Archive for January, 2010

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks you probably haven’t missed Apple’s iPad annoucement. This image was taken from a Wired hands on article. Make no bones about it, the iPad is a d is a 9.7-inch, 1.5 pound wonder! Initial impresssions are that it’s easy to use, the screen is beautiful (1024 by 768 resolution), and very responsive (1GHz custome cpu). It doesn’t come with a physical keyboard; you’ll have to buy that as a seperate optional acccesory. The iPad will be released sometime this spring. Read More About the iPad

We want to create the highest level of interativity among our growing community. The newest feature we’ve just implemented at BuyaPC.org is our forums. Take a quick peek over there now! Feel free to start a topic, participate in a discussion, and give us your feedback. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.

As we implement new features and improve BuyaPC.org, our goal remains the same: to introduce to you the top reviewed laptops, netbooks and desktops out there in today’s market.

The forums will be reorganized for greatest simplicity as things evolve. Enjoy.

HP has, with moderate success, plunged into the so called “Ultra Thin” laptop category with their DM3-1030US. This system has a slower CPU that makes it best used for everyday simplistic computing. The processor is actually the AMD’s newest creation (Athlon Neo X2 Dual Core) running at 1.6GHz. The machine comes with a 320GB hard drive, 4GB of DDR 2 RAM, and a 13.3-inch LCD screen (1366 x 768 resolution). Of course it’s got wireless g/n, WLAN, and Bluetooth, and a 5-in-1 digital media reader.

When you break it down to the bare essentials, the DM3-1030US pro’s and con’s are about even. On the good side the battery lasts about 5 hours, the system can has enough power to play high def movies, the keyboard works well, and the system has a sleek design. On the bad side PC Mag reveals that AMD’s processing power is substantially weaker compared to Intel Dual Core machines. The toughpad is a serious failure according to Wired; its glossy surface is very hard to use. The laptop weighs 4.2 pounds – pretty heavy for an Ultra Thin!

You can find the HP DM3-1030US priced $609.95 at B&H Photo, $614.95 at Amazon, and $649.99 at ClubMac.

If you’re attracted to the long battery life but are turned off by the negatives consider Toshiba’s T135-S1309. It’s an 8 hour Ultra thin machine that has Intel Dual Core processing power. Here’s the full review on CNET.

In today’s vast world of desktops perfection can be hard to find…unless you’re looking at the Apple iMac 27-Inch. Touted as the MB952LL/A, this All in One blows away the competition in terms of style, performance, and reliability. Everybody knows that with Macs “you get what you pay for.” Even though a similar PC desktop costs $500 less, Mac users aren’t afraid to shell out cash for a system with upper end components and greater reliability. $1,694 gets you a beautiful 27-inch LED display, a robust 3.06GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 1TB Hard Drive running at 7200 rpm. The ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card delivers above average multitasking and good 3D gaming performance. Interesting additions with this new iMac are the ultra thin wireless keyboard and multi-touch Magic mouse.

The MB952LL/A is priced at $1,694 at Amazon. You can see this 27-incher iMac in all its glory at Apple’s website. See the 27-inch iMac

MSI’s X340-021US is a cheap Apple Macbook Air knockoff. Designed for  everyday basic computing, this machine is an an average ultra thin laptop that brings to the table striking positives as well as major negatives.

On the good side the X340-021US has 3 USB ports, a removable battery, an easy to read 13.4-inch screen, thin less than 1″ width, and 2.9lb light weight.  On the bad side there a serious negatives: the 1.4Ghz processor is only single core (vs today’s dual core speeds), it’s flimsy keyboard feels mushy and cheap, and the battery life is only 3-4 hours. This PCMAG review calls the X340-021US ”your man’s Macbook Air” because it’s made more cheaply than the Apple original. A quick dig into these Newegg user reviews reveals that this system is average.

Find the MSI X340US priced $579.99 at ZipZoomFly. It’s priced $645.99 and $649.99 at The Nerds.net and Newegg.

If you’re scouting for a laptop with enough power to play today’s games, enough battery strength to last 2-3 hours, and a large LCD consider the Acer Aspire AS8735G-6502. This quality laptop was built for the mobile gamer in mind! It comes with 2.2Ghz of CPU power, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB SATA Hard Drive. The 18.4″ Widescreen LCD screen delivers excellent clarity for games and movies. From a graphics perspective, the NVIDIA Geforce CT 240M Video card packs mid to high level of gaming performance. The AS8735G-6502 comes with a DVD Super Multi Optical Drive, 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N wireless, 8-cell Li-ion Battery, and Windows 7 64 Bit. The machine weighs in just over 9 pounds.

Newegg has the AS8735G-6502 on sale for $799.99 this week. Read the rest of this entry »

Velocity Micro has produced a highly capable mid range gaming desktop with their Micro Edge Z30. This $1,349 system has strong and stable performance and high build quality. The system features a Core i7 860 chip CPU overclocked at 3.2GHz, 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 1TB 7,200 rpm hard drive, and a 896MB Nvidia GeForce GTX video card. The machine comes with a second graphics slot which isn’t standard at the $1,300 price range.

Checkout this CNET review. They love the compact profile case, the expansion options, and lower power consumption scores. The biggest surprise is that Z30’s CPU outpaces systems from Asus and Maingear in at the $1,349  price. The Nvidia video card has enough power - Far Cry 2 runs at 60fps. The bottom line with this system is that you get the power of a $6,500 Alienware system with a budget of less than $1,400.

Note: Read our full review of the Gateway SX2800-01 here.

If you’re scouting for a fast & inexpensive desktop for your home or office consider the Gateway SX2800-01. The best aspect about this PC is the price for the overall power – for $500 you get an system that has Intel Quad Core CPU, 4GB RAM, and a respectful 640GB  Hard drive. The SX2800 is all contained with a slim tower design that’s only 4″ thick. Excellent.

This CNet Video explains that the SX2800-01 offers a strong combination of performance and features all wrapped up in thin pc design. Cnet recommends this system to those hunting for a fast and affordable desktop for the home office, the living room, or anywhere in between.