Future Designer laptop – ROLLTOP //Diploma Thesis//

The device of the flexible display allows a new concept in notebook design growing out of the traditional bookformed laptop into unfurling and convolving portable computer.
By virtue of the OLED-Display technology and a multi touch screen the utility of a laptop computer with its weight of a mini-notebook and screen size of 13 inch easily transforms into the graphics tablet, which with its 17-inch flat screen can be also used as a primary monitor.
On top of everything else all computer utilities from power supply through the holding belt to an interactive pen are integrated in Rolltop. This is really an all-in-one gadget.
Support by Schlagheck-Design

Is Intel Or AMD CPU Better?

Are Intel or AMD processors better? This is one of the most popular questions asked by people buying a new computer. It's no wonder that choosing the best CPU might seem like a complicated process. You can't tell which one is faster by simply looking at the clock rate (raw GHz) anymore! A quad core processor won't necessarily be faster than a dual core one, either. How can you know which CPU will have the best performance then?

About 10 years ago, things were more simple. The "MHz wars" between AMD and Intel were in full swing, and a consumer knew that the CPU with a higher clock speed would be the faster one. It all changed, however, with the release of Intel Pentium 4 and AMD's answer to that, the Athlon XP. The two processors had vastly different microarchitectures which meant that the P4 could achieve much higher clock speeds, even though Athlon XP was usually significantly faster on a per-MHz basis.

For example, a 1.8 GHz Athlon XP could easily outperform 1.8 GHz (and sometimes even higher) Pentium 4. AMD was losing buyers due to their supposedly "slower" CPUs - which in reality were faster, even though they had lower clock rate. They decided to start using a Performance Rating system to compare the processor speed instead of advertising the raw MHz. Funnily enough, Intel soon hit the limit on the P4 architecture and followed AMD's example. Nowadays all CPUs use some form of PR system as a performance measure.

New Intel 3 Chip Makes For Quality Life

The new Intel 3 chip is out. This is the newest chip in the world of Intel computer processors. This is going to be a chip that will be used to power some of the world's fastest and most powerful computers and will be used to help make a computer more efficient. Now that the new Intel 3 chip is out let's take a look at all of the different things that will work with this new chip.

The reason why the Intel 3 chip has the three in its name is that the speed and strength of the chip is incredibly powerful at three gigahertz or higher. This is one of the strongest chips that is available on the market and will be impressive for high end products in terms of how well they will work on a computer.

One of the best things about the Intel 3 chip is how it performs in certain display technologies. Image technology is one of the newest technologies in computers, and the new Intel 3 chip works very well with this technology. It also performs incredibly well in integrated illustration display.

The audio quality of the programs that are run with the Intel 3 chip is impressive. 7.1 channels of ambient sound can be produced on programs that are run with the Intel 3 chip. This is the best sound technology that is available on the market and it can make computers that run with the Intel 3 chip work like a home theater system with its unbelievable sound quality.

One of the most notable things to see now that the new Intel 3 chip is out is that the chip supports HDMI technology. This is High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology. It works to transmit fully uncompressed video and audio streams in high definition quality. This is found to be one of the newest technologies and is expected to replace coaxial cable based technologies in the 

In View of Intel's 2010 Laptop Computers

The latest laptop models have ensnared the interests of the many notebook fanatics as the year 2010 commenced. One of these interesting models is manifested by Intel's 2010 laptop computer innovation.

Introducing Intel's Arrandale Chip: Promising great news on the processors obverse is the potential released of the company's mobile translation of the Westmere line - the dual-core 32nm. Such chip seizes 2 cores, which would be capable of supporting 4 threads. This is made possible by the company with the chip's hyper-threading attribute. This attribute is one of the components of Intel's very own platform known as the Calpella, which supported a five-series chipset.

Prospect brands for the Arrandale would be dubbed as Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 trademarks. Each of these brands may differ in terms of available cache amount and turbo boosting capacity of each chip.

What more to expect from the Arrandale chip? A common user's perception about latest brands or product released is the integration of newly added advanced features and functionality. As for Intel's Arrandale, is the inclusion of a 45nm graphics die, likewise, is a 32nm die for processor. This is somehow contrary to AMD's and other laptop's embedded graphics system, which obviously is much more faster than Intel's.

The Clarksfield Chip:Nevertheless, Intel business continues to find ways to level with or even surpass AMD's laptop innovation. Evident of this effort is the release of the Clarksfield chip. It is so far, the most recent chip that is described as an 8-thread chip, also known as quad-core. This then will fall under the Core i7 brand category, which still belongs to the Cappella OS.

Acer Aspire AS5251 Laptop Review - A Sub $400 Laptop

Acer has recently skyrocketed in the list of the best selling laptops with their Acer Aspire AS5251. At under $400, the price cannot be beat. But does this inexpensive laptop pack enough punch to be considered among the best?

Of course, what first interests us about this AS5251 Acer laptop is the price. We are accustomed to seeing the top rated netbook come in at prices around $400, but not laptops. Laptops, typically, do not have the compromises and concessions that we find on netbooks. These compromises are found in the form of limited memory, smaller hard drives, less-powerful processors, and much smaller laptop screens.

So, let's look at what, if any, compromises that Acer had to make to deliver us this AS5251 laptop under $400 (the current asking price is $379 at many locations).

The first thing that I noticed when I received this laptop was the look and feel of the machine. It's quite similar to the ASUS UL80Vt-A1, which I currently rate as the best price/performance laptop on the market today. The machine is black and comes with a 15.6-inch widescreen laptop monitor that provides solid quality with a built web cam, easily enabling you to video-chat with all of your friends.

Intel's Main Advantage - Speed of Having New Products

Intel China Research Center is working on Model-based Computing to optimize the use of its multi core microprocessor technology. Hint, Microsoft is currently looking closer into virtualization software. It seems that virtualization it's more related to server technology. The virtualization strategy combined with utility computing that uses virtual machines, & the third most important factor; the multi core chip's scalability, performance & power efficiency to reach high levels of work load consolidation in data centers.

Tera-scale computers which are based on 10 to 100s of integrated processor cores perform 3 workloads in Model based computing: "Recognition object or pattern in a database, data mining (source the data base to find identical objects or related patterns that match the target object), & information synthesis (you mine out data, different patterns & objects, put together in a way that user can digest; user can derive useful solutions)" quoted from Vived De; fellow of Intel.

Let us briefly compare side by side, the main offerings from both Intel & AMD quad core microprocessors. You can see that AMD's strategy is taking the competitors weakness as its strength. AMD keeps mentioning about its superior 2mb L3 cache; touted as better than any of its competitors while Intel is in a competition with its own past achievements. Intel is staying away from a head to head "chicken play" with AMD by producing new products much faster than its nearest competitors even though it misses a few innovative hits like a new L3 cache.

Dell Alienware M11x Review

Dell announces a new thin and light weighted laptop for those people who want to love playing games on the laptop. This is truly a great machine which is available in hand for gamers. The 11.6 inch screen display with powerful graphics and powerful processor gives a wonderful playing experience. The Dell Alienware M11x was first introduced in Consumer Electronics Show 2010 at Las Vegas. This product is developed by Alienware which is a daughter company of Dell. The main motto behind manufacturing of this product is to get rid out of those bulky gaming PC's and to provide the customer portable laptop so that they can have fun anywhere they want.

Specifications:-

* Up to Intel

® Core™2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz, 800 MHz, 3 MB)

* 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M
* 11.6″ edge-to-edge LCD
* Up to 8GB DDR33 1066MHz
* Up to 500GB4 7200RPM or 256GB Solid State Drive
* Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate (64-bit)
* 802.11 b/g/n & Optional Internal WWAN
* HDMI / VGA / 3 USB / Media Card Reader / FireWire
* Battery Life: Up to 6.5 Hours of Battery Life Processor

The Intel Core I5 Processor Boasts of a New Level of Intelligent Performance

The Intel Core i5 Processor boasts of "a new level of intelligent performance" that keeps up with the demands of popular applications and new software. It was first launched in September 2009. In 2010, new variations of this processor were added to the Core i5 series.

The key performance features of this processor are its energy efficient system and the increased speed allocation for demanding tasks.

The following features can be expected to deliver an overall top performance for desktop computers:

* A 35nm dual-core processor in one package, with each core capable of performing two tasks simultaneously for efficient multitasking.

* Intel Turbo Boost Technology enables the system to boost up the processing speed, and allocate it wherever needed, or as required by the applications being used.

* Intel Hyper Threading Technology with 4 processing threads transmits data and commands faster, minimizing latency period.

* Intel Smart Cache of up to 8 MB allows for swift data access.

* Intel HD Graphics gives excellent monitor output. Rich color display and sharp images are brought into clearer focus. This makes high-definition videos play smoothly, and high-quality photos can be viewed and edited at their best. It also provides life-like audio quality. This feature is only available, however, in the Intel Core i5-600 series. This makes online and PC gaming, as well as photo editing a lag-free user experience.

* 2 channel DDR3 1333 MHz memory enabled by an Integrated Memory Controller provide a higher memory bandwidth for applications dealing with massive data inputs.

* Intel Virtualization Technology, Thermal Solution (for boxed processors) and TXT (Trusted Execution Technology)

New Intel Core I7 Powered Laptops Increase Productivity 100%

Companies like Dell and HP didn't waste time releasing the prices for notebooks equipped with Intel Core i7 chips. More companies are soon to follow in there footsteps. Hopefully in a few years Core i7 will be the new standard for notebooks like Core 2 Duo has become.

The technology behind the new quad core cpu's from Intel is groundbreaking and very efficient. The speeds of the new class of processors has made Core i7 mobile processors the fastest chips you can get for notebooks. The chips main functions that make them so great are the multi-threading and turbo mode that really put this processor above the rest.

The multi-threading capabilities help PC users run multi-threaded applications with ease using Intel advanced hyper threading technology. If you want an  example you can do multiple things at once faster than you've ever been able to on any other laptop computer before. Video games, Editing video, pictures or 3-D rendering will work flawlessly, it would be like using a high powered desktop.

Another great feature is the turbo mode which allows the processor speed to be increased and decreased by itself based on how much power you need. To give you an example the stock clock speed for a Intel Core i7 920XM is 2.0GHz but in turbo mode the power can be boosted to 3.2GHz. The turbo mode is the one feature out of all this processor offers that will be the biggest boost to performance for most people out there who do power demanding work on there laptops.

This new processing technology has one drawback the power consumption of the battery gives you an average battery life of around 46 minutes. But I guarantee that will be the best 46 minutes of your computing life. The technology is really only for those who are looking for a desktop replacement. The screen sizes for the laptops that have these chips averages at about 16 inches and goes up to 18 inches. 

Intel Core I3 Processor

This processor is one of the newest from Intel. This was launched just recently in January 2010 as the first level of a new processor family to succeed the Core 2 brand. This is the Nehalem Micro architecture-based processors, with the two others being the Core i7 and Core i5.

Intel core i3 is a 32nm dual-core processor which enables multitasking. Each independent core is capable of completing two tasks at the same time, running on core speeds of 2.93 GHz and 3.06 GHz. Simultaneous run of multiple applications is made possible by its Intel Hyper-Threading Technology. It has four processing threads, two lines for each physical core, which ensure fast and efficient traffic of command signals to the cores.

Visual delivery is made excellent with the Intel HD Graphics video engine which delivers high-quality graphics and smooth, high-definition videos with sharp figures, clear color and audible audio output.

Other specifications and features of the core i3 are:

* 4 MB Intel Smart Cache

* A double channel with DDR3 1333 MHz memory each

* Clock speed of 2.13 GHz

* Graphics core frequency of 788 MHz

* Maximum memory size of 8 GB

* Maximum memory bandwidth of 17.1 GB per second

* Intel 5 series Express Chipset

* Contains an Integrated Memory Controller, thus the high memory bandwidth

* Contains Intel Virtualization Technology which limits downtime and maintains worker productivity

* Contains a Thermal Solution designed by Intel, which is a fan speed control technology that 

Xeon Comparison - Compare Chipset Specifications For the Most Popular Intel Processor Series

This is a Xeon comparison.

A Xeon microprocessor has its roots in AMD processors from the Dual Core processors, the P6-based systems and the Pentium II processor. It comes from Intel company and has a 64-bit multi-core, multi-thread ability. It is meant to be used in servers and workstations.

The Xeon comes with DCM software which is Data Center Management software. The competition includes the i7 also from Intel, with a 64-bit processor and four cores, that is nice for desktop PCs with multi-tasking efficiency, plus, it has the HD Boost technology which is great for gamers.

Large core processors such as those with 8-core assembly do not work with many games. Price wise, an i7 is more expensive than the Xeon except for the least units going up to $3,000 while the Xeon's prices are kept between $284 and $550-$560.

Intel processors of the Xeon family come equipped with differently sized caches, each having unique traits. The names of these Xeons are Intel Xeon Processor with 256K L2 Cache with voltage range of 1250V to 1400V ($75), Intel Xeon Processor with 512K L2 Cache, Intel Xeon Processor for 1U Rack Servers with 512K L2 Cache ($259), Intel Xeon Processor with 800 MHz System Bus and 1 or 2 MB L2 Cache ($350-$1,000) and finally the Intel Xeon Processor MP ($2,500) that uniquely supports multiprocessor server designs.

Desktop Computer Hard Drives

Desktop computer hard drives are the primary and largest form of storage on a computer. Vital software such as the operating system and application files are stored on computer hard drives. So is end user data ranging from desktop documents and digital images to music and video files. The disk drive is sometimes referred to as the 'C' drive, something that came about from the most widely used operating system Microsoft Windows that by default assigns the letter C to the main drive or partition on a computer.

Of course, it is not technically correct to use the 'C' drive to refer to the hard drive but the term is still widely used. A single hard drive can be partitioned into several logical drives allowing the end user and the system look at each partition as a somewhat independent disk. Desktop computer hard drives are some of the most in demand computer accessories and there are many electronics companies that manufacture disk disks. When looking for disk drives, the two aspects you must pay the most attention to are the size and speed.

Intel, is it in Your Computer?

Ever wonder where the parts inside your computer came from? Intel was formed in 1968 by founders Bill Noyce and Gordon Moore. This company has been providing computer manufacturers with internal parts for many years. Originally named NM Electronics, the company changed to Intel soon after forming.

The first 10 years of Intel's establishment proved to be very busy and eventful. Intels first product manufactured was the 3101 Schottky bi polar random access memory, along with the first ever, metal oxide semiconductor static RAM or otherwise known as 1101. Silicon chips were becoming very popular at this time, and Intel quickly became one of the leaders of manufacturing this product. Other products that Intel manufactured at this time were Integrated electronics, erasable ROM, global factories, expanding product lines, high level language developments for microprocessors, becoming part of one of the first PC's produced, "bunny suits", the 8080 microprocessor, and developing "bubble memory".

Intel chips to function in 1000 mph car by mc1b2650

Intel announced that its Atom processors will be an integral Bloodhound 1000 mph car project, and chips with engine control systems and display. 
Bloodhound project car aroused great interest from a conversation with the first 1000 mph car would inevitably give rise to huge amounts of emotion. 
Intel announced that its processors are a key element of Bloodhound, aid in the management of Typhoon fighter aircraft engine that drives the car. 
Netbook-as 
Intel CTO describes a new generation of portable computers

Integrated Graphics Intel DX11 "around the corner"

Intel McAfee transaction is more than just software

Tips Intel dual-core Atoms for netbooks
processors, similar to those used in netbooks that have been specifically designed for industrial and automotive, and were chosen for their energy saving and efficiency, explains Intels release. 
Three Atom chips will manage the calculations for a car hybrid propulsion systems? C, the largest hybrid rocket ever designed in Europe in the set, in which a jet engine fighter Typhoon aircraft. 
Because of the speed of the car will be going on, each processor will verify it and the other in order to ensure no errors. 

Test Nexoc Osiris E625 (Compal JHL90) Notebook by kimi

Das Nexoc Osiris E625 ist ein klassischer Vertreter der Multimedia - Allround - Notebook - Klasse. Das 15.4" Notebook bietet den schnellen Mittelklasse Grafikchip GeForce 9600M GT von Nvidia,(dell akku xps m1530 ) einen schnellen Core 2 Duo Prozessor von Intel (konfigurierbar) und eine schnelle 320 GB Festlatte (ebenfalls konfigurierbar). Ob das Gesamtpaket gefällt, erfahren Sie in diesem Testbericht.
<h2>Gehäuse</h2> Das Design des zugrunde liegenden Compal JHL90 kann als "bemüht" bezeichnet werden. (dell latitude d620 akku )Das Gehäuse wurde vollständig aus schwarzem Kunststoff gefertigt. Akzente sollen die Chromstreifen oberhalb der Tastatur und im Touchpad setzen. Der Displaydeckel wurde ausserdem mit einer Hochglanz-Metallic Lackierung überzogen, welche Fingerdrücke magisch anzieht. Bei den Handballenauflagen hat Compal den Kunststoff mit einer Lederstruktur versehen. Dies wirkt zwar bei weitem nicht so hochwertig wie echtes Leder (wie es z.B. Asus verbaut), jedoch besser als die glatten Kunststoffflächen auf der Unterseite.
Die Verarbeitung des Gehäuses ist eher mittelmäßig gut gelungen.(Akku Dell Vostro 1310 ) Die Spaltmaße sind etwas ungenau und die Abdeckklappen auf der Unterseite erzeugen bei vielen Bewegungen ein deutlich hörbares Knarzen. Außerdem gibt es noch weitere Teile die nicht ganz "klapperfest" montiert sind. Besonders der überstehende 9-Zellen Akku saß in unserem Testgerät sehr locker und klapperte lautstark. Trotzdem ist die Stabilität und subjektive Robustheit des Notebookgehäuses durchaus in Ordnung.
Um die Luftansaugung von unten immer zu gewährleisten,(Dell Akku Inspiron 1420 ) verbaute Compal relativ hohe Standfüße. Leider bohren sie die Hinteren bei der Benutzung am Schoß in die Oberschenkel. Dadurch sollte man stets die Beine keusch aneinaderpressen - von Klosterschwestern empfohlen!!!

What Gaming Laptop Should I Buy? by Titus Hoskins

What Gaming Laptop Should I Buy? This is a question which is often heard in online forums and on many tech sites, potential buyers want to know which gaming laptop they should purchase? Of course, the answer would depend upon many factors but perhaps the most overwhelming factor would have to be price.

While laptop prices have steadily fallen in recent years, gaming laptops can still command a costly sum, especially if you want a maxed out system with all the latest components. However, if you shop around for online coupons and bargains, you can get a half-decent gaming rig for under $1500 or even under $1000. But regardless of what price you pay, your gaming laptop must have certain features if you want to play the latest video games. 
A gaming notebook should have a good mid to high-end graphics card(s) or GPU with dedicated video memory, a fast processor(s) and plenty of RAM. Most gamers also look for a high resolution display capable of handling the latest HD 1080 images from a Blu-ray Optical Drive. Now if money is no object, many gamers go for a fully loaded gaming rig with multiple GPUs (connected by ATI CrossFire or Nvidia's SLI), quad processors and the largest display on the market. One of these fully loaded custom gaming rigs, such as those from Sager, Alienware, Rockdirect and Falcon Northwest, could put you back 4 or 5 grand.
That's the main reason many die-hard gamers suggest a laptop for gaming is a totally ridiculous idea. They cost too much, they over heat, they are too noisy and worst of all - they are very hard to upgrade. These gamers argue you can buy a powerful desktop gaming PC for much less and have money left over for a small portable laptop which you can take on your trips and outings.

Geeks On Site: Advice for Building Your Own Computer Part II by Erica K.

In part one of this series we explained different computer components and some things you should be familiar with before making any computer purchases or repairs. Now you know that the CPU (central processing unit) is the processor (or brain) of your computer, we want to divide processors into four groups based on capability and price: Obsolete Processors, Budget Processors, Mid-Range Processors, and High-End Processors, starting from the lowest capabilities/price to the highest respectively. Remember, these amounts are rough estimates only, contact the parts department at Geeks On Site, 888-360-GEEK (4335), and they will be happy to provide a more exact price.
1. Obsolete- This category of processor refers to processors that are five years old or more, and as such, we cannot recommend them. You might buy it if you are using your computer for nothing but writing in Word and general web browsing, and you are on an extremely tight budget. For anything more than the very basic processing you will need something with more processing capabilities, otherwise your computer will be operating at a snail's pace, or worse, you will not be able to run many of the applications used these days such as Windows XP. Nevertheless, if this is your only option then you might do some checking out of these brands: AMD Athlon, Intel Celeron, AMD Duron, Intel Pentium III, and Pentium 4. Approximate starting price: from $15.
2. Budget- The second category of processors is Budget Processors, which any real techie would call yesterday's news. At one time, the processors in this category were considered great quality, but with all the new and improved models out there, they are not so hot anymore, and therefore they cost less (which is a good thing for those budget-minded folks). These are fast enough for general applications (beyond Word), but still are not recommended for gamers and those who plan on editing videos. Some of the processors in this category are: AMD Athlon XP, AMD Sempron, Intel Celeron, and Intel Pentium 4. Approximate starting price from $50.

“The use of latest browser,” Microsoft said users of Chrome

 People who use Google Chrome for an impressive view of Microsoft's MSN Video Player will be encouraged to upgrade to the “newer browser. 
> MSN Video Player only recently emerged from beta, and added support for those who use Silverlight was applause. 
However, Chrome is not yet supported by Silverlight, users are more interesting reads it suggests that their browser is obsolete. 
Latest 
“To experience the best of MSN Video, which has to offer, we recommend newer browser, such as Internet Explorer 8 or Mozilla Firefox 3,” reads the message – displayed prominently at the top of the page. 
Some users Chrome TechRadar contacted to ask whether the message is a manifestation of a feud between Microsoft and Google, the Chrome browser is to raise a significant market share. 
, however, indications Microsoft is that it is all about Silverlight, Microsoft's rival to Adobe Flash. 
Silverlight 4 
In fact, the next version of Silverlight – Silverlight 4 – is in line with Chrome, and although no specific release date yet announced, release candidate was released in March. 
Of course, the message is similar to that of IE6 users will not see no will use Google services such as YouTube or Google Docs. 
and Microsoft recently stating that users who have moved away from IE was greater risk, war of words, in this case, the wording seems to be closed. 
TechRadar awaits comment from Microsoft on this story.....

Acer 532G is the first netbook with a dedicated graphics

 Acer takes HD video playback in netbooks seriously, the new netbook Aspire One 532G provides smooth playback of 1080p through the HDMI port. 
Acer netbook is boasting that YouTube can handle HD video playback and a high resolution with Facebook without problems, while mainstream games and 3D computing should be no problems with. 
under video is courtesy of Ion upgraded Nvidia platform, which now makes use of the Technology recently announced Optimus . 
Optimus skating 
This allows the 532G to switch between integrated or dedicated graphics processor on the fly, which means simply browsing the web can get 10 hours per batteries, but faster GPU starts automatically when you start playing HD movies and games. 
Nvidia discrete mid-Ion solution offers 512 MB of graphics memory and support for CUDA some advanced applications, which means that the netbook would be more useful for tasks such as video editing and encoding than Intel Atom N450 can reveal. 
Acer Aspire One 532G also has WiFi, HD 10-inch LED-backlit display and optional 3G connectivity, while the whole package weighs 1 kg and watches every 1-inch thick. 
Acer has also announced that it will introduce netbooks powered by the Android operating system in order to ensure rapid access to the Internet and simple utility. 

AMD vs Nvidia: Who makes the best graphics cards

 PC vs Mac. Microsoft vs. Google. Intel vs. AMD. There is no shortage of historic rivalries in the tech industry. But the Royal Rumble between ATI and Nvidia to the dominance of 3D graphics is one of the heaviest lot. 

You can argue the contest is really between AMD and Nvidia. After all, AMD's ATI graphics of live Canadian outfit in 2006. For now, however, life on the brand as ATI graphics division of AMD. 
More importantly, it can be a piece of history, ATI and Nvidia are very closely linked. Both started as specialists in PC graphics, and the company took a non-PC platforms, such as gaming consoles, mobile phones and set-top boxes. 
Last takeover by AMD ATI seems to be set to a very different paths to the future of NVIDIA. But let's start from the memories of a few of our favorite Nvidia vs. ATI fisticuffs from the past before taking a look at their current offerings. 
RIVA and 
beginning in the computer graphics 3D card I saw on the Nvidia Riva TNT2 and ATI Rage 128 and Rage 128 taken But it was Nvidia, who announced a modern GPU or Graphics Processing Unit of the powerful GeForce 256 in 1999. This was the first graphics chip with Hardware Transform and lighting capabilities. And quickly. Damn fast. 
ATI responded in 2000 with a Radeon graphics card. Since then, successive generations of GeForce and Radeon are another jump in the race for dominance of the graphics. Nvidia was the beginning of the benefits of the GeForce, GeForce 2, GeForce 3 and GeForce 4 series probably having an advantage over ATI Radeon, Radeon 7500 and Radeon 8500th 

But in 2002 the tables turned out awesome ATI Radeon 9700 Pro. The first fully programmable GPU shaders, 9700 Pro was much stronger than before the format. It lasted until the beginning of 2003, Nvidia GeForce response to ill-fated 5800 Ultra GPU, which never lived up to expectations. 
NVIDIA returned to form a year later with its GeForce 6800th Tit for tat was made from ATI or Nvidia, or to achieve a distinct advantage. It was during this period, Nvidia has introduced a revolutionary technology for multi-GPU SLI and ATI Crossfire platform follower responded. Is there really was nothing to separate them.

10 best graphics cards under £100

There's a golden rule for building a cheap PC: never spend more than £100 on a single component. Of course, the graphics card is the most essential piece of equipment if you're building a gaming rig, but you needn't break the bank to get something capable of running the latest games.

In fact, the PC games market has plateaued as we wait for the low-powered console boys to catch up. This means that you don't have to spend a small fortune to get a graphics card capable of outpowering consoles by an order of magnitude.

We've rounded up 10 of the best sub-£100 cards ordered by price. And even if you've decided which side of the AMD/Nvidia battle you want to take, there's a lot of choice.

1. AMD Radeon HD 5450 - £32

It's never going to be able to power the likes of Crysis or Just Cause 2, but AMD's cheapest entry in the 5000 series is still a fully fledged DirectX 11 card. What's more is that the AMD Radeon HD 5450 silent passive cooling and DVI-out make it ideal for a media centre PC set up, and you'll be able to get a few sessions of World of WarCraft out of it. Best of all is the price: this Sapphire flavour costs a wallet-pleasing £32.

2. AMD Radeon HD 4670 - £53

It may be almost two years since we reviewed AMD's HD 4670, but it still packs a graphical punch. It's not DirectX 11 compatible, but it will provide the necessary DirectX 10.1 fireworks. It's also powered directly from the PCI-Express interface, which makes it ideal for media centre PC setups. Admittedly, it's not going to be able to provide top-notch performance at high resolutions, but if you're only running a wee monitor it's perfect.

Read our AMD Radeon HD 4670 review

3. AMD Radeon HD 5570 - £61

Despite its diminutive size, the Radeon HD 5570 impressed us with its all-round decent gaming performance, which is largely down to its whopping 1GB of RAM. Again, this will be right at home in a media centre, with its half-height form not taking up too much room. It's also got all the right outputs in all the right places - VGA, HDMI and DVI. Our chief complaint on its release was the asking price, but now that's reduced it's well worth looking into.

Read our AMD Radeon HD 5570 review

4. Nvidia GeForce 9600GT - £70

If you're firmly pitched in the Nvidia camp, this is the cheapo card for you. While it's true that the processor is lagging behind similarly priced AMD and Nvidia cards, it still pumps out impressive gaming performance, and is capable of high frame rates on a 24-inch monitor. Perfect for a second PC for the kids, or stick it in a secondary slot in your machine and take advantage of Nvidia's CUDA extra processing power.

Read our Nvidia GeForce 9600GT review

5. AMD Radeon HD 4850 - £77

It may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but the HD 4850 is half the price it was when it came out, and it's still a killer graphics card. If you can forgo the DirectX 11 support, you'll find a card that's capable of many wonderous things - including 41 frames per second on notorious GPU-hogger Crysis. If you don't mind stepping back in time a couple of years to save a few quid, it's a winner.

Dell laptop using Intel Core i3

The newest crop of notebooks and Netbooks are not just leaking but beginning to flood out of reseller sites. The latest: a Costco Canada posting of an upcoming Dell Inspiron laptop based on Intel's Core i3 processor.

Costco's Dell Inspiron with Intel Core i3 chip

(Credit: Costco)

At the Consumer Electronics Show, which starts on Thursday, PC makers will debut laptops using Intel's freshly minted Core i3 processor, as was previously reported. Core i series processors are based on Intel's Nehalem microarchitecture. The Core i3 is the first Nehalem chip targeted at mainstream and lower-cost laptops.

The Dell offering, at least as posted at Costco, is a bit more expensive than other leaked models from Gateway or Hewlett-Packard, so we'll have to see how pricing shakes out in the coming the weeks. And note that Costco lists the Intel processor as the "future Core i3 processor," and further states that "all orders will ship the week of January 17, 2010."

Dell Inspiron as listed by Costco:

• Processor: Core i3 
• Display: 15.6" TFT 
• Memory: 4096MB 
• Hard disk drive: 320GB 7200rpm 
• Optical drive: DVDRW 
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 
• Video card: Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator HD 
• Price listed by Costco: $1,029.99 Canadian dollars or about U.S.$983.

Apple's late to the Core i5 laptop

As performance laptops based on the Intel Core i5 processor proliferate, older Core 2 models look, well, old. That means Apple's core silicon is past its prime.

This Toshiba 13.3-inch laptop packs the Core i5 processor and a touch screen.

(Credit: Toshiba)

What began as a trickle about a month ago is now a torrent of new Core i-based notebooks. Although lower-end Core i3 processor-based systems are widely available for the more budget-minded, the Core i5 is now powering performance laptops for those willing to pay a little more money.

The mobile i5 and i7 chips are, in a word, fast. Made on Intel's cutting-edge 32-nanometer manufacturing process, they handily outperform the older Core 2 Duo. Tech Web site AnandTech said the i5 processor delivers "the single largest performance improvement we've seen from a new mobile processor in years," and Tom's Hardware said it "boasts the best balance between desktop-class speed and true mobile usability we've ever seen."

Dell: The Dell 15.6-inch Studio (S15Z-3630CPN) offered at Best Buy is a good example. Priced at $1,049, it comes, as many systems do, with the popular Core i5-430M processor (2.53GHz) and an ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics chip with 512MB dedicated video memory.

Other features for this Dell Studio model include 4GB DDR3 memory, a 500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (7200 rpm), two built-in 2W speakers, a built-in optical drive, and Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system.

Apple, by comparison, offers a 15-inch aluminum MacBook Pro for a pricey $2,299 that uses the older 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo and comes with specifications that are otherwise pretty similar to the (much) cheaper Dell system.

Hewlett-Packard: A $1,299 15.6-inch HP Envy (considered the company's consumer luxury laptop line) offers similar specifications to the Dell system but with more powerful graphics silicon. In addition to the Core i5-430M, it comes with a more powerful 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5830 graphics chip, a 320GB disk drive (7,200rpm), and 4GB of DDR3 memory.

Sony: This week, a slim Sony system (VPCS111FM/S) with a 13.3-inch display found a spot on store shelves at Best Buy for the first time. Although it misses the sub-inch-thick cutoff for ultrathins by a few tenths of an inch, it does fall into the thin category (1.2 inches in height) and certainly does qualify as one of the thinnest Core i5 laptops yet--and one of the lightest, at 4.4 pounds.

Other Sony specs include a 500GB hard disk drive (5400RPM), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD, 4GB of memory, a built-in optical drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. One thing to note: No ATI or Nvidia graphics here. Ultraportables--the designation that Best Buy gives it--typically don't come with discrete (standalone) graphics cards.

On the upside, Sony offers a two-year limited warranty for the system, a step up from the typical one-year consumer laptop warranties. It's priced at $1,049.

Toshiba: The Core i5-based U505 Satellite from Toshiba (U505-S2010) is also relatively light, at 4.7 pounds and about the same thickness as the Sony. At $1,099, it is loaded similarly to the Sony laptop (including an optical drive) but adds a touch screen.

By comparison, Apple offers its aesthetically attractive Core 2-based 13-inch aluminum MacBook Pro with an Nvidia graphics chipset. But the $1,499 model is using last-year's Intel and Nvidia technology.

The upshot: With more and more speedy Core i laptops coming out of the woodwork, it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy an older Core 2 Duo system. Apple surely knows this and, as CNET's Erica Ogg pointed out last month, an e-mail sent from Intel to participants in a training program for company sales representatives hinted that a MacBook running the Core i5 may be coming soon.

A refresh of the MacBook Pro line can't be very far off, but the clock is ticking.

Dell welcomes Intel Core i7 with a trio of laptops.

Even though consumers are flocking toward low-price Netbooks and other budget-friendly laptops, there's still room for the latest and greatest technology in Dell's lineup. The company is introducing three systems that use Intel's new high-end mobile Core i7 CPU (four, if you count the new Alienware m15x).

Here are spec details on the newly revamped 15-, 16- and 17-inch systems from Dell, featuring the 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM.

Dell's Studio 17

(Credit: Dell)

Dell Studio 17, starts at $1,099

• Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz
• Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)--eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
• 4GB shared dual-channel DDR3 at 1,066MHz
• 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive
• Slot load CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW)
• 17.3-inch HD+ (1,600x900) 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

Dell's Studio 15

(Credit: Dell)

Dell Studio 15, starts at $999

• Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz
• Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)--eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
• 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
• 4GB shared dual-channel DDR2 at 800MHz
• 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive
• Slot load CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW)
• 15.6-inch HD (1,366x768) WLED display with built-in 2.0MP Webcam
• 6-cell battery
• Black chainlink exterior color

Update: Dell original told us it was waiting until Thursday to reveal the third Core i7 laptop. However, the info is already widely available online, so here's the Core i7 version of the XPS Studio 16:

Dell's Studio XPS 16

Dell Studio XPS 16, starts at $1,249

• Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz
• Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)--eligible for Windows 7 upgrade
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670
• 4GB shared dual-channel DDR3 at 1,067MHz
• 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive
• Slot load CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW)
• 15.6-inch HD+ (1,600x900) edge-to-edge WLED display
• Built-in 2.0MP Webcam and facial recognition security software
• 7-watt audio solution with subwoofer
• Full-size backlit keyboard
• 9-cell Battery
• Obsidian black high gloss finish exterior