HP - xw6400

HP's latest personal workstation series, the xw6400, is aimed at mid-range business users and, housed in a new mini-tower case, it's ideal where desk space is at a premium yet a system with plenty of grunt is still required.

It looks quite smart in its grey and metallic silver finish and, measuring just 441 x 165 x 440mm, the case has been designed to fit in a rack as well as on or under a desk, and its tool-free design should delight most IT managers.

With such a small case, compromises have to be made and in this instance one compromise is the number of drives you can fit into the xw6400. As standard there are two internal 3.5-inch drive bays plus a third with external access, while there are just two 5.25-inch bays.

Our review sample came with both internal drive bays filled by 500GB Seagate hard drives, to give a terabyte of internal storage, so there is an argument to say that should be sufficient; but if not, HP offers 750GB drives as an alternative. An LG, 16x, Lightscribe, multi-format DVD burner filled one of the two larger bays.

As you might expect, the xw6400 uses an HP-branded motherboard in which sits a quad core Xeon, an E5310 to be exact, which is clocked at a lowly 1.66GHz but has an FSB speed of 1,066MHz and 8MB of L2 cache. This gives the xw6400 a disappointing SYSMark04 SE overall score of just 260, but that's not the whole picture as the system is aimed at the professional user, so of more importance is what the four cores and the 8MB of L2 cache allow you to do: this is demonstrated by the very good Cinebench 9.5 multi-CPU rendering test score of 860.

Backing up the CPU is Intel's latest server/workstation Northbridge chipset, the 5000X, which can support up to 32GB of memory and, with four memory modules installed, Quad Channel memory support is available too. Unfortunately HP's motherboard can only support a maximum of 16GB; the review system came with 4GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory installed in two of the four DIMM slots.

As you might expect from a workstation, the graphics card isn't the usual 3D card but instead an Nvidia Quadro FX1500 which comes with 256MB of GDDR memory. The motherboard has two x16 PCI-E slots so you can add a second card at a later date to take advantage of SLI technology, but not at full speed: when running in SLI mode the PCI-E bus runs at x8 speed for each card.

HP supplied a 20-inch TFT display with the system, with a handy native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050 pixels, along with an HP-branded USB keyboard and mouse combo to round out the hardware package.
HP - xw6400 features - Verdict

This is an ideal system if you are looking to upgrade from an entry level workstation, while its small format makes it ideal for the smaller office, although on the flip side it does mean that your options are limited if you want to expand the hardware.

Toshiba HD-E1 HD-DVD Player

While there is no clear winner in the home high-definition optical storage feud yet, Toshiba has reaffirmed its direction with the release of the HD-E1, an affordable HD-DVD player for your next home entertainment revamp.

..Overall, we have no doubt in our mind that the Toshiba HD-E1 HD-DVD player will do a great job at providing 1080i video goodness. What’s more, with support for the next generation of home cinema standards, easy firmware updating and USB expansion slots, this latest HD-DVD player has longevity printed all over it.

Now, an estimated retail price of USD$645 (SGD$999) may be a little hard to stomach for most but when compared to rival Blu-ray players, it isn't really too much to ask to equip yourself with high-definition entertainment. So, if you want to have a HD player that will make every movie a perfect audio and video sensory experience each time, then the HD-E1’s arrival (sometime around the second or third quarter of 2007) will be well worth the wait.

HP Unveils External HD DVD ROM

HP, a leading supplier of personal computer, has announced the world’s first HD DVD ROM (read-only memory) device for personal computers. Even though the device poses some interest to those, looking forward to adding high definition DVD playback capability to their desktop, notebook or media center personal computers (PCs), the price of the device, at least, in the UK does not seem to be truly affordable.

HP’s hd100 external optical drive can read and playback, CDs (up to 14x), DVDs (up to 5x) and HD DVDs (at up to 2.4x speed) and supports various CD and DVD standards. The drive is compatible with USB 2.0 interconnection standard, but still requires an additional power supply unit, which HP provides. HP will also add CyberLink player software to the hd100 external drive.

The supplier advices that users looking forward HD DVD playback should have a powerful dual-core central processing unit, such as AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+, Intel Pentium D 945 or more advanced. The company also recommends users to ensure that their graphics cards is, at least, as powerful as ATI Radeon X1600 or Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT. HP notes that the graphics card and monitor should be HDCP-compliant, even though there is unofficial information that this is not a compulsory requirement for high-resolution HD DVD playback nowadays.

HP has always been a strong backer of the Blu-ray disc standard, however, after its proposals were rejected by the Blu-ray disc association back in 2005, it decided to support HD DVD as well. Currently the company also sells HP Pavilion dv9000t laptop with HD DVD built-in.

Even though the hd100 external drive seems to be good solution for enabling HD DVD playback on the PC, according to a news-story by PCPro web-site, the part is going to retail for £399 (€588, $771) in the UK, which makes it as expensive as Toshiba’s HD-E1 HD DVD player, which is set to retail for €599.

MSI GeForce 8500 GT

The main difference between GeForce 8 and GeForce 7 families is the adoption of DirectX 10 on GeForce 8 family. What this means is that they will support the next generation of games to be released starting this year. It also means that instead of using separated shader units for each kind of shader processing (pixel, vertex, physics and geometry) video cards from this family use a unified shader architecture, where the shader engines can process any one of these tasks.

So far AMD has announced their ATI Radeon HD 2000 family – which also supports DirectX 10 and uses unified shader architecture –, however mid-range products will be only available in late June, i.e. one month from now. This leaves mid-range cards from GeForce 8 family like GeForce 8500 GT without real direct competitors.

We can find this model from MSI costing around USD 100, so at this price range we have ATI Radeon X1300 XT competing with GeForce 8500 GT.

GeForce 8500 GT runs at 450 MHz and accesses its 256 MB DDR2 memory at 800 MHz (400 MHz transferring two data per clock cycle) thru a 128-bit interface, so it can access its memory at a maximum transfer rate of 12.8 GB/s.

It has only 16 shader processors running at 900 MHz (GeForce 8600 GT and GTS has 32 shader processors).

Graphics chip: GeForce 8500 GT, running at 450 MHz.

Memory: 256 MB DDR2 memory (2.5 ns, 128-bit interface) from Hynix (HY5PS561621AFP-25), running at 800 MHz (400 MHz DDR).

Bus type: PCI Express x16.

Connectors: One DVI, one VGA and one S-Video output supporting component video.

Video Capture (VIVO): No.

Number of CDs/DVDs that come with this board: Two.

Games that come with this board: Toca Race Driver 3 (full).

Programs that come with this board: None.

Even though this competitor from AMD/ATI does not feature a Shader 4.0 unified engine – i.e. not supporting DirectX 10 – in our benchmark it achieved better results than the reviewed video card. It is important to notice that the Radeon X1300 XT model we compared GeForce 8500 GT to featured GDDR3 memories running at 1 GHz, and there are on the market models with DDR2 memories running at 800 MHz.

Radeon X1300 XT was between 4.27% and 9.98% faster on 3DMark03 with no image quality settings enabled, but when we enabled anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, these two video cards achieved a similar performance at 1600x1200, with GeForce 8500 GT being 5.82% faster than Radeon X1300 XT at 1024x768.

For the kind of user this video card is targeted – someone willing to spend only around USD 100 on a video card – we think Radeon X1300 XT with GDDR3 memories is a better buy.

Also, if you have USD 20 more to spend, we highly recommend the Radeon X1650 Pro video card: spending only 20% more you get up to 79% more in performance. That is definitely the kind of deal we are looking for!

ViewSonic VG930m

ViewSonic's (as of January 12, 2007) VG930m is a good, utilitarian display, though it has some design quirks.

The VG930m performed well in the text section of our image quality tests, showing particularly sharp text in a Microsoft Word document and on a page of multisize fonts. In the graphics portion of our tests, however, the VG930m didn't make as strong a showing. Colors seemed slightly bland and muted, though some hues in a photo of a fruit tart looked realistic.

You can access the VG930m's on-screen adjustments via buttons that are inset into the side of the bezel. Though options are not plentiful, we had no trouble maneuvering through the menus to make changes.

The VG930m tilts, but it rocks a bit when it's moved. Swiveling the model entails moving the base as well, though it does swivel smoothly. The display does not pivot. Speakers built into the bottom of the display are adequate for system sounds, but you'll want to invest in a set of stand-alone speakers for movies and music. The VG930m does not have built-in USB ports.

The accompanying user guide is on a CD. It explains what each on-screen adjustment does and how to use it, as well as providing general troubleshooting information.

Overall, the VG930m's strong representation of text makes it a good candidate for general office work.

Size (inches): 19
Resolution (pixels): 1280 by 1024
Contrast Ratio: 700:1
Adjustments: Multiple adjustments
Weight (pounds): 13.3
Interfaces: Analog and digital

Samsung SyncMaster 305T

The SyncMaster 305T performed well in our image quality tests, showing sharp text and nuanced color. Jurors were impressed with the 305T's rendering of text in a Microsoft Word document, as well as in a screen of repeating E's and M's.

The 305T showed a couple of photos in which colors appeared a bit muted in comparison with the other displays in the test group, but color representation seemed good overall.

This SyncMaster has a smooth black bezel and a circular stand. It tilts and swivels smoothly, though it is not height-adjustable, and it does not pivot. It is wall-mountable.

The only control it has to adjust the screen is one for brightness--buttons on the front of the bezel increase and decrease the brightness of the display, and that's it. Currently no on-screen components are available to support the 305T's high resolution of 2560 by 1600, but Samsung states that future versions of this model should include an on-screen display for adjustments.

Two downstream USB ports reside on the back of the display. Samsung also includes a power-saver mode--this switches the monitor to a low-power status when it has not been in use for some time.

At $1800, this SyncMaster is certainly pricey, but it falls well within the range of what other 30-inch LCDs cost. If you seek a monitor on which to spread out and see lots of documents at once, the 305T would be a fine choice.

Size (inches): 30
Resolution (pixels): 2560 by 1600
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Adjustments: Multiple adjustments
Weight (pounds): 26.5
Interfaces: Digital only

HP LP3065

HP's 30-inch LCD monitor, the LP3065, turned in impressive image quality in our tests. It also has a nice design and unique features that set it apart. Like other 30-inch displays, it's pricey, but it might be worth it if your work demands lots of screen real estate.

The LP3065 performed well in our text and graphics tests, showing extremely sharp text in both a Microsoft Word document and an Excel spreadsheet. Black text on a white background was quite easy to read, even at very small font sizes. However, because of the display's high resolution of 2560 by 1600, icons and text can appear rather small. You can remedy this by increasing the font display size in Windows.

Colors on the LP3065 looked bright and lively, both in photographs and on a screen of a Web site. Again, its high resolution helped the display excel at showing fine detail.

With three DVI ports, the LP3065 is more versatile than other displays--it can be hooked up to several PCs at once using a digital connection, which is a nice extra. All of the ports are dual-link DVI, so they all require a dual-graphics card setup. If you don't already have such a graphics card, you'll have to shell out for one to accommodate this monitor.

The LP3065 lacks an on-screen display (OSD) for adjusting the image--because no components yet exist that support its high resolution. HP states that future versions of the LP3065 will include an OSD. The only adjustment you can make is to brightness--several buttons on the front of the unit dial brightness up or down.

The monitor has a nice streamlined design, with a thin black bezel and a silver stand. It can tilt and swivel, but not pivot. It's also height-adjustable and wall-mountable.

But the LP3065 costs $1699, which is quite a bit for a display. Granted, you do get excellent image quality and lots of room to spread out in, and if you crave viewing detail in your photos and documents, the LP3065 might be worth the splurge.

Size (inches): 30
Resolution (pixels): 2560 by 1600
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Adjustments: Multiple adjustments
Weight (pounds): 29.5
Interfaces: Digital only