Search results for 'app:weblogs' matching tag 'Desktops'

Dell's Inspiron Zino HD: The Little Box That Could

Lionel_Menchaca — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Those of you who read Direct2Dell pretty regularly know that I love to use PCs for their multimedia capabilities. Advancements in hardware performance and on the OS side have made it possible to enjoy HD-quality stuff throughout the house. Now, we're bringing that capability to customers worldwide into a small form factor with the Inspiron Zino HD. Next to the Studio Hybrid, it's the smallest PC form factor we've introduced in our history. It also brings a lot of the power efficiency of the Studio Hybrid and offers better performance.

Small form factors themselves are nothing new. But with the Inspiron Zino HD, we've worked to make a desktop that balances performance, size and price. In my view, this is the closest we've come to balancing all three in my 15 years here at Dell.

We offer a slew of color and design options: Flamingo Pink, Formula Red, Tangerine Orange, Plum Purple, True Blue, and Spring Green and Piano Black. Beyond that, we'll also offer Dell Design Studio-inspired designs as well. Take a look at this set on Dell's Flickr page if you want to see more.

The Inspiron Zino HD kicks things into high gear by adding more powerful processor and graphic card options. It comes standard with an integrated version of AMD's Radeon HD 3200 solution, but customers who want the best HD experience should opt for upgrading to the discrete version of the ATI Mobility Radeon 4330.

The Zino HD also offers more expandability options--including DDR3 RAM up to 8GB, an internal hard drive options up to 1TB. It also adds more external expandability through two E-SATA ports. Inspiron Zino HD customers can opt for an internal Blu-ray drive and can output it directly to an HDTV in the living room or elsewhere through HDMI. The Zinio HD can be ordered with two internal Wi-Fi network card options: the Dell 1397 card for 802.11b/g or the Dell 1520 card for 802.11b/g, and dual-band 802.11n. A 4-in-1 media card reader and integrated Gigabit Ethernet are both standard. Click on the image below to see a better view on the ports on the Inspiron Zino HD.

When outfitted with an upgraded processor the discrete graphics card option. the Zino HD is built for HD streaming. Streaming Netflix? Check. Watching Blu-ray movies in 1080p? Check. Besides that, this little box makes an awesome Windows 7 Media Center hub. We offer the Inspiron Zino HD with Vista Home Basic as the base operating system. But for anyone looking to use it as a Media Center Hub, I highly recommend upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate. If you watched video of Microsoft's Windows 7 launch event in New York might have caught the demo. Windows 7 is a media streaming beast.

Bottom line, if you're needing a small PC that can handle everything from the basics up through some pretty sophisticated HTPC kind of stuff, the I think the Inspiron Zino and the Zino HD are definitely worth a look.

Let Dell Upgrade a New Windows 7 PC for You

Lionel_Menchaca — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

For those of you who are waiting for Windows 7 to arrive, Dell has a deal for you. We are expanding our upgrade program (see Daniel Judd's post for details about the original program) with a new option - the Windows 7 Free and Easy upgrade program - which takes the hassle out of upgrading a PC to Windows 7 because Dell will do it for you. Now you can purchase popular PCs like the Inspiron 15 or 17 laptop, Studio 15 laptop, Inspiron 546 or Studio desktop and we will install Windows 7 Premium on it before shipping it to you.

As the program name implies, there are no additional charges associated with this. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to order a new PC powered by Windows 7 and get on with your daily business, and around Oct. 22, or soon after your new PC will arrive. Of course for you do-it-yourselfers, we are still offering the Windows 7 Technical Upgrade program, in which a customer buys a qualifying PC with Vista Home Premium, Vista Business Pro or Vista Ultimate, and registers for the Windows 7 upgrade kit, which then ships within a few weeks of Oct 22.

We are looking forward to your feedback on this new option in our upgrade program, and depending on customer response we will investigate adding additional PC models as well as expanding it on a global basis. So head over to www.dell.com/windows7now, customize and order your PC and we’ll take care of things on the Windows 7 front.

Dell's Latest Corporate Desktop: The OptiPlex 780

DELL-John R — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Sometimes being dependable, steady and unassuming may not always work to your advantage, especially on days like today when we're introducing products like the Latitude Z. The same I think holds true for commercial desktop technology. In recent years, desktop PCs have been much maligned being labeled as boring, passé and even antiquated. I couldn't disagree more, based on recent conversations with colleagues and customers, I've found that desktop systems will continue to play a vital role as the client backbone to most Fortune 500 companies.

Today, our OptiPlex line is the best selling commercial desktop in the world, according to IDC. As customer needs change and evolve, we've taken a good thing and made it better. How?

Well, the OptiPlex 780 gives IT managers streamlined remote systems management capabilities through Intel vPro technology. This technology provides a great way of "future proofing" an IT investment because it enables desktop virtualization, which is still in its infancy. At the same time, the OptiPlex 780 is engineered to keep downtime at a minimum when performing the four most common desktop service tasks: replacing hard drives, replacing power supplies, adding memory, and adding PCI(e) cards.

At the end of the day, IT managers and users want a versatile mainstream desktop solution that won't break the bank. The OptiPlex 780 delivers just that-delivering performance, efficiency and dependability. Systems like the OptiPlex 780 may not ever get noticed for being sleek but it is one of the few things that will keep working and plodding on without interruption.

Though they're not as exciting as the images of the Alienware ALX or the Latitude Z, you can see more pictures of it in our OptiPlex 780 Flickr set.

Bringing AutoCAD to the Masses With Dell's Precision T1500 Workstation

DELL-Rick P — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The term "purpose-built" is bantered around quite a bit in the IT industry but it has never been more relevant to understanding the needs and evolution of the workstation market. Historically, workstations have offered higher performance than personal computers, especially with respect to CPU and graphics, memory capacity and multitasking capability. Designed and optimized specifically to run scientific or technical applications such as AutoCAD, workstations are the true predecessors of today's purpose-built platforms.

Today, application performance and ISV certification are two key areas of differentiation. That's why Dell is working closely with Autodesk to deliver the first workstation certified for AutoCAD users. The significance of this certification is that user's get a complete hardware and software solution optimized and fine-tuned to run applications like Autodesk 2010. We've built our new entry-level Dell Precision T1500 workstation from the ground up to meet the needs of CAD/CAM professionals. In fact, we recently asked Lynn Allen, an Autodesk technical evangelist, what she thought of our approach and new system. Here's what she said:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Dell has been and continues to be the world's leading workstation vendor for the past nine years, according to IDC. The Dell Precision T1500 workstation is just another proof-point of how Dell is listening to customers to deliver a tailored solution while making technology more affordable and accessible. To see more images, check out the Dell Precision T5100 Flickr set.

New Alienware Announcement: Just Hype, or No?

DELL-John B — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Before the unveiling of the new Alienware Aurora and Aurora ALX systems at the Tokyo Game Show, we were told that the upcoming announcements would shake the very foundation of PC gaming. Did the announcements live up to the hype? Folks at Engadget, Joystiq and Crunchgear seem to think the new Alienware systems are as bada$$ as they come, certainly live up to the hype, and I’m here to tell you why.

My reasons rest on one particular piece of hardware only available on the two new Alienware desktop systems: the ATI 5870 graphics card. The card is getting all kinds of praise from sites like Tom's hardware for good reason. The new Alienwares’ bada$$itude centers upon this piece of hardware. Besides offering some of the best gaming performance ever, the card brings awesome technology forward with EyeFinity and DirectX 11.

EyeFinity is absolutely an astounding advancement. This technology allows a single GPU to support six independent displays simultaneously, and supports them in a variety of different physical configurations. Some examples taken from ATI’s website:

These configurations and others can be supported with the new Alienware desktop systems, and all of them require just a single graphics card. If that doesn’t knock your socks off, I really don’t know what will. For a good overview of what it's all about, I recommend this article at Anandtech.

Add to EyeFinity full DirectX 11 support, and you’ve got a showstopper. DirectX 11 is Microsoft’s latest DirectX API that showcases several features, including full tessellation support, support for multithreaded rendering, and compute shaders (read: general purpose processing on your GPU). Simply put, this technology makes your games look better and run faster at the same time. Here’s a video of same developers’ thoughts on the latest API:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Along with the new Alienware desktop announcements (as if they weren’t enough on their own), the most powerful 15 inch gaming laptop in the universe was also unveiled, the Alienware M15x. This little beauty can be configured with the most powerful mobile graphics card available, the NVIDIA GeForce GTC 260M, and like its desktop brethren, also features the latest Intel Core i7 technology.

For those of us that aren't lucky enough to be in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, Chris Sutphen from the Alienware team gives the Gamespot crew a tour of our booth. It's a good time to be a gamer, indeed.

March of the Dell Core i7 Laptops

DELL-Anne C — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

For those of you who keep up with the technology industry, you may have caught some of the buzz from that Intel's annual round up known as Intel Developer's Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. One of today's highpoints is Intel serving notice they have raised the bar in mobile performance by releasing the mobile version of Core i7 quad core processors (a.k.a. Clarksfield).

Note from Lionel: I saw that some readers were giving Engadget a hard time because Dell.com wasn't updated with the mobile Core i7 goodness. Some of it is now. Click on the banner above to look at our i7-based laptop offerings. I'll add the Studio XPS 16 link when it's updated.

Make no mistake, putting a quad core processor in a laptop does a lot for performance and there is an elite group of folks out there who always feel the need for speed: gamers. For these acceleration aficionados, Dell has delivered the new Alienware M15x - a 15-inch laptop that reinforces that nobody - but nobody - knows how to pack more into the 15-inch gaming laptop than the Dell/Alienware gaming engineers and designers.

But enough about the expected - let's talk about the unexpected - like the fact that Dell is actually offering these new high-powered processors as an option on three other laptop models, including a Studio 15 laptop powered by the new mobile Core i7 processors with a starting price of $999. The other news of the day is that we have significantly updated the Studio 17 laptop and have launched mobile Core i7 edition starting at $1,099. And just to make sure all the bases are covered, we've added a Core i7 processor option to the elegant Studio XPS 16 (more on that in a bit). Any one of these systems should definitely appeal to those of you who are "obsolescence paranoid" as well as the performance enthusiast who can't quite fit the aggressive Alienware design into their personal style.

Let's dive into some of the details around the new Studio 17 which frankly lands near the top of the entertainment powerhouse list - excelling at both creating and consuming multimedia content. First up, we have added a JBL-branded 2.1 audio solution with SRS Premium Sound - two 1.5-watt speakers in the palmrest and a 6-watt subwoofer in the base. The colossal 17.3-inch HD+ 16:9 display is great for watching HD content, and includes a 2.0MP webcam. A few other items of interest: this is the first Studio laptop to feature a 1GB graphic solution, and also supports dual hard drives. And while the engineers were upgrading just about every possible feature, the designers were trimming it down, the result being the new Studio 17 is slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor. For $1,099 you get:

Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (1333 FSB/6MB L3 Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) - eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
250GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Slot load CD/DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW)
17.3-inch HD+ (1600x900) WLED display with built-in 2.0MP webcam
JBL-branded 2.1 audio solution with subwoofer
Full-size keyboard with separate keypad
9-cell Battery
Black Chainlink exterior color

While the Studio 17 is primarily a desktop replacement than can be moved from room to room, there are those who need a laptop that balances performance with portability, and so the Studio 15 will also include a Core i7 option. For $999 you get:

Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (1333 FSB/6MB L3 Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) - eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 1066MHz
250GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Slot load CD/DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW)
15.6-inch HD (1366x768) WLED display with built-in 2.0MP webcam
6-cell Battery
Black Chainlink exterior color

Of course you can put your own personal mark on a new Studio 17 or Studio 15 with a choice of color options ($40) or one of more than 200 original designs ($85) found at www.dell.com/designstudio.

Finally, we are also offering a Core i7 option on the award-winning Studio XPS 16, with a starting price of $1,249 and it should be available on dell.com by Thursday.

Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (1333 FSB/6MB L3 Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) - eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1067MHz
250GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Slot load CD/DVD Writer (DVD+/-RW)
15.6-inch HD+ (1600x900) edge-to-edge WLED display
Built-in 2.0MP webcam and facial recognition security software
7W audio solution with subwoofer
Full-size backlit keyboard
9-cell Battery
Obsidian Black high gloss finish exterior

The Studio 15 and Studio XPS 16 with Core i7 are available worldwide this week. The new Studio 17 is available in the U.S., Canada and Latin America now and expected to be available in the rest of the world next month.

What makes this processor family stand out is the fact that the appropriate number of cores kick into "turbo mode" as needed. (Warning -geek out section ahead). Here's how it was explained to me: If you are running a single-threaded application (word processing, web surfing) then a single core will ramp up to max "Turbo Boost" speed as needed. If, however, the application requires two or more threads, (Gaming, Photoshop, some Excel functions) then the appropriate number of cores ramp up to a higher speed, somewhere less that "max" but still enough to boost performance. Basically whatever you are doing, the processor will crank up the horsepower as needed to get things done, and then drop back down to a more battery-friendly level when you don't. There is no special action required, like fiddling in the BIOS or fussing with power management settings to make this happen, it's all done on the fly dynamically based on what the system needs at the time. If you want more insight on this, check out what the folks at Anandtech said about turbo mode in their Lynnfield review.

And let me end on this note - for those of you who are wondering if the new mobile Core i7 quad core processors are worth the additional coinage, following are some internal benchmarks hot off the line by the engineers in the performance lab. I think the results speak for themselves.

The Intel Core i7 720QM processor performs up to 151% faster than the Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300 processor.
The Intel Core i7 720QM processor (1.60GHz) performs up to 137% faster than the Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor.
The Intel Core i7 720QM processor (1.60GHz) performs up to 101% faster than the Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor.
The Intel Core i7 720QM processor (1.60GHz) performs up to 74% faster than the Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor.

(Fine Print: Based on 3DMark Vantage CPU overall score results by Dell Labs in August 2009. Actual performance will vary based on configuration, usage, and manufacturing variability.)

So there you have it - three laptop options that can handle the needs and deeds of any multi-media or entertainment enthusiast and one gaming laptop to rule them all. Fasten your seatbelts!

More Alienware Products Coming Soon

ALIENWARE-Winnie W — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

This must be what it feels like to give birth. I personally have not given birth to a human, but I do feel I’ve given birth to past Alienware products and am really excited about the new products joining the family very soon. I’ve been seeing and hearing some amazing things about these units – not just performance-wise but the design mixed with functionality makes me proud to be part of this ever-loved brand culture. We did some really exciting things to support the M17x launch back in June with the all powerful campaign and we are continuing to message our upcoming launch. With the support of some interesting teasers images and a three-part video teaser, the mystery and lure of the Alienware’s brand continues. Below is the latest video, check out the Alienware YouTube channel for others.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

All the rumors and speculations will roll up to the big fireworks launch at the Tokyo Game show. At our booth we will showcase our entire new product line, with all the systems playing the latest PC games. There will be gaming tournaments on site, giveaways for our fans and a special promo they are running at the show to where customers can get a free Alienware TactX headset. For all of those die-hard Alienware fans, follow our Facebook page, we will have show updates including video, pictures and coverage from IGN.com and Gamespot.com. It’s going to get rowdy but in a good way. Stay tuned.

Dell Chooses Shanghai for First Flagship Experience Store in China

DELL-Michael Y — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Dell began selling in retail stores in late 2007. Now we have more than 43,000 points of sale all over the world. China represents about 20% of that total with more than 6,000 retail locations across the country selling Dell laptops, netbooks and PCs. Today we opened the first Experience store in Shanghai, China.

Our consumer business leaders are focused on exploring new ways to reach consumers, listen to them and respond to their needs with new products and services. It’s part of a drive to create a 360-degree customer experience and retail stores are an important channel for Dell to deliver on that customer promise.

Design and personalization are at the core of our DNA. Our new store provides a single location where our consumers can truly discover, try and buy Dell products and enjoy the fun of self expression. The Dell Experience store showcases the entire Dell consumer product portfolio and delivers “over-the-counter personalization”, allowing customers to design every aspect of their PC. The 205-square-meter store features five interactive brand experience stations, including a dedicated zone for small and medium-sized business customers.

We introduced the Adamo into China in March. This brand represents the very finest in craftsmanship and materials science and has turned into a hot topic with local lifestyle media.

Gamers can test their competitive skills on Alienware M17x in our Alienware zone. Alienware invaded China this summer and quickly became a hit with gaming enthusiasts. They may soon see new Alienware laptops, desktops, monitors and accessories launched here and there is no better place then the Dell experience store to get a hands-on demo of what real power means to gamers.

Our new Mini 10 netbooks are displayed in our Lifestyle zone. We’ve embedded, China Mobile 3G technology into our smallest, lightest and most colorful-designed laptops Dell has ever produced.

The last zone is where consumers can work with our professional sales team to build their own Dell. The Build-to-Order bar has a 6-meter wide video wall that shows all the choices available to you. You can design and personalize your own Dell at our BTO bar and have the most the most personalized PC on the planet made just for you.

The new Dell Experience Store is located on the first floor of the newly opened Buynow II electronics center at Cao Xi Road and Zhao Jia Bang Road. Our partner, Buy Now, was founded in 1998 and has become one of the most prominent IT malls in China. Now there are 11 Buynow IT Malls, located in major cities in China. In the near future, Buynow will have at least 35 IT Malls in operation across China.

Shanghai now has become one of the hottest spot for tourists all over the world. If you have opportunity to visit Shanghai you are most welcome to drop by at our Experience Store.

Pick a Power-Sipping PC

Tod Arbogast — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

For those of you who haven’t heard, next week is Climate Week. Climate change, cap and trade, greenhouse gas emissions – there’s been a ton of talk on these topics this year as the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen grows ever closer.

The challenge is a big one. No question about that. But it’s important to remember that every one of us - in our homes, in our businesses - can do our small part to contribute to significant, important change. And the simplest thing we can do is use…less…electricity.

So in the spirit of Climate Week, I’m taking this opportunity to remind you of a news release Dell issued back in July of this year, when we announced our broadest line of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star 5.0 compliant desktops, workstations and portables ever. Nearly 60 (59) percent of our laptops and 63 percent of our desktop computers are now Energy Star 5.0-compliant. Additionally, almost all of our desktop computers, workstations and laptops consume less than 5 watts in a low-power mode – this exceeds current energy efficiency requirements set by the EPA.

Part of our commitment to the environment is providing customers with computer systems that make a minimal impact on the planet. So when choosing your next computer, consider more than just screen size, battery life, processor speed… Consider how much energy it will require to run over its lifetime. By choosing Energy Star 5.0 products, you choose minimize your carbon footprint. Each one of those choices can, and will, add up to equal real progress for our climate.

Learn more about Dell’s energy-efficiency efforts here.

Dell’s New Lynnfield Desktops—The Studio XPS 8000 and 9000

Lionel_Menchaca — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Sorry for the delay. Due to some technical difficultes with our registration database, I had to post this a little bit later than I wanted to. Folks who read sites like Anandtech and other enthusiast sites have known that Intel’s Lynnfield chipset and new Core family of processors were due to be introduced. Lynnfield and the new processors are here, and so is a pair of new desktops from Dell—the Studio XPS 8000 and 9000. Here’s a picture of both side by side:

The Studio XPS 8000 is a great option for the kind of user who needs performance and power without a massive full-size minitower. It is the smaller version of its big brother the Studio XPS 9000, which was formerly known as the XPS 435 desktop that I blogged about back in February. The Studio XPS 8000 stands at 16.1” tall and is 7.32 inches wide and weighs around 16.5 pounds.

Both machines are built for high-end performance, supporting the newest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. Whether you’re interested in using a PC to watch and record HD content, view and edit photos, listen to music or to edit your own HD videos, or playing games either machine is up to the task. Beyond that, it’s powerful enough to serve all that kind of content throughout the house.

The Studio XPS 8000 is available to customers in the United States today at a starting price of $799. It’s built on Intel’s P55 chipset, and it features the following:

Quad core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (specifically, the Core i5 750 and the Core i7 860 and 870 processors)
DDR3 memory (supports both 1066MHz and 1333MHz up to 16GB max)
ATI and NVIDIA graphics card options (ATI’s HD 3450; NVIDIA’s GT220, GTS240 and GTX260)
Up to two hard drives (capacities of 320GB, 500GB 640GB, 750GB 1TB and 1.5TB are all options)
8 USB ports (2 angled ports on top + 2 front + 4 back); 1Gb Ethernet adapter, 1 eSATA port in the back; 6-pin IEEE 1394a port in the back and more
Top-mounted power button, microphone and headphone connector

The power supply is 350W. The optional TV tuner allows you to watch and record over the air HD signals. The Studio XPS 8000 also supports up to two optical drives, including a 6x Blu-ray disc burner and 16x DVD+/-RW drive. The front-mounted 19-in-1 card reader supports all kinds of flash-based memory cards to make it easy to import photos and videos into the PC.

Speaking of videos, there’s also a pretty cool software option for both the Studio XPS 800 and 9000 desktops called MediaShow Espresso. It’s an application that speeds the video transcoding process (converting video from one format to another). In a nutshell, it uses the combined performance of your CPU and GPU to make converting videos a much quicker process. And regardless of what GPU solution you opt for, MediaShow Espresso has you covered since it works with NVIDIA’s CUDA technology and ATI’s stream technology. Extremetech posted an in-depth review of the transcoding software complete with tons of performance data. Bottom line, if you spend any amount of time converting videos to play on your Xbox 360, Sony PSP or PS3, iPhone or other devices, buying this software for an extra $20 is a no-brainer.

Note: Click on either of the photos in this post to see larger versions of these images. To see more photos of the XPS 8000, take a look at this set on Dell’s Official Flickr page.