Computex 2007: Hit the Road Jack!
by Gary Key and Jarred Walton on June 6, 2007 6:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
MSI
MSI follows ASUS in now offering overclocking support on one of their notebooks. The GX600 (MS-163A) features "Turbo" technology that will overclock the front side bus by 20%. Unlike the ASUS offering, however, MSI uses a standard mobile Core 2 Duo processor. They were demonstrating a T7200 overclocked to 2.4 GHz. The laptop also comes with GeForce 8600M GT 512MB graphics, 15.4" LCD, a webcam, a numeric keypad, and eSATA support. This was one of our favorite notebooks at the show after spending some additional hands-on time with it.
The GX700 (MS-1719) appears to be the big brother of the GX600, and it comes with a 17" LCD. It includes integrated 4.1 speakers, an optional integrated TV tuner, and HDMI output. Unfortunately, it appears to lack the overclocking functionality, but it does include a webcam and the same GeForce 8600M GT 512MB graphics.
The external appearance of the GX710 (MS-171A) is nearly identical to the GX700, but inside the two are very different beasts. Like the GX700, the GX710 is based on a 17" chassis and includes 4.1 speakers, an optional TV tuner, and HDMI output. The big difference? The GX710 is a Turion X2 platform with a Radeon Mobility HD 2600 HyperMemory graphics chip. As we have not yet been able to test Radeon HD 2600 cards, we can't say whether the HD 2600 can outperform the GeForce 8600, but we will hopefully be able to answer that question in the not-too-distant future.
MSI was also showing their PR210 (MS-1222) laptop, a 12.1" ultraportable with integrated Radeon Xpress 1270 graphics. It also includes a TPM support and a fingerprint scanner, HDMI output, and a 1.3M webcam.
Day 2 Wrap-up
We focused on notebooks today, but there are other trends that we're seeing. Larger power supplies, for example, are commonplace. The Gigabyte power supplies shown above also include software that allows monitoring of the PSU load, temperatures, and fan speed.
Having trouble figuring out what sort of system would require a 1200W power supply? Hopefully we'll be able to provide some answers by the end of the week. Needless to say, quad core processors with HD 2900 XT CrossFire or GeForce 8800 GTX SLI can certainly draw a lot of power, and with octal core computers like Intel's V8 and the upcoming Barcelona 2S systems, perhaps 1200W isn't entirely overkill? Just make sure that your house's wiring is up to snuff! Stay tuned for continuing coverage from Computex 2007.
MSI follows ASUS in now offering overclocking support on one of their notebooks. The GX600 (MS-163A) features "Turbo" technology that will overclock the front side bus by 20%. Unlike the ASUS offering, however, MSI uses a standard mobile Core 2 Duo processor. They were demonstrating a T7200 overclocked to 2.4 GHz. The laptop also comes with GeForce 8600M GT 512MB graphics, 15.4" LCD, a webcam, a numeric keypad, and eSATA support. This was one of our favorite notebooks at the show after spending some additional hands-on time with it.
The GX700 (MS-1719) appears to be the big brother of the GX600, and it comes with a 17" LCD. It includes integrated 4.1 speakers, an optional integrated TV tuner, and HDMI output. Unfortunately, it appears to lack the overclocking functionality, but it does include a webcam and the same GeForce 8600M GT 512MB graphics.
The external appearance of the GX710 (MS-171A) is nearly identical to the GX700, but inside the two are very different beasts. Like the GX700, the GX710 is based on a 17" chassis and includes 4.1 speakers, an optional TV tuner, and HDMI output. The big difference? The GX710 is a Turion X2 platform with a Radeon Mobility HD 2600 HyperMemory graphics chip. As we have not yet been able to test Radeon HD 2600 cards, we can't say whether the HD 2600 can outperform the GeForce 8600, but we will hopefully be able to answer that question in the not-too-distant future.
MSI was also showing their PR210 (MS-1222) laptop, a 12.1" ultraportable with integrated Radeon Xpress 1270 graphics. It also includes a TPM support and a fingerprint scanner, HDMI output, and a 1.3M webcam.
Day 2 Wrap-up
We focused on notebooks today, but there are other trends that we're seeing. Larger power supplies, for example, are commonplace. The Gigabyte power supplies shown above also include software that allows monitoring of the PSU load, temperatures, and fan speed.
Having trouble figuring out what sort of system would require a 1200W power supply? Hopefully we'll be able to provide some answers by the end of the week. Needless to say, quad core processors with HD 2900 XT CrossFire or GeForce 8800 GTX SLI can certainly draw a lot of power, and with octal core computers like Intel's V8 and the upcoming Barcelona 2S systems, perhaps 1200W isn't entirely overkill? Just make sure that your house's wiring is up to snuff! Stay tuned for continuing coverage from Computex 2007.
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abakshi - Sunday, June 10, 2007 - link
Their secret is ineffective cooling. Most PC laptops won't burn you if you touch them, whereas MacBook Pros tend to get very hot, even if left idle. And not just on the bottom, but also in the keyboard / wrist area.There just isn't enough airflow inside the MBP's to properly channel the heat, and vents are apparently against Apple's design philosophy, so basically it's a form vs. function issue.
kleinwl - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - link
That is almost maxing out a 15A circuit (120V). @ 80% efficency, that draws 1500 watts from the wall... or 12.5A. Considering that other stuff, such as printers/monitors/lights, are on the same circuit isn't that a little much? Sure, if you have dedicated circuits, or 20A wiring.. no prob... but I don't know about having to rewire my house (or at least add a circuit) just to run the latest computer.So when are we going to see these PSUs accepting a 240V connection?
yyrkoon - Thursday, June 7, 2007 - link
Just because a PSU is CAPABLE of delievering 1200W does not mean your system is USING 1200W. This is a common misconception . . .PS: all our circuts are 30A here, but then again we do not JUST use a computer on our circuts, we use COMPUTERS.
JarredWalton - Thursday, June 7, 2007 - link
Most of my circuits are 20A and a few (like the one for the TV area and two bedrooms) is 30A. That said, I've got five systems on one 20A circuit... and when I swapped out a lesser model for a quad core overclocked QX6800 SLI PC, I tripped the circuit breaker a few times. Had to shut down one of the other PCs to keep it from happening.Also as an aside, my vacuum cleaner sucks down around 1250W when running. I have to shut off most of the PCs on that circuit to keep it from tripping while vacuuming. Fun stuff!
Calin - Thursday, June 7, 2007 - link
The ones made for Europe works on 220/230V. As such, taking juice from a 240V line is a perfectly normal working conditionsdsdv10 - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - link
Where there any Santa Rosa Tablet PCs featured?JackPack - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - link
I wonder if the MSI notebook with "Turbo" technology also supports Intel Dynamic Acceleration like other new Merom-based notebooks. IDA temporarily overclocks one core by 200 MHz when it encounters single-threaded code.If so, that would be one heck of a notebook.
xsilver - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - link
hey what computer was being powered by that gigabyte power supply in that last pic?it says peak of 113w --
Brunnis - Thursday, June 7, 2007 - link
Well, that's about what my E6600 @ 3GHz, 4GB RAM and 7900GS pulls when idle. Nothing strange with that. Also, my Athlon64 3500+ with 2GB RAM and a 6500TC pulled about 75W from the PSU.