Type	Component	Price
	CPU	AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor	$170
	CPU Cooler	XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 120mm CPU Cooler	$35
	Motherboard	MSI 790FX-GD70 ATX AMD Motherboard	$165
	Memory	Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory	$85
	Video Card	Four (4) GIGABYTE GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB Video Cards	$480
	Hard Disk	Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive	$75
	Power Supply	PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W Power Supply	$120
	Optical Drive	Sony Optiarc Black 24X	$33
	Case	NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window	$100
Total			$1263

Prices are of course are current as of this writing (September 25, 2009). Prices may change depending on supply and demand, so feel free to comment with any relevant updates below.

So, just how confident is Tom’s about this desktop?

…As a result, we see that the $1,250 AMD/ATI system comes up with a slight win over the previous SBM’s Intel and GeForce box.

Once again, we think the new system’s gaming advantage would have demonstrated itself a lot more at the 2560×1600 resolution, but without having benched the previous system at that resolution, it’s hard to say. What we can say for sure is that this new $1,250 AMD build is a solid high-resolution gaming box.

If spending close to $1300 for a gaming desktop is a bit out of your league, consider the $700 gaming desktop featured yesterday.

Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Here are the parts used in this build, all available from NewEgg. Prices are current as of this writing (September 24, 2009):

	Type	Component	Price
	CPU	AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor	$102
	Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P ATX AMD Motherboard	$110
	Memory	OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) OCZ2G10664GK	$70
	Video Card	Two (2) SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 100245HDMI Video Cards	$100 each
	Hard Disk	Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive	$57
	Power Supply	Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power “compatible with Core i7″ Power Supply	$85
	Optical Drive	SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B	$32
	Case	Rosewill Wind Ryder Black Dual 120mm Fans Computer Case	$40
Total			$696

Yes, I said Tom’s set out to build the PC with a $650 budget, but it seems prices have changed, bumping up the total of the parts above to $700—a figure exclusive of any relevant shipping charges and taxes. However, seven hundred dollars is still a very affordable figure for quality gaming. The two ATI Radeon HD 4850s were able to achieve a 3DMark Vantage 1.02 GPU score of 12,470. Compare that figure to the 16,813 score of the GeForce GTX 295, a high-end video card that costs at least $500.

In other words, for significantly less, this $700 PC represents enough power for the latest and next-generation PC video games. As the folks from Tom’s conclude:

If you look over our SBM articles from the past year, you’ll notice we continually strive to add more graphics muscle to our budget gaming rig. As prices drop, we have stepped up from the GeForce 8800 GT to the Radeon HD 4850, the Radeon HD 4870 512MB, and the GeForce GTX 260 Core 216, and now finally to a pair of HD 4850 512MB cards. While we did see instances where more graphics memory would have been useful, this was still by far the most potent graphics solution we have squeezed into our lowest SBM budget.

Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

That’s the conclusion of Tom’s Hardware, who were able to put the budget-friendly 45nm Athlon II X4 620 through its paces. Running at 2.6GHz on the “Propus” core, AMD’s new creation seems similar to Intel’s Q8200, also a quad-core processor. It’s clear the $100 SRP means limitations for AMD’s offering, like a lower cache and limited processing independence between the chip’s different cores, but again, AMD was always about value for money, instead of performance at a premium.

Even better, aside from the low cost of AMD motherboards compared to those design to run Intel CPUS, upgrading to the new processor doesn’t necessitate a motherboard change. The money quote at Tom’s:

Finally, we want to point at the fact that the new processors, be it the Athlon II X3 or X4, are perfectly able to run on old Socket AM2 platforms. Should you consider keeping your mature Athlon 64 X2 system a while longer—let’s say until SATA/600 and USB 3.0 become mainstream in mid-2010—then buying an Athlon II X4 as a replacement for an older Athlon 64 X2 seems like a perfect option. Just be sure to check your motherboard manufacturer’s Web site for BIOS updates before purchasing.

Unfortunately, it seems demand has pushed up prices of this processor since it went on sale last week. It’s now out-of-stock on NewEgg, and prices on Google Product Search are $10-$20 higher than the $100 SRP.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Courtesy jyrik

But why, you ask? Here’s Daniel Lyons’s theory

These battery-life numbers are based on a benchmark test called MobileMark 2007 (MM07). The test was created by a consortium called BAPCo (Business Application Performance Corp.), whose members are—you guessed it—computer makers and other tech companies.

Consortium member AMD recently turned tattletale, with marketing VP Patrick Moorhead citing three possible results of this apparently newfound awareness: “Either the industry regulates itself, or the FTC steps in and regulates us, or we get hit with a class-action lawsuit. I suggest the industry go with the first option.”

That third option sounds more appealing honestly: nothing like a windfall settlement to provide money for replacement batteries.

Seriously though, the real reason why battery estimates are usually off is due to good-old wear-and-tear. Disabling WiFi and lessening display brightness actually make those company-based battery life promises reachable (but still not attainable). Except of course for the reality that a battery loses capacity the more it’s used. Not only for laptops, but practically any gadget relying on rechargeable batteries.

That first marathon unplugged laptop session—usually employed after the battery has seen some use—drives this point home.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Courtesy of Associated Content

“The abuse of market power to protect a monopoly hurts consumers and hinders innovation — locking out smaller rivals that may have better products with new features or lower prices. With an 80 percent to 90 percent share of the microprocessor market, Intel wields much more power than your local supermarket. Its threat to raise prices the moment a customer tries to buy from rival A.M.D. can lock in even the largest computer makers — which depend on Intel for most of their products and can’t simply swap all their processors overnight. And with such a level of control, Intel doesn’t have to exert itself to come up with new and better products.” — The New York Times (Oct. 29, 2007)

“[Caris & Co. analyst Rick] Whittington says he’s convinced that Intel manipulated the market to its favor. ‘Whether that was illegal or not is not my decision. That’s for the courts to decide,’ he said. ‘But Intel did adopt heavy-handed tactics.” — Investor’s Business Daily (Jan. 2, 2007)

“South Korean consumers had to buy PCs at higher prices as domestic PC makers were forced to buy Intel’s pricier CPU.” (June 5, 2008)

Granted, the majority of quotes are hardly timely, and at least one website has accused AMD not having their priorities straight. But in the ever-competitive microprocessor market, AMD has to take advantage of every opportunity. Besides, compiling all those quotes must’ve been easy for one employee to accomplish. Minimum effort, maximum damage.

Post from: The Gadget Blog