Apple unveiled the new iMac desktops today. The new models keep the 21.5″ and 27″ screen sizes and step up to Core i5 processors across the board in the base configuration – with Core i7 processors available as an upgrade.
As expected, the iMac now has Thunderbolt I/O ports (like the recently announced MacBook Pro models), which deliver data transfer rates at a whopping 10 Gbps – up to 20x faster than USB 2.0 and up to 12x faster than FireWire 800. The 21.5″ models sport one Thunderbolt port, while the 27″ models offer two ports. Four USB 2.0 and a Firewire 800 port round out the I/O options on the backside of the new iMacs.
Although you’ll be hard pressed to find a Thunderbolt capable hard drive for the next couple of months, this I/O tech is shaping up to be the next Firewire. By making it the defacto standard in its latest computers, Apple has assured adoption of Thunderbolt by the main players in the external storage world.
Apple went with the AMD Radeon 6750M and 6970M graphics cards as available configurations in the iMacs – with up to 2GB GDDR5 video memory. The 21.5″ models come with 4GB RAM and are expandable to a max 8GB RAM, while the 27″ iMacs support up to 16GB RAM.
The new iMacs are up for ordering on Apple’s website. Pricing remains $1199 for the entry-level model and up to $1999 for the top-end 27″ model – with additional configuration options available for all models. Also look for availability on B&H Photo and Amazon.com.
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Dell has put together a budget-friendly system featuring the AMD Phenom II X6, six-core processor and AMD Vision Technology in the Studio XPS 7100. The starting price for a machine with the X6 processor is a tantalizing $699. I went to Dell and built the $699 machine and I’ll go ahead and note that there is no monitor with the $699 machine. Below is what you get:
- PROCESSOR & GRAPHICS CARD AMD Phenom™ II X6 1035T + ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB
- OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
- WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1 Year Basic Service Plan
- In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis
- MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 2 DIMMs
- MONITOR No Monitor
- HARD DRIVE 750GB – 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
- OPTICAL DRIVE 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
- SPEAKERS No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
- KEYBOARD Dell Studio Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
- MOUSE Dell Studio Optical Mouse
- SOUND CARD THX® TruStudio PC™
- MODEM No Modem Option
- OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft Works 9.0
- SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee SecurityCenter, 15-Months
- DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
- Studio XPS 7100 Studio XPS 7100 Minitower
- Network Card Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
- Adobe Software Adobe® Reader 9.0
Dell also includes a Mini 1010 netbook offer of $199. The AMD Phenom II X4, quad-core processor is also available in the Dell Studio XPS 7100 if a more budget-friendly option is in order. [click to continue…]
by Joe on January 5, 2010
Lenovo has punched out some new notebooks at an affordable price. Starting with their Thinkpad Edge, Lenovo is amping up style offering heat-wave red to the already popular color of black. These new machines feature a choice of AMD processors (Turion X2 and Athlon X2), a high res. camera and optional 3G and 4G wireless.
The X100e is Lenovo’s first professional-grade ultraportable starting below $500. The ThinkPad X100e is perfect for customers looking for a PC that is professional for business, highly usable and highly mobile. Like the ThinkPad Edge, the X100e includes a choice of AMD processors (Turion X2 and Athlon X2). The X100e also features an 11.6 inch high definition display and an ISO full-size keyboard with a multitouch touchpad and Trackpoint for easy navigation.
Lenovo introduced four new models to the classic ThinkPad line including the T410s, T410, T510 and W510- Lenovo’s best-selling and highest performance-oriented mobile PCs. These will be the first ThinkPads in the classic ThinkPad family to offer upcoming Intel dual core processors for enhanced performance. Along with the new models an insaine 22-hour battery will be available, more multitouch screen options and a single wireless broadband solution with the Qualcomm Gobi 2000 module [click to continue…]
