Intel Core i5-3450 Price

Intel Core i5-3450 is most affordable quad core Processor in Ivy-Bridge lineup.

Intel Core i5-3450 Processor Technical Specifications:

• Clock Speed: 3.1 GHz
• Turbo Speed: up to 3.50 GHz
• Number of cores: 4
• Number of Threads: 4
• 6 MB L3 Cache
• Intel HD 2500 graphics
• Graphics Base Frequency: 650 MHz and Max up to 1150 MHz
• LGA 1155 Socket
• DDR3 Dual Channel memory (1600 MHz)
• Built on 22 nm Manufacturing Process
• TDP: 77 Watt

Intel Core i5-3450 Price in India: Approx 9,000 ~ 10,000/- INR

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Intel Core i7-3770 Price

Intel Core i7-3770 quad core processor offers good performance and built for those who requires multi-threading and not much interested in overclocking.

Intel Core i7-3770 Processor Technical Specifications:

• CPU Speed: 3.40 GHz
• Turbo Processor Speed: up to 3.90 GHz
• Quad Core
• Number of Threads: 8
• L3 Cache: 8 MB
• LGA 1155 Socket
• Intel HD 4000 graphics card integrated
• Graphics Frequency: 650 MHz and Maximum up to 1150 MHz
• (1600 MHz) DDR3 Dual Channel memory
• 22 nm Manufacturing Process
• TDP: 77 Watt

Intel Core i7-3770 Price in India: Approx 16,000 ~ 17,000/- INR

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Apple Mac mini (Mid 2010)

Price: Rs 44,900

Full Review

Released last month, Apple’s new Mac mini (mid 2010) just got a makeover. Not only is it slimmer than previous Mac minis but it sports a new unibody enclosure and has improved internal hardware.

Design
The new Apple Mac mini is quite tiny -- it measures 7.7-inch on the side and is 1.4-inch thick -- the slimmest it has gone since its debut back in 2005. The Mac mini also ditches its white plastic exterior of the past, adopting the all-aluminum unibody design like the Apple MacBook Pro laptop. The new Mac mini sports rounded edges and feels strongly built.

Don’t forget the Apple Mac mini has always been about size and value than performance.

The new Apple Mac mini’s smooth aluminum surface at front is interrupted only by its 8x SuperDrive slot. The new mini weighs 1.37-kg -- heavier than the previous models, but mostly because of the aluminum unibody exterior. Connectivity ports are placed on the Mac mini’s rear panel, while its bottom black plastic panel can be removed to access the Mac mini’s RAM and hard drive.

Hardware Features
The Apple Mac mini comes with a good hardware configuration: an Intel Core 2 Duo (P8600) 2.4-GHz processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 320GB hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor -- almost exactly the same as the entry level 13-inch Apple MacBook. We would’ve preferred an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, but good basic hardware building blocks on the Apple Mac mini nonetheless. If you want, you can bump up its RAM up to 8GB and hard drive up to 500GB. Apple claims the Mac mini (mid 2010) to be the “world’s most energy efficient desktop computer.”

On the back panel, the Mac mini comes with an abundance of connectivity features: four USB ports, SD card reader, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, mini DisplayPort, audio in and out jacks. The Mac mini also bundles in Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless connectivity. Apple has dropped the mini-DVI port in favor of an HDMI port on the new Mac mini, and it also bundles an HDMI-to-DVI connector to connect an LCD monitor. You can also opt for an optional wireless remote controller -- the same one that comes with the Apple iMac 27-inch all-in-one desktop -- if you want to use the Mac mini as a home theater with your LCD TV. Apple also bundles in Mac OS X 10.6.3 operating system, but you can install Windows 7 through Boot Camp if you want.

Upgrading the Mac mini’s RAM has never been this easy. With a simple twist and lift of the Mac mini’s bottom panel, you can access the mini’s RAM -- the easiest compared to older minis. Accessing the hard drive is slightly more difficult.

Performance
The new Apple Mac mini performed much like the 13-inch Apple MacBook -- its WorldBench 6 score of 91 is very good. You will have no problem doing routine tasks like Web browsing, word processing, listening to music, and working with Apple’s iLife suite on the new Mac mini. If you keep many of these applications running simultaneously, the Apple mini’s 2GB RAM will be a limitation -- we recommend at least 4GB of RAM.

The Apple Mac mini’s Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics adapter is good at best -- Far Cry 2 at High settings (1280x720) was barely playable. The Apple Mac mini isn’t a gaming rig by any means, but casual gamers willing to game at low settings (with low expectations) won’t be disappointed. Don’t forget the Apple Mac mini has always been about size and value than performance -- even the performance jump over the 2009 Mac mini model isn’t too great. Watching HD content -- both 720p and 1080p -- went well on the Apple Mac mini, though. The Mac mini didn't heat uncomfortably, throughout our testing.

Connecting the new Mac mini to an HDTV or LCD monitor is very easy with the included HDMI port. While the HDMI port is capable of supporting up to 1920x1200 pixels display, the mini DisplayPort supports even higher screen resolution displays -- like the Dell UltraSharp U2711. If not a compact nettop, the Mac mini can be used as a media center device for the living room. As always, you will need an audio setup to connect to the Mac mini -- but the onboard HDMI port can output audio as well as video.

Bottom Line

The new Apple Mac mini (mid 2010) sells for a price of Rs. 44,900 -- priced higher than previous entry level Mac mini model. It packs in better, improved internal hardware compared to the older Mac minis and sports a slimmer unibody aluminum shell. It’s a glorified nettop and makes very good sense for a tiny, compact, portable computer for your home -- provided you have an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse to connect it with. It also offers good home entertainment value.

If you want to experience the Mac side of personal computing, the Apple Mac mini offers the most inexpensive entry point. Users who bought the 2009 Mac mini shouldn’t be interested -- unless you desire the unibody aluminum shell --  but those stuck with an aging Mac should consider buying the Mac mini. Visit Apple India’s website for more info on the Mac mini.

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Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z

Full Review Price: Rs 35,800

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z is a space-saving all-in-one business desktop PC that offers good performance and makes a strong case for an office PC. It comes with a 19-inch matte screen and some useful business software.

Design & Looks
The ThinkCentre A70z desktop has a picture-frame like compact design and stand. It dresses itself similar to Lenovo’s Thinkpad laptops -- the X301 or T400s, for example -- with a drab, grayish black but tough exterior. The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z doesn’t have even an inch of gloss on its compact, all-in-one unit -- unlike the Dell Vostro 320 all-in-one business desktop PC. The A70z desktop’s power supply is built into the unit -- you just need to connect a power cord, no heavy power adapter to worry about. This helps avoid wire clutter on the desk, adding to the ThinkCentre A70z’s compact footprint.

Lenovo's proprietary ThinkVantage technologies suite helps manage the ThinkCentre A70z better.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z all-in-one desktop PC is very well built -- better than the Dell Vostro 320 -- with a solid steel stand support at the back. Connectivity ports are placed around the desktop’s edge and on the back panel, while the ThinkCentre A70z’s onboard speaker is situated beneath the screen’s bezel. Heat vents are situated near the top of the back panel. While the Dell Vostro 320 is slightly more mainstream in terms of overall look and design, the ThinkCentre A70z has a strict enterprise look and feel about it.

Usability
The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z has a 19-inch matte display supporting a widescreen 1440x900 pixel resolution. The ThinkCentre A70z’s display is ideal for reading text -- typical usage in an office scenario. The display’s tilt is adjustable by the stand at the back and it offers very good viewing angles. A 1.3MP webcam and webcam recessed on the ThinkCentre A70z’s top screen bezel is good enough for video conferencing.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z comes with a very good pair of keyboard and mouse. The keyboard has raised keys that are curved at top and are very good for typing. The USB-connected optical mouse isn’t too small, isn’t too big -- it’s just the right size and good for working with the ThinkCentre A70z desktop. No bloatware here, all useful stuff.

Hardware Specs & Features
The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z comes with an Intel Pentium DualCore E5400 2.7-GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and onboard Intel GMA X4500 graphics. Good basic hardware building blocks, but the ThinkCentre A70z has a slower processor compared to the Dell Vostro 320 -- it has an Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8-GHz processor -- but larger hard drive. The ThinkCentre A70z desktop PC comes with 32-bit Windows 7 Professional operating system.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z all-in-one desktop PC has six USB ports, DVD writer, headphone and microphone jacks, Gigabit Ethernet, and a serial connector. Disappointingly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z desktop doesn’t come with a VGA port, so you can’t connect it to an external monitor. However, an SD card slot is also missing on the Lenovo all-in-one desktop -- a feature as common as a USB port on current desktops and laptops. The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z supports wireless Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity. Its case design prevents you from easily upgrading the ThinkCentre A70z’s internal hardware -- RAM or hard drive.

Lenovo also bundles its proprietary ThinkVantage technologies suite, which helps managing the ThinkCentre A70z better. Among other things, ThinkVantage technologies has an efficient power manager, one-click update service, recovery partition and disk tool, and system diagnostics utility.

Performance
The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z performs in line with its internal hardware. Its WorldBench 6 score of 88 is well below Dell Vostro 320’s 107, but for a regular office desktop it’s quite adequate. Multitasking with regular office productivity suites, browsing the Web, and watching the occasional movie is handled well by the ThinkCentre A70z all-in-one desktop PC.

It played both 720p and 1080p HD video files smoothly, no problems whatsoever. And its good onboard speakers -- situated below the screen -- means you can pop in the occasional DVD and watch a movie comfortably.

Bottom Line

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z is a rugged business all-in-one desktop PC with a compact design. It has a nice matte screen, offers good performance, features, and comes with useful proprietary software for a price of Rs. 35,800.
Between the Dell Vostro 320 and Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z, buy the former for its slightly better performance, features and more mainstream appeal. But if you want a business all-in-one desktop with enterprise looks, better build quality and useful business software, consider the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z.

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Lenovo IdeaCentre B300

Full Review

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 is a 20-inch all-in-one desktop PC targeted at a budget-conscious customer looking to replace their old, aging desktop PC. Equipped with a 3.03-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics, the IdeaCentre B300 makes a strong case for a basic home desktop.

Design
The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 is part of Lenovo’s B series of home all-in-one desktops, and it bears a strong resemblance to its older 23-inch cousin, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B500. The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 has a large photo-frame design that’s slim and its encased in solid, glossy black plastic all around. Unlike the ThinkCentre A70z’s steel stand, the IdeaCentre B300 has a tough plastic stand which allows the B300 desktop PC to tilt backwards.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 performs well for a basic home all-in-one desktop PC.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 all-in-one desktop PC has a pronounced screen bezel all around. Below the screen are placed the desktop’s twin onboard speakers and a row of buttons to adjust the IdeaCentre B300 screen’s brightness or to switch it off. Optical drive is situated on the desktop’s right edge and some connectivity ports are placed on the B300’s left edge. Heat vents are situated near the top of the screen’s back panel. A very well designed all-in-one desktop PC, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B300, and well built as well.

Usability
The centrepiece of the Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 is its 20-inch widescreen display. It supports a resolution of 1600x900 pixels and is matte in nature. The screen is very well lit, nice and bright, and has good viewing angles. Watching movies isn’t as great compared to the glossy displays of the Dell Studio One 19 and MSI Wind Top AE2220 desktops, but still pretty good. However, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B300’s screen doesn’t support touch input.

The IdeaCentre B300’s accompanying keyboard and mouse are one of the best we’ve come across in all our time spent reviewing all-in-one desktop PCs. The keyboard, especially, has raised, closely packed keys that are effortless to type on -- it’s by far the best typing experience on a keyboard we’ve come across. The keyboard has a dedicated button (top right) to launch LVT or Lenovo Vantage Technologies. The included USB-connected mouse fits the palm nicely and nice to use.

Hardware Specs and Features
The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 all-in-one desktop PC has very good hardware building blocks for a basic home desktop PC. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 3.03-GHz processor, 4GB RAM, 640GB hard drive, and discrete ATI Radeon HD 5450 gaphics. The graphics card isn’t really for gaming, but every other day-to-day home application will be handled well by the IdeaCentre B300’s hardware. However, upgrading the desktop’s hard drive or RAM isn’t an option at all -- the casing can’t be opened.

For connectivity options, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 has six USB ports, FireWire, Gigabit Ethernet, multicard reader, headphone and microphone jacks. It has a tray-loading DVD writer on its right edge and PS/2 keyboard port at the back. But the desktop doesn’t come with a serial connector or HDMI or eSATA ports. Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support.

Much like the IdeaCentre B500, Lenovo also bundles in its proprietay Lenovo Vantage Technologies suite for system maintenance, update, and rescue and recovery tools (OneKey recovery) on the IdeaCentre B300 desktop. This not only helps keep your IdeaCentre B300 updated with the latest hardware and software drivers but also makes managing it a lot easier.

Performance
The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 performs well for a basic home all-in-one desktop PC. Its WorldBench score of 100 is very good -- working with day-to-day programs and apps for a home environment won’t be a problem at all. Even watching both 720p and 1080p HD videos on the desktop’s matte screen was a good experience -- not the best but pretty good. The IdeaCentre B300’s accompanying onboard audio was one of the better ones we heard -- not as loud as the onboard speakers on the IdeaCentre B500 but nice and clear.

Gaming at the desktop’s native screen resolution (1600x900) on the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card isn’t a great experience. Basically, if you expect to game on the IdeaCentre B300 desktop PC, you’re looking at the wrong option. This is a very good home entertainment and multimedia all-in-one desktop PC, not a gaming rig.

Bottom Line

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 all-in-one desktop PC sells for a price of Rs. 38,200. For that price, you get a very good basic all-in-one home desktop with slim design and decent value for money. It doesn't have every connectivity option under the sun, but has a nice matte screen, offers very good performance, and performs well as a multimedia home entertainment PC.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 is obviously better than the IdeaCentre B300, and you should consider it if you’re willing to stretch your budget. If you desire a touchscreen-enabled all-in-one desktop PC for your home, check out the MSI Wind Top AE2220. But for 38,000, you won’t go wrong with the Lenovo IdeaCentre B300.

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