How to turn a spare LCD panel into a working monitor for $33

We know how it is. You have a laptop or monitor that’s finally bought it, so you decide to salvage it for parts that you’ll use someday. Well, here’s one decidedly inexpensive option for any spare LCD panels you might have lying around. As noted by Make, you can now buy a simple LCD controller on eBay for just $33, which will turn that panel (assuming it’s compatible) into a fully functional monitor without too much skill required on your part — you’re on your own to make it presentable, though.

How to turn a spare LCD panel into a working monitor for $33 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals

If you’ve been hunting for a new Windows 7 gaming rig, we’ve got good news: Maingear’s just stepped up its line of Vybe desktops and it sure looks appetizing. Like before, there’s a trio of pre-fabricated variants, but the goodies are now packed within a redesigned shell finished in black or white (SE and SS models only). The $949 Vybe S starts things off admirably with an overclocked 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 2310 rated at 3.3GHz (capable of turbo-boosting to 3.7GHz). It’s further loaded with a 1GB NVIDIA GTS 450 GPU, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB 7,200RPM HDD, 7-in-1 card reader, 7.1 surround sound support and a 24x DVD burner that’s all hooked into a USB 3.0 / SATA 6G Intel DP67BA motherboard. The $1,129 SE spices things up with an overclocked i5 2500 rated at 3.7GHz (boosting up to 4.1GHz) and a 1GB GTX 560 GPU that’s connected to an SSD-toting Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 motherboard. Lastly, there’s the $1,699 Vybe SS for those who like their noob-slaying experience with extra picante. It’s packing an overclocked and water-cooled 4.5GHz+ Core i7 2600K, a duo of those GTX 560 GPUs and 8GB of RAM to make sure you won’t experience any hang-ups running Crysis.

You can opt to customize the SE and SS rigs with more powerful parts, although you’ll be waiting a bit longer for shipping. You’ll find details at the source and healthy serving of eye candy in the gallery below.

Gallery: Maingear Vybe SS

Continue reading Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals

Maingear intros redesigned Vybe gaming desktops, stuffs ’em with updated internals originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video)

We had a feeling the Samsung Galaxy Note would be a hit on the benchmark scene, but now its unsurprisingly speedy results are documented. Greek site TechBlog installed Quadrant Standard on one of the phone / tablet hybrid demo units at IFA 2011 and produced a benchmark score of 3,624, exactly where we’d expect a Sammy-branded 1.4GHz dual-core CPU to end up; in comparison, our review of the 1.2GHz Samsung Galaxy S II produced an outcome of 3,396. Here's the letdown: the Galaxy Note is expected to top the charts in pricing as well, as it's being reported that we should see the device show up in Scandinavia by year's end for no less than €715 ($1,000 in the US). Let's hope those benchmarks are worth the cost, because there's one thing that can't be denied — it makes the HTC Jetstream feel like a bargain.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video)

Samsung Galaxy Note tops benchmarks, price sheets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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