HP Fansite

HP Mini 311 vs HP Pavilion dm1 – what’s the difference?

At present, there are two HP ultra-portable notebook models that look almost exactly like each other: the HP Mini 311 and HP Pavilion dm1. What’s the difference? On the outside, there are few design differences… the two main things that separate the two are the processor and graphics set used. The HP Mini 311 uses the single-core Intel Atom processor paired with Nvidia Ion graphics, which is a decent graphics card suited to playing some games (though on medium to low settings) and high definition video. On the other hand, the HP Pavilion dm1 uses Intel Celeron processors, allowing you to select from a decent range up to dual-core offerings (which are of course, more basic than their larger notebook counterparts). However, you won’t get dedicated graphics at all – you’re sacrificing the Nvidia Ion graphics of the Mini 311 for integrated Intel graphics (a poor choice for gaming).

• Mini 311 – Single core processor with Nvidia Ion graphics for video playback and basic/low-end games
• Pavilion dm1 – Dual core processor so you can run more day to day applications with less slowdown, but you make a sacrifice in the graphics department

Nvidia shows off latest Mobile GeForce graphics

Nvidia has recently updated their website for the new year, listing seven new GeForce 300-series graphics cards for notebooks. They have their GeForce 305M and 310M at their “mainstream” end, which are essentially basic solutions. Then there are the “performance” GeForce GT325M, GT330M and GT335M; with the GT330M already on its way into Sony’s refreshed Vaio Z laptop model. And finally, the GeForce GTS350M and GTS360M are both Nvidia’s latest and greatest “high performance” cards, both of which are 2-way SLI ready (probably a sign of gaming notebooks to come huh?).

Coming soon: 2010 HP Pavilion dv4, Compaq netbook, new HP Pavilion Elite desktops

News of several upcoming HP computers has just broke out (or should I say, leaked) on the internet, apparently sprouting from online retailer Logic Buy. The folks there appear to be slightly unsure about the products (but they do have pictures), with specifications lists made out of some potentially real facts and some patchwork speculation.

Disclaimer: The source for this news article is not on HP Fansite’s “trusted sources” list, so do take specifications with a pinch of salt! The pictures appear to be real though!

Compaq Mini CQ10: Starting from the least significant of things is the Compaq Mini CQ10 netbook. This Compaq-branded netbook is a mashup of last year’s HP Mini designs (with the ‘old’, non-chiclet keyboard) and the guts of the recently leaked-n-selling HP Mini 210. The Compaq Mini CQ10 will sport a single-core 1.66 GHz, latest Intel Pine Trail N450 processor, GMA 3150 integrated graphics, 10 inch display and 250 GB hard disk, but UNLIKE the Mini 210, it will be limited to 1 GB of RAM, hinting that the Compaq Mini will ship with Windows XP (as opposed to Windows 7 on the Mini 210)

3rd generation HP Pavilion dv4: Unlike what they’ve done with the dm1/dm3 models, HP probably decided they’d save time and costs by re-using the hull of the HP Pavilion dv4. This 3rd generation dv4 sports the same design as its predecessors but with a different color scheme/exterior patterns. The 1st generation dv4 was a mix of silver and black, the 2nd generation dv4 was all-black and now, the dv4 is back… in all brown/gold (see the 1st picture above). Now, the folks out there on the net are only circulating pictures and speculation, but as the HP Fansite, we received exclusive information from a reliable source that HP will be offering the new Mobile Core i3/Core i5 processors with the new dv4. It will also have DDR3 RAM slots, new Nvidia graphics (as opposed to the crappy G105M in the 2nd generation) and optical drive with optional Blu-ray. To put things short, the new dv4 brings small changes: cosmetic, processor/graphics and DDR3 RAM – the rest stays the same.

Four new HP Pavilion Elite desktops: HP has four upcoming Pavilion Elite desktops. The Pavilion Elite 110t and 150t will be sub-$800 models with entertainment and media in mind, while the 170t and 180t models will cost around $1000+ and will offer more powerful Core i5 and Core i7 options, with a host of other step-up… plus the latter model will feature Nvidia GeForce GTX260 graphics

Well, things don’t seem too exciting for the HP’s consumer PC range this spring. Let’s hope for better from their business/enterprise PC side, shall we? =)

What single-player gaming should be…

Batman: Arkham Asylum for PC (I'm enjoying it, "only" 47% done)

The date is January 2, 2010. No sign of any HP news or rumors so far… so before we get all busy with CES 2010 (Consumer Electronics Show) and the rumored new HP notebooks and stuff, I’d like to take some time today to talk about gaming.

For the last two days before the New Year, I had probably the most exciting and enjoyable single-player gaming experience of 2009. Batman: Arkham Asylum (yes it has a superhero in it, but it certainly won’t be small little children playing this game) is a game which came out in September 2009 for PC, and yes, I’m noticeably late to the party (3rd person perspective games have never been my thing, but a recent experience of Metal Gear Solid 4 on a friend’s Playstation 3 has motivated me to try out more recent 3rd person games for PC*). In terms of single-player replay ability, the Left4Dead series are easily at the top for most re-playable games recently released but in my opinion, Arkham Asylum takes the cake for single-player playing depth.

I’ve spent about 12 hours spread out over two days (New Year’s eve and the eve before the eve) and I’m only 47% through the game (see my little screenshot above). I estimate it’ll take me about 26 hours in total to complete the entire single-player of Arkham Asylum – which is excellent! Compare that to the 4.5 hours it took on the latest Call of Duty title: Modern Warfare 2… and Modern Warfare 2 pales in comparison with its overly short single-player campaign. Granted, Arkham Asylum and Modern Warfare 2 are two games of two different genres but Arkham Asylum is a great example of how single-player should be on every game.

Not only does it take several days (or longer, if you don’t spend too much time playing in one sitting) to complete the game’s single-player mode, the game also makes you feel like you’ve been playing much longer than you really have (especially with some scenarios where you have to sneak around and be stealthy, combined with several high-packed, heart pumping fights/boss fights – there’s a really nice stark contrast here). Arkham Asylum’s gameplay essentially gives you a dose of some ‘stealth’ elements along with quite a bit of action, though it won’t be replacing games dedicated to those respective genres anytime soon.

Oh, did I mention the graphics and environment are both awesome (save for the few pre-rendered cutscenes. My eyes tell me they’re pre-rendered because the details and graphics in cutscenes are much coarser and lower resolution). The “world” of the Arkham Asylum island is nicely sized, and though you have to pass through or go back to some places at times, you don’t really feel “oh no, I’ve been here before, why am I here again” because there’s always something new: be it new bad guys having come back to patrol the area or giant “beanstalk” plants bursting through the walls and floors, presenting the need to find another way around.

What single player gaming should be: Sufficiently long with a good story line (this should be one of the top priorities in my opinion) – 24+ hours of singleplayer gameplay should be good, some level of non-linearity or dynamic/changing in-game elements and/or plot twists. With that all said, I think Eidos (Arkham Asylum’s developer) has won me over and just turned me into a potential customer for the upcoming sequel, Arkham Asylum 2. *Note: I still stand by the fact that I really wish someone would make an MGS4 port for PC!!