docking station was not immediately available.

Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam’s e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com

Lenovo Packs ‘Thinnest’ ThinkPad Ultrabook With 4G LTE

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