Weekly CPU Prices - Week of March 1, 2010-March 5, 2010
The prices in this week's guide continue to hold steady, with only a handful of the CPUs we track changing price at all and fewer still moving downward.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of February 22, 2010-February 26, 2010
With few exceptions, prices continued to hold steady in this week's guide, but a few small drops -- and some new Core processors -- can be found here and there.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of February 15, 2010-February 19, 2010
Only two of the prices we track, one from each camp, fell in this week's guide. The rest, for the most part, held right where they've been for weeks, with a few exceptions inching slightly upward.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of February 8, 2010-February 12, 2010
It's been another slow week for CPU prices, with the majority of the prices we track continuing to hold steady. But a handful from each camp did fall, albeit too slightly to stir much excitement.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of February 1, 2010-February 5, 2010
Unfortunately, last week's small flurry of price drops wasn't repeated this week. A couple of prices from each camp did dip slightly, but the rest continued to cling right where they've been.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of January 25, 2010-January 29, 2010
While the majority of the prices we track continued to hold steady, a fair amount experienced small to modest drops, leaving us hopeful that the coming weeks will see additional downward price movement.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of January 18, 2010-January 22, 2010
Savings were few and far between in this week's guide, with most of the prices we track continuing to hold steady and a few even moving upward. But there were a couple of modest drops in each camp's charts, giving us hope that we'll see more downward price movement in the coming weeks.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of January 11, 2010-January 15, 2010
As we've grown all too accustomed to reporting in recent weeks, most of the prices we tracked in this week's guide continued to hold steady, with only a few dropping at all and none dropping by enough to stir much in the way of excitement.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of January 4, 2010-January 8, 2010
The year's first CPU Price Guide, unfortunately, isn't any more exciting than what we'd grown accustomed to by the end of last year. A few prices moved slightly downward, which is nice. But by and large, prices held about as steady as we've seen them.
Super Talent Offers Shirt-Pocket Flash RAID Array-January 7, 2010
Calling it the world's fastest flash drive, Super Talent integrates two miniscule SSDs into a 320MB/sec RAID 0 array not much bigger than many thumb drives. You'll need a USB 3.0 port.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of December 28, 2009-December 31, 2009
This final weekly processor price guide of 2009 contains several price drops, something that's been all too rare in the past several weeks. And while none of the savings are huge, they nonetheless leave us hopeful that the coming weeks will see increased price competition between the two camps and better deals to be had by CPU shoppers.
On Hardware Central
Netbook Review: HP Mini 311-March 4, 2010
With an HD display and an HDMI port, HP's $400 netbook is all about the video -- at least until we try it and find that an 11.6- rather than the usual 10.1-inch screen is irresistible for everyday productivity, too.
Dell Launches Flagship Business Desktop-March 3, 2010
Maximum manageability and security meet top-end performance, plus a healthy dose of energy efficiency and environmentally conscious design, in Dell's newest OptiPlex desktop.
WD Debuts SSDs for Upgraders and OEMs-March 3, 2010
Western Digital offers a choice of speedy solid-state drives, using MLC flash technology for performance and affordability or SLC flash for mission-critical, long-life applications.
Nvidia Gives Ion Netbooks More Muscle-March 2, 2010
Ion's graphics technology hasn't changed much but its structure has, resulting in a considerable performance gain. So how did Nvidia pull it off?
Wireless Adapter Review: hField Wi-Fire-March 1, 2010
Tired of weak and wimpy WiFi? This clip-on replacement for your laptop's 802.11b/g adapter promises up to triple the range, plus finding wireless networks you couldn't access before. Is it the best $49 a road warrior ever spent?
Monitor Review: Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x-February 25, 2010
IT hardware doesn't get much greener than this -- Lenovo's deluxe LCD monitor draws fewer watts (21) than its screen size in inches (22), and is smart enough to turn its power down when you're away from your desk.
Elsewhere...
Intel Wrestles With Windows 7 Deployment Issues-February 26, 2010
An Intel engineer blogs about the challenges involved in moving the tech giant, which skipped Windows Vista and stuck with XP, to Windows 7.
How to Save Money on Small Business Technology-February 26, 2010
Market research firms predict that small businesses in the U.S. will start buying computers, peripherals, and network gear again this year. Here's how to assess your needs and not go overboard.
Developer: Windows 7 Maxes Out on Memory Use-February 19, 2010
Devil Mountain Software's latest results from its XPnet performance network claim to show that Windows XP machines use less memory than Windows 7 does.
Recently on Sharky Extreme
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of September 7, 2009-September 11, 2009
With new products starting to slowly make their ways into the market, we're hopeful that the coming weeks will bring some downward price movement on existing processors. But so far, that has yet to be the case and prices have continued to hold about as steady as ever.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of August 31, 2009-September 4, 2009
Unfortunately, we have to report that this week's prices continued to hold steady for yet another week. Only four of the prices we track, throughout the guide, fell at all; and none of those fell by more than a few dollars.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of August 24, 2009-August 28, 2009
This week's CPU prices, unfortunately, are about as frozen in place as they've been in quite a while. Only two prices fell at all, in fact, and none fell by enough to stir much in the way of excitement.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of August 17, 2009-August 21, 2009
Unfortunately, prices drops are even more a rarity in this week's guide than what we saw in the previous week's edition. Only a few of the prices we track fell at all and only one fell by more than a few dollars. The rest, for the most part, held right where they've been for weeks.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of August 10, 2009-August 14, 2009
This week's guide contains one double-digit price drop from each camp; and each camp's prices held otherwise steady. Price drops, unfortunately, remain a rarity, with few prices dropping at all and fewer still dropping by enough to draw much interest.
AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE & X4 810 Review-February 9, 2009
AMD's initial Phenom II product release was a very positive one, and demonstrated that the redesigned, 45nm version of the Phenom quad core could be successful against the Core 2 Duo and Quad, while offering superb value and overclocking. The foray into the world of Socket AM3 brings a few more changes, such as a lower-cache X4 model and a hotrod X3 Black Edition that is just itching to be overclocked.
Logitech G15 Keyboard Review-February 6, 2009
The Logitech G15 keyboard is a popular choice for the gaming crowd, and is a worthwhile upgrade from the older model and the lower-end G11. In this review, we're not only taking the G15 out for a new test drive, but also installing it with a 2009 driver set. Check out our review to see how it stacked up in terms of features, design and usability.
Alienware Area-51 790i System Review-January 26, 2009
There are two methods of achieving an ultra high-end gaming system: do it yourself or buy one pre-configured. Alienware looks to meld these into one process, allowing users to select the various components, and then receive a custom-built system tailored to their specific needs. The Area-51 offers a lot of potential customizations, and at the top-end, a ton of performance as well.
Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 Motherboard Review-January 16, 2009
Intel has shifted to the Core i7 + X58 as their top-end platform of choice, but the Core 2 Duo/Quad market still has a lot of life in it. The Intel X48 is currently one of the top performance bases for a DDR3-equipped, Core 2 performance system, and we're checking out the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 motherboard to see how it compares in terms of features and performance.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE Review-January 9, 2009
With their third official Phenom-based release, AMD has saved the best for last. The 45nm Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition features a full 3.0 GHz clock speed, 6MB of L3 cache and overclocking headroom unheard of for an AMD processor. We'll be checking out AMD's newest quad and putting it through the benchmark grinder to see how it stacks up.
NZXT Tempest Case Review-December 12, 2008
The system case is an integral part of any PC build, but determining the right combination of features, size, cooling, and price can be a daunting task. But for enthusiasts and gamers with a spare C-note, the decision became a lot easier, as the NZXT Tempest case offers an excellent value for around $100.
OCZ PC3-10666 Gold 2x1GB Review-December 1, 2008
DDR3 memory is already the standard for high-end Intel platforms, and with AMD readying a DDR3-based processor line, the transition away from DDR2 will only speed up. The only potential issue is sticker shock, but as the OCZ PC3-10666 Gold Edition 2x1GB kit proves, you don't need to spend a lot to jump on the DDR3 bandwagon.
November Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide-November 14, 2008
Our latest Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide is online, and we're taking $1,000 in cold, hard cash to build a powerhouse gaming PC for the budget crowd. If you're the type of gamer who counts your pennies before buying any new computer, then this is the system guide for you.
Intel Core i7-965 XE & Core i7-920 Review-November 3, 2008
The Intel Nehalem platform has finally emerged in the form of the Core i7 processor line, and it brings with it a new architecture and a host of features and options we've never seen on an Intel CPU, as well as the return of an old friend. We will be checking out both the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition and Core i7 920 processors and examining their performance against the very best from both Intel and AMD.
Intel DX48BT2 (X48) Motherboard Review-October 21, 2008
Intel has been holding the performance CPU market in a virtual stranglehold, but the company still needs platforms that properly exploit the Core 2. The X38 started the move to DDR3, and the Intel X48 completes it, with full support for both FSB1600 and DDR3-1600 speeds. The Intel DX48BT2 motherboard supplies a high-end implementation of this chipset, complete with full overclocking features.
Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800 2x1GB Review-October 10, 2008
The transition from DDR2 to DDR3 is continuing to accelerate, and now that more vendors are offering low-latency DDR3 that doesn't induce sticker shock, expect demand to only grow. Corsair's XMS3 PC3-12800 2x1GB kit, complete with support for CL7 timings and Intel Extreme Memory Profiles, is a great enthusiast match for a high-end Intel platform.
Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick Review-September 19, 2008
Adding TV tuner functionality is both a popular and inexpensive way to watch and record TV on your computer. This is true for notebooks as well, and using an external USB tuner makes for a very simple upgrade. The PCTV HD Pro Stick from Pinnacle is one such product, with support for both SD and HD programming, as well as unencrypted ClearQAM digital channels.
September Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide-September 11, 2008
An extreme $4,000 budget is sure to put these Extreme Gaming PC Guide components on the top of everyone's shopping list—and make its builders the envy of those who can only afford to follow our $2,500 High-End Guide! If you're looking for the best combination of parts available for a little less than this hefty price limit, read on!
D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter Review-August 20, 2008
The Wireless-N revolution is upon us, and although the IEEE 802.11n specification is still in Draft 2.0 format, it still offers a potential 300 Mbps wireless link, or almost 6X that of Wireless-G. The D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter is an upgrade device that adds Wireless-N to an older notebook, getting it up to speed for faster online performance.
AMD 790GX Chipset Review-August 8, 2008
The AMD 780G represented the first wave of the HD 3000-based integrated chipsets, but the AMD 790GX is definitely second-generation. This improves on the 780G in almost every way, offering full Phenom X4 support, a faster graphics core, integrated display cache, and a higher-end architecture. If you've always wanted a performance platform with integrated graphics, look no further.
D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router Review-July 28, 2008
The IEEE 802.11n specification is in Draft 2.0 format, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the faster 300 Mbps wireless speeds, enhanced stability and greater range now. The D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router is a serious piece of hardware that not only uses the fastest Wireless-N and Gigabit LAN speeds, but also incorporates several gaming-oriented features to ensure your online games will get all the bandwidth they need.
Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 Motherboard Review-July 16, 2008
The AMD 7-series of chipsets offers everything from entry-level to ultra high-end platforms for the Socket AM2+ market. We're concentrating on the top of the line 790FX chipset, and the Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 motherboard that features it, so check out our review to see how it stacks up against some other AMD-based solutions.
Chinese Reject HP Laptops-
March 10, 2010 The Inquirer: Chinese consumers file complaint to get their government to recall faulty HP notebook computers.
Acer's PC Market Numbers Add Up-
March 10, 2010 CNET: Dell stays ahead of Acer in global PC market by the skin of its teeth.
Windows Server 2008: Virtual Hard Disk Performance-
March 8, 2010 A Virtual Hard Disk is a file that encapsulates a hard disk image. It can be used in new and interesting ways, according to this whitepaper by Microsoft.
Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 3% in 2010,-
March 5, 2010 IDC: Worldwide spending on information technologies will continue to feel the effects of the global recession throughout this year.
