ALKHOBAR, 9 October 2007 — There is certainly a lot of attention on notebook computers, but recently many vendors have been introducing great new designs, efficiencies and features in desktop models. According to IDC, the worldwide desktop market grew year-over-year by 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2007. A area of extremely high growth within the desktop computer category is the ultra small form factor desktop which IDC anticipates will grow by 52 percent from 2005 to 2010.
Capitalizing on the interest in computers with a smaller size, Lenovo has introduced the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop. It is the smallest, quietest and most energy-efficient desktop made thus far by Lenovo. Taking up 25 percent less space than previous models and weighing just eight pounds, the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop fits the shrinking real estate in today’s work environment, making it an especially good fit for customers in the education, medical and financial sectors. The ThinkCentre A61e is equipped with a single, low-speed fan for quiet operation. It comes with the choice of energy-efficient, 45-watt AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core or AMD Sempron single core processors. The machine’s price tag starts at $399.
The ThinkCentre A61e desktop has earned EPEAT Gold status, the highest designation a product can achieve in the ranking. Operated by the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT ranks products on a variety of environmental attributes from energy efficiency to materials use to recyclability. The ThinkCentre A61e desktop uses up to 90 percent reusable/recyclable materials as well as 90 percent recyclable packaging. It can be powered by an optional solar panel. Lenovo noted that in part due to the energy-efficiency of the processors used in the ThinkCentre A61e, the computer can save up to 50 percent in energy costs annually over previous desktop models.
It is not just Lenovo that is aiming to make the business environment greener. Dell is another PC vendor focusing on desktops that reduce operational costs. With the addition of the OptiPlex 330, Dell claims to have more business desktops that meet stringent EPEAT “Gold” standards than any other PC vendor. The new OptiPlex 330 offers broadly configurable Energy Star 4.0 options, including 80 percent efficient power supplies. The system is also available with Energy Smart power settings that allow customers to lower energy costs by up to 78 percent.
The OptiPlex 330 includes DirectDetect, a series of LED lights that enables easy diagnosis of system health. The computer also offers simplified management, increased reliability and security with secure remote access through ASF2.0 to power cycle systems, as well as basic command line interface controls. The desktop includes centralized, remote control with Dell Client Manager to automate common tasks associated with owning client systems and Dell Deployment Services for End-to-End Reliability. The OptiPlex 330 is priced at $699 without monitor and excluding local taxes or duties.
Not every desktop is created equally green and some machines have a focus on performance over any environmental consideration. In Dubai, SKY Electronics has launched the “Annihilator,” a machine it claims is the world’s fastest PC. In building the Annihilator the company focused on fastest, latest and extreme editions of the PC Series, keeping in mind the region’s hardcore gamers.
The Annihilator was created using the fastest PC components available to date. The machine runs on Intel’s Quad Core QX6850 processor at a clock speed of 3.0-Ghz, and features NVIDIA’s 8800 Ultra graphics cards in SLI mode, for the extra “boom” and “crash” in today’s game titles. The PC is equipped with two Western Digital Raptor drives set in RAID0 configuration for speed, as well as a RAID5 array of 1.5TB for the user’s data. The machine also has a Blu-ray drive and Creative’s X-Fi Fatal1ty edition sound card, which allows gamers to enjoy the latest High Definition movies in all their audio and video glory. With all that equipment crammed into its case, the PC relies on a Danger Den water cooling system to ensure quiet, dependable operation. Price for all that technology? Quoted at GITEX at $7,500 — in other words, the Annihilator can destroy the competition, the planet and your wallet, all at the same time.
