The ASUS ROG G73Jh

Real gamers hate marketers’ lures. Those suits ambush gamers with branded drinks, razors, and PCs. Just create great products instead of selling extreme attitude and garish designs. The ASUS ROG G73Jh-A2 will impress the authentic gaming crowd as a strong laptop. But its high-end internals and neutral case will find appeal beyond the gaming-set target: Anyone looking for a big-screen portable should consider this model. While the G73Jh skimps on some media features–no Blu-ray player, for example–its nimble performance can make it your primary rig for anything from BioShock 2 to Adobe CS5.

The $1599 G73Jh swings hard in our benchmarking, rating an overall 89 in its performance score while rattling off 111 points in our WorldBench 6 test suite. An Intel Core i7 Q 720 running at 1.6GHz powers nearly any application, from content-creation to gaming. In the Unreal Tournament 3 test (at high-quality, 1024-by-768-resolution settings), the laptop pulled in an average of 92.5 frames per second; that shows enough power to keep any current title smooth.

We pushed the system further, testing the latest titles, including Just Cause 2 and Metro 2033. Both look and play great. With the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPU and a gigabyte of dedicated graphics RAM, it might be a while before some upcoming title causes this system to break a sweat.

The G73Jh feels like a solid laptop. At 8 pounds and with a huge footprint, you’re not going to tote this around without a toll to your chiropractor. But somehow, the PC feels more agile than its weight suggests, comfortably sitting on a your lap.

The big surface area lets the keyboard and touchpad stretch out. The laptop includes a full number pad, but those keys are slightly narrower than normal. The keyboard feels tight and responsive to typing, and the big wrist rest helps you stay comfortable. You even have enough room (barely) to use the included Razer Abyssus mouse directly on the wrist rest.

That simple two-button-and-scroll mouse includes high-speed modes to better track your movement. I didn’t notice any difference with those settings, but the pointer feels light and good in-hand overall. The track pad misses, however. While the big surface feels great for moving the cursor, it includes a teeter-totter button for left- and right-clicks. Push near the middle, and you’ll have to use a lot of pressure. Push directly in the center, and it won’t click at all.

The 17.3-inch, 1920-by-1080-pixel screen looks great in most situations. You can view multiple spreadsheets or get absorbed into games and movies. Text looks clean, and it shows off a bright range of color. Contrast is good, but it sometimes suffers under the slightly glossy surface; the laptop can handle a fairly bright room, but reflections can overpower the image near windows or outside. The screen also doesn’t tilt back quite far enough. You’ll probably never have a problem with its angle on a desk, but you might want it to lean a little further if it’s perched on your lap.

With a 1080p display, strong video processor, and target audience of gamers, the G73Jh begs for Blu-ray support. Unfortunately, that kind of drive didn’t make the cut. Instead, you get a DVD- and CD-burner. Hard disks fare batter, with this model including two 500GB drives in a RAID array.

Complete revire

Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor review

Intel BX80613i7980X Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor – 3.33GHz, LGA 1366, 6.4GT/s QPI, 12MB L3 Cache, Six Core, Hyper Threading, Gulftown, Retail CPU w/ Fan

Intel BX80613i7980X Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor
The most significant architectural change in the x86 architecture in 13 years, the Intel Core i7, just got better! Intel has completely reinvented their CPU design, removing the antiquated Front Side Bus and replacing it with the new Intel QuickPath Interconnect, delivering up to 6.4 GT/s. In addition to the the integrated Triple Channel DDR3 memory controller, Intel has added two additional cores to the new Gulftown-based Core i7 line. Located directly on the CPU die is 12MB L3 cache shared across all six cores means the CPU can do more without having to access the main memory, further increasing performance. Intel Hyperthreading Technology gives the allows this new Six Core CPU to process up to 12 threads at once while the Intel Turbo Boost Technology allows the CPU to shut off uneaded cores, increasing the frequency of the others from 3.33GHz to up to 3.60Ghz for lightning speed.

The Intel Core i7 processor is the latest in cutting edge processor technology for the desktop PC. Based on the new Intel Westmere 32nm microarchitecture, the Intel Core i7 processor delivers six complete execution cores within a single processor along with the rebirth of Intel HyperThreading Technology, delivering unprecedented performance and responsiveness in multi-threaded and multi-tasking business and home use environments and the ability to simultaneously process up to 12 separate threads.

The unprecedented performance of the Intel Core i7 processor is made possible by each of the six complete execution cores delivering the full power of Intel Westmere 32nm microarchitecture. More instructions can be carried out per clock cycle, shorter and wider pipelines execute commands more quickly, and improved bus lanes move data throughout the system faster. This six core, twelve thread processor represents Intel’s continued leadership and drive of multi-core processing and more parallel computing.

Doing More with Intel Six Core
The Intel Core i7 processor is at the center of today’s most interactive and content rich software experiences. The evolving set of threaded multi-media applications, including digital content creation, will shine as users are able to complete tasks faster. Game play can achieve even greater visualization and realism as tasks such as artificial intelligence (AI), physics, and rendering can be distributed across each of the six complete execution cores and run in parallel.

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God of War III Review

God Of War III sees cursed anti-hero Kratos, the fallen God Of War, finally getting his bloody revenge against the rest of the Greek gods. The last in the trilogy of action games is the first for the Sony PS3 – and lays out its key features early on.

Kratos opens the game ascending Mount Olympus on the back of a Titan; essentially a moving environment our anti-hero must cling to as he and it are assaulted by their mutual enemies. As opening sequences for games go, it doesn’t get more ludicrously over-the-top than God Of War III. And from there, the game turns it up a notch…

Very soon, Kratos is dividing his time between killing Greek gods in gigantic boss battles, wading through hordes of more standard soldiers with his swords-on-chains swinging every which way and, in the rare moments he’s not covered in gouts of red stuff, he’s solving huge environment puzzles by leaping, swinging and clambering around Olympus and the Titans clambering up it.

By the time the game is over, Kratos will have bathed in the blood of tens of thousands (at a guess) of enemies, brutally eviscerated a heap of gods and clambered up and down through the bowels of a huge mountain.

Along the way, he’ll have gathered up a slew of weapons (at least some of which, unlike previous games, do actually prove useful in different situations). It’s a fairly classic formula, followed closely – with you picking up new abilities or weapons regularly (and mostly after having just bested another god), to keep your interest levels up.

Full review MSN

Intel Core i5 review

It has been 10 months now since Intel unleashed its Nehalem architecture and we showed you the Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Extreme Edition. Not much has changed in the high-end sector during this timeframe, as Core i7 processors are still brutally fast and equally expensive.

The most affordable option debuted as the Core i7 920 at $280 and that is exactly how much it costs today. The Core i7 940 has been replaced by the 950, offering a small performance bump and the same ~$570 charge, while the flagship Core i7 965 Extreme Edition was superseded by the even more potent 975 Extreme Edition in the $1,000 price point.

Although the processor front has remained much the same, there is now a serious range of X58 motherboards on offer with more than fifty products available from half a dozen manufacturers. If you know where to look, it is possible to purchase one of these for as little as $170, with the more luxurious models costing upwards of $400.

Another big change has come with the decrease of DDR3 memory pricing. When we tested the Core i7 processors last November, a triple-channel 6GB kit would set you back at least $250, today you have to spend no more than $100. This means you can get yourself a Core i7 920 with motherboard and memory for under $600 today. And while this may sound like a killer deal to some, not everyone needs the processing power of Intel’s enthusiast-grade platform or is willing to pony up the money for it.

The Core i5 750 is the first release in a series of processors based on a mainstream version of the Core i7 platform. It is a quad-core part based on the "Lynnfield" architecture, fabricated using a 45nm process and will use a new LGA1156 platform. This new chip is set to cost just $199, it will operate at a healthy 2.66GHz and feature a whopping 8MB L3 cache, but no Hyper-Threading support will be present.

When we first heard about the upcoming release of a mainstream version of the Core i7 we were excited about the idea except for Intel’s decision of using multiple platforms. That said, the new LGA1156 socket will support a number of new Intel processors, including the Core i3 and Core i5 series. There will also be a range of Core i7 processors designed for the aforementioned socket.

In order to cut the cost of this processor and the LGA1156 platform, Intel has removed one of the memory controllers and replaced the high bandwidth QPI link with the slower DMI chip-to-chip interconnect.

Full Product Review

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 (T-Mobile)

T-Mobile teased us at CES 2009 by introducing the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 but denying us any details on availability date and pricing. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait too long as the carrier has released the final details and has given us our own review unit.

In short, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a solid addition to T-Mobile’s smartphone lineup and one of the company’s top offerings, in our opinion. It replaces the Curve 8300 series, and brings several notable improvements, including a sleeker design that’s bolstered by a more solid construction and an amazingly sharp display, a faster processor, a full HTML Web browser, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It also has integrated Wi-Fi with UMA support so you can make unlimited calls over a Wi-Fi network. However, our one big disappointment is the lack of 3G support. It’s a feature that could really have given the 8900 an edge over its competition.

Despite this omission and some other minor issues, we would absolutely recommend the BlackBerry Curve 8900. It’s a solid device that will appeal to both consumers and mobile professionals, offering a nice balance between work and play and all wrapped up in a sweet little package. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is available now through B2B sales and will be in retail stores nationwide starting February 11 for $199 with a two-year contract.

Design
The RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 holds the distinction (though who knows for how long) as being the thinnest full QWERTY BlackBerry to date. The smartphone measures 4.2 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighs 3.8 ounces compared with the BlackBerry Curve 8320, which comes it at 4.2 inches high by 2.4 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick and 3.9 ounces. It feels comfortable to use a both a phone and messaging device and fit into a pants pocket. We do appreciate the Curve 8900′s sleek profile but even more than that, we’re fans of the phone’s more solid construction. Though the phone’s body is still made of plastic, RIM used different finishes and paint applications to make the handset more durable and you can notice the difference as soon as you pick it up. Our only complaint would be that the battery cover can sometimes shift a little.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 offers a sleeker and more solid design compared with the Curve 8300 series.

Also, while style is subjective, we have to say we dig the look of the Curve 8900 over the previous Curve 8300 series. It has tapered edges like the BlackBerry Storm and the metallic paint gives the 8900 a fresh, modern. It’s a lot less corporate and masculine looking than the BlackBerry Bold, so it should appeal to a wide variety of users.

Full Review