Handy Computer Guide

PC Perspective have published a review of the HP Blackbird 002 LC gaming system. 'The case itself is a solid cast steel enclosure that rests on a raised "leg" of sorts. It has Plexiglas sides on it with a subtle yet cool looking design and the HP logo is gently introduced to the buyer instead of being forced upon them. It looks nice, it looks high tech and it looks high quality. It's heavy and feels like it's worth you money you are shelling out for it and that's an important trait in a world of cheap plastic computers. The top of the Blackbird 002 is built like the entirety of the case and has ridges in it. The back of the top area is actually open and allows air to flow outward from the custom CPU water cooling setup.'

Read: HP Blackbird 002 LC Gaming System Review - PC Perspective

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Digital Trends have published their review of the Alienware Area-51 m9750 gaming Notebook. 'No hardcore gaming notebook would be true to its name without massive quantities of storage, and the m9750 does not disappoint with its dual 7,200rpm hard drives striped into a RAID 0 array . In total they offer 372GB of super-fast storage and file access, and are way faster than what you’d have if Alienware configured it with the much more common 5,400rpm drives. If you’re the cautious type, you can opt to mirror the drives instead of striping them for increased data safety. The difference with a stripe setup is that if one drive fails you lose everything. With a mirrored setup, everything that is written to one drive is written to the other drive, so in case one fails you don’t lose your data. It should also be noted that Alienware is now offering the m9750 with optional Solid State Disks, which are insanely expensive ($1,100 for a 64GB drive) but very fast and cannot “crash” like a mechanical drive can.'

Read: Alienware Area-51 m9750 - Digital Trends

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A review of the Rock Xtreme X770 laptop with Nvidia GeForce 8800M graphics has been posted over at the Register Hardware. 'Considering the epic price of even a basic X770 you don’t get a great many features for your money. The chassis feels good and solid but the keyboard, touchpad and mouse buttons are decidedly average. Going around the ports and connectors there’s a DVI - there's a VGA adaptor bundled in the box - s-video output, four USB ports, a mini Firewire connector, a serial port (!), an ExpressCard slot, modem and Ethernet. Although the chassis carries a TV aerial connector, the TV tuner is an extra that costs a further £76. There’s no flick switch to control wireless LAN or Bluetooth and there’s nothing about the Rock that suggests you’re using more than two grand’s worth of the finest gaming laptop that money can buy.'

Read: Rock Xtreme X770 laptop with Nvidia GeForce 8800M graphics - Register Hardware

Posted by HCG Admin at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joseph Spangler writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the ASUS V2S Notebook. 'First and foremost, the V2S looks great. It's predominantly black with silver trim/accents. I was initially worried that the integrated swivel webcam would be a distraction, but thankfully it blends rather well into the notebook as a whole (I would still prefer a clean bezel, but the webcam looks much worse in pictures then in person). When closed the notebook appears very sleek, with an all black finish only interrupted by a silver Asus emblem in the middle, and the previously mentioned silver webcam. All of the ports/switches are on the left and right sides, along with the vent, with the exception of the power input (on the back) and a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth switch (on the front). This arrangement takes nothing away from the V2S in terms of looks, and in fact I think it makes it much more comfortable to handle/carry around. The computer feels very solid in-hand, it's not a tank like other business notebooks, but it's not flimsy by any means.'

Read: Asus V2S User Review - Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the affordable Acer Aspire 4920-1A2G12Mi laptop has been posted over at Pocket-Lint. 'Acer has recently overtaken Dell to become the second biggest seller of notebooks worldwide. It has done this by offering an ever-increasing number of machines at aggressive price points. Until recently, the styling of Acer's budget notebooks has been rather conservative but with the introduction of what the company calls its 'Gemstone' design, the look is neat with a retro twist. The black and cream notebook comes with a glossy lid but matt finish on the interior and is a look that has divided opinions. We like the look but at this price it isn't the most robust of cases. The base and lid feel solid, so will protect the notebook when in a carry case but the finish isn't as robust as we'd like. With an overall weight of 2.6kg, you may be tempted to take this machine on the move with you but we feel the casing hasn't really been designed for mobile use. That said, it's more than adequate for being carried around the house.'

Read: Acer Aspire 4920-1A2G12Mi laptop Review - Pocket-Lint

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)