Gaming PCs tend to have some common features. The things are usually much more expensive than your average computer and they are crammed with high-performance hardware. iBuyPower is a boutique gaming PC maker that has some very cool machines and today it unveiled the Chimera 2 gaming PC.

The most notable thing visually about the computer is the four surface wrap around paint job with flames and a dragon motif. The machine can be had with several different CPU options including Intel Core i7 and i5 CPUs or AMD Phenom II parts. Several video card options are available as well.

Earlier this month Maingear rolled out its Shift personal supercomputer and it was pretty impressive. With the ATI HD 5970, going live today it’s natural for us to see some new gaming desktops that offer the card inside and the Shift is one of those machines.

Maingear is offering the Shift with both single HD 5970 and dual HD 5970 configurations. The dual 5970 configuration promises 10 teraflops of visual compute power. That is a lot of graphics oomph and should make mincemeat of your favorite video game.

With many homes producing digital content from more than one source that is stored on more than one PC on the home network, one central storage location is appealing to many. Envive has announced that it is now shipping its line of TheaterStation multi-zone digital media management system with centralized storage.

The line comes in a 2U rack mount, 1U rack mount, and a desktop tower form factor. The 2U rack mount product can be had with up to 14TB of storage. The 1U model can have up to 6TB and the tower is good for up to 4TB of storage.

You may recognize the ZAGG name as the company who offers the full line of invisibleSHIELD protective films for notebooks and mobile phones. The film is fantastic and keeps your gadgets from getting scratched and marred. ZAGG has announced some details on a new product that is coming next year called the ZAGGbox.

The device serves several functions including storing, recording, and playing media. It can transcode video to a version for TV and for the iPod or iPhone at the same time. The device has a universal remote and can control other devices with an IR blaster.

When it comes to being a mobile worker, you need some gear if you are going to be productive at all. You need a notebook, a mobile phone and something to carry all that stuff in. The notebook bag is an important part of your gear and booq has unveiled a cool new laptop bag called the Viper Rush.

The bag comes in XL and M sizes with the M version fitting the 15-inch MacBook and the XL version working for the 17-inch MacBook and 15-inch PCs. The bag is semi ridged and is designed to allow you to work on your laptop without pulling it out of the bag.

One of the things that the computer industry is measured by is how many GPUs ship. The more GPUs that ship, the more computers ship. All computers have a GPU of some sort inside them today. The latest figures from Jon Peddie Research for Q3 2009 have been released.

The GPU market grew an impressive 21.2% compared to Q2 2009. AMD was the biggest gainer for the quarter with growth of 30% followed by Intel who grew 21% for the quarter. NVIDIA grew only 3.3% during Q3.

Netbooks have been very popular since they launched and the economy went bad. Many consumers are finding the low price point of the typical netbook to be hard to pass up. As sales of netbooks soar, overall revenues in the notebook category are slipping.

Research firm DisplaySearch has released its latest numbers for the notebook and netbook category and the value of the notebook PC market as a whole was $26.4 billion, up 10% quarter over quarter, but down 5% year over year. The netbook segment was the biggest growth category with an increase from last quarter of 37% and a year over year increase of 264%.

Say supercomputer to most people and they think of the massive machines that take up entire rooms at colleges and laboratories around the country. The sort of computers that have massive power and consumer as much electricity as a mall.

SGI has announced a new computer that is the first in what it calls its line of personal supercomputers. The machine is a high-performance desk side cluster. Despite the machines high-performance it takes up the same amount of space as your average workstation.

I think that computers in schools are a great idea and every kid should have one. This would allow them to use computers instead of their books and perhaps lighten the 30-pound load it seems like they send home with my third grader. One of the most interesting netbooks specifically for school age kids is the CTL 2go Classmate PC E10 that debuted today.

The machine is a 10.1-inch laptop and it has an Intel Atom processor. The exterior of the machine is ruggedized to protect it from drops and water. Storage is to a 160GB HDD and the machine has 1GB of RAM inside.

I am a notebook fan, but do we really need another of the same old machines on the U.S. market? I don’t think we do, what we need are netbooks that innovate either through lower pricing or interesting and compelling features.

HannSpree has announced that its me too HannsNote 10-inch netbook is now available in America. The little machine is a dead ringer for the MSI Wind and has the same old features we have been getting on our netbooks for the last year.

In theory, an all-in-one PC is a good way to save space and get a cleaner looking desktop. The reality is that for some users an all-in-one won’t do the job since most of the new ones being introduced are base don’t the Intel Atom. Gamers need not apply.

A company called CTL has announced an all-in-one PC that’s really more of a normal LCD with a holder on the back for an external Intel Atom-powered system. That means that you have a choice of monitor sizes from 17 to 23-inches and the machine can have an optional DVD drive.

Rugged notebooks are typically more about function over form. They are often big, boxy machines that look like a suitcase more than a typical notebook computer. Rugged machines are also typically larger and heavier than standard machines.

Getac has announced its latest rugged notebook called the 9213. The machine is built with a magnesium chassis and a shock mounted hard drive and LCD. The notebook is designed to handle bumps, drops, and mishaps that go along with using a notebook on the road. The machine also has a spill resistant keyboard.

If you are in the market for a PC that won’t take up much space,(Like none at all) then the new Ripple LOOK PC might be the one for you. It measures in at just 215mm x 235mm x 69mm. The mini desktop is powered by either an Intel Atom N230, N270 or N330 processor, 1GB or 2GB RAM, and a 160GB or 320GB hard drive.

We love the size, but they went the extra mile and also made the Ripple LOOK stylish, which we appreciate. Sadly for your desk, the Ripple LOOK PC is only available in Korea at the moment. No price info yet.

I have talked before about the CrunchPad when a prototype of the device was unveiled back in January. I though the device looked like a kid’s toy back then, thankfully the CrunchPad has been redesigned and is getting close to a launch date. The new design looks very Apple-like.

The NYT reports that Michael Arrington has incorporated a new company called CrunchTablet and is set to make an announcement in late July or early August with availability of the device coming soon after. The CrunchPad is said to cost under $300 and have a screen at least 12-inches.

Netbooks are wildly popular today and odds are many of your friends have them. If you want to be different and stand out from the pack, albeit in a less functional way, a MID might be for you. Sure, they lack a real keyboard, but with Bluetooth, you can carry and external with you.

Dynamism has unveiled a new MID with a tablet form factor called the Viliv X70 series. The device is a touchscreen tablet that runs on netbook internals with an Intel Atom CPU running at 1.33GHz. The MID has a 7-inch WSVGA LCD with a resolution of 1024 x 600 and haptics touch feedback technology.