Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

PC News Zone — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:26:00 +0000

It's been a while since we last laid eyes on Maingear's fine looking Clutch-15, and while it's still rocking that sexy exterior, the latest iteration has a little surprise for you under the hood. With the recent addition of NVIDIA's graphics switching Optimus technology, this portable's bringing the juice -- battery juice, that is. Aside from that, things look mostly the same, inside and out; you've still got your pick of Intel Core i3 or i5 CPUs, a 750GB HDD or 512GB SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and the same (still disappointing) WXGA display. This go 'round, however, the dedicated graphics have been bumped up a touch with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 525M GPU (1GB). If automated graphics switching is your thing, you can get your custom laptop on at the source link starting at $1,030. Full PR after the break.

MAINGEAR UPDATES ROAD WARRIOR CLUTCH-15 SERIES NOTEBOOKS
WITH NVIDIA® OPTIMUS™ TECHNOLOGY

Kenilworth, New Jersey – July 8th, 2011 - MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, workstations and media centers, has updated their Clutch-15 catering to business users and students with NVIDIA Optimus Technology. With a full HD 15.6" screen size and powered by second generation Intel® Core i3 or Core i5 series mobile processors, this diverse notebook offers the latest in portable productivity, multimedia and gaming performance.

The MAINGEAR Clutch-15 is a hybrid notebook that offers outstanding graphics performance while prolonging battery life utilizing NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology. The Clutch-15 is packed with a dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M GPU with 1GB GDDR3 memory, your choice of second generation Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 mobile processors, 1366 x 768 16:9 HD resolutions, up to 8GB of DDR3 1333MHZ memory, and up to 512GB Solid State Drive or up to 500GB Hybrid SSDs hard drives. Gamers and PC enthusiasts who are on the go will enjoy watching a HD movie, surfing the web, or playing the latest casual PC games with the reassurance of getting the best performance and the longest battery life.

Clutch-15 users will be able to take advantage of an optional 90 watt, charging docking station that features extra connectivity such as VGA, DVI, RJ-45, audio out, USB 2.0 x 4 ports and optional optical disc drives including Blu-ray™. The MAINGEAR Clutch-15 not only offers a 15.6" screen that is thinner and lighter than many notebooks out in the market and featuring a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad.

The sleek and lean modern profile aesthetics of the Clutch-15 sets it apart from the crowd with the unique exterior texture for an enhanced tactile experience.

MAINGEAR Clutch-15 Notebook:

15.6" WXGA (1366 x 768) 16:9 Glossy LED LCD display

Second Generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5 mobile processors

Intel HD Integrated Graphics or NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M 1GB Graphics

Up to 8GB DDR3-1333 memory

Up to SATA 2.5" 7200RPM 750GB, 500GB Hybrid SSD, or up to 512GB SSD

802.11g/n wireless connection, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet

HDMI out, eSATA, 34mm ExpressCARD support

Optional docking station includes: VGA, DVI, RJ-45, audio out and USB 2.0 x 4 ports, and a choice of Blu-ray, Super Mutli DVD, DVD-RW

Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System

Intel® Anti-Theft Technology Support, Intel® Always Aware Features, Intel ® My WiFi Technology Support

Full size keyboard with number pad

15.35"(w) x 9.8" (d) x 1.3" (h)

4.75lb (fully loaded)

Starting at price $1,029 (without docking station)

NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R

PC News Zone — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:46:16 +0000

We know you're going to be shocked -- shocked! -- to hear this, but NVIDIA's gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards. The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA's bragging that it's the "fastest notebook GPU ever," capable, we're told, of besting the Radeon HD 6970M's tesselation performance by a factor of six. The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA's saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that's not why y'all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs. You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you'll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN. Handy chart full 'o technical details after the break.

	GeForce GTX 570M	GeForce GTX 580M

Processor cores	Up to 336	Up to 384
Support for	PhysX, Verde drivers, CUDA, 3D Vision, 3DTV Play, Optimus, SLI, DirectX11	PhysX, Verde drivers, CUDA, 3D Vision, 3DTV Play, Optimus, SLI, DirectX11
Processor clock speed	Up to 1150MHz	Up to 1240MHz
Memory clock speed	Up to 1500MHz	Up to 1500MHz
Memory	Up to 1.5GB or 3GB	Up to 2GB GDDR5
Memory width	Up to 192-bit	Up to 256-bit
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5

Show full PR text

Fastest. Notebook GPU. Ever.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M GPU Launches in Alienware M18x and M17x Notebooks with Record-Breaking Gaming Performance

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-June 28, 2011- NVIDIA today announced the world's fastest notebook graphics processing unit (GPU), the NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 580M. Available now in the Alienware M18x, the new GPU sets new standards in industry leading benchmarks and games. It will also be available soon in the Alienware M17x notebook along with NVIDIA Optimus™ technology.

"The best game support. The best gaming features. The best gaming performance available anywhere. That's the essence of the GeForce GTX 580M," said Rene Haas general manager of notebook products at NVIDIA. "With power like this, you can turn all the knobs to 11."

The first notebook PC to feature the GeForce GTX 580M, the Alienware M18x offers the option of two GeForce GTX 580M GPUs in one system for up to double the gaming performance, using NVIDIA SLI® technology. Not to be outdone, the Alienware M17x will offer the GeForce GTX 580M along with NVIDIA Optimus™ technology and will deliver 5 hours of battery life in Facebook, and 100 frames per second performance in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

"Gamers aspire to experience games at their highest settings," says Eddy Goyanes, product marketing manager for Alienware. "Alienware activates the technology designed to enable those aspirations. With the launch of the GeForce GTX 580M on the Alienware M17x, and a dual card option on the M18x, that synergy continues - Alienware delivers the ultimate gaming experience."

GeForce GTX 580M GPUs are the fastest Microsoft DirectX 11 notebook GPUs on the market, offering up to six times the tessellation performance of any other notebook GPU. They are also more efficient, with up to 20 percent better performance per watt than the previous generation.

NVIDIA also introduced the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M GPU, which offers 20 percent faster performance than the previous generation product it replaces.

The power of GeForce GTX GPUs means gamers can play at full 1080p high-definition resolutions with the advanced technology features that set GeForce GPUs apart from the competition. These include:
· Support for NVIDIA 3D Vision™ technology, the #1 3D experience for notebooks, which automatically converts over 525 titles into immersive 3D.
· Support for NVIDIA 3DTV Play™ software, for connecting 3D Vision-based notebooks to 3D TVs.
· NVIDIA SLI® technology, which links two GTX GPU's for up to double your gaming performance.
· NVIDIA Optimus technology, which enables extra-long battery life by automatically switching on and off the GPU so that it runs only when needed.
· NVIDIA PhysX® engine support, which brings games to life with realistic physics.
· NVIDIA CUDA® architecture support, for GPU computing applications.
· NVIDIA Verde™ notebook drivers, for frequent performance improvements and rock-solid stability.

For more information on any GeForce 500M Series GPUs, visit www.nvidia.com.

PC News Zone » Optimus

Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R