The IdeaPad U330 is the stylish 13.3” consumer oriented notebook from Lenovo. With a slick chassis and thin frameless LCD, the U-series notebook is a huge step away from the popular ThinkPad series. Offering power-saving switchable graphics, HDMI out, touch sensitive media controls, and the Intel Centrino 2 platform the Lenovo IdeaPad U330 packs a big punch.
* 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (1066Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache)
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium w/ SP1
* Graphics: ATI Radeon 3450 with 256MB DDR3/Intel X4500 Integrated
* Screen: 13.3-inch LED-backlit WXGA (1280 x 800, 300 nit) glossy display
* Memory: 2GB DDR3 (4GB Max)
* Storage: 250GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
* Optical Drive: DVD-Recordable
* Wireless and Communications: Intel 5100AGN (802.11 a/b/g/n wi-fi), BlueTooth 2.0 EDR
* Battery: 6-Cell 57Wh Battery
* Dimensions: 12.5" x 9.3" x 0.9" – 1.1"
* Weight: from 4.28lbs with 6-cell battery
* Warranty: 1-year
* Price: $1,249.00
Build and Design
The design of the Lenovo U330 is very visually pleasing, with a low profile chassis, super thin LCD, and high gloss display cover. On the inside it has a pinstripe paint scheme with glossy touch-sensitive media controls. The frameless display looks really nice, with a smooth seamless finish side to side. These screens all tend to look great when the system is off, but they do introduce a ton of glare in a bright environment.
Build quality was average, with a good design, but having some components that could be improved. The thin screen while visually pleasing was very flexible, but did seem to protect against ripples in the screen when tapping the back of the cover. The paint scheme looked nice, but the finish could be improved. We saw many areas which looked like dusts had been trapped in the paint surface during the painting process, leaving defects and imperfections on the palmrest. The overall feel of the notebook is nice, but the little things really add up.
Display
The “frameless” display, while highly reflective in nature, looked very nice on our review machine. Colors and contrast were exceptional, and black levels were very good with the LED backlit. Viewing angles were above average, with a broad sweet spot for easy viewing. Vertical viewing angles spanned from roughly 30 degrees down or 20 degrees up before colors started to become washed out or inverted. Horizontal viewing angles were much better, easily spanning to the steepest angles before colors started to wash out. In bright viewing conditions, at steeper angles you start to have nearby surfaces reflecting off the screen and dimming your view of what is on display. This is one limitation of the all-glass panels across the board though.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard was very easy to type on, and had relatively good support under strong typing pressure. The style looks similar to what is found on the business grade ThinkPad notebooks, but with more of a consumer vibe. Individual key action is smooth with a soft click on each press. For long typing sessions the keyboard was wonderful and very easy on the fingertips.
The Synaptics based touchpad had great sensitivity and had little to no lag during use. The surface texture had a soft matte finish which was easy to slide your finger across, even if slightly sweaty. One problem we noticed which was slightly odd was a bubble underneath the surface, which may have just been a manufacturing defect. The touchpad buttons were large and had great feedback. Each button had a long throw, with a soft quiet click when pressed.
Performance
System performance with the ATI Radeon 3450 dedicated graphics and the Intel P7350 Core 2 Duo processor was excellent. The system handled mild gaming without a problem and normal acitivity was without any lag (once you removed most of the bloatware). One advantage of having a switchable graphics system is one minute you can be playing around in a game, and another you are sipping slowly off battery power using integrated graphics. Lenovo handles this transition without needing to reboot the system with a simple right click on the desktop and selecting "Configure Switchable Graphics." The switch takes only a few seconds and power usage drops significantly. Besides gaming, I found leaving it in the Intel graphics mode worked out best. The system consumes less power, puts off less heat, and still ran all of the 3D features of Vista without a problem. The PCMark Vantage synthetic benchmark returned a reasonably impressive score of 3,232.
WPrime 32M comparison results:
WPrime is a benchmark similar to Super Pi in that it forces the processor to do intense mathematical calculations, but the difference is this application is multi-threaded and represents dual core processors better. Lower numbers indicate better performance.
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
Lenovo IdeaPad U330 (Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2.0GHz) 38.222s
Dell Inspiron 13 (Pentium Dual Core T2390 @ 1.86GHz) 44.664s
Dell Studio 15 (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz)
41.246s
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)
39.745s
Toshiba Satellite U405 (Core 2 Duo T8100 @ 2.1GHz) 37.500s
Dell Vostro 1510 (Core 2 Duo T5670 @ 1.8GHz)
51.875s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)
43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
37.485s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)
40.759s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz) 58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 40.965s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.705s
HP Pavilion dv6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 38.720s
PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance based on processor, hard drive, operating system, RAM, and graphics (higher scores are better):
Notebook PCMark05 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad U330 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, ATI Radeon 3450 with 256MB DDR3) 4,801 PCMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad U330 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Intel X4500) 4,224 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 13 (1.86GHz Intel T2390, Intel X3100) 3,727 PCMarks
Dell Studio 15 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
3,998 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)
3,994 PCMarks
Toshiba Satellite U405 (2.1GHz Intel T8100, Intel X3100) 4,145 PCMarks
Dell Vostro 1510 (1.8GHz Intel T5670, Intel X3100)
3,568 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100) 4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 4,616 PCMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100) 3,283 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB) 4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 4,234 PCMarks
3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores are better):
Notebook 3DMark06 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad U330 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, ATI Radeon 3450 with 256MB DDR3) 2,056 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad U330 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Intel X4500) 851 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 13 (1.86GHz Intel T2390, Intel X3100)
470 3DMarks
Dell Studio 15 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
493 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200) 1,599 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite U405 (2.1GHz Intel T8100, Intel X3100) 539 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1510 (1.8GHz Intel T5670, Intel X3100) 519 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)
545 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv6500z (2.0GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60, NVIDIA 8400m GS) 1,551 3DMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)
504 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 4,332 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 2,905 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks
HDTune results:
Speakers
Audio performance of the U330 was average compared to other notebooks of its size, with limited bass and midrange being the main weak points. Volume levels were adequate, but not as loud as larger notebooks. For watching movies or listening to music they would be fine, but for near perfect audio a good pair of headphones would be best. The headphone jack produced clean audio, with very high volume levels. The one complaint I have with the speaker and heaphone system on this notebook is the very loud beep the notebook makes when you switch power profiles between battery and AC power. It is loud and distracting through the speakers and “gives me a heart attack” while wearing headphones.
Ports and Features
The port selection was a little light on the Lenovo U330, with only two USB ports and no eSATA. I think Lenovo could have easily taken away the HDMI port to make space for something else. That being said the port selection was not that bad with VGA, HDMI, Firewire, LAN, two USB, and headphone/microphone jacks. The U330 also included a 6-in-1 multicard reader located on the front.
Front: 6-in-1 card reader and headphone/mic
Rear: Screen hinge
Left: VGA, LAN, and HDMI
Right: Firewire 400, ExpressCard/34, two USB, optical drive, AC-power, and Kensington lock slot
Battery Life
With the switchable graphics set to power-saving integrated mode, the power profile in Vista set to “balanced”, wireless active, and screen brightness set to 60 percent, the U330 managed to stay powered on for 3 hours and 58 minutes. If you enable the dedicated graphics, battery life dips to 2 hours and 40 minutes. I would love to see an extended battery for the U330, but with the screen hinge design it would need to extended below the bottom of the notebook to add additional cells.
Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the Lenovo U330 was very nice, keeping its cool in both integrated and dedicated graphics modes. System fan noise is minimal under light use, staying at a constant low speed. Under higher levels of stress the fan kicks up in speed, but doesn't get that loud.
Conclusion
The Lenovo IdeaPad U330 is a nice consumer notebook with a solid look and feel, but had a few areas that could be improved. The paint quality on the model we received had dust stuck in the paint and an odd small bubble underneath the touchpad surface. Chances are it is an early production quirk, but it is still worth mentioning in this review. The frameless screen panel looks great and adds to the overall look of the notebook, but in use it does add a high level of reflection. The switchable graphics that didn't require a reboot to switch modes is great, as most notebooks that incorporate it need to fully reboot.
Pros:
* LCD has good contrast and great colors
* Solid performance in dedicated and integrated graphics mode
* Switchable graphics doesn’t require a reboot
* Good cooling system
Cons:
* Some paint defects (could be a limited problem with our particular review unit)
* Frameless screen is very reflective
Showing posts with label Notebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Notebook. Show all posts
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
ASUS N10JC-A1 Review
The high-class ASUS N10 is a netbook above all the rest, starting a new market segment called the "Corporate Netbook." The N10 offers similar features to standard netbooks, including an Intel Atom platform and WSVGA screen, but with the addition of optional switchable dedicated graphics and a fancy design. With a starting price of $649 for models with dedicated graphics; is a higher configuration worth the price jump? In this review we explain the differences between the N10JC and the cheaper Eee PC 1000HA and tell you if you should consider the costly upgrade.
There are several different configurations of the N10 series available at various online stores. Some configurations offer Windows Vista, others include a different hard drive or use integrated graphics rather than dedicated. The only reason we mention this is so that consumers are aware that there are different configurations on the market to meet the needs of different people.
ASUS N10JC-A1 Specifications:
* Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
* 160GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive (Seagate 5400.4)
* NVIDIA 9300M GS with 256MB DDR2 memory and Intel GMA950
* 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
* Windows XP Home operating system
* 10.2” WSVGA Glossy LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
* Ports: 3 USB 2.0, HDMI,VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, 8 in 1 SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100, ExpressCard/34
* Webcam (1.3 MP)
* Battery: 11.1v 4800mAh 53Wh 6-cell battery
* Wireless: 802.11b/g
* Two-year Limited Global Warranty
* Size: 10.8 (W) x 8.25 (D) x 1.46 (H)
* Weight: 3lbs 8.5oz, 4lbs 2.1oz with AC adapter
* MSRP: $649
Build and Design
The N10 is designed a step above other netbooks, with a better paint scheme and chrome accents. The shape is slimmer than the 1000HA we just reviewed, but the thinner shape comes from the battery sticking out instead of down. While some people get hung up on a battery that hangs off the back of a notebook, it doesn’t really bother me since I am used to seeing it on many business notebooks which share that design element. The gold and chrome paint scheme looks very nice, giving this netbook a “normal” color that you don’t generally see on many netbooks.
Build quality is very similar to other netbooks with a feel of slight ruggedness, but generous use of cheap plastic. The two toggle switches for dedicated graphics and wireless on/off feel undersized and are difficult to switch without using your fingernail. The screen hinges feel weaker on the N10 compared to the 901 or 1000 series Eee PC, flopping the screen back when you are carrying around the netbook.
Display
The glossy LED-backlit WSVGA display is an odd screen choice for a business oriented notebook, where most manufacturers use matte displays to reduce screen glare. Another limiting factor is the lower resolution screen; which for the price premium you might expect a higher resolution option. That said the screen is bright and vibrant and very pleasing to look at for hours at a time. Viewing angles are also better than average when compared to standard notebooks, with a broad vertical viewing angle sweet sport before colors start to distort. Horizontal viewing angles extend almost to 90 degrees, if you can actually view the screen over the reflective surface that is showing the surrounding area.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is comfortable to type on, but somewhat confusing to pickup if you are used to other keyboard layouts. One layout decision that irks me is the second function key located next to the direction pad. On most keyboards the outermost keys on the second row are both shift keys, making it easy to blindly aim your fingers all by feel. The N10 moves the left shift key inwards, and with it already being condensed in size, makes it difficult to find while typing. The sharp edge key design is another element which I would have preferred ASUS not use, since I found the rounded edge design on the Eee PC 1000 to be more comfortable. I personally think ASUS should have used the same keyboard on the N10 as they used on the 1000HA.
The Synaptics-based touchpad on the N10 is not only larger than most netbooks, but is easier to use than cheaper touchpads now found on many "consumer" netbooks. The pad surface is glossy, sharing the same color as the shell of the netbook. The large size makes it easy to move about the screen without having to pick up your finger to backtrack. Sensitivity is great with a wide range of adjustment and there was no noticeable lag found during use.
The touchpad buttons are adequately sized and easy to depress with little pressure. Feedback is shallow with a small audible click when pressed.
The ASUS N10JC-1A is also equipped with a fingerprint scanner which is located between the touchpad buttons. Scanning your fingertip can be tricky with how deeply recessed it is, but with a bit of practice you can get repeatable accurate readings.
Performance
From the moment I received this notebook I was very interested in seeing the performance of the Intel Atom platform with a dedicated graphics card attached. Almost all configurations use the dated Intel GMA950 graphics, which slow everything down, including movie decoding. With the NVIDIA 9300M graphics, this netbook might have a shot at decoding 720p video in a very compact package that has HDMI out.
For our test we tried a wide range of high definition content including an assortment of HD movies and HD movie trailers. Sadly, even though we tried a wide range of video codecs, including CoreAVC, the Intel Atom processor didn’t have enough grunt to keep a steady decoding framerate. Depending on the bitrate the N10 working with the NVIDIA 9300M graphics only managed 10-15fps, well below 24-25fps goal.
Since HD content was out of the question we moved onto video games as another area to see where the dedicated graphics might help out. Using Steam we pulled in Half-Life 2 and tweaked the visual settings to be easier on the system. With the resolution set to 1024x600 and most settings on medium the system average 20-25fps, which was playable, but still under what you would want for smooth gaming. Heavy action scenes dropped the framerate into the mid-teens, and if you weren’t lucky, got yourself killed in no time.
In day to day use the NVIDIA 9300M didn’t do much to improve the overall speed of the N10 compared to standard netbooks which only have Intel integrated graphics. It also didn’t help out much with gaming or video playback since the Intel Atom processor can’t keep up. While it did improve limited gaming abilities, it wasn’t a big enough jump to really make anything old games work under tweaked settings. For these reasons I don’t really see any benefit to including the dedicated graphics when all it does is increase power consumption.
UPDATE: Many forum members wanted clarification on the ASUS N10's ability to handle HD decoding when using hardware decoding software. We tested MPC-HC and it helps to offload both 720P and 1080P well enough to limit the frame dropping we noticed before. It does have some hiccups running off of battery, but when plugged in to a power outlet it seems pretty solid.
PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
Notebook PCMark05 Score
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,531 PCMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,851 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,527 PCMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,446 PCMarks
Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,555 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 901 (1.60GHz Intel Atom) 746 PCMarks
MSI Wind (1.60GHz Intel Atom) N/A
ASUS Eee PC 900 (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV)
1,172 PCMarks
HP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV) 801 PCMarks
HTC Shift (800MHz Intel A110) 891 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 4G (630MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 908 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 4G (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 1,132 PCMarks
Everex CloudBook (1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV)
612 PCMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 2,446 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 (1.2GHz Intel Core Solo U1400) 1,152 PCMarks
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (1.33GHz Core Solo U1500) 1,554 PCMarks
Toshiba Portege R500 (1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 1,839 PCMarks
wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
ASUS N10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 126.047 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 117.577 seconds
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 127.172 seconds
Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 125.812 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 901 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)
123.437 seconds
MSI Wind (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)
124.656 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 900 (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)
203.734 seconds
HP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz) 168.697 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz) 289.156 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz) 200.968 seconds
Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz) 248.705 seconds
Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)
209.980 seconds
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz) 124.581 seconds
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz) 76.240 seconds
Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz) 231.714 seconds
3DMark06 comparison results:
Notebook 3DMark06 Score
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 73 3DMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,417 3DMarks
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 95 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) N/A
Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)
122 3DMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950) 122 3DMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,055 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 532 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks
HDTune hard drive performance results:
Windows Vista also performed remarkably well on the N10, which seems to be the case with many Intel Atom based netbooks. The flow of system applications and short boot and shutdown times made it much more pleasing to use on a day to day basis compared to XP, and some benchmark scores improved as well. PCMark05 with the NVIDIA graphics enabled managed a score of 1,869 and 3DMark06 pulled in 1,404. 3DMark06 with the Intel graphics in the Vista environment almost doubled, with a score of 128. All the required drivers were easy to find on the ASUS site, which was expected since ASUS sells an N10 configuration with Vista out of the box.
Speakers and Audio
The Altec Lansing speakers on the N10 did sound slightly better than other netbook speakers, but were still leaving much to be desired. Bass and midrange were lacking, but volume levels were fine for average use. The headphone output was great for private listening, and with my Sennheiser HD-80s hooked up, I had no more complaints about bass or midrange. Peak volume levels through the headphone jack were well above my tolerance of loud music.
Ports and Features
Port selection was above average compared to many netbooks, with the addition of the HDMI output, ExpressCard/34 slot for external devices, and security enhancing fingerprint scanner. Beyond those devices the port selection included three USB, VGA, LAN, headphone/mic, multi-card reader, and a Kensington lock slot.
Front: 8-in-1 Card Reader
Rear: Battery
Left: Kensington Lock Slot, Switchable Graphics, HDMI, two USB, Wireless On/Off
Right: ExpressCard/34, Headphone(SPDIF)/Mic, one USB, VGA, LAN, AC Power
Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the ASUS N10 was great, even under the stress of gaming with the dedicated graphics under load. At no time did the system fan go above a whisper level of noise. Right after gaming the palmrest and touchpad area would peak around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to the original Eee PC 701 which would heat soak and reach temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, ASUS has come a long way in terms of cooling performance.
Battery Life
Battery life with the screen brightness set to 100%, the N10 set to the “Quiet Office” power profile , and wireless active was 5 hours and 9 minutes before it went into standby at 3% remaining. With the NVIDIA graphics enabled under the same settings, estimated battery life was about 1 hour less.
Buy a Asus N10
Available from:
CompUSA for only $739.99
TigerDirect.com for only $739.99
Conclusion
The ASUS N10, while performing quite well in our testing in overall performance, didn’t see much gain in day-to-day use from the dedicated graphics. While the addition nets you an HDMI port, it doesn’t help with decoding HD movies or help with many games since the Intel Atom processor doesn’t have enough power to handle those activities. While you do get a classier looking design with a much nicer paint scheme and slightly slimmer look, you pay a price premium over the Eee PC 1000.
With a price tag nearly 50 percent greater than other netbook models, even more when compared to new HP and Dell offerings, it seems ASUS might have priced themselves out of the consumer market with the N10. Of course, the price tag is still perfectly reasonable as a "corporate netbook" ... and some less demanding road warriors may desire the affordable N10 over outrageously priced ultraportables like the Sony VAIO TZ.
Pros:
* Improved cooling over previous Eee PC models
* Good battery life
* Slimmer design over 10” Eee PC 1000
* ExpressCard slot for expansion
* HDMI output from a netbook
Cons:
* High price tag (compared to consumer netbooks)
* Dedicated graphics don’t really improve HD video decoding or mild gaming
* Keyboard doesn’t feel as comfortable as other 10” netbooks
There are several different configurations of the N10 series available at various online stores. Some configurations offer Windows Vista, others include a different hard drive or use integrated graphics rather than dedicated. The only reason we mention this is so that consumers are aware that there are different configurations on the market to meet the needs of different people.
ASUS N10JC-A1 Specifications:
* Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
* 160GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive (Seagate 5400.4)
* NVIDIA 9300M GS with 256MB DDR2 memory and Intel GMA950
* 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
* Windows XP Home operating system
* 10.2” WSVGA Glossy LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
* Ports: 3 USB 2.0, HDMI,VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, 8 in 1 SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100, ExpressCard/34
* Webcam (1.3 MP)
* Battery: 11.1v 4800mAh 53Wh 6-cell battery
* Wireless: 802.11b/g
* Two-year Limited Global Warranty
* Size: 10.8 (W) x 8.25 (D) x 1.46 (H)
* Weight: 3lbs 8.5oz, 4lbs 2.1oz with AC adapter
* MSRP: $649
Build and Design
The N10 is designed a step above other netbooks, with a better paint scheme and chrome accents. The shape is slimmer than the 1000HA we just reviewed, but the thinner shape comes from the battery sticking out instead of down. While some people get hung up on a battery that hangs off the back of a notebook, it doesn’t really bother me since I am used to seeing it on many business notebooks which share that design element. The gold and chrome paint scheme looks very nice, giving this netbook a “normal” color that you don’t generally see on many netbooks.
Build quality is very similar to other netbooks with a feel of slight ruggedness, but generous use of cheap plastic. The two toggle switches for dedicated graphics and wireless on/off feel undersized and are difficult to switch without using your fingernail. The screen hinges feel weaker on the N10 compared to the 901 or 1000 series Eee PC, flopping the screen back when you are carrying around the netbook.
Display
The glossy LED-backlit WSVGA display is an odd screen choice for a business oriented notebook, where most manufacturers use matte displays to reduce screen glare. Another limiting factor is the lower resolution screen; which for the price premium you might expect a higher resolution option. That said the screen is bright and vibrant and very pleasing to look at for hours at a time. Viewing angles are also better than average when compared to standard notebooks, with a broad vertical viewing angle sweet sport before colors start to distort. Horizontal viewing angles extend almost to 90 degrees, if you can actually view the screen over the reflective surface that is showing the surrounding area.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is comfortable to type on, but somewhat confusing to pickup if you are used to other keyboard layouts. One layout decision that irks me is the second function key located next to the direction pad. On most keyboards the outermost keys on the second row are both shift keys, making it easy to blindly aim your fingers all by feel. The N10 moves the left shift key inwards, and with it already being condensed in size, makes it difficult to find while typing. The sharp edge key design is another element which I would have preferred ASUS not use, since I found the rounded edge design on the Eee PC 1000 to be more comfortable. I personally think ASUS should have used the same keyboard on the N10 as they used on the 1000HA.
The Synaptics-based touchpad on the N10 is not only larger than most netbooks, but is easier to use than cheaper touchpads now found on many "consumer" netbooks. The pad surface is glossy, sharing the same color as the shell of the netbook. The large size makes it easy to move about the screen without having to pick up your finger to backtrack. Sensitivity is great with a wide range of adjustment and there was no noticeable lag found during use.
The touchpad buttons are adequately sized and easy to depress with little pressure. Feedback is shallow with a small audible click when pressed.
The ASUS N10JC-1A is also equipped with a fingerprint scanner which is located between the touchpad buttons. Scanning your fingertip can be tricky with how deeply recessed it is, but with a bit of practice you can get repeatable accurate readings.
Performance
From the moment I received this notebook I was very interested in seeing the performance of the Intel Atom platform with a dedicated graphics card attached. Almost all configurations use the dated Intel GMA950 graphics, which slow everything down, including movie decoding. With the NVIDIA 9300M graphics, this netbook might have a shot at decoding 720p video in a very compact package that has HDMI out.
For our test we tried a wide range of high definition content including an assortment of HD movies and HD movie trailers. Sadly, even though we tried a wide range of video codecs, including CoreAVC, the Intel Atom processor didn’t have enough grunt to keep a steady decoding framerate. Depending on the bitrate the N10 working with the NVIDIA 9300M graphics only managed 10-15fps, well below 24-25fps goal.
Since HD content was out of the question we moved onto video games as another area to see where the dedicated graphics might help out. Using Steam we pulled in Half-Life 2 and tweaked the visual settings to be easier on the system. With the resolution set to 1024x600 and most settings on medium the system average 20-25fps, which was playable, but still under what you would want for smooth gaming. Heavy action scenes dropped the framerate into the mid-teens, and if you weren’t lucky, got yourself killed in no time.
In day to day use the NVIDIA 9300M didn’t do much to improve the overall speed of the N10 compared to standard netbooks which only have Intel integrated graphics. It also didn’t help out much with gaming or video playback since the Intel Atom processor can’t keep up. While it did improve limited gaming abilities, it wasn’t a big enough jump to really make anything old games work under tweaked settings. For these reasons I don’t really see any benefit to including the dedicated graphics when all it does is increase power consumption.
UPDATE: Many forum members wanted clarification on the ASUS N10's ability to handle HD decoding when using hardware decoding software. We tested MPC-HC and it helps to offload both 720P and 1080P well enough to limit the frame dropping we noticed before. It does have some hiccups running off of battery, but when plugged in to a power outlet it seems pretty solid.
PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
Notebook PCMark05 Score
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,531 PCMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,851 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,527 PCMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,446 PCMarks
Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,555 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 901 (1.60GHz Intel Atom) 746 PCMarks
MSI Wind (1.60GHz Intel Atom) N/A
ASUS Eee PC 900 (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV)
1,172 PCMarks
HP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV) 801 PCMarks
HTC Shift (800MHz Intel A110) 891 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 4G (630MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 908 PCMarks
ASUS Eee PC 4G (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 1,132 PCMarks
Everex CloudBook (1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV)
612 PCMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 2,446 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 (1.2GHz Intel Core Solo U1400) 1,152 PCMarks
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (1.33GHz Core Solo U1500) 1,554 PCMarks
Toshiba Portege R500 (1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 1,839 PCMarks
wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
ASUS N10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 126.047 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 117.577 seconds
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 127.172 seconds
Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 125.812 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 901 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)
123.437 seconds
MSI Wind (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)
124.656 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 900 (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)
203.734 seconds
HP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz) 168.697 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz) 289.156 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz) 200.968 seconds
Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz) 248.705 seconds
Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)
209.980 seconds
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz) 124.581 seconds
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz) 76.240 seconds
Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz) 231.714 seconds
3DMark06 comparison results:
Notebook 3DMark06 Score
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 73 3DMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,417 3DMarks
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 95 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) N/A
Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)
122 3DMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950) 122 3DMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,055 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 532 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks
HDTune hard drive performance results:
Windows Vista also performed remarkably well on the N10, which seems to be the case with many Intel Atom based netbooks. The flow of system applications and short boot and shutdown times made it much more pleasing to use on a day to day basis compared to XP, and some benchmark scores improved as well. PCMark05 with the NVIDIA graphics enabled managed a score of 1,869 and 3DMark06 pulled in 1,404. 3DMark06 with the Intel graphics in the Vista environment almost doubled, with a score of 128. All the required drivers were easy to find on the ASUS site, which was expected since ASUS sells an N10 configuration with Vista out of the box.
Speakers and Audio
The Altec Lansing speakers on the N10 did sound slightly better than other netbook speakers, but were still leaving much to be desired. Bass and midrange were lacking, but volume levels were fine for average use. The headphone output was great for private listening, and with my Sennheiser HD-80s hooked up, I had no more complaints about bass or midrange. Peak volume levels through the headphone jack were well above my tolerance of loud music.
Ports and Features
Port selection was above average compared to many netbooks, with the addition of the HDMI output, ExpressCard/34 slot for external devices, and security enhancing fingerprint scanner. Beyond those devices the port selection included three USB, VGA, LAN, headphone/mic, multi-card reader, and a Kensington lock slot.
Front: 8-in-1 Card Reader
Rear: Battery
Left: Kensington Lock Slot, Switchable Graphics, HDMI, two USB, Wireless On/Off
Right: ExpressCard/34, Headphone(SPDIF)/Mic, one USB, VGA, LAN, AC Power
Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the ASUS N10 was great, even under the stress of gaming with the dedicated graphics under load. At no time did the system fan go above a whisper level of noise. Right after gaming the palmrest and touchpad area would peak around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Compared to the original Eee PC 701 which would heat soak and reach temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, ASUS has come a long way in terms of cooling performance.
Battery Life
Battery life with the screen brightness set to 100%, the N10 set to the “Quiet Office” power profile , and wireless active was 5 hours and 9 minutes before it went into standby at 3% remaining. With the NVIDIA graphics enabled under the same settings, estimated battery life was about 1 hour less.
Buy a Asus N10
Available from:
CompUSA for only $739.99
TigerDirect.com for only $739.99
Conclusion
The ASUS N10, while performing quite well in our testing in overall performance, didn’t see much gain in day-to-day use from the dedicated graphics. While the addition nets you an HDMI port, it doesn’t help with decoding HD movies or help with many games since the Intel Atom processor doesn’t have enough power to handle those activities. While you do get a classier looking design with a much nicer paint scheme and slightly slimmer look, you pay a price premium over the Eee PC 1000.
With a price tag nearly 50 percent greater than other netbook models, even more when compared to new HP and Dell offerings, it seems ASUS might have priced themselves out of the consumer market with the N10. Of course, the price tag is still perfectly reasonable as a "corporate netbook" ... and some less demanding road warriors may desire the affordable N10 over outrageously priced ultraportables like the Sony VAIO TZ.
Pros:
* Improved cooling over previous Eee PC models
* Good battery life
* Slimmer design over 10” Eee PC 1000
* ExpressCard slot for expansion
* HDMI output from a netbook
Cons:
* High price tag (compared to consumer netbooks)
* Dedicated graphics don’t really improve HD video decoding or mild gaming
* Keyboard doesn’t feel as comfortable as other 10” netbooks
Saturday, October 25, 2008
HP Compaq 2230s Review
The HP Compaq 2230s is an ultra-portable consumer notebook that is targeted towards small businesses similar to the Dell Vostro or Lenovo SL series line of machines. This notebook gives consumers a less expensive option than the HP EliteBook series, with a starting price of $999 instead of $1,679. How well does the 2230s hold up against business-grade notebooks? Should you purchase one of these or consider a similarly-priced consumer notebook? Let's take a closer look and find out.
Our review unit of the HP Compaq 2230s came with the following options:
* Windows XP Professional
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz)
* 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 8GB)
* 160GB Toshiba HDD (5400rpm)
* 12.1" diagonal widescreen glossy TFT LCD display at 1280x 800 (WXGA, glossy)
* Intel 4500MHD Integrated Graphics
* 8x DVD (+/-R double layer) drive
* Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Dimensions: 13.3 x 9.7 x 1.21”
* Weight: 3lbs 14.6oz, 4lbs 11.4oz with AC adapter
* 65W 100-240V AC adapter
* 4-cell (37Wh) Lithium Ion battery
* Price as tested: $1,249 (starting price: $999)
Build and Design
The design of the HP Compaq 2230s is somewhat like a black Apple MacBook, with a clean all-black plastic exterior. As far as business notebooks go, it is HP’s attempt to compete with the Dell Vostro line, offering a more consumer look and feel to a business notebook. The all-black color scheme continues into the interior of the notebook, with the palmrest, touchpad, keyboard, and trim all covered in matching black. An interesting design change over a consumer notebook is the touch sensitive controls above the keyboard which normally activate media functions. On the HP 2230s, these control system functions such as external displays, wireless on/off, and volume.
The build quality turned out to be very unappealing and unlike what we've come to expect from a business or even small business grade notebook. The moment you pick up the 2230s you'll notice a great deal of flex in the screen cover from very thin unsupported plastic. Opening up the notebook you find the same thing around the main chassis, with weak plastic surrounding the keyboard. The palmrest has plenty of flex on either side, with the side above the optical drive being the worse of the two. On the optical drive side you have flex on the palmrest as well as the bottom shell when gripping the notebook from the side. The notebook feels more like a budget consumer notebook than a small business notebook with a starting price of $999. The only real advantage of the thin plastic material used is the total notebook weight is kept at a minimum. Unfortunately, the thin plastics don't give this notebook a feeling of durability.
Display
The glossy WXGA display on the HP Compaq 2230s is pretty nice, with vibrant colors and high contrast. Black levels are average with some grey apparent in dark settings depending on the angle you are viewing the panel. Vertical viewing angles are adequate for regular day-to-day use, but colors invert when outside of the 10-15 degree up or down sweet spot. Horizontal viewing angles are better, keeping colors true even to the very edge of being able to still see the screen from the side of the notebook. Brightness levels are above average, enough to comfortably view the screen in a bright office setting. Using the notebook outside would be limited with the glossy display because of reflections, but should be fine as long as you are under shade.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard could be considered one of the redeeming factors of this notebook, offering a very comfortable typing surface with very solid support. Unlike the screen cover, palmrest, or case, the keyboard exhibits no flex at all ... even under strong pressure. Individual key action is smooth with a muted click when fully pressed. Key spacing and size is excellent even with the small 12” form factor. The only part I feel could be improved is the size of the function keys, which are almost 1/3 the overall size of a standard key.
The touchpad is a Synaptics model, with a smooth matte texture surface that is seamless with the palmrest. The size is great without feeling cramped, offering plenty of space even with the scroll bar section. The touchpad buttons have a long throw offering soft feedback with no audible clicks.
Performance and Benchmarks
System performance with the Intel P8400 processor and 2GB of memory with Windows XP was great. The notebook had excellent boot and shutdown times, and showed no signs of lag throughout day-to-day applications. Graphics performance was limited with the Intel 4500MHD integrated chipset, but the advantage of the integrated chipset is greater battery life. If you were looking to spice up your day at work with a game or two, older games such as Half-Life would run very well on the slower graphics found inside this notebook.
Another potentially performance-related feature worth mentioning is that HP provides a Windows Vista license and offers business customers the option of keeping Vista installed on the notebook or having a "custom install" of Windows XP direct from the factory. For those businesses that still prefer to run their office network with Windows XP machines, this is an important feature you won't find on consumer notebooks.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi.
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
HP Compaq 2230s (Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26GHz) 35.484
Lenovo T400 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)
27.410s
Lenovo T500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)
27.471s
Lenovo T61 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz) 42.025s
Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 @ 1.6GHz) 53.827s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 40.759s
Systemax Assault Ruggedized (Core 2 Duo T7200 @2.0GHz) 41.982s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @2.2GHz) 37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz) 76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz) 38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 38.720s
PCMark05 comparison results:
Notebook PCMark05 Score
HP Compaq 2230s (2.26GHz Intel P8400, Intel 4500MHD) 3,945 PCMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3) 6,589 PCMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) N/A
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3) 7,050 PCMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) 5,689 PCMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB) 4,839 PCMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 3,585 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 4,925 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 3,377 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB) 4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 4,234 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400) 3,637 PCMarks
3DMark06 comparison results:
Notebook 3DMark06 Score
HP Compaq 2230s (2.26GHz Intel P8400, Intel 4500MHD) 712 3DMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3) 2,575 3DMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) 809 3DMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3) 4,371 3DMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500)
809 3DMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB) 1,441 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 1,269 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,329 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 532 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU) 1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB) 2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB 2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66 Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB) 2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB) 1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB) 1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400) 794 3DMarks
HDTune storage drive performance test:
Speakers and Audio
Speaker performance was limited, with poor bass and midrange, and low peak volume levels. For watching the occasional streaming news clip or YouTube video they would work just fine, but for movies and music your best bet is a nice pair of headphones.
Audio output quality was great with my Sennheiser HD80 headphones connected. Peak volume levels were well above anything I would want to listen to.
Ports and Features
The HP Compaq 2230s offers an impressive amount of features for a notebook with integrated Intel graphics. It offers three USB ports, HDMI and VGA out, ExpressCard/34 and multi-card reader, an optical drive, and modem and network connections. Being the small business notebook that it is, the 2230s also has a touch-sensitive panel to quickly access monitor out features, the HP Info Center, wireless on/off, and volume controls.
Front:Mic/Headphone
Rear: Screen hinge
Left: AC Power, LAN, Modem, one USB, Optical drive
Right: ExpressCard/34, Mutli-Card Reader, HDMI, two USB, VGA, Kensington Lock Slot
Heat and Noise
The cooling system on this notebook worked very well, keeping the system cool to the touch even while it was under a stressful load. Under battery power the system fan remained off the majority of the time, only spinning up if you were doing something processor intensive. The moment you plug the machine into AC power the fan turns on at low speed, which could best be described as a quiet drone. While benchmarking the system the fan noise increased quite a bit, but it kept system temperatures in check.
Battery
Battery performance was good considering the stock battery in the HP Compaq 2230s is only a 4-cell 37Wh model. This is probably the smallest battery found in a business notebook, and has no upgrade path to a larger battery. In our testing the average power draw from the notebook settled around 9 watts under a standard load. With the screen brightness set to 60 percent, wireless enabled and active, and the power profile set to "Portable/Laptop" the HP Compaq 2230s managed 3 hours and 30 minutes before it shutdown at 5 percent remaining. For a business notebook of this size we would normally expect a larger battery and battery life exceeding five hours.
Buying Choices for the HP Compaq Business 2230s (Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, VIsta Business)
Amazon.com | $1,249.00
HP | $1,249.00
PC Connection | $1,249.00
Next Warehouse | $1,178.84
Techonweb.com | $1,209.78
view detailed pricing from 11 stores starting at $1,178.00
Conclusion
The HP Compaq 2230s is a conservative-looking notebook with some features targeted towards small business users. Unlike most business or small business notebooks, this notebook doesn’t offer the rugged feel, only a rugged look. The plastic used throughout the design is weak even when compared to the HP Pavilion lineup. While the keyboard is impressive, it doesn’t outweigh the lackluster build quality. For small businesses my best recommendation would be to look at notebooks such as the HP Pavilion tx2500z or stepping up to the HP EliteBook series.
Pros:
* Solid keyboard
* Nice touchpad and soft touch buttons
* VGA and HDMI output with Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics
* Excellent cooling system
* Availabile with Windows XP for customers who still want it
Cons:
* Flexible chassis
* High price considering configuration and durability
* 4-cell battery option only
Our review unit of the HP Compaq 2230s came with the following options:
* Windows XP Professional
* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26GHz)
* 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 8GB)
* 160GB Toshiba HDD (5400rpm)
* 12.1" diagonal widescreen glossy TFT LCD display at 1280x 800 (WXGA, glossy)
* Intel 4500MHD Integrated Graphics
* 8x DVD (+/-R double layer) drive
* Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Dimensions: 13.3 x 9.7 x 1.21”
* Weight: 3lbs 14.6oz, 4lbs 11.4oz with AC adapter
* 65W 100-240V AC adapter
* 4-cell (37Wh) Lithium Ion battery
* Price as tested: $1,249 (starting price: $999)
Build and Design
The design of the HP Compaq 2230s is somewhat like a black Apple MacBook, with a clean all-black plastic exterior. As far as business notebooks go, it is HP’s attempt to compete with the Dell Vostro line, offering a more consumer look and feel to a business notebook. The all-black color scheme continues into the interior of the notebook, with the palmrest, touchpad, keyboard, and trim all covered in matching black. An interesting design change over a consumer notebook is the touch sensitive controls above the keyboard which normally activate media functions. On the HP 2230s, these control system functions such as external displays, wireless on/off, and volume.
The build quality turned out to be very unappealing and unlike what we've come to expect from a business or even small business grade notebook. The moment you pick up the 2230s you'll notice a great deal of flex in the screen cover from very thin unsupported plastic. Opening up the notebook you find the same thing around the main chassis, with weak plastic surrounding the keyboard. The palmrest has plenty of flex on either side, with the side above the optical drive being the worse of the two. On the optical drive side you have flex on the palmrest as well as the bottom shell when gripping the notebook from the side. The notebook feels more like a budget consumer notebook than a small business notebook with a starting price of $999. The only real advantage of the thin plastic material used is the total notebook weight is kept at a minimum. Unfortunately, the thin plastics don't give this notebook a feeling of durability.
Display
The glossy WXGA display on the HP Compaq 2230s is pretty nice, with vibrant colors and high contrast. Black levels are average with some grey apparent in dark settings depending on the angle you are viewing the panel. Vertical viewing angles are adequate for regular day-to-day use, but colors invert when outside of the 10-15 degree up or down sweet spot. Horizontal viewing angles are better, keeping colors true even to the very edge of being able to still see the screen from the side of the notebook. Brightness levels are above average, enough to comfortably view the screen in a bright office setting. Using the notebook outside would be limited with the glossy display because of reflections, but should be fine as long as you are under shade.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard could be considered one of the redeeming factors of this notebook, offering a very comfortable typing surface with very solid support. Unlike the screen cover, palmrest, or case, the keyboard exhibits no flex at all ... even under strong pressure. Individual key action is smooth with a muted click when fully pressed. Key spacing and size is excellent even with the small 12” form factor. The only part I feel could be improved is the size of the function keys, which are almost 1/3 the overall size of a standard key.
The touchpad is a Synaptics model, with a smooth matte texture surface that is seamless with the palmrest. The size is great without feeling cramped, offering plenty of space even with the scroll bar section. The touchpad buttons have a long throw offering soft feedback with no audible clicks.
Performance and Benchmarks
System performance with the Intel P8400 processor and 2GB of memory with Windows XP was great. The notebook had excellent boot and shutdown times, and showed no signs of lag throughout day-to-day applications. Graphics performance was limited with the Intel 4500MHD integrated chipset, but the advantage of the integrated chipset is greater battery life. If you were looking to spice up your day at work with a game or two, older games such as Half-Life would run very well on the slower graphics found inside this notebook.
Another potentially performance-related feature worth mentioning is that HP provides a Windows Vista license and offers business customers the option of keeping Vista installed on the notebook or having a "custom install" of Windows XP direct from the factory. For those businesses that still prefer to run their office network with Windows XP machines, this is an important feature you won't find on consumer notebooks.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi.
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
HP Compaq 2230s (Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26GHz) 35.484
Lenovo T400 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)
27.410s
Lenovo T500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)
27.471s
Lenovo T61 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz) 42.025s
Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 @ 1.6GHz) 53.827s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 40.759s
Systemax Assault Ruggedized (Core 2 Duo T7200 @2.0GHz) 41.982s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @2.2GHz) 37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz) 76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz) 38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 38.720s
PCMark05 comparison results:
Notebook PCMark05 Score
HP Compaq 2230s (2.26GHz Intel P8400, Intel 4500MHD) 3,945 PCMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3) 6,589 PCMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) N/A
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3) 7,050 PCMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) 5,689 PCMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB) 4,839 PCMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 3,585 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 4,925 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 3,377 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB) 4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 4,234 PCMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400) 3,637 PCMarks
3DMark06 comparison results:
Notebook 3DMark06 Score
HP Compaq 2230s (2.26GHz Intel P8400, Intel 4500MHD) 712 3DMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3) 2,575 3DMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500) 809 3DMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3650 256MB GDDR3) 4,371 3DMarks
Lenovo T500 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, Intel X4500)
809 3DMarks
Lenovo T61 Standard Screen (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA NVS 140M 256MB) 1,441 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 1,269 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,329 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 532 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU) 1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB) 2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB 2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66 Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB) 2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB) 1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB) 1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarks
Sony VAIO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400) 794 3DMarks
HDTune storage drive performance test:
Speakers and Audio
Speaker performance was limited, with poor bass and midrange, and low peak volume levels. For watching the occasional streaming news clip or YouTube video they would work just fine, but for movies and music your best bet is a nice pair of headphones.
Audio output quality was great with my Sennheiser HD80 headphones connected. Peak volume levels were well above anything I would want to listen to.
Ports and Features
The HP Compaq 2230s offers an impressive amount of features for a notebook with integrated Intel graphics. It offers three USB ports, HDMI and VGA out, ExpressCard/34 and multi-card reader, an optical drive, and modem and network connections. Being the small business notebook that it is, the 2230s also has a touch-sensitive panel to quickly access monitor out features, the HP Info Center, wireless on/off, and volume controls.
Front:Mic/Headphone
Rear: Screen hinge
Left: AC Power, LAN, Modem, one USB, Optical drive
Right: ExpressCard/34, Mutli-Card Reader, HDMI, two USB, VGA, Kensington Lock Slot
Heat and Noise
The cooling system on this notebook worked very well, keeping the system cool to the touch even while it was under a stressful load. Under battery power the system fan remained off the majority of the time, only spinning up if you were doing something processor intensive. The moment you plug the machine into AC power the fan turns on at low speed, which could best be described as a quiet drone. While benchmarking the system the fan noise increased quite a bit, but it kept system temperatures in check.
Battery
Battery performance was good considering the stock battery in the HP Compaq 2230s is only a 4-cell 37Wh model. This is probably the smallest battery found in a business notebook, and has no upgrade path to a larger battery. In our testing the average power draw from the notebook settled around 9 watts under a standard load. With the screen brightness set to 60 percent, wireless enabled and active, and the power profile set to "Portable/Laptop" the HP Compaq 2230s managed 3 hours and 30 minutes before it shutdown at 5 percent remaining. For a business notebook of this size we would normally expect a larger battery and battery life exceeding five hours.
Buying Choices for the HP Compaq Business 2230s (Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, VIsta Business)
Amazon.com | $1,249.00
HP | $1,249.00
PC Connection | $1,249.00
Next Warehouse | $1,178.84
Techonweb.com | $1,209.78
view detailed pricing from 11 stores starting at $1,178.00
Conclusion
The HP Compaq 2230s is a conservative-looking notebook with some features targeted towards small business users. Unlike most business or small business notebooks, this notebook doesn’t offer the rugged feel, only a rugged look. The plastic used throughout the design is weak even when compared to the HP Pavilion lineup. While the keyboard is impressive, it doesn’t outweigh the lackluster build quality. For small businesses my best recommendation would be to look at notebooks such as the HP Pavilion tx2500z or stepping up to the HP EliteBook series.
Pros:
* Solid keyboard
* Nice touchpad and soft touch buttons
* VGA and HDMI output with Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics
* Excellent cooling system
* Availabile with Windows XP for customers who still want it
Cons:
* Flexible chassis
* High price considering configuration and durability
* 4-cell battery option only
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
ASUS G50V-A1 Review
The G50V is ASUS' latest notebook addition to their Republic of Gamers series brand. It is a high-performance 15.4-inch notebook based on the Intel Centrino 2 platform. Highlights of this portable powerhouse include a top-shelf Nvidia GeForce 9700M-GT 512MB, dual hard drives, and a striking, flashy design that says "gamer."
Before we start the review, I would like to give a special thanks to Justin Nolte of XOTIC PC for sending us this evaluation unit.
System Specifications and Pricing
ASUS offers the G50V in several different configurations. The A1 version we are reviewing has the following specifications:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz/6MB L2/1066MHz FSB/ 35W TDP)
* Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit w/ SP1
* Intel PM45 + ICH9 chipset
* 4GB DDR2-800 RAM
* 15.4-inch WSXGA+ (1680x1050) glossy display
* Nvidia GeForce 9700M-GT w/ 512MB GDDR3
* 2x 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drives
* 8X DVDRW Super Multi drive
* 8-in-1 card reader
* Built-in 1.3-megapixel camera
* Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN + built-in Bluetooth wireless
As of the publishing date, the ASUS G50V-A1 is listed for $1,639 on XOTICPC.com.
Design
The G50V is aimed squarely at the gaming crowd. Its design says "gamer" no matter what way you look at it. There is nothing understated about the design of this notebook. Let's start with the back of the lid.
The most eye-catching part about the back of the lid is the four blue lights. They are not overly bright, but are easily seen. Two light bars are located at either end of the lid on the very edge, which blink in patterns. At the top of the lid is a clear shield with the Republic of Gamers logo inside. Finally, towards the bottom there is a horizontal light bar that spans about half of the lid. The majority of the lid is glossy metallic black plastic. At the very bottom of the lid below the horizontal light bar is a rubberized and textured section that acts as a grip for carrying the notebook.
The inside of the notebook has a design that is just as flashy as the lid. The trim surrounding the keyboard and bordering the right and left edges of the chassis are glossy orange plastic. The palmrest area is made of the same rubberized textured material found on the back of the lid. The touchpad is bordered by brushed aluminum trim. Above the keyboard is a strip of glossy black plastic where all the touch controls are located, and on either side of that are the two Altec Lansing speakers. Above the screen is a webcam embedded in a mirrored surface. Even the bottom of the notebook has an interesting design - the single large intake vent for the fan has a shiny silver border and an orange vent.
You can see from the pictures that the G50V is larger than a typical 15.4-inch notebook, evidenced by the relatively large screen benzel. The main benefit of the larger chassis is the inclusion of a separate number pad, but the downside is slightly reduced portability. The G50V-A1 weighs in at 6.5 lbs and is 14.2 in (36 cm) wide, 10.2 in (25.9 cm) deep, and 1.1 - 1.6 in (2.8 - 4.1 cm) thick. The notebook feels somewhat heavy, but is not hard to transport in a backpack. As I noted, the G50V is larger than a typical 15.4-inch notebook.
Overall, this notebook's design is striking and well-finished. It is for those that want to be noticed.
Build Quality
The G50V is made of strong plastic and has a solid feel. The chassis resists twisting, and all surfaces are difficult to find flex in. The hinges securely anchor the display to the base of the notebook, and the lid itself is rigid and is hard to twist. Pressing on the back of the lid yields no ripples in the screen. There is basically no display wobble. I am more than impressed with the build quality of this notebook.
Screen
The 15.4-inch WSXGA+ display is positively gorgeous. It is very bright and has high contrast. The glossy finish helps this display bring colors to life. The high contrast and exceptional clarity of this display makes gaming and even simple web browsing an enjoyable experience.
Viewing angles are nothing out of the ordinary - they are fine side-to-side, but from above the picture washes out and from below it darkens as usual. There is noticeable light leakage coming from the bottom of the display, but it is only noticeable when viewing a black screen.
On the whole, this is a wonderful display and a true delight to use.
Speakers
Though the G50V's two speakers carry the Altec Lansing badge, their sound quality leaves much to be desired. They are tinny, and there is no hint of bass. They also are relatively quiet. If these had no name brand, I would have dismissed them as typical notebook speakers, but given the brand-name badge, they should have produced better sound. Overall, the speakers are a disappointment.
Heat & Noise
This section is a high point for the G50V-A1. One large fan takes care of the heat from both the processor and graphics card, and expels it out the left side through a large vent. While idling, the notebook is essentially inaudible. Under full load, the only sound to be heard is a rush of air - motor noise is thankfully absent. You can take this notebook to a library or lecture hall without fear of disturbing anyone.
The heat is kept well under control at all times - the surface of the notebook is barely warm, as is the bottom. The cooling system of this notebook is quite good.
The actual temperatures of the internal components range from good to adequate. I monitored the temperatures during a gaming session using HWMonitor, and got the following results:
The processor is well under its rated specification, as are the hard drives. The Nvidia graphics card topped out at 81 degrees Celsius, which may seem fine but is actually acceptable for a graphics card.
Keyboard
The G50V's keyboard delivers a pleasant typing experience. There is ample tactile feedback, with minimal flex. The only real flex is found in the number pad, but it is slight. The keyboard is soft and quiet. My gripe with this keyboard is that there are no true dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. This is one of the sacrifices ASUS made by including the numeric keypad in a 15.4-inch chassis. The keys are only dedicated if the number lock is turned off. As someone who uses those keys frequently, I found this to be an inconvenient setup. I have to give up number pad functionality in order to use those keys.
Above the keyboard is a series of touch-activated buttons that access various menus. On the left side is a unique OLED display, which can display a message, battery charge remaining, CPU usage, memory usage, and other useful information. This is a nice touch. I would like to see other functionality added to this, such as frames per second (FPS) readings during games.
Touchpad
The touchpad has a plain black matte surface, which is easy to track on. The right side acts as a vertical scrolling pad. The two buttons are aluminum and easy to locate and press. The buttons are not particularly quiet, though they would probably not annoy anyone around you.
Input & Output Ports
The variety of input and output ports on the G50V is extensive. Let's take a picture tour.
Left Side:
VGA port, vent, USB, IEEE-1394 mini-Firewire, eSATA, HDMI, 8-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot
Right Side:
Microphone, headphone, S/PDIF, 2x USB, optical drive
Back:
Kensington lock slot, USB, Ethernet, power jack
Front:
Wireless on/off switch, infrared port
Wireless
The G50V-A1 features the latest-generation Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, supporting 802.11a/b/g/n wireless signals. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of secured networks.
Battery
The G50V-A1 lasted about two hours in my battery test in power saving mode while surfing the Internet. Though two hours is not a lot, it is reasonable for a gaming notebook with a 6-cell battery.
The G50V-A1's 6-cell battery is rated for 4800mAh, with 11.1V.
Extras
The G50V comes with several accessories, including a backpack and a gaming mouse. The backpack is of reasonable quality and has good padding. There are two compartments; a sleeve inside the main compartment holds the notebook securely in place during travel. There is enough room in the backpack for the notebook, power adapter, mouse, and perhaps a textbook.
The mouse is a well-respected Logitech MX518 gaming mouse. It has rubber grips and a carbon-fiber imprint design. It is corded and has a high resolution optical sensor.
Performance Benchmarks
Windows Experience Index
Vista’s WEI benchmark scores the system based on its lowest-performing component, which in G50V-A1’s case is the 250GB 5400RPM hard drive. 5.1 is an impressive score nonetheless – notice the maximum score of 5.9 achieved in the Graphics and Memory (RAM) category.
Overall System Performance with PCMark Vantage
PCMark Vantage is a Vista-only benchmark. These results indicate the G50V-A1 is a high-performance machine, though with faster hard drives it could have an even better score.\
wPrime
wPrime is a multi-threaded CPU test – it is similar to SuperPi but has a few more features. It is a much more accurate benchmark for dual-core CPUs. Please see our big comparison thread here.
Hard Drive Performance: HDTune 2.55
The Western Digital 250GB 5400RPM is relatively slow, especially compared to 7200RPM hard drives that have transfer rates above 55MB/s. The access time is typical of 5400RPM drives; a 7200RPM drive has faster access times. On the positive side, the drive runs cool (38 degrees Celsius after a benchmark test; it is rated for 55 degrees) and is quiet.
Synthetic Performance using 3DMark06
The Nvidia GeForce 9700M-GT graphics card with 512MB of GDDR3 memory achieves an excellent result in this benchmark relative to other 15.4-inch notebooks. The 9700M-GT’s score is one-third higher than that of a 9600M-GT, a common gaming graphics card in a 15.4-inch notebook like the HP Pavilion dv5t.
Synthetic Performance using 3DMark Vantage
3DMark Vantage is a Vista-exclusive benchmark, since it uses Microsoft DirectX 10 technology. The 9700M-GT also makes a nice showing here, scoring over one-third more points than a 9600M-GT in the GPU test.
Real-life Games
I ran three of the latest game titles on the ASUS G50V-A1 to test its performance. All FPS benchmarking with the exception of Crysis was done with FRAPS. Crysis was run at a 1280x720 resolution using two different settings levels, Medium and High. I benchmarked Unreal Tournament 3 with FRAPS on three different levels. I also benchmarked Call of Duty 4 with FRAPS on two different levels at maximum settings.
Conclusion
Gamers in the market for a well-priced 15.4-inch gaming notebook should seriously consider the ASUS G50V-A1. Its flashy design, solid build quality, high performance components, and beautiful screen make it the ideal mobile gaming companion. Excellent warranty coverage and good-quality included accessories seal the deal. If you liked what you read in this review, it is difficult to go wrong with this machine.
Pros
* Flashy, attractive design
* Gorgeous WSXGA+ display
* Strong overall performance, especially for gaming
* Solid build quality
* Very good keyboard
* Vast input/output port array
* Runs cool and is relatively quiet
* Nice extras - backpack and gaming mouse
Cons
* Larger than a normal 15.4-inch notebook
* Missing dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys
* Disappointing speakers
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Before we start the review, I would like to give a special thanks to Justin Nolte of XOTIC PC for sending us this evaluation unit.
System Specifications and Pricing
ASUS offers the G50V in several different configurations. The A1 version we are reviewing has the following specifications:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz/6MB L2/1066MHz FSB/ 35W TDP)
* Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit w/ SP1
* Intel PM45 + ICH9 chipset
* 4GB DDR2-800 RAM
* 15.4-inch WSXGA+ (1680x1050) glossy display
* Nvidia GeForce 9700M-GT w/ 512MB GDDR3
* 2x 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drives
* 8X DVDRW Super Multi drive
* 8-in-1 card reader
* Built-in 1.3-megapixel camera
* Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN + built-in Bluetooth wireless
As of the publishing date, the ASUS G50V-A1 is listed for $1,639 on XOTICPC.com.
Design
The G50V is aimed squarely at the gaming crowd. Its design says "gamer" no matter what way you look at it. There is nothing understated about the design of this notebook. Let's start with the back of the lid.
The most eye-catching part about the back of the lid is the four blue lights. They are not overly bright, but are easily seen. Two light bars are located at either end of the lid on the very edge, which blink in patterns. At the top of the lid is a clear shield with the Republic of Gamers logo inside. Finally, towards the bottom there is a horizontal light bar that spans about half of the lid. The majority of the lid is glossy metallic black plastic. At the very bottom of the lid below the horizontal light bar is a rubberized and textured section that acts as a grip for carrying the notebook.
The inside of the notebook has a design that is just as flashy as the lid. The trim surrounding the keyboard and bordering the right and left edges of the chassis are glossy orange plastic. The palmrest area is made of the same rubberized textured material found on the back of the lid. The touchpad is bordered by brushed aluminum trim. Above the keyboard is a strip of glossy black plastic where all the touch controls are located, and on either side of that are the two Altec Lansing speakers. Above the screen is a webcam embedded in a mirrored surface. Even the bottom of the notebook has an interesting design - the single large intake vent for the fan has a shiny silver border and an orange vent.
You can see from the pictures that the G50V is larger than a typical 15.4-inch notebook, evidenced by the relatively large screen benzel. The main benefit of the larger chassis is the inclusion of a separate number pad, but the downside is slightly reduced portability. The G50V-A1 weighs in at 6.5 lbs and is 14.2 in (36 cm) wide, 10.2 in (25.9 cm) deep, and 1.1 - 1.6 in (2.8 - 4.1 cm) thick. The notebook feels somewhat heavy, but is not hard to transport in a backpack. As I noted, the G50V is larger than a typical 15.4-inch notebook.
Overall, this notebook's design is striking and well-finished. It is for those that want to be noticed.
Build Quality
The G50V is made of strong plastic and has a solid feel. The chassis resists twisting, and all surfaces are difficult to find flex in. The hinges securely anchor the display to the base of the notebook, and the lid itself is rigid and is hard to twist. Pressing on the back of the lid yields no ripples in the screen. There is basically no display wobble. I am more than impressed with the build quality of this notebook.
Screen
The 15.4-inch WSXGA+ display is positively gorgeous. It is very bright and has high contrast. The glossy finish helps this display bring colors to life. The high contrast and exceptional clarity of this display makes gaming and even simple web browsing an enjoyable experience.
Viewing angles are nothing out of the ordinary - they are fine side-to-side, but from above the picture washes out and from below it darkens as usual. There is noticeable light leakage coming from the bottom of the display, but it is only noticeable when viewing a black screen.
On the whole, this is a wonderful display and a true delight to use.
Speakers
Though the G50V's two speakers carry the Altec Lansing badge, their sound quality leaves much to be desired. They are tinny, and there is no hint of bass. They also are relatively quiet. If these had no name brand, I would have dismissed them as typical notebook speakers, but given the brand-name badge, they should have produced better sound. Overall, the speakers are a disappointment.
Heat & Noise
This section is a high point for the G50V-A1. One large fan takes care of the heat from both the processor and graphics card, and expels it out the left side through a large vent. While idling, the notebook is essentially inaudible. Under full load, the only sound to be heard is a rush of air - motor noise is thankfully absent. You can take this notebook to a library or lecture hall without fear of disturbing anyone.
The heat is kept well under control at all times - the surface of the notebook is barely warm, as is the bottom. The cooling system of this notebook is quite good.
The actual temperatures of the internal components range from good to adequate. I monitored the temperatures during a gaming session using HWMonitor, and got the following results:
The processor is well under its rated specification, as are the hard drives. The Nvidia graphics card topped out at 81 degrees Celsius, which may seem fine but is actually acceptable for a graphics card.
Keyboard
The G50V's keyboard delivers a pleasant typing experience. There is ample tactile feedback, with minimal flex. The only real flex is found in the number pad, but it is slight. The keyboard is soft and quiet. My gripe with this keyboard is that there are no true dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. This is one of the sacrifices ASUS made by including the numeric keypad in a 15.4-inch chassis. The keys are only dedicated if the number lock is turned off. As someone who uses those keys frequently, I found this to be an inconvenient setup. I have to give up number pad functionality in order to use those keys.
Above the keyboard is a series of touch-activated buttons that access various menus. On the left side is a unique OLED display, which can display a message, battery charge remaining, CPU usage, memory usage, and other useful information. This is a nice touch. I would like to see other functionality added to this, such as frames per second (FPS) readings during games.
Touchpad
The touchpad has a plain black matte surface, which is easy to track on. The right side acts as a vertical scrolling pad. The two buttons are aluminum and easy to locate and press. The buttons are not particularly quiet, though they would probably not annoy anyone around you.
Input & Output Ports
The variety of input and output ports on the G50V is extensive. Let's take a picture tour.
Left Side:
VGA port, vent, USB, IEEE-1394 mini-Firewire, eSATA, HDMI, 8-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot
Right Side:
Microphone, headphone, S/PDIF, 2x USB, optical drive
Back:
Kensington lock slot, USB, Ethernet, power jack
Front:
Wireless on/off switch, infrared port
Wireless
The G50V-A1 features the latest-generation Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, supporting 802.11a/b/g/n wireless signals. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of secured networks.
Battery
The G50V-A1 lasted about two hours in my battery test in power saving mode while surfing the Internet. Though two hours is not a lot, it is reasonable for a gaming notebook with a 6-cell battery.
The G50V-A1's 6-cell battery is rated for 4800mAh, with 11.1V.
Extras
The G50V comes with several accessories, including a backpack and a gaming mouse. The backpack is of reasonable quality and has good padding. There are two compartments; a sleeve inside the main compartment holds the notebook securely in place during travel. There is enough room in the backpack for the notebook, power adapter, mouse, and perhaps a textbook.
The mouse is a well-respected Logitech MX518 gaming mouse. It has rubber grips and a carbon-fiber imprint design. It is corded and has a high resolution optical sensor.
Performance Benchmarks
Windows Experience Index
Vista’s WEI benchmark scores the system based on its lowest-performing component, which in G50V-A1’s case is the 250GB 5400RPM hard drive. 5.1 is an impressive score nonetheless – notice the maximum score of 5.9 achieved in the Graphics and Memory (RAM) category.
Overall System Performance with PCMark Vantage
PCMark Vantage is a Vista-only benchmark. These results indicate the G50V-A1 is a high-performance machine, though with faster hard drives it could have an even better score.\
wPrime
wPrime is a multi-threaded CPU test – it is similar to SuperPi but has a few more features. It is a much more accurate benchmark for dual-core CPUs. Please see our big comparison thread here.
Hard Drive Performance: HDTune 2.55
The Western Digital 250GB 5400RPM is relatively slow, especially compared to 7200RPM hard drives that have transfer rates above 55MB/s. The access time is typical of 5400RPM drives; a 7200RPM drive has faster access times. On the positive side, the drive runs cool (38 degrees Celsius after a benchmark test; it is rated for 55 degrees) and is quiet.
Synthetic Performance using 3DMark06
The Nvidia GeForce 9700M-GT graphics card with 512MB of GDDR3 memory achieves an excellent result in this benchmark relative to other 15.4-inch notebooks. The 9700M-GT’s score is one-third higher than that of a 9600M-GT, a common gaming graphics card in a 15.4-inch notebook like the HP Pavilion dv5t.
Synthetic Performance using 3DMark Vantage
3DMark Vantage is a Vista-exclusive benchmark, since it uses Microsoft DirectX 10 technology. The 9700M-GT also makes a nice showing here, scoring over one-third more points than a 9600M-GT in the GPU test.
Real-life Games
I ran three of the latest game titles on the ASUS G50V-A1 to test its performance. All FPS benchmarking with the exception of Crysis was done with FRAPS. Crysis was run at a 1280x720 resolution using two different settings levels, Medium and High. I benchmarked Unreal Tournament 3 with FRAPS on three different levels. I also benchmarked Call of Duty 4 with FRAPS on two different levels at maximum settings.
Conclusion
Gamers in the market for a well-priced 15.4-inch gaming notebook should seriously consider the ASUS G50V-A1. Its flashy design, solid build quality, high performance components, and beautiful screen make it the ideal mobile gaming companion. Excellent warranty coverage and good-quality included accessories seal the deal. If you liked what you read in this review, it is difficult to go wrong with this machine.
Pros
* Flashy, attractive design
* Gorgeous WSXGA+ display
* Strong overall performance, especially for gaming
* Solid build quality
* Very good keyboard
* Vast input/output port array
* Runs cool and is relatively quiet
* Nice extras - backpack and gaming mouse
Cons
* Larger than a normal 15.4-inch notebook
* Missing dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys
* Disappointing speakers
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Asus G50V-A1 $1609
1¢ Shipping in Domestic US 2.5Ghz/4GB/500GB/9700 GT
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
HP Pavilion HDX18 First Look
HP recently unveiled their latest additions to the "HDX" family of notebooks with the all new Pavilion HDX16 and HDX18 multimedia notebooks. These notebooks feature large displays with a 16:9 screen ratio, impressive speakers with an integrated subwoofer, and an innovative touch-sensitive media control panel. Our first look gives you a sample of what you can expect from the large and impressive HDX18.
Our pre-production review unit of the Pavilion HDX18 features the following specs:
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)
* Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
* Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
* Hard drive: 2 x 160GB (7200rpm)
* Screen:18" HD HP Ultra Brightview Infinity glossy display (1920 x 1080)
* Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3
* Optical drive: Blu-Ray multi-drive
* Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, docking station port, microphone in, two audio out jacks, three USB ports, eSATA/USB, 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, built-in TV tuner
* Wireless: 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
* Battery: 8-cell Lithium-ion battery (73W)
* Dimensions 17.17" x 11.26" 1.33-1.72" (WxDxH)
* Weight: 8.94 lbs.
Our pre-production unit comes equipped with two 160GB hard drives, but this configuration will not be offered at the time of launch. The next closest available configuration will be a similar system with two 250GB 5400rpm hard drives ($2,049.99) or two 250GB 7200rpm hard drives ($2,149.99). This desktop replacement is clearly targeted at multimedia and gaming enthusiasts who want cutting-edge features and can afford the slightly higher price tag.
Build and Design
The HDX18 shares several design elements with the rest of the updated HP Pavilion line, but more than size and weight separate the HDX18 from its smaller siblings. First, HP the new 16:9 ratio display means you have more real-estate for text on websites, for multiple documents on the screen at the same time, or for a more "full-screen" view of HD movies that have been filmed in 16:9 format. The glossy metallic gray and silver "Imprint" finish looks fantastic. While we didn't test the high-impact finish on our pre-production unit by dropping it repeatedly in our office, I can say the finish looks quite durable ... though fingerprints show up quickly on the glossy finish.
While the HDX18 is better suited as a desktop replacement than as a laptop, the notebook is quite well balanced when using it on your lap. Just be aware that after using the HDX18 on your lap for about an hour and a half you might start to lose some feeling in your legs. This machine is really more like an 18-inch HDTV with a built-in computer.
Input and Output Ports
As expected with a notebook of this size, the number of ports on the HDX18 is fairly impressive. Here's a run down of the ports:
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* One eSATA/USB port
* Firewire
* Expansion Port 3 (docking station connector)
* ExpressCard slot
* Gigabit Ethernet
* 5-in-1 multi-card reader
* 2 audio out
* microphone in
* VGA monitor out
* HDMI out
* Built-in TV tuner
* Kensington lock slot
We're always glad to see the dedicated docking station connection on HP's consumer notebooks. HP is the only notebook manufacturer that still offers a dedicated docking station connector on their consumer notebooks. The USB docking stations offered by other consumer notebook manufacturers are really nothing more than fancy USB hubs ... and don't work nearly as well as "real" docking stations.
We're also fans of the eSATA/USB combo port currently being used on the new HP notebooks. Although many consumers might not realize it yet, eSATA offers MUCH faster data transfer speeds than USB 2.0 does. The great thing about the eSATA/USB port is that you can use it as a regular USB port or for an eSATA device if and when you buy a new eSATA-compatible device.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor in our review unit provided ample processing power and never presented any problems when running applications or encoding video and audio files.
Performance with the Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor and NVIDIA 9600M-GT graphics card was excellent. Bottom line, this machine is extremely fast. You would typically need to purchase a high-performance gaming notebook to reach these levels of performance. This new HP was perfectly able to handle any software we tested, and even put up "reasonable" numbers with 3D games that usually don't perform well on notebooks, such as Crysis.
Of course, with a notebook that tips the scales at almost 9 pounds ... this beast better provide close to the same performance you expect from a desktop.
Let's take a look at a few basic benchmarks so you can get an idea of how the Pavilion HDX18 stacks up.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, this processor benchmark program is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, it measures the amount of time to run a set amount of calculations.
wPrime comparison results (lower scores means better performance):
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
HP Pavilion HDX18 (Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz) 27.416s
Acer Aspire 6920 (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz)
44.457s
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26GHz)
34.628s
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)
39.745s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)
43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
37.485s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)
40.759s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz) 58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz) 76.240s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.705s
HP Pavilion dv6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 38.720s
PCMark05 is a benchmark that measures the overall system performance, so it considers the processor, hard drive, memory and OS as part of the mix. The HDX18 produced more than reasonable performance numbers.
PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance (higher scores are better):
Notebook PCMark05 Score
HP Pavilion HDX18 (2.8GHz Intel T9600, Nvidia 9600M GT 512MB) 6,587 PCMarks
Acer Aspire 6920 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
4,179 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (2.26GHz Intel P8400, NVIDIA 9300M GS 256MB)
5,173 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)
3,994 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100) 4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 4,616 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB) 4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 4,234 PCMarks
Screen
The 18" glossy "HP Ultra Brightview Infinity" LCD is nice and bright with rich colors and deep contrast. The new 16:9 screen dimension gives you a full high-definition resolution (1920 x 1080) compared to the standard 1280 x 800 resolution on most 15" notebooks. You get more horizontal and vertical resolution with this massive display. This is also nice for widescreen movies since it allows more of the film to fit on the screen with less of the black bars on the top and bottom.
Most of our editorial staff doesn't care for the glossy "Infinity" display style compared to traditional glossy displays because it creates a separate layer of glossy reflection above (and in front of) the actual display. This isn't a problem in low light environments ... it actually helps create richer colors and gives the display an almost "wet" look. However, if you try to use a notebook with this type of screen under bright lights or outdoors under bright sunlight the reflections will make it very difficult (and possibly even painful for your eyes).
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the HDX18 was quite impressive in that it has absolutely no flex over the main keyboard. The dedicated number pad does suffer from some flex directly above the optical drive, but that shouldn't be a problem for most people unless you're constantly using the number pad for data entry. There's little to complain about here from a functional standpoint. That said, the bright silver finish does cause some pretty strong reflections outside in the sunlight. Just don't look down while typing outdoors.
The palm rest and touchpad areas feature the same excellent "Imprint" finish found on the lid of the notebook that gives this notebook a smooth, futuristic feel. The touchpad surface is extremely responsive and the indicated scroll region works as it should. The touchpad buttons are nice and wide with nice deep feedback and quiet clicks. The only thing that makes the touchpad a little frustrating is the smooth surface that sometimes causes your finger to "stick" unless you have very dry hands.
HP also includes a new multimedia remote that fits inside the ExpressCard slot on the notebook. This makes it easy to use the HDX18 as a television thanks to the built-in TV tuner and also works nicely when using the HDX18 for presentations.
More to Come
As of this writing we've only had the Pavilion HDX18 in our office for a short while now. We wanted to make sure our readers had a chance to take a look at this notebook as an alternative to other 17-inch and 18-inch notebooks currently on the market.
Our full review of this notebook is coming soon. Stay tuned.
Our pre-production review unit of the Pavilion HDX18 features the following specs:
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)
* Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
* Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
* Hard drive: 2 x 160GB (7200rpm)
* Screen:18" HD HP Ultra Brightview Infinity glossy display (1920 x 1080)
* Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3
* Optical drive: Blu-Ray multi-drive
* Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, docking station port, microphone in, two audio out jacks, three USB ports, eSATA/USB, 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, built-in TV tuner
* Wireless: 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
* Battery: 8-cell Lithium-ion battery (73W)
* Dimensions 17.17" x 11.26" 1.33-1.72" (WxDxH)
* Weight: 8.94 lbs.
Our pre-production unit comes equipped with two 160GB hard drives, but this configuration will not be offered at the time of launch. The next closest available configuration will be a similar system with two 250GB 5400rpm hard drives ($2,049.99) or two 250GB 7200rpm hard drives ($2,149.99). This desktop replacement is clearly targeted at multimedia and gaming enthusiasts who want cutting-edge features and can afford the slightly higher price tag.
Build and Design
The HDX18 shares several design elements with the rest of the updated HP Pavilion line, but more than size and weight separate the HDX18 from its smaller siblings. First, HP the new 16:9 ratio display means you have more real-estate for text on websites, for multiple documents on the screen at the same time, or for a more "full-screen" view of HD movies that have been filmed in 16:9 format. The glossy metallic gray and silver "Imprint" finish looks fantastic. While we didn't test the high-impact finish on our pre-production unit by dropping it repeatedly in our office, I can say the finish looks quite durable ... though fingerprints show up quickly on the glossy finish.
While the HDX18 is better suited as a desktop replacement than as a laptop, the notebook is quite well balanced when using it on your lap. Just be aware that after using the HDX18 on your lap for about an hour and a half you might start to lose some feeling in your legs. This machine is really more like an 18-inch HDTV with a built-in computer.
Input and Output Ports
As expected with a notebook of this size, the number of ports on the HDX18 is fairly impressive. Here's a run down of the ports:
* Three USB 2.0 ports
* One eSATA/USB port
* Firewire
* Expansion Port 3 (docking station connector)
* ExpressCard slot
* Gigabit Ethernet
* 5-in-1 multi-card reader
* 2 audio out
* microphone in
* VGA monitor out
* HDMI out
* Built-in TV tuner
* Kensington lock slot
We're always glad to see the dedicated docking station connection on HP's consumer notebooks. HP is the only notebook manufacturer that still offers a dedicated docking station connector on their consumer notebooks. The USB docking stations offered by other consumer notebook manufacturers are really nothing more than fancy USB hubs ... and don't work nearly as well as "real" docking stations.
We're also fans of the eSATA/USB combo port currently being used on the new HP notebooks. Although many consumers might not realize it yet, eSATA offers MUCH faster data transfer speeds than USB 2.0 does. The great thing about the eSATA/USB port is that you can use it as a regular USB port or for an eSATA device if and when you buy a new eSATA-compatible device.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor in our review unit provided ample processing power and never presented any problems when running applications or encoding video and audio files.
Performance with the Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor and NVIDIA 9600M-GT graphics card was excellent. Bottom line, this machine is extremely fast. You would typically need to purchase a high-performance gaming notebook to reach these levels of performance. This new HP was perfectly able to handle any software we tested, and even put up "reasonable" numbers with 3D games that usually don't perform well on notebooks, such as Crysis.
Of course, with a notebook that tips the scales at almost 9 pounds ... this beast better provide close to the same performance you expect from a desktop.
Let's take a look at a few basic benchmarks so you can get an idea of how the Pavilion HDX18 stacks up.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, this processor benchmark program is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, it measures the amount of time to run a set amount of calculations.
wPrime comparison results (lower scores means better performance):
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
HP Pavilion HDX18 (Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz) 27.416s
Acer Aspire 6920 (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz)
44.457s
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26GHz)
34.628s
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)
39.745s
Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)
43.569s
Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
37.485s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)
40.759s
Sony VAIO NR (Core 2 Duo T5250 @ 1.5GHz) 58.233s
Toshiba Tecra A9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 38.343s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz) 40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz) 76.240s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz) 37.705s
HP Pavilion dv6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz) 38.720s
PCMark05 is a benchmark that measures the overall system performance, so it considers the processor, hard drive, memory and OS as part of the mix. The HDX18 produced more than reasonable performance numbers.
PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance (higher scores are better):
Notebook PCMark05 Score
HP Pavilion HDX18 (2.8GHz Intel T9600, Nvidia 9600M GT 512MB) 6,587 PCMarks
Acer Aspire 6920 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
4,179 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad SL400 (2.26GHz Intel P8400, NVIDIA 9300M GS 256MB)
5,173 PCMarks
HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)
3,994 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100) 4,149 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 5,412 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 4,616 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100) 4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB) 4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 4,234 PCMarks
Screen
The 18" glossy "HP Ultra Brightview Infinity" LCD is nice and bright with rich colors and deep contrast. The new 16:9 screen dimension gives you a full high-definition resolution (1920 x 1080) compared to the standard 1280 x 800 resolution on most 15" notebooks. You get more horizontal and vertical resolution with this massive display. This is also nice for widescreen movies since it allows more of the film to fit on the screen with less of the black bars on the top and bottom.
Most of our editorial staff doesn't care for the glossy "Infinity" display style compared to traditional glossy displays because it creates a separate layer of glossy reflection above (and in front of) the actual display. This isn't a problem in low light environments ... it actually helps create richer colors and gives the display an almost "wet" look. However, if you try to use a notebook with this type of screen under bright lights or outdoors under bright sunlight the reflections will make it very difficult (and possibly even painful for your eyes).
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard on the HDX18 was quite impressive in that it has absolutely no flex over the main keyboard. The dedicated number pad does suffer from some flex directly above the optical drive, but that shouldn't be a problem for most people unless you're constantly using the number pad for data entry. There's little to complain about here from a functional standpoint. That said, the bright silver finish does cause some pretty strong reflections outside in the sunlight. Just don't look down while typing outdoors.
The palm rest and touchpad areas feature the same excellent "Imprint" finish found on the lid of the notebook that gives this notebook a smooth, futuristic feel. The touchpad surface is extremely responsive and the indicated scroll region works as it should. The touchpad buttons are nice and wide with nice deep feedback and quiet clicks. The only thing that makes the touchpad a little frustrating is the smooth surface that sometimes causes your finger to "stick" unless you have very dry hands.
HP also includes a new multimedia remote that fits inside the ExpressCard slot on the notebook. This makes it easy to use the HDX18 as a television thanks to the built-in TV tuner and also works nicely when using the HDX18 for presentations.
More to Come
As of this writing we've only had the Pavilion HDX18 in our office for a short while now. We wanted to make sure our readers had a chance to take a look at this notebook as an alternative to other 17-inch and 18-inch notebooks currently on the market.
Our full review of this notebook is coming soon. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Asus N10 Notebook First Thoughts
Asus today took the cover off the new N10 10.2" screen Intel Atom powered notebook. Despite its small size and Atom processor, Asus really wants you to know this is not a netbook, but indeed a notebook. Which explains the lack of Eee PC in the naming. The N10 has a full sized keyboard and even switchable Nvidia dedicated graphics to separate it from the netbooks flooding the market of late.
We got some hands on time with the N10J today, which is the Nvidia equipped member of the N10 family. The N10E version has just integrated graphics and starts at $599, while the N10J has an Nvidia 9300 GS 256MB graphics card on board. You can toggle to using integrated graphics on the N10J to save battery life by flipping a switch on the left side (you have to reboot to make this switch between dedicated and integrated).
The N10J has the same Intel Atom 270 1.60GHz processor that many netbooks have, but the available 320GB hard drive, Nvidia graphics and 2GB of RAM help to separate it storage and power wise from the smaller Eee PC. Asus had enough confidence in this notebooks performance abilities that it went ahead and put Vista Premium or Vista Business on there as the OS. There will be a downgrade option to XP for those business users whose organizations haven't made the leap to Vista yet.
The quoted battery life for the N10 in integrated graphics mode is said to be up to 10 hours. That seems rather optimistic, and your mileage may vary depending on how you use the N10 of course.
The LED backlit screen appeared blazingly bright in the rather dimly lit room we used the N10 in. The 10.2" screen has a 1024 x 600 resolution, so real estate viewing is somewhat limited, but at least the colors are brilliant and picture is crisp.
The keyboard is full sized and oh so much more easy and comfortable to type on than any netbook out there. For those who insist on having a notebook that provides a halfway decent typing experience and have shunned netbooks simply because they don't, you might have a friend in the N10 here. It's certainly not as light as the Eee PC, but it does become more usable with the extra size.
The port selection on the N10J is also very good. It has the following ports:
* 3 USB 2.0 ports
* HDMI out port
* Media card reader
* Microphone-in
* Headphone-out
* Ethernet LAN
* Monitor out
Left side view
Right side view
You of course get 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless, no WWAN built-in though (remember, it's $599).
The overall design is attractive, head-on it looks a lot like a shrunken down HP Pavilion dv2700t notebook, sans the imprint design, it even has the Altec Lansing speaker branding along the top like Pavilion notebooks do. The lid is a pearl white color, with no multi-color options such as you get with the Eee PC, at least for the moment.
If you've read enough and are ready to order, J&R has you covered with their pre-order page for the N10, links to those are below:
* N10E on JR.com $599
* N10J on JR.com $699
Or if you prefer to wait for an official review, we'll have one in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
We got some hands on time with the N10J today, which is the Nvidia equipped member of the N10 family. The N10E version has just integrated graphics and starts at $599, while the N10J has an Nvidia 9300 GS 256MB graphics card on board. You can toggle to using integrated graphics on the N10J to save battery life by flipping a switch on the left side (you have to reboot to make this switch between dedicated and integrated).
The N10J has the same Intel Atom 270 1.60GHz processor that many netbooks have, but the available 320GB hard drive, Nvidia graphics and 2GB of RAM help to separate it storage and power wise from the smaller Eee PC. Asus had enough confidence in this notebooks performance abilities that it went ahead and put Vista Premium or Vista Business on there as the OS. There will be a downgrade option to XP for those business users whose organizations haven't made the leap to Vista yet.
The quoted battery life for the N10 in integrated graphics mode is said to be up to 10 hours. That seems rather optimistic, and your mileage may vary depending on how you use the N10 of course.
The LED backlit screen appeared blazingly bright in the rather dimly lit room we used the N10 in. The 10.2" screen has a 1024 x 600 resolution, so real estate viewing is somewhat limited, but at least the colors are brilliant and picture is crisp.
The keyboard is full sized and oh so much more easy and comfortable to type on than any netbook out there. For those who insist on having a notebook that provides a halfway decent typing experience and have shunned netbooks simply because they don't, you might have a friend in the N10 here. It's certainly not as light as the Eee PC, but it does become more usable with the extra size.
The port selection on the N10J is also very good. It has the following ports:
* 3 USB 2.0 ports
* HDMI out port
* Media card reader
* Microphone-in
* Headphone-out
* Ethernet LAN
* Monitor out
Left side view
Right side view
You of course get 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless, no WWAN built-in though (remember, it's $599).
The overall design is attractive, head-on it looks a lot like a shrunken down HP Pavilion dv2700t notebook, sans the imprint design, it even has the Altec Lansing speaker branding along the top like Pavilion notebooks do. The lid is a pearl white color, with no multi-color options such as you get with the Eee PC, at least for the moment.
If you've read enough and are ready to order, J&R has you covered with their pre-order page for the N10, links to those are below:
* N10E on JR.com $599
* N10J on JR.com $699
Or if you prefer to wait for an official review, we'll have one in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Clevo TN121R Review
The Clevo TN121R is an interesting convertible tablet notebook. It came customized from AVA Direct, with its 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 200GB hard drive. This 12.1" tablet is a tiny powerhouse, great for college students or business professionals who need a travel companion.
AVA Direct Customized Clevo TN121R Tablet PC specs:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz processor
* Intel GMA X3100 Graphics
* 12.1" 1280x800 WXGA Glossy LCD with touchscreen
* Corsair, 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM SODIMM
* Seagate, 200GB Momentus 7200 RPM, hard drive
* Optical drive, Super-Multi DVD±RW (Built-in)
*
* 56K V90/92 Fax/Modem (Integrated)
* Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
* Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, LAN Card
* 802.11a/b/g Wireless card
* Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
* 7-in-1 Card Reader
* 3x USB port
* Headphone and microphone ports
* VGA-15 pin
* Weight: 4.7lbs. with battery
* Price as configured: $1,458 (Starting price: $976.80)
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Design and Build
The Clevo TN121R is a solid tablet. The chassis feels sturdy and there is no flex in the body. The casing underneath feels a little cheap, but this isn't a huge problem. It weighs in around 4.7lbs. and is the perfect size for traveling. It does look a little odd though since it doesn't have any branding. It is a Clevo, but it came customized from AVA Direct so the badges are gone.
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It has a black glossy finish, which is a fingerprint magnet. I mean the entire tablet is glossy even the palm rest area, so it doesn't hide dirt and smudges at all. It looks fancy and appealing, but you need to have a cloth handy to keep it clean. I wasn't impressed with the hinge for the screen because it wasn't very sturdy at all. When I shook the tablet lightly the screen would fall backwards. The screen rotates fine, but the hinge needs to provide more resistance.
No branding on this tablet. (view large image)
Display
The 12.1" (1280x800) WXGA glossy LCD touchscreen and passive digitizer is nice. The touchscreen is really accurate and I didn't have any problems navigating with my fingertip. The pen was not so great in than it reminded me of a stylus from a PDA. Taking notes is fine, but the passive screen is a little delayed.
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The screen gets plenty bright and does have a little glare, but this didn't bother me much. The viewing angles weren't that great though. As you can see from the pictures above at certain angles the colors get that weird inverted look. Looking straight at the screen is great and there is no color bleed. So no worries because most users don't push their screens that far back. In tablet mode the screen doesn't automatically change orientation, which is a pain because then you have to keep pushing the button to get the screen the way you need it.
Performance and Benchmarks
The TN121R was surprisingly fast. It booted-up in seconds and I had no problems surfing the Web or running benchmarks. It sports a 2.5GHz Intel T9300 processor and a 200GB, 7200 rpm hard drive. The graphics aren't the best, but gaming is possible. Just don't expect to play Crysis or any other cutting-edge 3D game on this machine. For college students or professionals on-the-go, you will have no problem doing work, taking notes, checking email or even editing your high-resolution digital photos.
Comparison Results for PCMark05
PCMark05 measures the systems performance as a whole.
Notebook PCMark05 Score
Clevo TN121R (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 4,697 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz, Mobile Intel 4500 MHD graphics) 4,864 PCMarks
HP tx2500 (AMD Turion X2 Ultra 2.4GHz, ATI HD 3200 graphics) 3, 873 PCMarks
HP tx2000 (AMD Turion 64 X2 2.3GHz, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics) 3,738 PCMarks
Asus R1E (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, GMA 965 chipset) 4,679 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 2,334 PCMarks
Gateway C-140x (Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, ATI X2300 HD graphics) 4,342 PCMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 2,453 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 3,473 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 4,171 PCMarks
Gateway E-155C (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics) 2,205 PCMarks
Toshiba R400 (Intel Core Duo ULV 1.2GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics) 2,187 PCMarks
HP tx1000 (AMD Turion X2 2.0GHz, Nvidia Go 6150) 3,052 PCMarks
Toshiba Tecra M6 (1.66GHz Intel T2300E, Intel GMA 950) 2,732 PCMarks
Comparison Results for 3Dmark05
3DMark05 tests the overall graphic capabilities of a notebook.
Notebook 3DMark 05 Results
Clevo TN121R (2.5GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 778 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 (2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, Mobile Intel 4500 MHD graphics) 1,520 3DMarks
HP tx2500 (2.4GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra, ATI HD 3200 graphics) 1,622 3DMarks
HP tx2000 (2.3GHz AMD Turion 64 X2, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics) 636 3DMarks
Asus R1E (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA 965 chipset) 923 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 566 3DMarks
Gateway C-140x (2GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X2300 HD graphics) 1,956 3DMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 634 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics) 812 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics) 925 3DMarks
Gateway E-155C (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950) 500 3DMarks
LG C1 (1.2GHz Intel Core Duo, Nvidia Go 7300) 1,392 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1150) 810 3DMarks
PortableOne UX (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950) 590 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite A135 (1.73GHz Core Duo, Intel GMA 950) 519 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB) 2,092 3DMarks
wPrime results:
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HDTune results:
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Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The TN121R has a great keyboard and I was impressed. It is better than some HP and Fujitsu tablet notebook models I have reviewed. The keyboard is solid and has no flex. The keys are easy to push and give the perfect amount of feedback. The only problem with the keyboard is it is small and the keys are the size of my fingertips, so if you have bigger hands you might have some typos. For as much space as there is inside, I would think the keyboard wouldn't be as cramped.
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The touchpad is your basic touchpad. Nothing fancy, it is indented into the palm rest so your finger doesn't lose its place and it is accurate like a mouse. The right and left click buttons have a chrome finish, which is another fingerprint magnet, but they work as expected. Just like the keyboard though the touchpad buttons are a little small.
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The included pen used for the tablet touchscreen interface is a solid piece of plastic that I could only use for a few hours of work. If you plan on taking notes or writing a lot, I recommend getting another pen. The Clevo pen is small and just like the stylus from a Palm Treo. There is no eraser, no buttons or anything. It's a very basic pen, but it does work for navigating and is responsive with the screen.
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Heat and Noise
The TN121R didn't get hot. In fact it barely got warm. This tablet ran at a normal temperature even when running the benchmarks and multiple applications. The left side by the fan got a little warm, but that is expected. I was never uncomfortable typing on it or holding it in tablet mode.
It wasn't loud either. The TN121R ran quietly. The fan kicked on during benchmarks, but it wasn't that noticeable and it definitely wasn't annoying. This tablet is safe to bring to presentations or class.
Ports
The Clevo I reviewed came with a good array of ports and features. Remember if you go through AVA Direct you can always customize your tablet to your liking and get the features you need most. That is a bonus.
Front view of the TN121R:
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Left view of the ports:
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Right view of the ports:
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Rear view of the TN121R:
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Bottom view of the TN121R:
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Speakers
The speakers are located on the bottom of the screen. They are your standard tablet speakers. The location is prime because the speakers never get covered even when in tablet mode. They're not great for listening to music, but they do put out decent sound and work perfectly with a set of headphones.
Battery
The TN121R battery life is average. It is a small tablet, but it also has a small battery. It has a 4-cell battery that gets an estimated three hours on "Balanced" mode. That is give or take a few minutes depending on how much work you are doing. I didn't do much beyond benchmarking in "High Performance" mode, but as you can imagine the battery life drops dramatically and you will definitely need your AC adapter. Still, when I first received the tablet I was shocked when I saw the battery on the back because it is small ... but actually it provides "acceptable" power despite its small size.
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Wireless
The wireless works as expected. It also has a built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet LAN Card. I didn't get the best signal strength at home, but I think it's the coverage at my house. In my office it worked fine. Download speeds were fast, uploading larger files like pictures though did take a little time, but nothing to blink an eye at.
Conclusion
The Clevo TN121R is a solid tablet with a nice touchscreen display and a fast processor. AVA Direct lets you customize this tablet to your liking and needs, which is a bonus. It is easy to take notes on and quick at surfing the Web. No complaints with the processor or hard drive. Battery life could be better and you definitely need a spare pen because the included stylus is basically just a small stick of plastic. The design is sleek, but the glossy plastic exterior gets covered in fingerprints, so have your cleaning cloth handy. Starting price is good for what you get and remember you can add whatever features you need to this Barebone tablet.
Pros
* Peppy processor
* Nice touchscreen display
* Customizable features
* Solid design and keyboard
Cons
* Hinge not sturdy enough
* Cheap pen
* Fingerprint magnet
* When in tablet mode screen doesn't automatically change
Pricing and Availability
For more information on this customized Clevo TN121R tablet check out AVA Direct's website. The TN121R that I reviewed is priced at $1,458.
AVA Direct Customized Clevo TN121R Tablet PC specs:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz processor
* Intel GMA X3100 Graphics
* 12.1" 1280x800 WXGA Glossy LCD with touchscreen
* Corsair, 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM SODIMM
* Seagate, 200GB Momentus 7200 RPM, hard drive
* Optical drive, Super-Multi DVD±RW (Built-in)
*
* 56K V90/92 Fax/Modem (Integrated)
* Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
* Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, LAN Card
* 802.11a/b/g Wireless card
* Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
* 7-in-1 Card Reader
* 3x USB port
* Headphone and microphone ports
* VGA-15 pin
* Weight: 4.7lbs. with battery
* Price as configured: $1,458 (Starting price: $976.80)
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Design and Build
The Clevo TN121R is a solid tablet. The chassis feels sturdy and there is no flex in the body. The casing underneath feels a little cheap, but this isn't a huge problem. It weighs in around 4.7lbs. and is the perfect size for traveling. It does look a little odd though since it doesn't have any branding. It is a Clevo, but it came customized from AVA Direct so the badges are gone.
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It has a black glossy finish, which is a fingerprint magnet. I mean the entire tablet is glossy even the palm rest area, so it doesn't hide dirt and smudges at all. It looks fancy and appealing, but you need to have a cloth handy to keep it clean. I wasn't impressed with the hinge for the screen because it wasn't very sturdy at all. When I shook the tablet lightly the screen would fall backwards. The screen rotates fine, but the hinge needs to provide more resistance.
No branding on this tablet. (view large image)
Display
The 12.1" (1280x800) WXGA glossy LCD touchscreen and passive digitizer is nice. The touchscreen is really accurate and I didn't have any problems navigating with my fingertip. The pen was not so great in than it reminded me of a stylus from a PDA. Taking notes is fine, but the passive screen is a little delayed.
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The screen gets plenty bright and does have a little glare, but this didn't bother me much. The viewing angles weren't that great though. As you can see from the pictures above at certain angles the colors get that weird inverted look. Looking straight at the screen is great and there is no color bleed. So no worries because most users don't push their screens that far back. In tablet mode the screen doesn't automatically change orientation, which is a pain because then you have to keep pushing the button to get the screen the way you need it.
Performance and Benchmarks
The TN121R was surprisingly fast. It booted-up in seconds and I had no problems surfing the Web or running benchmarks. It sports a 2.5GHz Intel T9300 processor and a 200GB, 7200 rpm hard drive. The graphics aren't the best, but gaming is possible. Just don't expect to play Crysis or any other cutting-edge 3D game on this machine. For college students or professionals on-the-go, you will have no problem doing work, taking notes, checking email or even editing your high-resolution digital photos.
Comparison Results for PCMark05
PCMark05 measures the systems performance as a whole.
Notebook PCMark05 Score
Clevo TN121R (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 4,697 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz, Mobile Intel 4500 MHD graphics) 4,864 PCMarks
HP tx2500 (AMD Turion X2 Ultra 2.4GHz, ATI HD 3200 graphics) 3, 873 PCMarks
HP tx2000 (AMD Turion 64 X2 2.3GHz, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics) 3,738 PCMarks
Asus R1E (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, GMA 965 chipset) 4,679 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 2,334 PCMarks
Gateway C-140x (Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, ATI X2300 HD graphics) 4,342 PCMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 2,453 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 3,473 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics) 4,171 PCMarks
Gateway E-155C (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics) 2,205 PCMarks
Toshiba R400 (Intel Core Duo ULV 1.2GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics) 2,187 PCMarks
HP tx1000 (AMD Turion X2 2.0GHz, Nvidia Go 6150) 3,052 PCMarks
Toshiba Tecra M6 (1.66GHz Intel T2300E, Intel GMA 950) 2,732 PCMarks
Comparison Results for 3Dmark05
3DMark05 tests the overall graphic capabilities of a notebook.
Notebook 3DMark 05 Results
Clevo TN121R (2.5GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 778 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 (2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, Mobile Intel 4500 MHD graphics) 1,520 3DMarks
HP tx2500 (2.4GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra, ATI HD 3200 graphics) 1,622 3DMarks
HP tx2000 (2.3GHz AMD Turion 64 X2, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics) 636 3DMarks
Asus R1E (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA 965 chipset) 923 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 566 3DMarks
Gateway C-140x (2GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X2300 HD graphics) 1,956 3DMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics) 634 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics) 812 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics) 925 3DMarks
Gateway E-155C (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950) 500 3DMarks
LG C1 (1.2GHz Intel Core Duo, Nvidia Go 7300) 1,392 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1150) 810 3DMarks
PortableOne UX (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950) 590 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite A135 (1.73GHz Core Duo, Intel GMA 950) 519 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB) 2,092 3DMarks
wPrime results:
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HDTune results:
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Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The TN121R has a great keyboard and I was impressed. It is better than some HP and Fujitsu tablet notebook models I have reviewed. The keyboard is solid and has no flex. The keys are easy to push and give the perfect amount of feedback. The only problem with the keyboard is it is small and the keys are the size of my fingertips, so if you have bigger hands you might have some typos. For as much space as there is inside, I would think the keyboard wouldn't be as cramped.
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The touchpad is your basic touchpad. Nothing fancy, it is indented into the palm rest so your finger doesn't lose its place and it is accurate like a mouse. The right and left click buttons have a chrome finish, which is another fingerprint magnet, but they work as expected. Just like the keyboard though the touchpad buttons are a little small.
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The included pen used for the tablet touchscreen interface is a solid piece of plastic that I could only use for a few hours of work. If you plan on taking notes or writing a lot, I recommend getting another pen. The Clevo pen is small and just like the stylus from a Palm Treo. There is no eraser, no buttons or anything. It's a very basic pen, but it does work for navigating and is responsive with the screen.
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Heat and Noise
The TN121R didn't get hot. In fact it barely got warm. This tablet ran at a normal temperature even when running the benchmarks and multiple applications. The left side by the fan got a little warm, but that is expected. I was never uncomfortable typing on it or holding it in tablet mode.
It wasn't loud either. The TN121R ran quietly. The fan kicked on during benchmarks, but it wasn't that noticeable and it definitely wasn't annoying. This tablet is safe to bring to presentations or class.
Ports
The Clevo I reviewed came with a good array of ports and features. Remember if you go through AVA Direct you can always customize your tablet to your liking and get the features you need most. That is a bonus.
Front view of the TN121R:
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Left view of the ports:
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Right view of the ports:
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Rear view of the TN121R:
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Bottom view of the TN121R:
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Speakers
The speakers are located on the bottom of the screen. They are your standard tablet speakers. The location is prime because the speakers never get covered even when in tablet mode. They're not great for listening to music, but they do put out decent sound and work perfectly with a set of headphones.
Battery
The TN121R battery life is average. It is a small tablet, but it also has a small battery. It has a 4-cell battery that gets an estimated three hours on "Balanced" mode. That is give or take a few minutes depending on how much work you are doing. I didn't do much beyond benchmarking in "High Performance" mode, but as you can imagine the battery life drops dramatically and you will definitely need your AC adapter. Still, when I first received the tablet I was shocked when I saw the battery on the back because it is small ... but actually it provides "acceptable" power despite its small size.
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Wireless
The wireless works as expected. It also has a built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet LAN Card. I didn't get the best signal strength at home, but I think it's the coverage at my house. In my office it worked fine. Download speeds were fast, uploading larger files like pictures though did take a little time, but nothing to blink an eye at.
Conclusion
The Clevo TN121R is a solid tablet with a nice touchscreen display and a fast processor. AVA Direct lets you customize this tablet to your liking and needs, which is a bonus. It is easy to take notes on and quick at surfing the Web. No complaints with the processor or hard drive. Battery life could be better and you definitely need a spare pen because the included stylus is basically just a small stick of plastic. The design is sleek, but the glossy plastic exterior gets covered in fingerprints, so have your cleaning cloth handy. Starting price is good for what you get and remember you can add whatever features you need to this Barebone tablet.
Pros
* Peppy processor
* Nice touchscreen display
* Customizable features
* Solid design and keyboard
Cons
* Hinge not sturdy enough
* Cheap pen
* Fingerprint magnet
* When in tablet mode screen doesn't automatically change
Pricing and Availability
For more information on this customized Clevo TN121R tablet check out AVA Direct's website. The TN121R that I reviewed is priced at $1,458.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
ASUS M50VM-B2 Review
The ASUS M50VM is a well-built 15.4-inch desktop replacement notebook based on the latest Intel Centrino 2 platform. The M50VM is designed for multimedia enthusiasts and gamers. It features a powerful Core 2 Duo processor, 500GB hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce video card with a whopping 1GB of memory. Read on to see how the M50VM did in our tests.
Before we start the review, I would like to give a special thanks to Justin Nolte at XoticPC.com for sending us this unit for evaluation.
System Specifications & Pricing
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Our ASUS M50VM is the B2 variant, and has the following specifications:
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor (2.53GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB, 35W TDP)
- Windows Vista Home Premium w/ SP1
- Intel PM45 + ICH-9 chipset
- 4GB DDR2-800 RAM
- Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GS with 1024MB of DDR2 video memory
- 500GB 5400RPM Hitachi hard drive
- 8X DVD-RW Super Multi drive
- 8-in-1 card reader
- Built-in 1.3 MP megapixel camera
- Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, built-in Bluetooth
As of the publishing date, the M50VM-B2 is currently listed at $1,549 on XoticPC.com.
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Reasons to Buy
The ASUS M50VM is aimed at customers looking for a powerful desktop replacement notebook with reasonable portability and battery life at a value price. The large screen, powerful Nvidia graphics card, and large hard drive make it appealing to multimedia enthusiasts and gamers.
Design
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The M50VM has an understated look - it will not turn many heads when viewed from a distance. ASUS follows the glossy trend like the rest of the mainstream market. The palmrest area and the back of the lid have a striped imprint design, which looks detailed. The back of the display has the same striped design.
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The keyboard is surrounded first by glossy black trim, then by a silver stripe. Above the keyboard, the circular Altec Lansing speakers have a chrome ring around them, which looks high-end. The area immediately below the display is a strip of black brushed aluminum surrounded by glossy black plastic. This area is where keyboard status lights and multifunction buttons are located; it is also surrounded by a chrome border.
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Above the display is a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam. It can rotate 180 degrees and has a mirrored border. The array microphones ensure accurate sound quality. I found the webcam's quality to be average - the person on the other end will be able to see you without issues.
One characteristic of the M50VM is that it is noticeably larger than a standard 15.4" notebook - see the picture below, where the M50VM is compared to a standard-size HP Pavilion dv5t notebook:
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Also note the relatively large screen bezel in the other pictures.
The reason it is large is because ASUS integrates a full keyboard in this machine; it features a standard keyboard in addition to a separate numeric keypad. The larger footprint is one of the prices paid for the numeric keypad addition (more on the keyboard later).
Overall, the ASUS M50VM looks stylish without being flashy - this is a notebook that would be at home at a LAN party and a business meeting. It is not as sleek as mainstream notebooks from HP and Toshiba, but still looks modern.
Build
The M50VM is made of high-strength plastic and is mostly flex-free. The palmrests barely flex, even under modest pressure. The chassis is resistant to flexing, which shows it has a strong internal frame. The display is very strong, and does not flex easily. The display also does not wobble, even when the notebook is shaken (or stirred) - this is impressive. No ripples appear on the display when the back of the lid is pushed on. The bottom of the notebook has strong plastic. The M50VM is well made inside and out. Its weight with battery is 6 lbs, 12.6 oz.
Processor & Performance
The M50VM-B2 is a strong performer thanks to its powerful components.
All benchmarks were done with the Nvidia 177.72 video card drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com.
System Performance Benchmarks
Windows Experience Index (WEI)
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WEI is not the most accurate benchmark, but is a reasonable way to see how it stacks up against other Vista systems. The RAM performance is especially strong, thanks to the fast DDR2-800 RAM.
Overall System Performance using PCMark Vantage
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Futuremark's PCMark Vantage is a new benchmark exclusively for Windows Vista. It stresses every component of a computer to its limits, especially the hard drive and CPU.
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*Insert wPrime
wPrime is a multi-threaded CPU test - it is similar to SuperPi but has a few more features. It is a much more accurate benchmark for dual-core CPUs. Please see our big comparison thread here.
Hard Drive Performance using HDTune 2.55
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I expected higher results from the 500GB hard drive, though as it stands, the drive is reasonably fast and responsive. This is the highest-capacity 2.5-inch hard drive available on the market as of writing.
Gaming Performance
The following benchmarks will focus on the M50VM's Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GS 1GB graphics card. This graphics card is roughly on par with the older GeForce 8600M-GT.
3DMark06
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This score is on par with a DDR2 memory-equipped 8600M-GT, which is a balanced card for modern gaming. Note that this benchmark was run at the default 1280x1024 resolution, and not 1280x800.
A score of 3675 means the M50VM can play all of today's games with medium settings and resolution (1280x800).
3DMarkVantage
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Real-World Gaming Performance
Crysis
Crysis has become the most famous (or infamous) game benchmark today, as it is more demanding than any other game. I benchmarked Crysis using the Crysis Benchmark Tool 1.05 Final from Guru3D.com. The game version used is 1.21. I used all high and all medium settings during two runs. The benchmarked results are as follows:
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The game is more than playable at a 1280x720 resolution with medium settings, and it looks great.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4 is a popular first-person shooter. It has a large online gaming community and is quite demanding on a computer's hardware
Prior to benchmarking, I patched the game to version 1.7. The following settings were used for benchmarking. They are a mix of medium and high; these settings push the M50VM to its limit while keeping the game visually appealing and playable. I benchmarked the first two levels of the game using FRAPS.
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The benchmark results are as follows:
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The game is more than playable, and it also looks great.
Overall, the ASUS M50VM makes a strong showing and is a good choice for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. This notebook comes fully loaded out of the box - no need to do any aftermarket upgrades.
Screen
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The M50VM is available with several different resolutions. Our M50VM-B2 review unit has a 15.4" WSXGA+ display with a glossy finish. The display has pristine picture quality - it is incredibly clear and bright. Contrast is excellent with pure whites and deep blacks. Viewing angles above average, though nothing to write home about. There is some color shift horizontally. The picture darkens when viewed from below and washes out viewed from above. There is some backlight leakage from the bottom of the display, but it is not noticeable when looking at anything but a solid black background.
A convenient feature of this display is the ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the screen brightness according to the surrounding light. It is nice not to be greeted by a blindingly bright display in the dark. The ambient light sensor is located above the keyboard area.
Speakers
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Despite the Altec Lansing badge, the M50VM's two stereo speakers are like typical notebook speakers - tinny and no bass. Given the brand name badge and multimedia focus of this notebook, I expected better sound quality.
Heat & Noise
This is an area where the M50VM really shines. One clear advantage the M50VM has over competing notebooks is that there is no air intake for the single fan on the bottom. You can easily use this notebook on your lap without issues.
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Heat is pulled out of the notebook though a large vent on the left side of the notebook. Under full load, the fan is difficult to hear, and at idle, it is silent for all practical purposes (even in a library, this machine would be nearly impossible to hear).
The notebook remains cool top and bottom - even while running benchmarks, the machine never rose more than a few degrees above room temperature.
I am most impressed with the thermal design of this notebook. This is by far one of the best cooling solutions I have seen on any notebook. Well done, ASUS.
Keyboard
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The M50VM's keyboard is easy and enjoyable to type on. It is quiet and offers solid tactile feedback. It is easy to feel your way around this keyboard. There is a hint of flex around the upper left side, but it is not noticeable.
My gripe with this keyboard is that there are no true dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. This is one of the sacrifices ASUS made by including the numeric keypad in a 15.4-inch chassis. The keys are only dedicated if the number lock is turned off. As someone who uses those keys frequently, I found this to be an inconvenient setup. I have to give up number pad functionality in order to use those keys.
Overall, the keyboard is quite good with the exception of its lack of certain dedicated keys.
Touchpad
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Finally, a touchpad surface that is not glossy! The touchpad is simple to use on the M50VM - its matte black surface is easy to track on, whether your fingers are moist or dry. The touchpad buttons offer quiet clicks that will not annoy your neighbors. In-between the touchpad buttons is the fingerprint reader, which offers an extra layer of security. The ASUS security manager software allows you to use the fingerprint reader to log into websites and other applications - it is a great tool.
Input & Output Ports
Another area where the M50VM stands out is its comprehensive array of input and output ports. Follow me on a picture tour (all descriptions are from left to right):
Left Side:
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VGA, heat exhaust vent, USB, IEEE 1394 (mini-Firewire), eSATA, HDMI, 8-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot
Right Side:
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Microphone, headphone, S/PDIF, 2x USB, optical drive, USB
Back:
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Kensington lock slot, 56k modem, Gigabit Ethernet, power jack
Front:
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Infrared port, wireless on/off switch
Port variety and quantity is outstanding on the M50VM. Two notable ports are the HDMI and eSATA ports. The HDMI port transmits audio and video through one cable and can be used to connect to HDTVs, projectors, and monitors. The eSATA port provides the full bandwidth of SATA to external hard drives.
Wireless
The M50VM features the latest-generation Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN, supporting 802.11a/b/g/n wireless signals. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of secured networks.
Battery
A six-cell battery is standard; it is 11.1V, and 4800mAh. With the screen dimmed and while surfing the Internet, I measured 2:30 in power saving mode. This machine is not designed for extended trips away from the plug, but 2:30 out of a desktop replacement is respectable.
Operating System & Software
ASUS includes a variety of utilities with the M50VM. The only real "bloatware" is Norton Antivirus, though 30 days of protection is included at no charge. The ASUS utilities are, for the most part, useful, especially the Power4 Gear Express power management software. There are perhaps too many pre-installed utilities; users can pick and choose which ones to keep.
Customer Support
ASUS has a leg-up on competing notebook makers when it comes to warranty coverage. Not only is the M50VM covered by a two-year international warranty, but also one year of accidental coverage. The accidental damage warranty covers drops, fire, spill, and surge damage. Icing on the cake is a 30-day Zero Bright Dot LCD warranty, which gives you insurance against dead pixels. Overnight shipping is paid both ways for warranty replacements. This is the grand slam of warranty coverage in the mainstream notebook business.
Through XoticPC, customers are provided with lifetime 24/7 domestic tech support. XoticPC allows customers to return their notebook within 15 days of the ship date for a full refund (minus shipping). Full details of XoticPC's warranty services and coverage can be found here.
Extras
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ASUS sends the M50VM with a bag and mouse. The mouse is small but usable; it is great for travel. It features an optical sensor and is corded. The bag is just large enough to fit the M50VM, and of decent quality. There is enough room for the notebook, power adapter, mouse, and a few magazines both inside and in the external compartment.
Buying Choices for the ASUS M50Vm B4 - Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53 GHz - 15.4" TFT
view detailed pricing from 2 stores starting at $1,549.00 |
Conclusion
The ASUS M50VM is an impressive notebook in more ways than one. Strong overall performance and a fantastic display make this a winner among gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. Other high points include excellent warranty coverage, a vast array of input/output ports, great input devices, and an outstanding thermal design. The ASUS M50VM is a smart value no matter the configuration; if you liked what you read in this review, then it is difficult to go wrong with this machine.
Pros
- Gorgeous WSXGA+ display
- Strong performance
- Solid build quality
- Great input devices
- Vast input/output port array
- Outstanding thermal design (cooling system)
- Reasonable battery life
Cons
- Larger than a normal 15.4-inch notebook
- Missing dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys
- Middling 500GB hard drive performance
- Disappointing speakers
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