General Gaming Article |
- HP Dishes Out Custom Star Wars Laptop
- Newegg Daily Deals: MSI GeForce GTX 970, Samsung 850 Pro 2TB SSD, and More!
- HP Refreshes Stunning Spectre X360 with Skylake, Improved Audio
- Nvidia Releases GeForce 358.50 WHQL Game Ready Driver for Battlefront
- HP Tries Earning Street Cred with Pavilion Gaming Laptop
- Technolust: 5K Graphics, an Elevating Desk, and Receiver
| HP Dishes Out Custom Star Wars Laptop Posted: 07 Oct 2015 04:46 PM PDT Just weeks before Star Wars Episode VII awakens the sleepy franchise with a new film, Hewlett Packard (HP) introduces a special edition notebook that should make all Star Wars nerds with at least $700 somewhat giddy. This Windows 10 notebook is not only packed with impressive hardware that should make R2-D2 a little jealous, but exclusive Star Wars goodies like a special exterior, screen savers, rare wallpapers, concept art, and more. Although HP doesn't provide a specific list of hardware, the upcoming laptop's options will include sixth generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, up to 12GB of memory and up to 2TB of hard drive space. Customers will also have an option to choose Intel's HD Graphics 520 GPU or spend a little more on a Nvidia GeForce GTX 940M chip. The laptop also sports a 15.6-inch display with optional touch capabilities and a red backlit keyboard. "Inspired by the Galactic Empire, the Star Wars Special Edition notebook has a 'battle-worn' distressed design with 'Galactic Empire' written in the unique Star Wars Aurebesh font on the hinge and iconic Stormtroopers on the keyboard deck," HP describes. "The touchpad design mirrors the X-Wing Star Fighter Guidance System and the red backlit keyboard completes the dark-side design." The laptop also includes a battery promising up to seven hours of life on as single charge, an optional DVD burner for watching the first six movies (not included) on disc, and dual speakers "tuned" by B&O Play, promising a full surround sound experience. Other options include a custom Star Wars Special Edition Sleeve ($40) and a Star Wars Special Edition Mouse ($40). In addition to the screensavers, photos and images, the notebook's desktop will also be packed with additional media including "the first Marvel Star Wars comic in the series," a usable Aurebesh font that's installed in the system's font library, a Death Star-styled Recycle Bin, Star Wars movie trailers, and portions from select Star Wars e-books (which are unlikely from The Expanded Universe). There's also a free one-year membership to Fandor. HP's Star Wars Special Edition notebook is slated to arrive on November 8 via "select" retailers and HP's own online shop. Eager Star Wars fans wanting to secure their fully armed and operational Star Wars-themed laptop can make a pre-purchase starting Thursday, October 8. The mouse and sleeve will be made available soon, the company says. The starting price for the laptop is $700. |
| Newegg Daily Deals: MSI GeForce GTX 970, Samsung 850 Pro 2TB SSD, and More! Posted: 07 Oct 2015 01:16 PM PDT Top Deal: Hey, we'd all love to stuff multiple GeForce Titan X graphics cards inside our rigs, but barring the ability to pick the correct Powerball numbers, such gaming goodness is cost prohibitive for most. The good news is, you don't need that level of investment to play high end titles. If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, check out today's top deal for an MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Graphics Card for $320 with free shipping (normally $350; additional $20 mail-in-rebate; Free Rainbow Six Siege or Assassin's Creed Syndicate, limited offer). It's a fast card with a custom cooler, and you get a free game to boot! Other Deals: McAfee Internet Security 2015 - 3 PCs for $45 with $3 shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: [EMCKAAV24]; additional $45 Mail-in rebate; USD $5 promotional gift card w/ purchase, limited offer) Samsung 850 Pro 2.5-inch 2TB SATA III 3-D SSD for $820 with free shipping (normally $950 - use coupon code: [EMCKAAV23]) Toshiba 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3 (6.0 Gb/S) 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive for $40 with free shipping (normally $53 - use coupon code: [ESCKAAV22]) Acer G6 Series Black 23-inch 5ms Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor 200 cd/m2 ACM 100,000,000:1 (600:1) for $100 with free shipping (normally $119) |
| HP Refreshes Stunning Spectre X360 with Skylake, Improved Audio Posted: 07 Oct 2015 11:49 AM PDT A better looking 2-in-1 One of the better looking 2-in-1 devices out there is HP's Spectre X360. In celebration of Bang & Olufsen's 90th anniversary, a limited edition version of that hybrid tablet/laptop will add even more sex appeal to the design with an ash silver color and copper accents. What does the color treatment have to do with B&O? Well, nothing really. However, HP is offering premium sound with audio tuned by the Danish audio outfit on several of its new and refreshed models, including the Spectre X360. Looks aside, HP updated the Spectre X360 with 6th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processor options, which are Skylake parts. HP says the hardware upgrade will give users the horsepower and responsiveness they need to drive the Quad HD display, while at the same time promising battery life of up to 12 hours. The Spectre X360 has both full-size HDMI and mini DisplayPort 1.2 ports for displaying content across multiple screens. For connecting external devices like flash drives and the such, there are three USB 3.0 ports with Sleep and Charge support. As its name implies, the Spectre X360 is designed so that the display can fold all the way back onto itself so that you can use it like a tablet. You can also use the Spectre X360 in stand mode (watching movies), tent mode (playing games), and notebook mode. HP says the limited edition Spectre X360 will be available on its website and in Best Buy stores beginning November 8. Pricing will start at $900. |
| Nvidia Releases GeForce 358.50 WHQL Game Ready Driver for Battlefront Posted: 07 Oct 2015 10:30 AM PDT These are the drivers you're looking for If you're planning to participate in the Star Wars: Battlefront beta that kicks off tomorrow (October 8) and are running Nvidia brand graphics, there's a new driver you might want to check out. According to Nvidia, it's newly released GeForce 358.50 WHQL certified driver will deliver "the best possible gaming experience" in Battlefront. In addition, it also brings support for the latest OpenGL ARB extensions, as well as OpenGL ES 3.2. Want more? Nvidia also says the 358.50 driver includes updated features and functionality for the GameWorks VR software development kit (SDK), so there's that too. There are some oddball limitations associated with this new driver. For example, surround gaming is not supported on a 3-way SLI system using GeForce GTX 200 series GPUs, and the Graph tab on the Adjust Desktop Color Settings page is no longer available. Nvidia also discontinued support for Hybrid Power, a Hybrid SLI technology. You can read more in the release notes (PDF). The driver is available to download from here. As a reminder, if you're rocking an AMD graphics card, there's a beta driver (Catalyst 15.9.1) available that's been optimized for Battlefront. It also addresses a memory leak with Catalyst 15.9. You can grab that driver here. |
| HP Tries Earning Street Cred with Pavilion Gaming Laptop Posted: 07 Oct 2015 09:43 AM PDT Affordable gaming on the go You probably don't associate HP's Pavilion PC line with gaming. In fact, outside of the HP Omen, HP doesn't dabble all that much in the gaming sector, though it's looking to change that with the introduction of a new Pavilion laptop built specifically for gamers. The HP Pavilion Gaming is a 15.6-inch notebook that swims in Skylake. Customers can choose from 6th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processor options, which get paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M GPU for graphics and up to 16GB of system memory. Granted, the GTX 950M isn't going to light up the benchmark charts or provide the muscle necessary to crank up the eye candy on demanding titles, but with a starting price of $900, it's not a bad value proposition for gamers on a budget. Also helping the matter is that the GPU only has to push pixels around a Full HD 1080p display (IPS, by the way). HP says you can opt for up to 2TB of hard drive space, up to 1TB of hybrid hard drive space, or a dual storage configuration with up to a 2TB HDD and a 128GB solid state drive. It's not clear what storage allotment the base configuration comes with, though it's almost a given it will be a regular hard drive and not a hybrid drive or SSD. For connecting external devices, there are two USB 3.0 ports, one of which is a Sleep and Charge port, and one USB 2.0 port. There's also an HDMI port, GbE LAN port, and SD card reader. The backlit keyboard glows bright green with a "fierce reptilian pattern" on the keyboard's deck for added flair. Other notable features include optional touch support on the display and Intel RealSense support, which is another optional add-on. Finally, the system has an optical drive (we're guessing a DVD burner) and dual speakers pumping out audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen. Look for the HP Pavilion Gaming laptop to be available starting November 8, 2015. |
| Technolust: 5K Graphics, an Elevating Desk, and Receiver Posted: 07 Oct 2015 12:00 AM PDT Technolust: Things we really wantIn the world of tech, new products are always being introduced. As entrenched as we are in the gadget-sphere, there's a never ending chase of the next greatest thing. Introducing Technolust, a weekly column where the staff tells you, on a personal level, what they're currently coveting. It could be as simple as a set of tools, or a new graphics card and four new SSDs in RAID 0. Heck, throw in a new 4K projector for good measure. We invite you to share yours too! It could point the direction in things we should be covering. So, of all the things I want, here are my first three nerdalicious picks. A feast for these eyesBehold Dell's UltraSharp 27 Ultra HD 5K display. Considered to be the pinnacle of image fidelity, Dell's UP2715K was actually featured in this year's Dream Machine build. I've long been a fan of Dell's UltraSharp line of displays for their image quality, build quality, and Dell's pretty darned good support for displays. When Dell's 3007 WFP came out, I was all over that beast. Unfortunately, the unit I got came with some discoloration on one of the corners. It was ever so slight, but I noticed it and couldn't stop looking at it. Dell was happy enough to overnight me a replacement with a return label packed in the box for me ship back my wonky unit. For me, the UP2715K has it all: pristine sharpness thanks to its 5120x2880 resolution, and Dell's PremierColor for out-of-the-box color accuracy that's actually very good even without professional calibration. Plus, it's well built and doesn't feel like it was clobbered together using cheap plastic. If you do a lot of twitchy gaming, the UltraSharps may not be suitable for you since you'll likely demand higher refresh rates. In terms of image quality though, the UP2715K sets the standard. What do I use now? I have a Dell UltraSharp U3011, which I have to admit has served me really well and is still pretty darned good as far as high-quality displays go. But if you've ever worked with high-pixel-density displays, the UP2715K really is a substantial improvement in image quality. Right now, I'm just waiting to see if Dell will release a 5K display at 30-inches or greater. That would be ideal. So what would the Dell UltraSharp UP2715K provide me that I'm not getting now?Not much really, just a more tack-sharp image which I suppose is quite substantial in its own right. I'd lose 3 inches off the screen, but with the right resolution scaling I would gain more actual usable real-estate. And as a minor nitpick, I actually prefer the more industrial look of the U3011 to the designer lines of the UP2715K. The table of my dreamsAs for what I actually have at home to do my computing on? I use a dinner table that I picked up from IKEA several years ago. I have an office but until now, haven't found a suitable computing desk large enough for my needs. I use multiple displays and have a bunch of other devices on the table that I like to keep around me when I work. My current state of table affairs, though, is pretty terrible. It's a dinner table, so a tad too tall, and my chair can't slide under it without the arm rests smacking into a side support beam. I've done research into standing desks, and although they're great for your back and promoting healthy body circulatory activities, they don't offer much space. So the best kind of desk for me is one that looks like a normal big desk, but can be elevated to standing heights. Enter the Air Pro desk. This is the big daddy of elevating desks. Made by NextDesk, which is known for making exceptional work desks that are height adjustable, the Air Pro is essentially the company's flagship. It costs a whopping $3,378 without any of the fancy options and in standard jet-black gloss finish. If you want a matte black finish, the price increases to $3,975. NextDesk learns from the best in the automotive options industry. The Air Pro can sit as low as 24 inches off the ground or stand as high as 50.5 inches. Its quad motors can raise or lower the desk at 1.7 inches per second using the side controller. Even with motorized legs on all for corners, the Air Pro is strong: able to very comfortably support 630 pounds of weight. The entire desk is made of aluminum with a glass top. Of course the Air Pro is on the excessive side, but hey, why not? NextDesk offers other models, including the more tame Encore, which starts at a much more palatable $1,097—still substantial as far as computer desks go. If you're interested in configuring one—yes, they're completely configurable with heaps of options—you can truly make one your own with attachments, different finishes, cable management features, and other options. L-shaped models are also available for space gluttons, and NextDesk will even custom-design one for you. So what would the NextDesk Air Pro provide me that I'm not getting now?Height adjustment features. I can sit or stand whenever I'd please without sacrificing desk space. Do I really need the fanciness of the Air Pro? Probably not. But if it's going to be in my personal space for a long time, it might as well look good. I'd also be able to roll my chair in a bit more and sit closer to the desk. Where all gadgets meetMy PC and my home theater are tightly integrated. Everything is networked, even the home theater receiver. All my sources: PS, Xbox, Wii U, NUC, and spare gaming PC are plugged into a receiver. My current unit is a Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH, which is a very good receiver in its own right, but it's a few generations old now in the Pioneer lineup. Yes, there are great options from Denon, Marantz, and others that climb up into the price stratosphere, but I'd be happy just to pick up Pioneer's new Elite SC-99. It's got all the latest audio decoding features, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS-X, as well as the usual, such as DTS-HD, Dolby Digital TrueHD, and supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections. But the real kicker for me is the class D3 amplifiers that deliver high power output really efficiently. The receiver stays cool and doesn't buck under stress. For audiophiles, the SC-99 is equipped with dual SABRE32 DACs from ESS Technology, which support a 192k/32bit format—yes, 32 bit! A little known factoid: The Intel HD Audio specification calls for 32 bit sampling rates, but few if any manufacturers implement the full spec. Connections are a nonissue with the SC-99. The unit has a whopping eight HDMI inputs, enough for every device I can think of, along with two HDMI outputs. Another nice feature is a USB input that allows you to connect a PC and let the receiver act as a USB sound device just like an external sound card. I've been a fan of Pioneer's products since the days of the Kuro Elite TVs, which sadly are no longer available. During that time, and maybe even still today, the Kuro plasmas set the standard for black-level performance. The Kuro line was Pioneer's statement in just how good image quality can be; those who are serious about image performance will attest to the Kuro's reputation. So what would the Pioneer Elite SC-99 provide me that I'm not getting now?Extra HDMI inputs, Spotify streaming without a PC, Dolby Atmos (although I'd have to upgrade my speakers), and better components. I'm not interested in the WiFi stuff as much since my house is wired for Ethernet in every room, and I prefer wired connections anyway. Having direct USB-DAC input is really nice. You can use the SC-99 as a sound device and attain higher resolution and sampling rates than you could if you only used SPDIF. Once I get my grubby hands on these things I'll be a happy camper. Maybe. |
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