HP revamps desktop line

HP overhauled its desktop line to modernise it and give it more choices, writes Electronista.

The top-end HPE desktop now has the option of AMD chips and can use Phenom II processors in place of the costlier Intel equivalents, up to a 3.2GHz six-core model. Graphics choices also get more aggressive with up to a Radeon HD 5770 in the best version.

Having a second choice has lowered the prices of the HPE line. HP hasn't said what system will command the $560 base price, though it's likely to be the simplest AMD model with a 3GHz quad-core Phenom II, 8GB RAM, a Radeon HD 5450 for video and a 1TB disk.

Origin PC has announced the Eon 17 gaming notebook, designed to provide all the graphics and processing oomph of a gaming desktop rig; except one can pick it up and take it with, says Digital Trends.

“We've noticed growing demand from the Origin community for a mobile high-performance solution that doesn't force you to compromise,” said Origin co-founder and CEO Kevin Wasielewski, in a statement. “The Eon 17 offers the flexibility of a notebook with unparalleled desktop computing power giving gamers and professionals the best of both worlds.”

Like most custom gaming rigs, the Eon 17 is widely configurable: it features up to an Intel Core i7 980x desktop processor, and can pack up to 24 GB of triple channel DDR3 memory. The system sports a 17.3-inch 1,920 by 1080-pixel display that can be driven by dual Nvidia GeForce 480M graphics controllers in SLI configuration, giving the unit outstanding graphics performance. The Eon 17 also offers an HDMI 1.4 output for pushing 3D content to a 3D capable display.

After the heralded release of Apple's iPad in April, Acer and several other manufacturers are circling the tablet PC landscape like rapid predators, ready to unleash their own bespoke interpretations, states Sys-con.

Even before iPad's release, head of Acer's IT products division Jim Wong confirmed that the company would be expanding its portfolio to include a tablet PC, in line with similar releases from HP, Toshiba and Sony.

Acer may seem combative, but that attitude comes with the territory. Acer is among the top three biggest PC manufacturers in the world, and stepping up is an important move to maintain a dominant market position, says the company.