Fujitsu introduces a new notebook that tackles the trade-off between functionality and price, combining both in a package starting at under EUR 500. An ideal "back to school" notebook, the 33.8 cm (13.3-inch) Fujitsu LIFEBOOK SH531 notebook weighs only 1.9 kg, yet does not compromise on features, performance or energy efficiency.

Available across the CEMEA&I region via Fujitsu resellers, the slimline LIFEBOOK SH531 checks all the "must have" boxes for students choosing a studying companion, with features such as anti-glare display for outside working, a Computrace-enabled BIOS allowing the notebook to be tracked remotely if lost or stolen, software and hard drive locks, and even a spill-proof keyboard.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today announced an expanded Series 9 laptop line that is scheduled to arrive on store shelves in time for the back-to-school shopping season. The expanded line of sophisticated, ultra-thin and lightweight models includes five different configurations designed to meet the needs and budgets of a variety of users.

"We've seen a very positive reception to the original Series 9 models introduced at CES earlier this year," said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "As we look to expand the line for the remainder of the year, we've maintained the premium duralumin design and form factor while offering consumers a wider range of options and powerful performance."

AMD announced two of its first Vision A-Series accelerated processing units (APUs) for desktops today. Built in the socket FM1 package, the A6-3650 and A8-3850 are fabricated on the 32 nm HKMG process. Both pack four x86-64 cores, and while the A6 has 320 stream processors in the GPU component, the A8 has 400 of them. Both chips have 4 MB of cache, dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz IMCs, and PCI-Express 2.0 hubs to drive discrete graphics.

The AMD A8-3850 has its four x86-64 cores clocked at 2.90 GHz, with the Radeon HD 6550D GPU engine clocked at 600 MHz. This chip has a TDP of 100W, it is priced at US $135. The AMD A6-3650 has its CPU component clocked at 2.60 GHz, and Radeon HD 6530D GPU engine clocked at 443 MHz. This chip goes for US $115. With these two, AMD is targeting higher models of Sandy Bridge-based Pentium Dual-Core and Core i3 Sandy Bridge chips. Both will be available in stores by July 3.

MSI unveiled its new generation CX480 laptop, with your choice of black, white, or summery blue as well as MSI's own flat brush finish for an all-new youthfully chic exterior. The new color film print technology gives it character and natural refinement that make it stand out from the crowd. The CX480 is the perfect mobile companion when you're enjoying some summer rays.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, points out that not only is the eye-catching CX480 NB ideal for outdoor use, it packs Intel's high performance second generation Core i processor and nVidia GeForce GT520M discrete graphics card with 1GB DDR3 display memory. In addition, the ALS and ECO technologies give it up to 8.5 hours of battery time per charge, perfect for individuals that don't always have electrical outlets nearby.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced a new family of premium laptops, the Satellite P700 Series. Available with Toshiba's textured Fusion X2 finish in Platinum, the Satellite P745, P755/P755 3D and P775 laptops feature 14-, 15.6- and 17.3-inch diagonal HD TruBrite LED backlit screens, respectively. These laptops incorporate essential features for multitasking and multimedia, including latest generation of multi-core processor and technology options, plus premium entertainment and convenience features.

MSI, the global leading brand in motherboards, announced the upgraded version of IM-QM67 which is powered by the 2nd generation Intel Core processor family, Intel Sandy Bridge processor, and Intel QM67 Express chipset. IM-QM67 supports multiple display outputs in a mini-ITX form factor board and utilizes Intel's 32nm process technology products to give the competitive advantage through the performance enhancements and scalability.

MSI debuts the IM-QM67 based on the Intel Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 processors to offer lower power consumption and enhanced graphic and media performance. The IM-QM67 is equipped with dual-channel DDR3 1067/1333/1600 MHz memory up to a maximum of 16 GB in dual SO-DIMM slots and is ideally suited to applications requiring multi-tasking capabilities, high computing power. This combination of CPU, chipset and memory provides the MSI IM-QM67 with improved power efficiency and high-speed data transfer for performance-driven industrial applications, such as industrial control, automation, digital signage, kiosk, POS, gaming, ATM and medical electronic.

Rarely do motherboard vendors dish out mini-ITX form-factor motherboards targeting the overclocking community. There's little space to squeeze in the bare essentials, but nothing is impossible, if there are competent designers at work, a case in point is the new Z68-ITX WiFi from ZOTAC. Based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset, this board supports LGA1155 Core i3/i5/i7 Sandy Bridge, and future Ivy Bridge processors, supports their integrated GPU giving you access to Intel QuickSync technology, as well as a suite of overclocking options.

To begin with the LGA1155 socket is powered by an 8-phase digital-PWM power design that uses high-grade PWM chokes made by Pulse, and in all probability, a Volterra PWM IC giving you precise voltage control as well as vDroop protection (high-precision load-line calibration). It also uses server-grade high-C capacitors. The PWM circuit takes input from an 8-pin EPS connector. The PWM chips are cooled by a large heatsink that sends some of its heat to the heatsink cooling the Z68 PCH, over a heat pipe.

MSI, the global leading brand in All-in-One PC, will be showcasing its new range of All-in-One PCs - which feature vivid color and emphasize environmentally-friendly "green" business capabilities and "smart" digital lifestyle enhancement - at the Computex Taipei 2011 exhibition. Impressed by the energy-saving, lightweight, environmentally-friendly potential of LED panel, MSI is leading the way by incorporating LED-backlit LCD display technology into its All-in-One PCs, together with multi-touch touch-screen function and full-HD resolution, marking the beginning of a new era in PC visual performance and ease of use.

MSI's new LED All-in-One PCs - the Wind Top AE2211G, AE2211 and AP2011 - feature enhanced energy-saving characteristics, rich colors and impressive brightness that are sure to make them a major focus of attention at this year's Computex show. As part of its efforts to facilitate easy synchronization for today's digital lifestyles, MSI is now incorporating personal cloud concept applications - Smart Media Link and Smart Sync - into its products. The cloud computing enabled All-in-One PCs that MSI will be showcasing at Computex 2011 make it possible for consumers to share audiovisual entertainment content conveniently over the Internet using touch-screen control. MSI's Wind Top AE2410 and AE2070 All-in-One PCs (which are equipped with the ultra-powerful second-generation Intel Core i3/i5 processor), as well as the AE2230, which employs AMD's latest Sabine platform, all use MSI's unique Wind Touch 4 touch-screen user interface software, which will also be a big draw at this year's Computex.

What happens when you pit Intel's "Visually Smart" Sandy Bridge processors against Radeon-enriched AMD Fusion A-Series accelerated processing units? They do terribly at gaming on integrated graphics. Surprise! That is notwithstanding the fact that AMD is pitching its A-Series Fusion APUs to be a lot more than CPUs with embedded GPUs, they're pitched to be processors that make lower-mainstream graphics pointless, and to alter the software ecosystem to be more GPGPU intensive, so applications could benefit from the over 500 GFLOPs of computation power the 400 stream processor DirectX 11 GPU brings to the table.

A leaked presentation slide shows AMD's performance projections for the A-Series GPU, tests included GPU-heavy DirectX 10 titles such as Crysis Warhead and Borderlands; as well as DirectX 11 ready titles such as Dirt 2. AMD's quad-core A8-3850, A8-3650 and A8-3450 were included alongside Intel's dual-core Sandy Bridge Core i3-2100, and quad-core Core i5-2300, Core i5-2500K. The Atom-competitive E350 Zacate dual-core was also in the comparision, perhaps to show that it is nearly as good as Intel's much higher segment Core series processors at graphics.

MSI, the global leading brand of All-in-One PCs, has released its new touch model- Wind Top AE2070 in response to the increasingly demand of touch capability. The perfect 20-inch, multi-touch LCD screen with MSI proprietary "Wind Touch 4" smart user interface and value-added software allow you to connect social networks and embrace the digital life all at one move of your finger tips.

The built-in Intel 2nd generation Dual-core Processor G620 and Intel HD Graphics 2000 deliver breathtaking graphics performance you can enjoy seamless videos and vivid image in the best response time. Wind Top AE2070 also provides hardware upgrade options so you can customize the AE2070 with Intel Core i3 CPU or NVIDIA GeForce GT540M high-performance graphic card based on your own need. Experience the revolution of all-new touch control technology from now on.

The new Inspiron R series joins Dell's expansive collection of laptops and desktops equipped with the latest Intel processors and are fun, stylish and lightning quick. Available today at Dell.com, the new Inspiron R 14-, 15- and 17-inch laptops deliver incredible mobile entertainment, high-definition displays and outstanding battery life, but that's just the beginning.

The perfect combination of brains and beauty - the latest addition to the Inspiron family also introduces an innovative new design twist: new SWITCH by Design Studio interchangeable lids that switch the look of Inspiron R laptops with just a pop and a clicki. The SWITCH by Design Studio collection includes 25 new eye-popping lids sporting vibrant colors and unique designs. Start the day with a Peacock Blue lid, and switch it out for a design-inspired look at night.

The first Intel Pentium branded processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture surfaced in China. The Pentium Dual-Core G840 as it's identified, is said to be based on the 32 nm dual-core silicon. It differs from Core i3 dual-core processors in having no HyperThreading technology (one thread per core), and 3 MB of L3 cache enabled. The AVX instruction set also seems to be lacking according to the CPU-Z screenshot.

The Pentium G840 is clocked at 2.80 GHz, with a base clock of 100 MHz, and 28x multiplier. The embedded Intel HD Graphics GPU is clocked at 850 MHz, with 1100 MHz GPU Turbo Boost frequency. The processor cores lack Turbo Boost. The chip has a TDP of 65W. Pricing and availability details are awaited, though expect this LGA1155 chip to cost under $100.

Employing rock-solid R&D capabilities, MSI rolled out a complete array of new notebook computers packing the new generation of CPU platforms introduced in 2011. It will be parading them March 1-5 at CeBIT, the international computer electronics exhibition in Hanover, Germany. MSI's wares will be displayed in Booth C38, Hall 17. Come to MSI's booth to see world gaming champions Fnatic.MSI as well as the MSI GT680-the world's fastest notebook computer. There'll be plenty of exciting things at the MSI booth to wow the crowds.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, noted that the 20+ additions to be shown will include the awesome G Series gaming laptops, the high performance F Series, the deluxe multimedia C Series, the gorgeously slender X Series, and the highly mobile U netbook series. These stylish machines all pack the newest generation of either Intel or AMD's CPUs and advanced visual-display units. Most models also come with MSI Premium Sound-the best wrap around sound out there. Like supercar-class Dynaudio, cinema-grade THX TruStudio Pro, and premium multimedia SRS PC Sound for the home, programs designed to satisfy the audio-visual entertainment needs of users from around the world, will be on display in Hanover.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, today kicks off the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show with the H67-ITX WiFi - a miniature 2nd Generation Intel Core platform. The ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi takes the mini-ITX form factor to new heights of performance, energy-efficiency and integrated graphics capabilities.

Equipped with the Intel H67 Express chipset, the ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi supports the latest LGA1155 2nd Generation Intel Core family processors including 2000 series Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. The ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi goes beyond the capabilities of the 2nd Generation Intel Core platform and accommodates processors up to 130-watt TDP - above the 95-watts required by the fastest Intel Core i7 processor - for additional overclocking headroom that appeals to the most demanding enthusiasts.

With more than one million computers selling each day, Intel Corporation introduced its game-changing 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family today. Intel highlighted several surprising new features, services and partnerships that combine to deliver an entirely new visual experience with processor graphics built in. More than 500 desktop and laptop PCs are expected from all major OEMs worldwide throughout the next year.

New features include Intel Insider, Intel Quick Sync Video, and a new version of the company's award-winning Intel Wireless Display (WiDi), which now adds 1080p HD and content protection for those wishing to beam premium HD content from their laptop screen to their TV. The company also revealed arrangements with CinemaNow, Dixons Retail plc, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, Image Entertainment, Sonic Solutions, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

Lenovo today announced two new laptops that elevate small-to-medium (SMB) business computing with luxurious and sophisticated design, cutting-edge technologies and extra features to go beyond business computing. The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s laptops catch attention with their jaw-dropping, premium design. Small details make a big difference: the stunning infinity screen, a matte finish that's soft to the touch and real metal accents project a cosmopolitan image. The laptops are also business performance powerhouses, featuring increased performance and integrated graphics in the upcoming second generation Intel Core processor technology, Lenovo's Enhanced Experience 2.0 for rapid boot up and a range of wireless connectivity technologies. They also crossover for serious play with Dolby Home Theatre audio and high definition video conferencing.

The pioneer of multivendor/multi-GPU graphic solutions, LucidLogix today announced ground-breaking GPU virtualization software designed for Intel Sandy Bridge platforms. With this technology, next generation PCs will dynamically balance the advanced power-efficient, built-in media features of Sandy Bridge processor graphics with the high-end, DirectX 11 3D performance features of discrete GPUs, while significantly reducing the power drain of traditional entertainment desktops.

Called Virtu, the Lucid GPU virtualization software is able to assign tasks in real time to the best available graphics resource based on power, performance and features considerations, with no need for additional hardware. If high end graphics power is needed for applications like DirectX 11, high-resolution 3D gaming, the system will assign the job to the discrete GPU. If not, the discrete GPU automatically goes into idle mode, while heat drops, fan speed slows down and GPU utilization goes down to zero, resulting in a green, power-efficient, long-lasting system.

ASRock is known to mix and match sockets and chipsets to come up with some interesting hybrids that give users access to latest features offered by the chipset. A recent example of this is a socket 939 motherboard based on the AMD 785G chipset (read here), which gives users of socket-939 Athlons access to a fast IGP and PCI-Express 2.0. The company's latest such innovation is the P67 Transformer. This is a socket LGA1156 motherboard, it supports existing Core i5/Core i7 "Lynnfield", and Core i3/Core i5 "Clarkdale" processors, but is based on the Intel P67 Express chipset. The board gives users access to some advanced features of the P67 chipset, but won't support LGA1155 processors.

So what's in it for you? Well, the P67 PCH embeds a PCI-Express 2.0 hub compared to P55/H55, which pack an older PCI-Express 1.1 hub. The older hub is known to heavily bottleneck devices such as USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s controllers that use only a single PCI-E lane (since PCI-E 1.1 has 250 MB/s per direction bandwidth, compared to 500 MB/s on the PCI-E 2.0). So significant is this bottleneck, that some motherboard designers even used bridge chips that convert the P55's PCI-E 1.1 x4 port to two PCI-E 2.0 x1, for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s controllers. The PCI-E x16 slots however, are wired to the processor and are Gen 2. ASRock's board hence gives you two USB 3.0 and two SATA 6 Gb/s with an alleviated bus bottleneck.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer peripheral solutions, today announced the immediate availability of 1333MHz SODIMM memory modules qualified for use in the latest Apple iMac computer systems. The newest Patriot Signature Line for Apple modules are offered in 2GB and 4GB modules and 4GB and 8GB kits at 1333MHz CL9.

Patriot's Signature Line of DDR3 PC3-10666 (1333MHz) SODIMMs for Apple computer systems delivers the quality, reliability and performance that makes them the perfect memory upgrade solution. These modules are qualified on the latest product lineup of 21.5" and 27" iMac systems using the Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors. These latest iMac computers are the first systems from Apple to use hi-speed 1333 MHz SODIMMs.

Toshiba Computer Systems, a division of Toshiba Europe GmbH, today announced the Satellite C660. The new laptop is ideal for users looking for a machine with adequate computing performance to handle their everyday computing needs - e.g. e-mailing, web-browsing, standard office applications and basic multimedia entertainment - in a really affordable package. Toshiba also unveiled the new Satellite Pro C660 that is targeted at professional users. Both, the Satellite C660 and the Satellite Pro C660 will be available early in the fourth quarter of 2010 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

AMD released six new desktop processor models to the market, these include new SKUs in both Phenom II and Athlon II lines. Older SKUs may have been displaced from their price-points by some of the new models. To begin with, AMD introduced a new value dual-core model, the Athlon II X2 265 (3.30 GHz); triple-core Athlon II X3 450 (3.20 GHz); quad-core Athlon II X4 645 (3.10 GHz). The X2 265 is based on the 45 nm Regor die, it features 2 MB of L2 cache, rated TDP of 65W, and is priced at US $76. The X3 450 is based on the 45 nm Rana die, and is essentially a Propus die with one core disabled. It has TDP rated at 95W, this one goes for $87. The X4 645 makes use of the full Propus die, rated TDP at 95W, priced at $122.

Next up, AMD introduced a new "high-end" six-core model, probably in response to lowering of prices on some Intel Core i7 models such as the i7-860. The new Phenom II X6 1075T Black Edition is essentially the same as the Phenom II X6 1090T, except that it's clocked at 3.00 GHz (200 MHz lower). It is priced at $245. Next, a quad-core model that seems to be in response to Intel's release of the Core i5 760. The Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition is clocked at 3.50 GHz (highest AMD default clock speed till date), and is based on the older Deneb die instead of derivation from Thuban. So there's no Turbo Core feature, but thanks to its Black Edition marker, it has an upwards unlocked BClk multiplier. This SKU displaces the X4 965 BE, and is priced at $185. The speed-bump didn't affect the TDP, which is still at 125W.

Introducing a more personal, intuitive and entertaining computing experience for consumers, HP today unveiled the sleekly appealing HP TouchSmart310 PC, which features the most advanced version of the company's exclusive TouchSmart software to date. The company also announced the HP TouchSmart Apps Center for one-touch access to free and subscription-based applications, as well as the HP Omni100, which offers the performance users demand from a tower and monitor in an all-in- one design.

HP also is helping businesses make touch an integral part of the customer experience through relationships with American Airlines, ESPN and the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers. "Each generation of TouchSmart is a reflection of what HP has learned from its customers, complemented by the latest technologies," said James Mouton, senior vice president, Desktop Organization, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The TouchSmart PC's unique interface lets users do more than just basic computing - it acts as the anchor of one's digital lifestyle, encouraging creativity, organization and a truly immersive experience."

Intel is giving some existing 32 nm "Clarkdale" based Core i3 and Core i5 processors an update. The processors will transition to the new K0 stepping from the existing C2 stepping. The parts that will be made on the K0 silicon are Core i3 models 530 (new sSPEC: SLBX7), 540 (new sSPEC: SLBTD) and Core i5 models 650 (new sSPEC: SLBTJ), 660/661 (SLBTK/SLBTB), 670 (SLBTL). Newer and upcoming models such as the i3-550, i3-560, i5-665K, and i5-680 are already being built on the K0 stepping die. Motherboards will require a BIOS update to support the new K0 stepping processors.

The K0 stepping change includes the following highlights:

• New S-spec and MM numbers for the converting products
• Extended CPUID will change from 0x00020652 to 0x00020655
• Host RevID will change from 0x12 to 0x18
• K0 stepping package is pin compatible with C2 stepping package
• Adds Processor Context ID (PCID) support

The revised older SKUs that are built on K0 stepping will be market-available by October 16.

Without making much noise, ASRock introduced its latest compact PCs, the Vision 3D 135B. Original name aside, the 135B is essentially a mobile-on-desktop system, that is powered by the Intel Calpella mobile platform. At the center of this is a Core i3 370M dual-core processor clocked at 2.40 GHz, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M DirectX 11 compliant GPU that packs 96 CUDA cores and dedicated memory. There's 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1066 MHz memory on board. Apart from these, there's 500 GB of storage, a Blu-ray + DVD-RW slot-in combo drive, and connectivity that includes WiFi b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, 8-channel HD audio, and display outputs that include DVI and HDMI. The unit itself measures 200(W) x 70 (H) x 200 (L) mm, and comes in matte black and silver options. ASRock did not give out a price.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, unveils new Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) and Extreme-Low Voltage (ELV) high-speed DDR3 desktop memory, providing the optimal balance of performance and power efficiency in one solution. Committed to staying ahead of the curve, OCZ is offering enthusiast-grade memory that complies with the latest JEDEC "DDR3L" low-voltage standards which ensures that system RAM runs cooler and more efficiently during intensive multi-tasking, gaming, and productivity applications.

"We are pleased to announce a complete range of low-voltage memory offerings designed for the latest crop of energy efficient platforms," said Eugene Chang, Vice President of Product Management. "In the past, lower voltage meant lower performance, but now with our extreme-low voltage optimized memory, consumers don't have to sacrifice high performance to also achieve energy savings."