Mark November 8, 2009 (11/8) on your calendars, dear readers. That’s when HP is launching some particularly generous promos, covering laptops and desktops alike:
Save up to $315 instantly on the HP TouchSmart tx2z Series Customizable Notebook PC! – Savings Include: $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB ($30 savings), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB ($40 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/14
Save up to $275 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv6t Series Customizable Notebook PC! – Savings Include: $150 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB ($30 savings), FREE hard …read more

HP Laptop and Desktop Promos

Based in the US? Here are some promos from HP:

Save up to $319 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB (-$40), and Save 50% on 4GB memory (-$20). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
Save up to $209 instantly on the HP Pavilion dm3t Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $150 instant rebate, and FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
Save up to $518 instantly on the NEW HP …read more

Reps from Dell have positively insisted I share the following discount: $200 in instant savings on the Dell Studio hybrid desktop.
While Dell—and other online retailers—are known to slap “instant” discounts on their product pages to move sales, the $200 price cut is notable because it brings the price of a pre-configured Studio hybrid down to $299. The fact that Dell designed this particular Studio to be the “greenest, most power-efficient consumer desktop” should also appeal to our environmentally-conscious sides.
Note that the $299 price is exclusive of any applicable shipping charges and taxes. If you also want something a bit more …read more

Decide first if you want to overclock your new PC or not. At least one computer hardware enthusiast website has discovered issues with how the Core i5 750, Core i7 860, and Core i7 870 CPUs, mainly with how they interact with compatible motherboards. Push these processors to the limit, and you might end up frying both the motherboard and CPU, rendering them useless.
All PC motherboards feature a CPU socket, which is where the processor is installed (or “seated”) to run the rest of the computer’s components. Ideally, once installed as instructed, all the CPU pins should maintain good contact …read more

Today marks the start of a week-long promo from HP. The company has slashed prices of two desktops and two laptops apparently in an effort to move stock, through discounts that last until the 24th of this month:

HP Desktop Deals

Save up to $515 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $300 instant rebate, FREE 750GB hard drive upgrade (-$50), FREE 15-month Norton Internet Security subscription (-$49), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor (-$90), and get FREE shipping (-$29).
Save up to $415 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Slimline s5280t Series Customizable …read more

Online stereotypes as old as anyone can remember: web designers hate IE with a passion (with good reason), have to use Macs, and use bootleg copies of software if they can’t afford it (not to mention torrents usually equating to pirated software). I’m hoping the underpaid work cliche dies soon though!

Thanks to Andry for sending this in!

In the late 1960s, computers we’re only for “business owners”, and representing the entire business world only required one American, one European, and one Asian.
Oh and yes, computers were pricey toys with no obvious business application, so IBM had to advertise the System/3—which practically required it’s own room by taking up “only 68 square feet”—through a 60s paced short film.
Key benefits? System/3’s punch cards, representing data innovation: “approximately 1/3 the size of conventional cards, they store 20%… more information.” Not to mention disk-based storage.
Note how everything, from the card reader to the printer, is integrated.

Tom’s Hardware cooked up another value-for-money gaming system, again part of the website’s September 2009 System Builder’s Marathon. This time, they managed to squeeze in four video cards—each featuring a gigabyte of memory—working in tandem into a $1250 budget. Here are the parts chosen by Tom’s experts:

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 …read more

Through its September 2009 System Builder’s Marathon (SBM), Tom’s Hardware has managed to build a pretty powerful gaming PC—for only $650. That price doesn’t include a display, keyboard, and mouse, but it still represents significant value for money, especially when you consider the use of two ATI Radeon HD 4850s.
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 …read more

With Intel gaining attention for its new Lynnfield processors, AMD has fired back with its own $100 quad-core. At the same time it has also made strides in the GPU market, recently coming out with the first DirectX 11 compatible video hardware. Here’s a proclamation that:

ATI now stands unchallenged in Blu-ray audio processing, power consumption, single GPU performance, and performance per watt, DirectX 11, multi-monitor setups, anti-aliasing performance, and anisotropic accuracy. By any measure, the confluence of these qualities easily makes the Radeon HD 5000 the most significant shakeup of the GPU market in the last two years.
Pretty bold assertions, …read more