HP PAVILION DV8280US

Given the availability of a multitude of products flooding the market it is extremely cumbersome for a buyer to decide upon the right notebook. In such a situation the HP Pavilion DV8280US comes as a godsend with its user friendly features and amazing performance. Fresh from the stable of computer giants HP, this notebook gives an excellent value for money. Cited as a flagship model by the firm, this notebook offers admirable performance at a good price.
The technical specifications are as follows:

• Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition
• Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2300 (1.66 GHz)
• 17.0" WSXGA+ Bright View Widescreen (1680x1050)
• 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400
• 2.0GB DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024MB) 667MHz
• 80 GB Fujitsu 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
• LightScribe Double Layer 8x DVD+/-RW&CD-RW Combo
• Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network with Bluetooth
• HP Express Card Analog TV Tuner with remote control
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition Backup CD
• HP Mobile Remote Control

The HP Pavilion DV8280US with a well built body having firm hinges making it a durable product. It is easy on the eyes with its dual color scheme and well lit keyboard. A tiny innovation makes it a handy workstation; it is the addition of a calculator launch button which helps in saving a lot of time when one has to make calculations at regular intervals.

The soft runs on Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre Edition which spells great media experience for the user with unmatched quality for all your media related work including editing of audio and video files. The processor is an efficient one which delivers swift computing and saves up on precious time. Furthermore, the exterior is also impressiveblue lights of the keyboard make the HP Pavilion DV8280US convenient to use in low light conditions which adds to its list of pros. Its two GB RAM and 17 inch screen give it an edge over similarly priced notebooks and it clearly scores over them in this. It has a dedicated video RAM making it a treat to work on when it comes to games and media applications.

The fact that it is WiFi enabled can come in handy as there is no use of carrying cumbersome cords along with you at all places. Simply put, one can surf the net from any part of a WiFi enabled place with supreme mobility. Since The 17-inch WXGA+ high-definition BrightView widescreen (1440 x 900 resolution) gives a 45 percent larger picture for DVD movies than a 15-inch screen, it is a great buy for anyone with a taste for quality viewing. The video is powered by Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card and has a whopping 128 MB of dedicated video RAM. Nvidia's TurboCache feature increases the performance of this thin notebook PC without increasing its size or draining its battery.

This longevity of the battery is a boon when longer hours of work are required with no charging options in sight. All in all, the HP Pavilion DV8280US offers a good value of money for its power packed features and performance.

HP PAVILION DV6000T

The Pavilion dv6000t is one of the best entertainment notebooks around.

The Pavilion dv6000t is a stylish, reasonably priced laptop for both work and play. Highlights include a bright 15.4-inch wide-screen display, a keyboard with a touchpad lock, strong sound, one-touch entertainment, and a superb optional docking station.

The dv6000t offers a wide choice of AMD and Intel processors (a t in the model name indicates Intel, while a z designates AMD). Our $1499 (as of 9/8/06) review unit came equipped with a 1.83-GHz Core 2 Duo T5600 processor and 1GB DDR2-667 SDRAM. It earned a WorldBench 5 score of 101, placing its performance among the top 20 percent of notebooks we've tested.
The standard 6-cell battery disappointed, lasting a brief 2.1 hours in our tests. If battery life is one of your priorities, you'll do well to upgrade to the 12-cell version for $39 more; with this battery a 2.16-GHz Core Duo T2600-equipped HP Pavilion dv2000t, basically the same notebook with a 14.1-inch screen, worked unplugged for over 7 hours. (The taller battery also makes a nice typing foot.)

However, the rest of our Windows XP Home review unit was top-notch. For starters, the dv6000 is one of several Pavilion models that have gone high fashion: For $29 more, the dv6000 can have the same high-gloss metallic touches, piano-black finish, and subtle wave imprint as its dv2000 and dv9000 siblings. It's a gorgeous look for a notebook.
Our review machine was well stocked for the price, coming with Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth wireless communications, a top-of-the-line 120GB 5400-rpm hard drive, an integrated 1.3-megapixel Webcam, and a SuperMulti DVD±RW/R drive with LightScribe for laser-etching your own monochromatic disc labels. Also included were a 256MB nVidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card and Microsoft Works 8. The port selection--three USB ports, a FireWire port, and a three-in-one media slot--is modest but should satisfy most home users.

Optionally available with the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system, the dv6000t is one of the best entertainment notebooks out there. Its Altec Lansing stereo speakers are strong enough for you to enjoy soaring music and exciting action movies without headphones. For listening in private, the notebook comes with dual stereo headphone jacks for you and a friend.

HP's QuickPlay 2.1 wide-screen menu launches movies, CDs, personal videos, and photo slide shows without booting Windows. You start QuickPlay, and control the volume, by pressing a stylish touch-sensitive membrane located at the top of the keyboard. Prefer to sit back and relax? There's always HP's palm-size ExpressCard remote ($15 extra) for controlling your media from up to 10 feet away.

The dv6000t is user upgradable, with memory chips and a hard drive that are easy to access. In each case, you simply remove a protective bottom panel held in by a couple of captive screws. For turning the notebook into a world-class desktop replacement, however, you'll want the $450 HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base; the price includes a screen stand with rear port replication, a secondary 300GB hard drive, built-in premium speakers, and a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Even if you don't opt for the Expansion Base, the dv6000t shouldn't disappoint as an entertainment notebook--its wealth of multimedia extras makes it very appealing.

Source: PcWorld
by Carla Thornton

DELL XPS M1710

The M1710 (N04XPS7) is the bigger brother of the M1210 and, just like its smaller sibling, it's very different in appearance to the rest of the Dell laptop range. It's powerful, too; in fact it's one of the most powerful notebooks currently available. The XPS M1710 has been around for a while but our review sample, the flagship model of the range, is one of the latest with a Blu-Ray writeable drive fitted as standard.

The M1710 comes in two colours - Metallic Black (our review sample) or Formula Red - and, as is becoming for a member of the XPS clan, enough lights to shame a Christmas tree. The design of the notebook is what you could call "funky industrial" with the metallic black lid inlay neatly set off by the metallic silver surround. It's a tough beast as well, with a magnesium alloy chassis, steel lid hinges and thick plastic palm wrests, but weighing in at 5.5kg you won't want to be carrying it around much anyway.

As the flagship model, our M1710 came powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU which is clocked at 2.33GHz, but if you want to save some money, slower processor options are available.

Backing up the CPU is 1GB of PC2-667 (333MHz) DDR2 memory in the form of two modules, but the two DIMM slots will accept up to a maximum of 4GB of memory, so as you might expect the M1710's performance should be pretty good to say the least. That's borne out by its PCMark 05 overall score of 5,900 which puts it well up with most upper-mid-range desktops and some high-end systems too.

On the other hand, battery life isn't stunning, but as the M1710 will spend most of its life attached to the mains that's pretty academic anyway. We managed to get about two and a half hours of life under test conditions with all battery saving measures turned off.

Overall performance is one thing, but what the M1710 is really about is gaming and the graphics performance is nothing short of stunning. The graphics are powered by an Nvidia GeForce GO 7950 GTX GPU backed by 512MB of GDDR3 memory, giving the M1710 a stunning 3DMark score of 9,035 at 1,024 by 768 pixels and, more importantly for gamers, an average frame rate score in F.E.A.R of 103fps at the same resolution with all game details set to maximum.

Even at the screen's native resolution (1,920 x 1,200) you get an average frame rate of 40fps, which you can increase by turning the game details down a notch or to, getting a more playable figure. The GO 7950 GTX also provides a VGA and a DVI out connector so you can hook up the M1710 to either an analogue or digital external monitor.

The screen is really good, too; a 17-inch WUXGA widescreen with the aforementioned 1,920 x 1,200 pixel native resolution and Dell's TrueLife glossy coating which is claimed to allow bolder colours and greater contrast than a standard coating.

You may be surprised by the smallish size of the Dell's keyboard given the size of the laptop itself, but the reason for giving so much space to rest your palms and part of your wrist is because primarily the M1710 is a gaming notebook, so all the keys used by gamers can be comfortably used for long periods. But this doesn't diminish the overall ease of use of the excellent keyboard and touchpad.

As the M1710 comes with Vista Home Premium we gave the Vista benchmark a spin and got a score of 5.9 and 5.8 for the graphics and gaming graphics respectively, but because of a slowish hard drive and just the one gig of memory, the overall Vista score is a fairly average 4.3.

Storage comes in the form of a 120GB, 5,400rpm Hitachi drive but if you want faster transfer rates, a 7,200rpm drive is an alternative you can choose when you configure your M1710. Also provided are an Express Card slot and a 5-in-1 Card Reader. Joining these on the right-hand side of the chassis are two audio ports and a 4-pin FireWire port. The left-hand side holds the Blu-Ray drive and two USB 2.0 ports.

The rear of the chassis has all the other ports, and in addition to the monitor outputs you also get four more USB 2.0 ports, S-Video out, LAN and modem ports (connected to integrated Gigabit Ethernet and V.90 controllers respectively). You get 802.11a/b/g Wireless as well.

"What about all the lights?", I hear you cry. Oh well, you had to ask. The two XPS logo cut-outs in the lid, the speaker grilles, the fan grilles and the logo cut-out in the touchpad are all back-lit by LEDs. But it doesn't end there: with the exception of the mouse pad all the colours can be changed - with what Dell calls the XPS LightFX - and you have a palette of 16 colours to choose from. These can be changed easily in the BIOS or by the harder-to-find 'gaming' tab of the Dell Quickset utility in the program menu.

As with all the XPS range you get special treatment for spending all that hard-earned cash, in the shape of two years on-site warranty and the special, dedicated, XPS 24 free phone technical support.

Dell - XPS M1710 features - Verdict

Dell has upped the ante on gaming notebook performance with the XPS M1710. Yes it's expensive, but you get an awful lot of laptop for your money, a machine that can hold its own with a great number of desktop PCs out there.

Source: itreviews

DELL E1505/6400 REVIEW

Screen:

The 15.4" WSXGA+ LCD is amazing. The pictures are sharp, and there is little evidence of ghosting. My LCD has only a small amount of expected light leakage along the bottom and top edges, but nothing that is intrusive. Even when watching DVDs on a black screen, it is hardly noticeable. No dead pixels to speak of, and I can't notice the 'sparkling' other people talk about. The color saturation is excellent. As for brightness, the screen is pretty bright at the highest setting, though that's not adviseable for battery usage. There is a problem with glare on this glossy coating, which is even noticeable on highest brightness (on a sunny day).

Heat:

The laptop will get warm, just like every other laptop. Specially on the underneath side towards the back. The palm rests will warm up insignificantly. Overall, the system has good heat dissipation, and will hover around 40-45 C for normal operations. The system never gets too hot, and it can always be placed on the lap without any discomfort.

Noise:

The CD/DVD drive is NOISY. It also tends to cause vibrations throughout the keypad area. The harddrive has a gentle hum thats very tolerable. The fan comes in 3 stages. The lowest stage is hardly noticeable, and very quiet. The 2nd stage is a bit louder, but also nothing too bad. The 3rd stage is a bit noisy, but not so much that it interferes with operations. And to note, the 3rd stage will only kick on for a few seconds, and is not prolonged.

Construction:

Mediocre at best. Perhaps one of the few faults I can find with this E1505 is the poor build materials. The plastic along the back of the LCD panel is easily scratchable, and the white bumpers along the edge has a distinct cheap plastic feel. Too bad the chasis isn't made of carbon fiber or magnesium alloy... Its just cheap cheap plastic. Areas along the vent and undercariage are depresseable with a semi-strong push. Although the laptop does not feel like it will break without a significant reason, the feel of the quality is still pretty miserable.
The LCD panel opens and closes without squeeking, and it feels pretty tight and well matted so thats good. The clasp along the top is plastic, and works as intended.

Sound:

The sound system on the laptop is remarkeably good. Sure, it won't replace any high end stereo equipment, but for integrated speakers, they're good. They have good bass, and a moderately crisp sound. However, there's always headphone jacks if you rather use a pair of headphones.

Price:

I got my laptop through Dell EPP program and with a $-750 as well as a free 1 GB Ram upgrade. Therefore, the price was roughly slashed by 40%. Making my laptop a very very good value. Dell runs promotions throughout the year, so keep hunting for a price, and Dell won't let you down. However, the E1505 is priced competitively at its regular sale price. (My laptop with its settings was bought at $1259.45 after tax and s/h)

Speed:

The advertising for the Core Duo DOES NOT LIE. The overall system is INCREDIBLY fast. My T2500 was able to compute 1 million digits of Pi (albeit, on Mathematica 5.2 which supports Core Duo Processors) in roughly 15 seconds [Remarkeable]. Then, just to push the limits a bit, I decided to run a virus scan (mccafee), spyware scan (spybot), and System Mechanic Pro 5 all simulteneously. (All the while also chatting via AIM). Lo and behold, the system usage hovered around 90%. Which is incredible since I was running so many programs simulteneously. The responsiveness of the system is much quicker compared with a single core system. However, is the extra $70~ worth it for the T2300 upgrade to T2500 (around +0.17GHz)? Probably not... But I like my T2500 =)

Video:

Fortunately, the E1505 has something besides the dreaded integrated video: a dedicated video chip. Unforunately, the options arn't the best (but not the worst either). The high end chip for the E1505/6400 is the ATI Mobility X1400. Clocked at 432 MHz, and with 128 MB Dedicated onboard memory (256 Max), the X1400 will not compete with the Nvidia 7800s or 6800s. But it will get the job done. Video editing, DVD watching, and some games, the X1400 will handle it without breaking a sweat.
I personally use my laptop for only "lower-end" games like Warcraft III, and less graphics demanding games like Civilization IV. However, I was able to run Doom III on High settings and a decent resolution (1024x768) at a steady 40 FPS without any overclocking (Omega Drivers). I would not dare to try FEAR or Oblivion on these kind of settings though.... The X1400 will satisfy most casual to low-High end gamers.

Keyboard/TouchPad:

The keyboard and touchpads are decent. The keyboard has a nice size, and good keystroke depth. The touchpad is very responsive, and the side scroll lengths are useful. Although, the two click buttons feel quite cheap... (fortunately, I've replaced this with my wireless optical Logitech V500 Mouse $20)

Wifi:

Meh, its a standard Intel A/B/G adapter. It gets the job done, I get a 4 bar reception strength (and excellent signal quality) here in my room 2 floors above my router ($40 Netgear G wireless router WGR614-v6)

Ports:

Nice array of ports. 4-USB 2.0, Firewire, PC Express Card, 5-in-1 media slot, video out, and s-video out port (at least I think that's what it is...).

Media Direct:

Nice row of multimedia buttons with a cool blue backlight along the front end for easy access to sound, and play options. Dell's Media Direct is useful for playing multimedia without booting into Windows.

Asthetics:

The laptop looks cool, no lie. Although the white bumpers look kinda cheap, the silver finish along the inside and ouside mixed with the black undercarriage looks pretty neat.

Preinstalled Software:

Oh jeez, another hitch Dell has: the incredibly USELESS and abundant amounts of bloatware they install. So annoying to get rid of... Recommend complete reformat and clean install or otherwise face 1-2 hours of housekeeping...

Battery:

Respecteable battery life. Approximately 6 hours on a full charge using headphones on low sound, medium brightness, and wifi off. 5 hours on full charge with wifi on. But keep in mind, I am using the upgraded 9 Cell rather than a 6 cell. (Although I did get 2 batteries, which is a wise thing to do for those buying a laptop) The batteries charge fairly quickly, approximately 2.5 hours to charge a 30% battery to 100%.

Overall:

A good laptop for a large host of users looking for a balance of power and value. The speed and hardware on this laptop is excellent. Although it could use a better construction and less bloatware that came with...


Recommendation:

yes, buy the E1505 if you are looking for an affordable laptop that delivers a punch. However, if you're a hardcore gamer (rather play FEAR/Oblivion on high settings), it would be best to get a desktop replacement laptop (E1705, XPS, etc etc) Or better yet, why not just get a desktop . The E1505 can handle everything from word processing, email, surfing the net to video editing, and low-High end gaming (WoW, Doom III).

ASUS LAMBORGHINI VX1 REVIEW

Although the mobile market is full of rather bland and painfully similar designs, there are a handful of notebook vendors which have created unique products to stand out from the crowd. Typically acting as the company's flagship notebook, these systems generally offer performance which is equally as impressive as their sleek designs and aesthetics. In similar fashion, ASUS has worked closely with the famed Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini to bring the new VX1 notebook to market. Blending the performance ideals of each company with the bold, unique and racy designs of Lamborghini, the ASUS VX1 offers a creative new spin on the thin and light notebook platform.

General

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Platform technology : Intel Centrino Duo

Windows Vista certification : Windows Vista Premium Ready

Built-in Devices : Bluetooth antenna, Wireless LAN antenna

Width : 13 in

Depth : 10.7 in

Height : 1.2 in

Weight : 5.7 lbs

Processor

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Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 / 2.16 GHz
Data bus speed : 667 MHz
Chipset type : Mobile Intel 945PM Express

Cache Memory

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Type : L2 cache
Cache size : 4 MB

RAM

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Installed Size : 2 GB / 2 GB(max)
Technology : DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
RAM configuration features : 2 x 1 GB

Storage Controller

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Storage controller type : IDE

Storage

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Floppy Drive : None
Hard Drive : 160 GB - 5400 rpm
Storage Removable : None

Optical Storage

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Type : DVD±RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM

Card Reader

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Card reader type : 4 in 1 card reader

Display

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Display Type : 15 in TFT active matrix
Max Resolution : 1400 x 1050 ( SXGA+)
Display (Projector) / Widescreen Display : No
Color support : 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Features : Color Shine, Crystal Shine, Zero Bright Dot

Video

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Graphics Processor / Vendor : NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 TurboCache supporting 512MB

Audio

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Audio output type : Sound card
Audio output compliant standards : AC '97
Audio Input : Microphone

Input Device(s)

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Input device type : Keyboard, Touchpad

Telecom

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Modem : Fax / modem - MDC
Max transfer rate : 56 Kbps
Protocols & Specifications : ITU V.92

Networking

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Networking : Network adapter
Networking / Wireless LAN Supported : Yes
Wireless NIC : Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Data link protocol : Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Networking standards : IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0

Expansion / Connectivity

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Expansion Slots Total (Free) : 2 ( 0 ) x Memory, 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard
Interfaces : 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Audio - SPDIF output/headphones, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1 x Infrared - IrDA

Miscellaneous

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Features : Hot keys, Wake on LAN
Miscellaneous compliant standards : FCC, CCIB, JATE, CTR 21, ACPI 2.0,

VCCI Class B ITE, FCC Class B certified

Power

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Power device form factor : External
Voltage Required : AC 120/230 V

Battery

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Technology : 8-cell Lithium ion
Installed Qty : 1
Mfr estimated battery life : 4 hour(s)

Operating System / Software

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OS Provided : Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Software type : Drivers & Utilities

Manufacturer Warranty

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Service & support type : 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details : Limited warranty - 2 years, Limited warranty - Battery - 1 year

Taking a quick look at the specifications for the system, we find that the ASUS VX1 utilizes the vast majority of the fastest mobile hardware available. Here, we find complete support for Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors along with DDR2 memory, a dual-layer DVD burner, 160GB hard drive, and Intel's new 3945 802.11a/b/g wireless module. Perhaps the only component which could be seen as a potential chink in the virtual armor here is the inclusion of the GeForce Go 7400. This new GPU features 8 pixel pipelines and 3 Vertex engines along with support for NVIDIA's Turbocache memory technology. Although the GeForce Go 7400 is a higher performance variant of the GeForce Go 7300, it still represents the lowest tier of NVIDIA's family of mobile GPU's. Granted, the ASUS VX1 is a new entry into the thin and light mobile segment. However, we would have loved to have seen the engineers at ASUS shoehorn in a GeForce Go 7600 in the Lambo at the very least.

Conclusion:

As the fruit of a relationship between ASUS and exotic car manufacturer Lamborghini, the ASUS VX1 is designed to offer exceptional performance, stunning aesthetics, and solid reliability. Combining a vast array of the latest flagship mobile hardware, the VX1 is an impressive success in nearly every respect.

As is the case with the supercars produced by Lamborghini, the ASUS VX1 is a piece of hardware which many will lust over. Unfortunately, the notebook also carries the same price premium as the automobile with a price tag of roughly $2799. Regardless, the system does come with an impressive list of top-notch equipment including a blisteringly fast Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, 2GB of DDR2-667 memory, a spacious 160GB drive, and an 8x Dual-Layer DVD burner. In addition, the system also utilizes a 15" SXGA+ LCD which comes with a Zero Bright Dot warranty from ASUS where the company will replace the panel should a single dead pixel crop up. All of this is encased in an extremely lightweight package which is finished with a quality mirror-like paint job that is sure to attract attention.

All told for the ASUS VX1, there is plenty to look at and praise. The system is surprisingly light at 5.6lb, putting the VX1 roughly on par or less than most 14" thin and light notebooks. Although pricey, the system comes with an impressive bundle including a high quality carrying case and a stellar Bluetooth mouse with matching leather mouse pad. In addition, the notebook's Zero Bright Dot warranty alleviates one major issue with notebooks as most cases of dead pixels result in the owner just having to live with it. With regard to performance, the ASUS VX1 has proven to be exceptionally fast in nearly all benchmark scenarios. Thanks to the sheer power of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of DDR2-667 memory, the notebook is able to churn through even the most taxing desktop or content creation applications.

Looking at the ASUS VX1, the primary issue we have with the system is the fact that this notebook carries the Lamborghini emblem. Lamborghini automobiles have long been known for being absolute brutes in terms of performance. Practicality and compromises be damned, the engineers at Lamborghini would go to any extent to ensure their cars were always at the top of the performance charts. The cars are impossibly fast, they are painfully expensive, and their appearances have always been nothing short of breathtaking. With this in mind, one would logically expect a Lamborghini notebook to be a potent Desktop Replacement system which ran hot, looked outrageous, and offered record-setting performance in every possible category. Although battery life would be abysmal, carrying the system would be strenuous, the Lamborghini notebook would act as the pinnacle for the ultimate mobile performance. After all, someone who purchases a Lamborghini Gallardo is not looking for a daily driver to bring the kids to school. In similar fashion, the ideal consumer for a Lamborghini notebook should not be overly concerned with weight and battery life. Rather, in each case the ultimate goal is obtaining the fastest possible hardware money can buy and to turn heads. In this respect, the ASUS VX1 has seemingly missed its mark. The system has sub-par gaming performance and an aesthetic that seems impossible to link to any of Lamborghini's brilliant designs. Somehow, the aesthetic for the new ASUS-G2P we previewed seems much more aggressive and appropriate. Hopefully, the ASUS VX1 will not be the last attempt by ASUS to capture the magic of the "raging bull" as we are confident the company has the ability and know-how to make the proper system and do the Italian car manufacturer proud.

With such a pointed paragraph as above, it would be easy to walk away assuming we were not impressed with the ASUS VX1. However, we can assure you that the VX1 is an exceptional piece of hardware for everything but gaming. It is an excellent thin and light notebook that would be heralded with praise had it not featured the Lamborghini logo and such a high-price tag. For being the result of a joint effort between ASUS and Lamborghini, the VX1 is a bit of a disappointment. However, as a flagship level thin and light notebook for the professional on the go, the ASUS VX1 is an impressive system with spectacular performance. If you can live with the fact that the system won't afford serious gaming and are satisfied with the aesthetic, the ASUS VX1 is certainly a notebook which can handle any mobile duties you could throw at it. As a result, we are giving the ASUS VX1 a rating of "7.5" .

ASUS G2P-7R009C LAPTOP PC REVIEW

The Asus G2P-7R009C is a big, heavy notebook short on battery life but long on gaming muscle.

A powerful desktop replacement, the Asus G2P-7R009C can handle email and spreadsheets, but the flashing lights and red-honeycomb air pockets won't let you forget that its raison d'être is killing zombies.

If Black & Decker were to make a laptop, it might look like the Asus G2P-7R009C. The black and silver case has brushed chrome and red highlights. A menacing eye located between the mouse buttons glows red when the unit is running, and red side panels flash during moments in games when DirectX 9.0 is invoked.

Our test unit came with the multimedia extras you'd expect in a gaming laptop. Serious entertainment enthusiasts will appreciate the multiple options - S-Video, DVI and VGA - for attaching an even bigger screen. However, the version of the G2P sold in the US does not have an integrated TV-tuner option, despite what the user manual says.

The case layout could be a tad more convenient. The right side houses nothing but the DVD burner, and all but one of the five USB ports are stuck on the back. The keyboard is plenty comfortable, especially for gamers, with the crucial A, S, D, and W keys colour-coded red. The Asus G2P-7R009C's palm rest is very deep, but people with long arms should have no trouble reaching the keys.

In a more practical vein, a direct console LCD mounted above the Asus G2P-7R009C's keyboard on the left provides user-defined status information, such as incoming e-mail and appointments.

The Asus G2P-7R009C's hefty 4.4kg weight is typical for a gaming notebook. So is the battery life, 3 minutes shy of 2 hours in our tests. But the speed of this 2-GHz Core 2 Duo T7200-equipped machine with 2GB of RAM was superlative, earning a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 81, which ranks in the top 5 percent of laptops we've tested.

In our game-play tests, 3D shooters ran without a stumble on the 17in WXGA+ screen. In our automated Far Cry test, our test unit reached a searing 99 frames per second, powered by a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 graphics card.

For gaming fiends who can pony up the best part of two grand and have a bit more in savings for a set of surround-sound speakers, the Asus G2P-7R009C laptop PC would make a fine desktop replacement.

Verdict
A big, powerful desktop-replacement PC, the Asus G2P-7R009C is an ideal system for ardent gamers who don't need to travel too much.


Source: PcAdvisor
by Carla Thornton

MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE WITH ACER ASPIRE AS5570-2792 NOTEBOOK

The Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 Notebook is the latest release of Acer’s Aspire series. The new notebook has a new hardware configuration which includes the Pentium dual-core processor and a 14.1” screen that allows users enhanced computing experience. The Aspire AS5570-2792 is priced at $640. The Aspire series introduces a larger memory capacity and longer battery life which enables individuals to use the notebook for extended periods of time.
Features

The significant feature of the Acer notebook is that it has a large 14.1” screen display which is bigger than the Aspire 3680. Some of its features include the following-

1 - Processor
Aspire AS5570-2792 has an Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2060 with a processing speed of 1.60GHz. At such speeds, users can browse through multimedia software such as games and other scanning software. It has a CPU FSB of 533 MHz and a CPU L2 Cache of 1MB.

2 - Memory
The Memory capacity of the Aspire notebook is 80GB. Its external memory features include-
-Memory Spec-512MB x 1
-Memory Speed DDR2 533
-Memory Slots 2 x DIMM
-Max Memory Supported 4GB

3 - Power
The Battery installed in the Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 is a 6-cell lithium ion. Once the batteries are charged they can last up to 3 hours. However there have been some worries regarding battery leaks and overheating.

4 - Graphics
The notebook features with high resolution graphics that enables an entertaining experience. Its video memory is a shared system with an integrated graphic card. With its Intel GMA950 users can view various multimedia files.

5 - Input device
The keyboard features a touch pad that works similar to a mouse through which users can access data on the notebook. It also has the standard keyboard for inputting data.

Review

The Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 Notebook features as a prominent multimedia platform for users to view audio and visual content and at the same time enables them to search through the Internet. The most prominent feature of the AS5570-2792 Notebook is that it has a wider LCD display which provides users an entertaining experience.
However the major disadvantage of the notebook is that it is bulky and users often find it difficult to carry as it weighs 5.28 lbs. With an extended battery life individuals can use the notebook for up to 3 hours. Its lithium battery enables greater storage of power after just one hour of recharging.

If you are a gaming enthusiast then the AS5570-2792 Notebook provides a cinematic experience. This is due to the notebook’s processing capacity of 1.60 GHz. At these speeds, individuals can play games that have heavy graphics. Moreover with a 3D card slot users can play games with enhanced graphics content.

In terms of office use, the Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 Notebook is an effective tool for many businesses as they can store greater file applications. With this large storage capacity users can also download files from the Internet at speeds up to 100 Mbp/s.

It is quite easy to spot an Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 Notebook .If you spot a 14.1” screen Acer Notebook then you are sure to have spotted an Acer Aspire AS5570-2792 Notebook.

ACER 5610Z LAPTOP REVIEW

So far I am mildly impressed with the unit; even when running Vista basic. It loads in an acceptable amount of time. Shutsdown in a like manner. I have startups that somtimes take an extraordinarily long time, but this is usually after a failed Hibernate attempt. Hibernates properly sometimes, but can leave the power on with the lid closed. Sleep mode from the start button also goes into a non-sleep state similar to the hibernate failure. Screen is off, but the system continues to run and will never wake up. Both states requiea hard shutdown with the power button held for 6 seconds. This of course leads to Windows telling you that it was shut down abnormally. It will not auto-unhibernate if the lid is opened; a feature the previous HP and Toshiba did have.

The unit's performance passes one of my biggest tests; the unit should not prevent from doing something because some background process is running, starting, or ending. This system feels smooth due to the dual core processor. The other laptops I have used showed the hour glass far to often preventing me from clicking on anything; most noticable during the after login process launching. Don't get me wrong, this is no speed demon. It's just a smooth machine that does basic tasks; browse the web, run office, ...

Everything is available beneath panels on the bottom; batter, harddrive, memory, and even the CPU.

For those who have not looked, there is not too much info and a lot of speculation and confusion on the T2060 processor. It "appears" to be a Core Duo with 1MB of shared L2 cache running at 1.6Ghz. It appears to be a T2050 that's been stripped of 1MB of L2 cache. There is also a T2080 which has the same specs but runs at 1.73Ghz. The unit itself lists "Pentium Dual Core Inside", which has sparked all the discussion and probing. Since it's an OEM chip only, Intel doens't really talk about it much and there is only one vague page on their site specifying the basic specs that I've listed. The only additional tidbit is that it is a 65nm chip, which more closely resembles the core duo than Pentium Dual Core. Also it uses the core duo socket. Whatever you believe, and Acer and Intel sure are not telling, the processor is adequate for normal browsing and basic work. And as I mentioned earlier, having the second core really smooths things out from a usability point of view.

It's Vista scores are average held back mostly by its Intell 950 integrated graphics. The following tests were with the 2GB of memory (2x1GB dual channel active).
Processor 4.5
Memory 4.6
Graphics 3.0
Gaming Graphics 3.1
Hard Drve 4.7

The following tests were with the 512MB of memory (1x51xMB single channel).
Processor 4.5
Memory 2.8
Graphics 2.0
Gaming Graphics 2.1
Hard Drve 4.7

Vista basic is better than expected. However, don't even think about running even this version with 512MB. I tried and you might as well just burn the money rather than buy the laptop. 1GB is mandatory and 2GB, at the current prices (2x1GB 533Mhz for ~$85 shipped), is where this laptop should be. The system booted and running a couple of IE7 windows (fully patched OS) shows 910MB in use. The chipset and processor will only run at 533Mhz for the memory bus. My unit shipped with 667Mhz 512MB module, but it still showed in CPU-Z as running at 533Mhz. The new standards are 667Mhz and high-end of 800Mhz on Centrino Pro; yes yet another buzz word to understand.

The system includes a memstick/SD card reader. That is a nice touch for me since I have converted all my devies to SD.

The keyboard has a good feel, but it seems a little soft and cheap. Only time will how long it lasts. I'm used to selling my laptops after 2-4 years of use (DELL, Sony, Toshiba, and HP (yes I've tried a lot of them)).

The screen is fairly clear and bright. I've seen better, but this one is very good. It is the high contrast/reflective/glossy type, so if reflection is a problem, then this is not the right laptop. Screen refresh is good. There is a second external monitor option through a standard analong only VGA plug. S-Video is also possible.

I had a problem trying to get the integrated Broadcom 43xx wireless adapter to connect to my network. It just would not connect with all the right security. To be honest, this was my first try at Vista wireless configuration, but I've set up hundreds of other wireless connections in my time going back through 7 years of technology; yes that's prior to the B standard. I type in all the right stuf, and it would not connect. I read about many other people having the same problem. I tried switching between the two provided and listed drviers; MS and Broadcom. I reconfigured the connection three times. I played, with full understanding of the options and selecitons that I was changing, with the device's parameters; channel, connection info, preferences, .... Nothing seemed to work and I was very disappointed. My older laptop connected just fine. I even deleted the old laptop's connection and used the same security code, from a text file that I had placed on a USB drive, to avoid typing errors. It worked and the Acer would not. Then about 2+ hours into it, I suddenly saw a connection. No rhyme or reason. The wireless on/off switch was always set to on and the LED glowed the entire time. Still don't know why it suddenly came to life, but it's possible that I rebooted out of frustration. It has not failed since it started working. I'm tempted to delete and start from scratch to see if I can replciate the problem. This is the only problem that I've had.

Next to the wireless swtich, there is a switch that activates the internal Bluetooth and G3 (cellphone internet connection adapter for those who don't know) wireless options. Only problem is that this unit cannot have either installed. The motherboards has contacts for a plug, but no plug is installed for either. So this switch just exists to tell me that I'll never have an internal bluetooth device in this laptop. When you push it, it even tells you that, well sort of. It really says Bluetooth device not present.

The power brick is a fairly standard 65W 19V AC 3.4Amp unit. The only thing different is the 1.7mm inner diameter tip on the plug. My older Toshiba and HP laptops have similar ratings on their bricks, but the tip, although it fits in the plug for the Acer, will not make proper contact on the center post. I guess I could cut the tip off and replace it with the correct size (or mount both), but ebay has the adapter for only around $30 shipped so why bother.

There is no software included other than Acer management software (power, network, security, encryption), DVD drive writing/playback software, and Vista. Very basic. It will run Office 2003 or OpenOffice 2.0 just fine. I have not tested any games yet, but I'll have to test at least on 3D game like City of Heroes for comparison.

The only other issues are only one PCMCIA slot, which is not a big deal at all for me and the ethernet plug is in the middle of the left hand edge. Why not on the back where it makes more sense.

All in all a good laptop for the low end to low mid user. Don't expect big graphical things from this unit, but it appears to be a good laptop. Only time will tell durability. This is my first Acer.

by mkmcgregor / notebookforums