I built this computer a few weeks ago, so I figured now would be a good time to review it since I’ve been using it for a while. The computer was pretty easy to assemble, the processor came with thermal paste already on it, everything fits perfectly in this case. I recommend building a computer instead of buying an OEM one, you’ll probably end up with a much better computer and it will cost less.

Thermaltake 850W Power Supply:

This is a really nice power supply. My favorite thing about it is the fact that you only have to attach the wires that you need, so it makes the computer a lot neater inside. I think it’s pretty quiet too, but I can’t tell most of the time because the fans on my case are usually on high.

Asus P5KPL-AM SE Motherboard:

The things I don’t like about this board is the lack of firewire, there’s only 2 RAM slots, and that there’s only 2 SATA ports. I guess I don’t need more than that but its nice to know that I can upgrade if I need to. Besides that, its a great motherboard (not so great for a hackintosh, though). Apparently its easy to overclock the RAM and processor (I’m not going to find out) and easy to flash the BIOS (Again, not going to find out).

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.23GHz Processor:

It’s fast. What else is there to say?

eVGA GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB Graphics Card:

Its a huge card, but my games run great. I did have some trouble getting it to work with OS X but I managed to get it working.

This has been a very stable computer. It runs great, looks great, and I don’t really have any regrets. If I could do it all over again, I would have done a little more research about how well the motherboard works with OS X before buying it.

The Intel BOXDG41TY motherboard  has been selected often by our customers who are updating their PCs.   This Micro ATX MB supports Intel Core2 Quad/Core2 Duo processors, and is Microsoft Windows Vista Premium WHQL certified.  It comes with integrated VGA DVI ports, Intel HD Video experience1, Intel High Definition Audio and gigabit LAN network connection.  (The detailed specs are listed at the bottom of the article)

The following is one of the motherboard bundle configuration samples that included the Intel BOXDG41TY MB.  which was configured by our customer last week:

STEP01_MB = $79 INTEL BOXDG41TY SKT775 MATX DDR2 800 (2/4) PCI-E X16 PCIx2 INTEl G41 1333FSB A&V&GBL 78108 *
STEP01_MB_QTY = 1
STEP02_CPU = $134 Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz INTEL SKT775 3MB Cache Retail W/ Heatsink Fan 78851 *
STEP02_CPU_QTY = 1
STEP03_MEM = $38 KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/2G 2GB DDR2 800 Non-ECC 240-pin DIMM PC2 6400 CL6 66816 *
STEP03_MEM_QTY = 1
STEP04_TESTED = $0 ( Free Assembly & Testing on Recommended MB Bundles )
Submit_Type = Order
TOTAL = $251 + Shipping

(Shipping will show up before check-out; it depends on the package weight, declared value, shipping method and customers’ location)

Our technicians @ gcworkshop first reviewed the order to make that sure all the selected components would work well together with no compatibility issues, and then confirmed the order with the customer by email and let the customer know that it takes 2~3 business days for order processing and assembly & testing.  If  incompatible CPU or memory were selected, we email/call the customer to recommend substitutions at an equal or lesser price.

The user manual, driver, and accessories are on the top layer inside the retail box.

You can click the image for a closer view of this motherboard.

The Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz CPU retail package & one piece of the KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/2G memory (DDR2-800 2GB)

We installed the CPU, memory, and the CPU fan that came with the Intel E7500 retail package onto the motherboard, and performed a test boot to ensure all the components were working properly.  The customer received the assembled MB, CPU, and memory, along with the motherboard box and all the manuals, drivers, and accessories that came with the retail package.

The following are the key features and the detailed specs for the Intel BOXDG41TY motherboard:

Warranty by Intel – 3 years (we also cover  the 1st year along with free tech support)

To custom build your own AMD platform motherboard bundles,  please visit our AM2 MB Bundle configurator @ gcworkshop.com.

http://www.gcworkshop.com/parts/amdathlon64×2mbbundles.htm

For Intel Core 2 Duo Platform MB bundle configurators, please visit the following page:

http://www.gcworkshop.com/parts/intelcore2duombbundles.htm

To build a fully customizable PC with huge selections, please play around here:

http://www.gcworkshop.com/parts/PCConfigurators.htm

If  you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email us at sales@gcworkshop.com or leave comments here.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

Great Stuff that You May Also Need:

Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black) only $229.99 $121.00

Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) NEWEST MODEL Only $214.99 w/Free Shipping

Read about my new PC here.

Since I was not able to go to work today, I spent my late afternoon in SM Fairview to buy components to upgrade my current PC. I wasn’t planning on upgrading my PC just yet but as circumstances have it, I should. My old PC (Athlon XP 2200+) in Dumaguete just couldn’t stand it any longer, it broke down for the nth time, and as of last, it was for good. So I had to replace it. If I upgrade it with the lowest available components now in the market, it would make it more robust than the PC I have here in Manila. So I decided to upgrade my PC in Manila then bring the old components to Dumaguete. Tomorrow, with my good friend, we will be assembling the new PC.  BTW, he was the one who gave me my Thermaltake Xaser II casing (pictured here, click for a larger image *new window*).

Тайванският сайт за слухове , DigiTimes , има цака за измъквне на вътрешна информация от Тайванския дъно-производителен картел. Така че си струва да се обърне внимание когато заявяват , че имат последния график за пускане на пазара на Intel-ски процесори. Като за начало е едно трио от лаптоп-базирани Clarksfield процесори -2GHz Core 2 Extreme XE , 1.73GHz Core 2 Quad P2 , и  1.6GHz Core 2 Quad P1 – готови да направят свой дебют по някое време към края на септември или октомври. Тези процесори трябва да носят името Core i7 , за да държат нещата колкото се може по-прости и ще бъдат подходящи за Q4 (четвърто тримесечие от т.г.) освежаване за MacBook Pro или Dell XPS лаптопи , като например. В края на графика (според “слуха”) е двойка Celeron – SU2300 и  743 процесори за ултра-тънки преносими компютри с очаквано анонсиране за около края на септември. Intel също така дават знак за планове за десктоп-базираните Lynnfield процесори и P55 чипсети да бъдат анонсирани между  8-ми и 11-ти септември. Първия анонс е плануван за началото на август – ако Intel започнат да суетничат около техните нови Xeon процесори за сървъри през това време , тогава ще имаме доста добра идея за валидността на казаното от DigiTimes.

via: Engadget

Intel Vice President Pat Gelsinger holds a new Xeon chip. (Credit: Intel)

Intel has revamped its processor badging and rating system. Consumers are the main target, though business systems will get new badging too.

The new badges include a die (the chip minus the packaging) accent in the upper right hand corner, a prominent main brand (e.g., “Core”), and the modifier (e.g., “i7″).

Intel has also instituted a star system that rates chips from five stars (best performance in class) to one star (lowest performance). “So when a consumer goes into a Best Buy store they can distinguish between Centrino, Core, Celeron, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad,” said Intel spokesman Bill Calder.

That may be a little easier said than done, however. Some consumers (but not including “tech savvy” Giampaolo, of course) will still need help from the sales person to decipher the badging. A daunting challenge in the case of consumer laptops, which are typically plastered with a hodgepodge of stickers from Intel, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, AMD’s ATI graphics chip unit, and other companies.

Intel is in the process of moving to a “pretty aggressive brand simplification plan,” Calder said. “When we launched Core i7, we said we’re moving to a single primary client brand, which is Core. We’re moving in that direction,” he said.

The Atom processor will not get a modifier. In the future, the Nehalem server processor, currently branded only as “Xeon” with a letter and number suffix, may also get new branding to make it more readily identifiable as part of the Nehalem architecture like its desktop sibling the Core i7, Calder said.

New Intel processor badges with “die” accent

(Credit: Intel)

New mobile, server chips

Intel updated its processor list Monday with new Core 2 chips for Macbook Air-class laptops and a crush of Xeon processors for workstations and servers.

The number of new processor models is 20 in all.

Intel has introduced new power-sipping low-voltage (LV) and ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor models for laptops such as the Apple MacBook Air and Dell Adamo.

The new LV and ULV processor models include the 17-watt SL9600 (2.13GHz, $316) and 10-watt SU9600 (1.6GHz, $289). More power-hungry Intel mainstream mobile processors are typically rated at 25 watts or 35 watts.

And over a dozen new Xeon quad-core processors based on Intel’s new Nehalem chip architecture were added to the Intel price list.

Processors in the Xeon 5500 series range in price from $1,600 for the 130-watt W5580 (3.2GHz) to $423 for the 60-watt L5506 (2.13GHz). Intel, for the first time, is also listing each new Xeon chip’s giga-transfers-per-second rating (GT/sec). For example, the W5580 is rated at 6.40 GT/sec, while the L5506 is rated at 4.80 GT/sec.

Other Xeon 5500 series models include the 95-watt X5550 (2.66GHz, $958), the 80-watt E5520 (2.26GHz, $373), and the 60-watt L5520 (2.26GHz, $530).

Intel also debuted the Xeon 3500 series, including the 130-watt W3570 (3.2GHz, $999) and the 130-watt W3520 (2.66GHz, $284).

Courtesy: Brooke Brothers, 2009

T2200S is a new cable version Single Loaded DVR introduced by EchoStar. It has been designed to work with dish network and it is compatible with any Tru2Way cable system. This device brings a standard DVR feature along with an integrated Slingbox functionality. Normally this device features a 1TB hard drive, Dual-Tuner and multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA) support, a built in DOCSIS cable modem and a SlingGuide search engine.

Click to know about Fortission Q96500XN DVR-45 PC

You can have the access to real or recorded programming from computers or mobile devices by one of the Slingbox feautures. This feature can be done for Windows, Mac, Symbian and BlackBerry platforms. It is expected to hit the market by end of this year.

[ More ]

The new iMacs released as part of Apple’s desktop updates in 2009 are quite good upgrades, but it still isn’t enough.The early 2009 iMacs have been completely changed on the inside compared to previous versions. There is now one 20″ model, and three 24″ models, indicating that Apple is pushing for people to buy the 24″ and might remove the 20″ model soon. The cheapest 24″ model is also now 1499,  which shows that Apple is pushing people to buy the 24″ because of it’s new lower price.

The 20″ and 1499 24″ model come with the Nvidia Geforce 9400M, whilst the 1799 24″ model comes with the Nvidia Geforce 120GT w/ 256MB of VRAM, whilst the 2199 model comes with the Nvidia Geforce 130 GT with 512MB of vRAM. Also available as an option is the ATI Radeon HD 4870. This means that the new iMacs are now pumped with powerful graphics cards, and will play all the games or graphics work you throw at it pretty decently. And they also now come with the MiniDisplayPort, so you can connect the new 24″ LED Cinema Display.

Like the other Macs, the iMacs also use a 1066MHz FSB and DDR3 RAM. The 20″ iMac comes with 2GB of memory, whilst all the other iMacs come standard with 4GB. All the iMacs are upgradeable to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, but it’s a rather expensive upgrade even from third parties, and you most likely won’t need it.

The 20″ and 1499 24″ model come with a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, whilst the 1799 model comes with a 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 duo and then 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo. Although these are nice processor bumps, at least for the lower end models, we were really hoping for quad core processors in the iMacs. Because Snow Leopard is due for release in June, and one of it’s many features is to handle multi core functions much better, a quad core iMac would make a much bigger difference with Snow Leopard then a dual core iMac.

And of course, the 20″ still uses a terrible TN panel that has different parts of the screen brighter than the other. The new iMacs also come with the small Apple keyboard, but you can order it with the num pad if you want for no additional charge. A rare part of Apple to give an option these days, considering they have been downright ignoring everyone asking for matte or at least no glass screens on the MacBook Pro 15″.

Also, FireWire 400 has been eliminated. Apple is now promoting FireWire 800 for professionals and USB 2.0 for consumers. There’s no more middle option. Of course, you can always get a FireWire 800 to 400 adaptor, but why not just include the port so that I don’t need a million adaptors? The amount of adaptors Apple has these days is quite large. MiniDisplayport to DVI, VGA, Dual Link DVI, FW800 to 400, Mini DVI to DVI, VGA, DVI to VGA, DVI to Svideo/component, DVI to HDMI, so on and so forth. Of course some might also buy matte screen covers for their MacBook Pros, iMacs, or MacBooks, others need to buy a third party 24″ or 23″ display because the LED Cinema Display isn’t good for them and the 30″ is too big or too expensive.

And the iMacs just received a nice update, but it’s still not powerful enough. While the iMacs are still runing Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Dell’s most basic desktops have 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 duos for around 500 dollars for the computer and monitor. Of course, you can get a Core 2 Quad at around 800 bucks, and at 1000+ you can get Intel Core i7 processors. Meanwhile, the iMacs are double the price and the same or lower power. If Windows 7 comes out and is able to match Mac OS X, then Apple’s marketing plan MUST change. Because then a PC would  have an equally good operating system, and much faster hardware. If that were to happen, the iMacs must change and a desktop tower Mac must come out. If Apple continues to be stubborn and not give people different options or what they ask for, their hard won market share since the Intel transition will be lost, especially with the economy of the US as it is.

But do I recommend a new iMac? No. Wait until Mac OS X Snow Leopard comes out, and if that doesn’t give some amazing speed boosts, you should get a PC or wait until Apple finally decides to put quad core into the iMacs. Otherwise your Mac won’t last 5 years like Apple promises.