Archive for February, 2007
Hewlett-Packard recently took the lead as the number one PC maker in the world, finally overtaking their rival, Dell. With the market shift came many new computers from HP, and a much needed refresh to their laptop line. The HP dv9000t is the most powerful model HP has to offer with its crisp 17″ screen, Core 2 Duo, dual-hard drive capabilities, and GeForce Go 7600 graphics card.
Reasons for Buying:
I had been in the market for a new laptop for quite some time. I do alot of digital design work including web design and photo retouching, as well as making art in my spare time. I needed something with a bright, large screen and ample resolution to work with. I also needed enough power to play the latest PC games. I had my eye on the HP dv8000, but soon after the dv9000 came out and I knew it was the one for me.
Build and Design:
The design of the dv9000 is excellent. It is much thinner and lighter than I had anticipated. The chassis is a very strong plastic, there is no flex anywhere on the body of the notebook. The screen will twist if ample force is applied, but is very sturdy for a 17″ screen. When I push on the lid, no ripples are produced on the LCD.
The most attractive part about the design of the notebook is HP’s Imprint Finish. It is a swirled pattern on the outside and inside of the notebook, right under the keyboard. It definitely adds flare and personal taste to the normally bland world of mobile computing.
Screen:
The screen is one of the biggest things that attracted me to this notebook. As someone who relies on their screen for contrast and color accuracy, this screen has been nothing short of amazing. There are three options for customization regarding the screen: WXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1440×900); WSXGA+ BrightView Widescreen (1680×1050) (which is the option I chose); and WXGA+ Ultra BrightView Widescreen (1440×900). The resolution differences are straightforward enough, but the Ultra BrightView does confuse some people. The difference between Brightview and UltraBrightview is the number of lamps lighting your LCD. Typical screens only have one lamp, while UltraBrightview contains two that light your screen. The outcome is a much brighter, and sometimes crisper screen. I would have chosen this option, but I value a higher resolution, and most screens are bright enough for me as it is.
Speakers:
The speakers on this laptop are some of the best I have heard and are made by Altec Lansing. In typical notebook fashion however, they do come up short. The sound quality is crisp and clear all the way up to max volume. There is no “tinny” sound from the speakers that many have. The only complaint I have about these speakers is that they don’t get loud enough for my tastes. Not a big deal to me, as they get plenty loud for sitting around and listening to your MP3’s, but for gaming and audiophile tastes, a set of external speakers or headphones may be a good option.
Processor and Performance:
The processor I have is the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66ghz). The Core 2 processors are currently the best mobile processors on the market. The T5500 is the middle to low-end of the Core 2 models, but doesn’t even break a sweat with everything I have thrown at it.
Benchmarks
The Intel Core 2 Duo offered with this notebook is the “low end” 1.66GHz version, but still offers very good performance, I got a Super Pi calculation time to 2 million digits of 1m 18s. That’s slower than the under 1 minute results that 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo processors get, but still demonstrates the processor can chug through calculations fast.
Heat and Noise:
The dv9000t has quite a bit of power under the hood, but you would never be able to tell from the way it handles it. The fans rarely come on, only during heavy gaming do I notice them, and even then they can barely be heard. The notebook is very quiet, nothing that will bother your classmates during a lecture. The only time I have ever felt the notebook get even mildly warm was after a long session of playing F.E.A.R. After quite a bit of stress on all the components used during the game, it was still very comfortable to have on my lap.
Keyboard and Touchpad:
The dv9000 is one of the few notebooks on the market to offer a full-size keyboard along with a numpad. The numpad is a welcome, but rarely seen addition to the mobile world. The keys are all very responsive and offer a satisfying clicky noise when typing. The only complaint that I have is that the right shift key is scrunched due to constraints from fitting in the numpad. This isn’t a big complaint for me however, as it is fairly easy to adapt to the smaller shift key, and is more than worth it as a trade-off for the numpad that is included.
The touchpad on the other hand doesn’t get as much praise from me. It is average at best. I almost always use an external mouse, but when I do have to use the touchpad, I don’t look forward to it. It tracks well enough, but is made of a strange material that is rather hard to slide your finger on in comparison to a standard touchpad. The mouse buttons underneath it are great however, and I wouldn’t trade those for anything. The touchpad is aligned under the main part of the keyboard, so it is off center from the whole notebook. The reason for this however is so that it is center from where you are typing. The coolest feature about the touchpad, and one I greatly appreciate, is the ability to turn it on/off. No more accidently brushing the touchpad, causing you to type in the wrong place.
Wireless:
The pavilion dv9000t has two options for wireless. Both come with the Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG card, but one is with Bluetooth and the other is without. I chose the option with Bluetooth so that I could connect with my phone and pda. The card offers a strong connection to any network remotely close to me. I can pick up signals from neighbors 2-3 houses away from me. This is definitely a card to have when looking for a notebook with reliable wireless.
Battery:
The battery that comes with the dv9000 is an 8-cell Lithium-Ion battery. The laptop averages about 3 hours of battery life with low performance usage and a dim screen, an amazing number for a notebook this big. With more demanding usage however, it gets around 2 hours.
Operating System and Software:
The operating system I chose for my system was Windows Media Center Edition. In essence, it is Windows Home with more multimedia options. I have no need for pro and the features included on MCE are pretty neat, especially for a media fanatic like myself. There is a Recovery Partition that is located on your primary hard drive for any recovery woes. When you first boot up it asks you to burn this partition onto CD/DVD. I opted for the Recovery Discs however, just in case. The system was loaded up with Bloatware when I received it, and among the bountiful programs, none of them were useful to me. After cleaning up all of the unwanted programs and cleaning my registry however, I had a near clean install.
Customer Support:
I haven’t yet had the need to test out HP’s customer service, and hope that I will never have to (knock on wood). There are many options for warranties however, and I have heard from others that HP is one of the better companies out there in terms of customer support.
February 22nd, 2007
Like its single-core sibling, the AV7160, the Averatec AV7170-EC1 ($1,099) is a stylish 17-inch desktop-replacement notebook with a few nice multimedia options. This time around, the system comes with an AMD dual-core processor and Nvidia graphics. Despite the upgrades, this system’s performance falls way short of our expectations.
The AV7170’s sleek black-and-silver exterior gives way to a matching full-sized keyboard and two-way touch pad that maintains the same aspect ratio as the 17-inch screen. With a maximum resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels, the widescreen display delivers vivid colors and excellent viewing angles, but the AveraBrite coating is a bit too reflective when viewed under bright lighting conditions. Weighing 7.2 pounds and measuring 1.3 inches thick, the system is a bit more portable than most desktop replacements but still too hefty to be considered a full-time travel companion.
Averatec gets it right when it comes to positioning frequently accessed ports. A 5-in-1 card reader, three audio jacks (including headphones), and a FireWire port are conveniently located on the system’s front edge, while all three USB ports, an S-Video port, and a VGA output are mounted on the sides, along with the dual-layer DVD burner and the ExpressCard and PC Card slots. Only the Ethernet, modem, and power connections are located around back.
The stereo speakers embedded in the lower bezel are underpowered and lack any kind of bass response, resulting in tinny music playback and uninspired gaming sound effects. In fact, if gaming is high on your priority list, the AV7170 will likely disappoint. Although the Nvidia GeForce Go 6100 graphics card will handle most low-level 3D tasks, a score of 1,205 on our 3DMark03 tests indicates that this system is not equipped to render high-res visuals smoothly.
The AV7170 is more than capable of handling everyday business and home productivity tasks, but we were unimpressed with its overall performance. Its MobileMark 2005 score of 104 was surprisingly low considering the machine is powered by a 1.6-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core CPU and 1GB of DDR2 memory. In fact, the less powerful AV7160 turned in a better score. Battery life was about average for this class of system, with two hours and six minutes of runtime.
The AV7170 comes with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, and Averatec does include an MCE remote, a real plus if you want to easily navigate the media center interface. The company does not offer a TV tuner option. Bundled software is also sparse; other than Cyberlink DVD Solution 4, you get 30-day trial versions of Zone Alarm’s Internet Security Suite and Phoenix Recover Pro software.
A standard one-year warranty covers parts and labor and provides round-the-clock toll-free technical support, but the battery is only protected for six months. You can extend the warranty to two years for an additional $169.
Overall, the Averatec AV7170-EC1 is a mediocre desktop replacement system that doesn’t quite cut it as a media center and lacks the power to handle demanding business and 3D graphic workloads with aplomb. While its $1,099 price is appealing, there are better-performing systems to be had for the money.
February 22nd, 2007
The Asus R1F has been referred to as the Lamborghini of Tablet PCs and I can see why. This is my first Tablet review and working with the R1F has made it easy. The R1F has a sleek design and is very user friendly. The design is much like a standard notebook until you notice the center hinge, which converts it into a Tablet.
Design and Build
The R1F isn’t as small as some other Tablets on the market such as Fujitsu’s T4215, but it still is portable. Weighing in at 4.3 lbs, the R1F can go where ever you need to go. The 13.3″ screen makes reading documents and viewing photographs pleasurable, you can fit a decent amount on the screen and the XGA resolution makes for easy reading.
The Tablet has a solid build and keyboard. It feels sturdy in your hands, with minimal flex. The screen swivels with ease for a 180 degree view, which comes in handy when you don’t want the keyboard or want to show someone across a table what’s on your screen. Being able to write directly on the screen and convert your writing to text brings back that personal aspect.
From first glance it is hard to tell that the R1F is a Tablet until you notice its center hinge. It has a professional appearance, great for the office or school. The graphite colored lid extends to the inside surrounding the black keyboard keeping the R1F classy, but not to flashy. On the downside the the R1F’s casing is made of plastic instead of metal, which kind of gives it a cheap feel.
A look around the R1F
These are the accessories the R1F came with including a wireless mouse. The R1F was packed so plush you would have thought is was fine china. The portfolio fits the Tablet like a glove for quick traveling and the bag is durable and roomy enough to hold your cell phone, wallet and files.
Display
The screen itself is nice and scratch resistant, as much as it can be. It is slightly grainy, but that is due to the extra layer on the screen and you’ll get that with any other tablet. Don’t expect the R1F to produce crisp flawless images, but like I said earlier, it is not made to be an entertainment center. However, the Asus Splendid technology that allows you to adjust screen colorization is great and really brings out the color, especially when watching movies. I set the brightness and color saturation as high and balanced as possible to offset the graininess and it works well. The graininess is more noticeable against white backgrounds compared to colored ones. Though a white screen does not appear as pure white (there’s a slight greyishness), other colors do shine and the screen is backlit very well. Black colors on the screen appear sharp and if you stand away from the screen a little bit you won’t even notice the graininess. My eyes are used to the screens display and I don’t notice the graininess anymore, just the bright colors.
The R1F is easy to carry in Tablet mode, though a bit heavier than others at about 4.5 lbs, it is still portable. The screen still looks great and you can change the orientation for better viewing. The center hinge also helps for better viewing because it of course allows 360 degrees of twist to align for the best viewing angle to onlookers, perfect for presentations. The 13.3″ screen is a good size for traveling because it is small enough to take on the go, but big enough to read those important documents or watch a movie on without straining your eyes. Asus includes a nice cloth in with the accessories for safe and easy cleaning of the screen and keyboard.
Speakers
The speakers are average, but I’m comparing them to my Compaq laptop fitted with JBL speakers, which are loud and clear. The R1F is loud when you have all the right software settings in place, but not something I would listen to my music on. It’s not made to be an entertainment system though, so it meets normal expectations. One good thing about the notebook design is that in slate mode the speakers are not completely covered, so a decent amount of sound still comes out.
Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The keyboard’s keys are solid and it has no flex. It is easy to type on because it is of standard size. There are only a few keys that are shortened including the right side Shift key and the Backspace key, but this doesn’t create any problems. I did notice if you are a fast typer then you have to make sure to completely press down on each key because just tapping them will not work. The built-in microphone worked well for the most part. It was clear and fun to use, once you teach the software to recognize your voice. It can be used to record things too like memos or a teacher’s lecture.
I like the touch pad on the R1F because it’s not anything fancy. Just your standard touchpad, which works great. It’s simple to use, fast and smooth, no sticking. The touchpad works as well as the mouse in my opinion, but I am used to working on it. For all you mouse fans though the Bluetooth mouse works fine after you do the easy, step-by-step install.
Working with a pen is the whole point of a Tablet and I don’t think I will ever buy anything besides a Tablet again. This feature alone makes it stand out from your typical notebook. The pen is lightweight, easy to write with and works flawlessly on the screen. It comes in handy when taking notes or adjusting your calendar. It even has an eraser in case you make a mistake. The only bad thing is the pen is made of plastic and it feels cheap and flimsy. It also gets scratched pretty bad in the silo. I would much rather have a metal pen, I mean you are taking the pen in and out all the time, so something a little more durable would be better.
Tablet PC Buttons
A series of hot keys are available for instant launch of entertainment, connection, power management and color adjustment applications. These buttons are located at the top of the keyboard. There is even a button to change the screen??™s orientation for use when in Tablet mode. The keys are easy to access while keeping the keyboard area distraction free.
Processor and System Performance Benchmarks
The R1F model I reviewed had the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz) processor. The R1F provides enhanced responsiveness to enjoy audio and video playback and recording, instant messaging and web-browsing simultaneously on your Tablet. In other words, the dual-core performance helps in general types of multi-tasking you’ll do on a PC.
February 22nd, 2007
The Asus G1 is marketed as the 15??? mobile answer for the hardcore gamer enthusiast. The G1 is a sharp looking package that meets the requirements of most of today??™s best games and entertainment applications. The configuration for the machine reviewed follows below.
My main reason for buying a new laptop is an upcoming master??™s program in Italy. I will be away for 16 months, and am concerned about taking my 30 lb home-built desktop with me. My favorite computer activities include 3D CAD and photo editing. I also enjoy a game sometimes. My favorites are MS Flight Simulator 2004 and Sim City.
Based on my needs above, I decided to pursue a game machine ??“ something fast, with lots of memory, a cool video card with its own memory, a large yet fast hard drive, and a nice glossy screen.
My first stop in my research led me to reliability ratings on all the major manufacturers. According to Consumer Reports, the most reliable name brands are Sony, Compaq/HP and Lenovo (IBM). I??™ve owned computers from the first two and was very disappointed. Lenovo doesn??™t sell laptops with NVIDIA video cards ??“ which are my favorite ??“ so it was out of contention as well.
Duly disappointed, I decided to look at other lesser-known brands. At first, the Sager 5760 seemed liked a cool bet. It had the very latest video card, the NVIDIA 7950 with 512 MB of video memory, and the keyboard was large enough that it packed its own numeric key pad. I started having second thoughts, however, when I priced the laptop at $2,400, well equipped with 2 GB RAM and a 100 GB 7200 HDD. The idea of carrying a 10 lb behemoth around also didn??™t seem worthwhile.
After asking for help online, someone at NotebookReview.com suggested I look at Asus??™ A8 models. The A8Js has nice features, but I was turned off by reports of light leakage from the monitor.
Then I found out about the G1: it has all the cool specs, a glossy screen just like my previous Sony laptop, and a 2-year global warranty ??“ perfect for my time abroad. The reviews didn??™t mention light leakage and I heard lots of good things about the brand, so I decided to buy it.
This is my first Asus product, and I am very impressed. As I opened the package, everything was stored neatly and in order. I even found some items I didn??™t expect, like a cloth to clean the LCD screen, and an awesome backpack made by Targus. I had seen it in pictures online, and expected a throw-away sample bag. I was pleasantly surprised to find it??™s made of strong materials, with lots of pockets, showing off a tasteful green and gray design. It also has thick support straps, perfect for carrying books around Milan. Hopefully, the 7 lb G1 will barely be noticed.
Along with those items, Asus also included a fine gaming mouse from Logitech (too bad it??™s not wireless) and recovery disks. Most brands charge extra for those.
The G1 itself is a pleasant sight. The case is shiny and beautiful, showing off a carbon fiber construction look. In reality it??™s all plastic, but it feels solid. The lower portion of the palm rest area is made of anodized brushed aluminum, and feels very smooth. I found no crooked corners or blemishes. I expect this laptop to last a long time.
Screen
When opened, the 15.4??? WSXGA+ (1680×1050) screen reflects all light around it, as expected from a glossy screen. The gorgeous images are worth it! The text is just large enough for reading, but some people might want to adjust the text size or resolution.
The screen did ripple slightly when twisted by the sides, but I don??™t see this happening on day to day activities. I??™m always careful on opening the laptop to avoid lifting it from the table. The lid opens with a positive feeling of resistance, but wobbles slightly once I let it go.
The monitor has 16 levels of brightness adjustment. I picked level 12 for writing this review ??“ as I??™m seating by an open window and the sun is out. However, one could use any of the levels and still be able to see the screen.
Asus has a zero bright pixel warranty on the first 30 days of ownership. I didn??™t find a single dead pixel.
Regarding light leakage, this screen has none! The screen is sharp and the lighting is of uniform coverage. I took a picture in the dark with a dark photo in the background (San Diego Bay) for you to see.
Speakers
As I installed 3DMark05, I ventured downstairs to eat lunch. Minutes later, I heard a loud commotion upstairs… I returned to find the Asus G1/G2 screen saver playing music. Unlike other computers, the G1 has speakers on the bottom of the case. They play loud music, but sport a strange echo-like sound. I tried playing with the environments and equalizer in the Realtek HD Audio Manager, but it??™s hopeless. If you are an audiophile, you will want better speakers.
Processor & Performance
The Asus G1 laptop is as fast as my 2-year old desktop computer*. This is a great feeling, because I hate going from a fast computer to a slow computer. I ran SolidWorks with some CAD assemblies I created in the past, and the computer ran them without a hitch. I??™m very satisfied.
Besides the speakers, another G1 shortcoming is the slow hard drive. There are four speeds commonly available in the market: 4200, 5400, 7200, and 10000 rpm. Of those four, laptops usually carry a hard drive with either of the first two speeds. I burned a DVD with 4.5 GB of mp3 files in less than six minutes (16X drive) on my desktop. When I put the same DVD on the G1, it took 25 minutes to copy those files to the 5400 rpm hard drive. I did four DVDs in a row with similar results. While 160GB is nice for storage, one might consider installing a faster model. A 100GB 7200 rpm drive usually costs $110.
Another factor in performance is all the extra software Asus included with the G1. I immediately deleted the sample Norton anti-virus software (90 days of functionality) and some other resource-consuming applications. The difference in the benchmark application Super Pi was incredible: 25 seconds for 1 million iterations vs. 59 seconds with all the Asus software running.
The only apps I have running now are AVG free edition, NVIDIA Control Panel, and the Asus Direct Console which manages the speed of the fan and processor (power consumption).
I have not experienced any issues with heat on the G1. The palm area turns slightly warm over time, but it??™s not enough to annoy me. The heat sink and fan exhaust on this model are located on the rear left side, away from the mouse. I placed the computer on my lap, and it didn??™t bother me, however I find it too big to use it there.
In regards to noise, I can hear a faint hard drive swoosh sound when the laptop is idle or doing light tasks. When playing games, the fan picks up speed and becomes more noticeable. The exhaust was hot during benchmarking tests.
Note also that the optical 8X DVD-RW drive is fairly loud when reading data.
he keypad can be turned off by a simple click of a button, located next to the power button. It has a smooth surface and the sliding bar feature functions well. A green LED located inside the ???eye??? of the game series logo shines brightly when the keypad is on.
The G1 has five multimedia keys in front of the case: power, reverse, forward, stop, and play. They are intended to control the optical drive when the laptop is turned off, allowing you to listen music much like a portable player. In reality, the player functions by turning motherboard, keyboard and optical drive on, while the hard drive and monitor remain off. The keyboard still works to allow volume adjustment.
The keys above, minus power, also work along with Windows Media Player when the laptop is fully turned on. The buttons are tiny enough that I cannot press them by mistake.
Aside from the player, there are four additional hot keys besides the power button. They are for adjusting the speed of the fan/processor, calling out your e-mail software, Internet browser, and turning the keypad on/off. The fan setting has five options: quiet office, presentation (which sends video to video out and turns the monitor off), super performance, high performance, and game.
February 22nd, 2007
The Asus R1F is a convertible notebook to Tablet PC machine that’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It has a 13.3″ widescreen display and comes it at a reasonably priced $1,500. The portability and Tablet PC functionality makes it an interesting option for students.
The R1F isn’t as small as some other Tablets on the market such as Fujitsu’s T4215, but it still is certainly still portable. Weighing in at 4.3 lbs, the R1F can go where ever you need to go. The 13.3″ screen makes reading documents and viewing photographs pleasurable, you can fit a decent amount on the screen and the XGA resolution makes for easy reading.
The Asus R1 has a solid build and keyboard. It feels sturdy in your hands, with minimal flex. The screen swivels with ease for a 180 degree view, which comes in handy when you don’t want the keyboard or want to show someone across a table what’s on your screen. Being able to write directly on the screen and convert your writing to text brings back that personal aspect — maybe even gives you a bit of practice with handwriting (in case you’d forgotten how to do that now that we type so much these days).
From first glance it is hard to tell that the R1F functions as a Tablet as well as a notebook until you notice its center hinge. It has a professional appearance, great for the office or school. The graphite colored lid extends to the inside surrounding the black keyboard keeping the R1F classy, but not to flashy. On the downside, the the R1F’s casing is made of plastic instead of metal, which kind of gives it a cheap feel.
Display
The screen itself is nice and scratch resistant, as much as it can be. It is slightly grainy, but that is due to the extra layer on the screen and you’ll get that with any other tablet. Don’t expect the R1F to produce crisp flawless images, but like I said earlier, it is not made to be an entertainment center. However, the Asus Splendid technology that allows you to adjust screen colorization is great and really brings out the color, especially when watching movies. I set the brightness and color saturation as high and balanced as possible to offset the graininess and it works well. The graininess is more noticeable against white backgrounds compared to colored ones. Though a white screen does not appear as pure white (there’s a slight greyishness), other colors do shine and the screen is backlit very well. Black colors on the screen appear sharp and if you stand away from the screen a little bit you won’t even notice the graininess. My eyes are used to the screens display and I don’t notice the graininess anymore, just the bright colors.
The R1F is easy to carry in Tablet mode, though a bit heavier than others at about 4.5 lbs, it is still portable. The screen still looks great and you can change the orientation for better viewing. The center hinge also helps for better viewing because it of course allows for twisting to align for the best viewing angle to onlookers, perfect for presentations. The 13.3″ screen is a good size for traveling because it is small enough to take on the go, but big enough to read those important documents or watch a movie on without straining your eyes. Asus includes a nice cloth in with the accessories for safe and easy cleaning of the screen and keyboard.
Speakers
The speakers are average, but I’m comparing them to my Compaq laptop fitted with JBL speakers, which are loud and clear. The R1F is loud when you have all the right software settings in place, but not something I would listen to my music on. It’s not made to be an entertainment system though, so it meets normal expectations. One good thing about the notebook design is that in slate mode the speakers are not completely covered, so a decent amount of sound still comes out.
Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The keyboard’s keys are solid and it has no flex. It is easy to type on because it is of standard size. There are only a few keys that are shortened including the right side Shift key and the Backspace key, but this doesn’t create any problems. I did notice if you are a fast typer then you have to make sure to completely press down on each key because just tapping them will not work. The built-in microphone worked well for the most part. It was clear and fun to use, once you teach the software to recognize your voice. It can be used to record things too like memos or a teacher’s lecture.
I like the touch pad on the R1F because it’s not anything fancy. Just your standard touchpad, which works great. It’s simple to use, fast and smooth, no sticking. The touchpad works as well as the mouse in my opinion, but I am used to working on it. For all you mouse fans though, the Bluetooth mouse works fine after you do the easy, step-by-step install.
Working with a pen is the whole point of a Tablet and I don’t think I will ever buy anything besides a Tablet again. This feature alone makes it stand out from your typical notebook. The pen is lightweight, easy to write with and works flawlessly on the screen. It comes in handy when taking notes or adjusting your calendar. It even has an eraser in case you make a mistake. The only bad thing is the pen is made of plastic and it feels cheap and flimsy. It also gets scratched pretty bad in the silo. I would much rather have a metal pen, I mean you are taking the pen in and out all the time, so something a little more durable would be better.
Tablet PC Buttons
A series of hot keys are available for instant launch of entertainment, connection, power management and color adjustment applications. These buttons are located at the top of the keyboard. There is even a button to change the screen??™s orientation for use when in Tablet mode. The keys are easy to access while keeping the keyboard area distraction free.
Processor and System Performance Benchmarks
The R1F model I reviewed had the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz) processor. The R1F provides enhanced responsiveness to enjoy audio and video playback and recording, instant messaging and web-browsing simultaneously on your Tablet. In other words, the dual-core performance helps in general types of multi-tasking you’ll do on a PC.
February 22nd, 2007
Recently my office purchased for me a HP Compaq nw9440 mobile workstation. I was charged with the task of researching what notebook computers would be acceptable by me, so the decision of what to acquire fell squarely on my shoulders. I??™m an attorney, working mainly with office and internet research applications, but I??™m also a computer enthusiast and gamer in my private time. Therefore, I needed something that looked all business, but had a core that could satisfy my off-time personal uses.
When starting my research on a laptop that fit my bill of particulars, I first looked for the internal components. After a little research on current notebook components (my last laptop was purchased back in the Spring of 2002), I decided that I did not want to get something that would be left in the dust in a few months. My former Sony Vaio FX Series had been purchased with all top-of-the-line-at-the-time components, and worked fine for over four years. In fact, it??™s still working fine as a college computer for my sister-in-law now. Therefore, I started looking for the best components available within a reasonable price range of less than $2,500.
My search first led me to Alienware computers, which I later found out were rebranded Clevo shells. I looked hard at the AW m7700 mobile workstation (also, Hypersonic Aviator EX7) before deciding that I wanted a notebook processor and not a desktop processor. Staying with a new Core 2 Duo in mind, I also looked at an AW m5750, a Dell XPS, and a Hypersonic Aviator CX7. I hadn??™t considered HP at all. I have had bad dealings with the consumer line Pavilions, but was pressured into trying out a business class notebook by my office??™s computer hardware & service provider, a local tech shop. The sales guy had a 17??? nx series notebook in his office that he offered to let me play with so I could see for myself the difference in design, stability and structure. I took him up on his offer, and was amazed at the difference in the business class notebooks. A little more research and configuring, and I ended up selecting the nw9440 because I could get a high end Core 2 Duo, a very capable nVidia Quadro FX 1500M (7900 GS core), a dual-layer DVD-RW super multi drive and 1 GB of system memory all in a sleek, 17??? widescreen businesslike appearance package. The icing on the cake was that this notebook features a full numeric keypad, which is very helpful for entering loads of numeric information during the tax return season.
The case is made from thin hard plastic cover panels and reinforced around the edges and at other key spots (around the keyboard, for example) with thicker plastic. This keeps the weight down while allowing for a high degree of rigidity. When pushing on the screen from the back, nothing is noticed on the LCD. Likewise, the amount of flex allowed by the 17??? widescreen when twisting is minimal unless a high degree of force is applied. The hinges on the LCD also allow for minimal wobble when the screen is tapped from the front.
One thing I??™m not absolutely crazy about is that almost all of the ports on the laptop are located on the sides instead of the back.
Having used a Sony Vaio FX Series layout, I would have liked the AC Power connector, RJ-45 Ethernet, a couple USB connections and the Video Display connectors to be on the back panel of this notebook. The AC and Ethernet connections, which I use a lot, are awkward to get used to on the sides; and since I use a USB wireless mouse, having the receiver poke out of the side can be somewhat annoying. I couldn??™t even imagine having to use a USB corded mouse.
However bad that problem is, though, I have gotten used to the configuration in the couple months I??™ve had this notebook. I??™m to the point that I don??™t even notice the cords anymore when at home. When at work the problem no longer exists because I use the HP Docking Station, which I absolutely love. It??™s a must-have for working with a laptop. I arrive at my office in the morning, slip my notebook out of my briefcase, pop it onto the dock and fire it up. No connecting anything, because it??™s already done.
While not a Toughbook, overall the notebook is of very sturdy design. There exists plenty of rigidity to withstand the daily packing into a padded briefcase and transportation to and from work.
Screen
The screen on my particular model is not a BrightView, but rather is a 17??? widescreen WSXGA (1680 x 1050) matte finish LCD. I work in an office with an overhead light, so a glossy screen would not have worked well because of the glare.
The screen shows rich colors at all available brightness levels. There are zero dead pixels and I haven??™t noticed the slightest bit of light leakage. To check and confirm that, I ran a little app that floods the screen with varying solid colors. It??™s one of many dead pixel testers you can find with a simple Google search.
Overall I have found this HP Compaq nw9440 Mobile Workstation to be an eye-opener and a breath of fresh air coming from HP. Admittedly, I have not been a fan of HP products in the past. This was, of course, before I tried their Business Class notebooks, which appear to be much different from their consumer line in overall quality. In the end, I got my notebook that, on the cover, looks all business; but inside has the power of some of the better gaming laptops. I would very much recommend it to anyone in my same situation, needing the appearance of a business-like laptop with the core of a gaming system hidden under the lid.
February 22nd, 2007
Dell last year released the 14″ screen Latitude D620 business notebook. While the D620 was well built with a magnesium frame, it wasn’t tough enough to be called a semi-rugged notebook. After popular demand from business customers, Dell is today introducing a new semi-rugged version of the D620, dubbed the Latitude ATG D620. The ATG D620 features an enhanced protective casing and super bright outdoor viewable screen.
At the core the Dell Latitude ATG (All Terrain Grade Quality) D620 is essentially the same notebook as the Latitude D620, but bears extra armor, port protection, hard drive protection and a stunningly bright 500nit screen allowing for viewing and work outdoors. The semi-rugged aspect D620 is quite obviously geared towards professionals that have to frequently work outdoors and need to be able to see a screen even when in the sun. Whether it be at a construction site, oil field or NFL Combine. Builders, engineers and professional sport player scouts like to be able to use laptops while outside and doing work.
The ATG D620 is best described as looking like the original D620, but on steroids. Several areas of protection have been added. You??™ll right away notice the durable black textured paint areas added around the edges. A laptop that gets pulled around a lot gets scratched along the edges, with these hard plastic texture paint panels in place the lid is essentially scratch resistant.
The ATG D620 also differs from the regular D620 in that there are plastic or rubber covers for the port areas. There are many ports on the back of the D620, so a large plastic cover snaps into place there to cover all of these ports and the docking port on the bottom of the laptop. On the right side a small rubber insert is used to cover the USB ports there. These covers prevent dust from getting in and corroding the notebook internals.
The D620 adopts a widescreen format, a feature we??™re seeing more and more in business notebooks these days. A widescreen allows you to more easily have two windows open next to each other at the same time. Side-by-side comparison of documents, web pages or spreadsheets is an example of common business tasks more easily done on a widescreen.
The screen hinge on the Latitude ATG D620 has been beefed up relative to the standard D620; it??™s very sturdy and solid feeling. The lid of this notebook is also thicker so that it offers more protection than the standard D620. In the same vein, the latch that holds the screen down is more substantial and rugged. The screen itself has a glass overlay to protect the actual LCD from such things as blowing sand. I know what you??™re thinking, ???finally, a laptop I can take to the beach??™.
The keyboard on the ATG D620 is designed to be spill resistant. It seems that a tray beneath the keys is being used to prevent liquids that are spilled from seeping into internal components.
A notebook couldn??™t be called rugged if it didn??™t have some type of extra hard drive protection. The ATG D620 has Dell??™s typical StrikeZone shock absorber, but in addition to this it has an extra magnesium and rubberized layer of casing. In order to fit these extra cushioning layers in Dell had to move to a smaller and slower 1.8??? hard drive. For workers in the field that value data protection over performance, this is an acceptable tradeoff.
All of this extra armor and protection on the D620 of course comes at the cost of adding weight. While the regular D620 weighs a bit over 5 lbs the ATG D620 starts at around 6.3 lbs, but with an extended life 9-cell battery and optical drive will be more like 7lbs.
In terms of looks, the ATG D620 is extremely muscular and industrial looking. Think of it as the SUV of the laptop world. It may not look as sleek as Acer??™s Ferrari line, but it does better in off road conditions. And while the charcoal grey, silver and black coloring is industrial looking, it can be considered professional as well.
Finally, checkout the new Dell badge on the lid of the notebook. It has been spruced up a bit from the regular D620 and looks more like the badge that appears on the XPS series of Dell notebooks. I like it.
Processor and Performance
One complaint many people have about semi-rugged or rugged laptops is that the performance is always a step behind mainstream notebooks. If you checkout the Panasonic ToughBook line of rugged notebooks you??™ll find a wide selection with Core Duo processors, but you won??™t currently find an offering with the latest Core 2 Duo. Thankfully Dell is offering up to a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo processor that supports up to 667MHz speed memory. You can configure up to 4GB of RAM. The bottleneck of the system will be the slow 4200RPM 1.8??? hard drive. If you don’t want the extra protection, you could always go with a non-shock mounted 2.5″ type hard drive.
The Core 2 Duo processor is the king of mobile processors at this point in time. It offers two processing cores and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit written software programs. Perceived performance is excellent, so long as you have 1GB or more of RAM you??™ll find many programs open instantaneously and performance in tough rendering applications such as CAD design will really move. Dell is not offering dedicated graphics in this model, so gaming and certain 3D apps will not do well with just the Intel GMA 950 integrated chipset.
The OS installation on the ATG D620 is fairly clean, meaning there aren??™t tons of unwanted processes running in the background. Norton is pre-installed along with PowerDVD and some Google applications such as Google Desktop search. They??™re easy enough to uninstall if you don??™t want them or prefer alternative software. More than likely many companies buying the ATG D620 will have their own customized image for this laptop so performance may vary based upon what software your business decides to stick you with.
One of the most important parts of a notebook is of course the ease of input, meaning how easy it is to type and move the cursor around the screen. The D620 keyboard is full sized and comfortable to use. While I don??™t have a regular D620 to directly compare it to, this ATG keyboard feels like it has a little more flex and give to it than the regular D620. I think this is because Dell has added a tray underneath that makes the keyboard spill proof, but in turn gives the keyboard a bit of a different feel. The added spill proof tray also makes it a bit noisier if you punch keys hard like I do.
My favorite part about the D620 is that it has dual navigation via a touchpad or pointing stick input. I find the pointing stick to be faster and easier to use than the touchpad, but if you prefer a touchpad then it’s there and is a generous size for easy use. The dual mouse buttons have a nice feel and positioned so that if you use the pointing stick you would use the uppermost buttons and if you use the touchpad you would use the lowermost buttons.
Added to the ATG D620 is a task light to illuminate the keyboard at night. You can toggle these lights on and off by holding Fn + Right Arrow. Dell chose red for the lighting, which struck me as odd at first. But it makes sense because red is the color used for critical or important systems (such as emergency lighting) that operate in low-light or night-time conditions. This is because rod cells in the human eye (the type we use for night vision) do not respond to red and therefore it does not interfere in the eye’s ability to focus in dim environments.
The Latitude ATG D620 is really going to appeal to companies that deploy Dell Latitude notebooks to office workers, but also need a solution for field workers. Until now, a utility company that used Latitude D620 notebooks for their desk bound energy traders would have to buy laptops from a different company for their crew out repairing downed wires. Now the IT shop can deploy ATG D620 notebooks to those field workers and use the same image and consistent equipment and peripherals. This will save on costs and headaches.
Business concerns aside, users of the ATG D620 will be smitten by the excellent 500 nit outdoor viewable screen. Even some consumers that like to work outside and tend to throw their laptop around might be tempted by the rugged aspects of the ATG D620. The performance and flexibility of the machine is very good, and it even looks better than the typical lunchbox look you see with other semi-rugged notebooks.
February 22nd, 2007
The target buyer of the Asus Lamborghini VX1 isn’t exactly looking to go incognito: The laptop’s bright yellow lid, with a shape evocative of a sports car’s spoiler, prominently features the Automobili Lamborghini logo. And the sports-car resemblance doesn’t end with appearance–the Lamborghini VX1 raced through our performance benchmarks, keeping up with laptops that incorporated higher-end components. Unfortunately, like an actual Lamborghini, the $2,799 VX1 costs quite a bit more than its competitors, including the similarly car-themed Acer Ferrari 5000 ($2,399). Laptops with no special cosmetic treatment, such as the Dell Inspiron E1505, cost even less. But if you’re dead set on paying the premium for a laptop with sports-car styling, you won’t get burned by the VX1.
The remarkably slender Asus Lamborghini VX1 measures just 1.1 inches thick, 13 inches wide, and 10.8 inches deep, making it smaller than another recently reviewed 15-inch laptop, the Lenovo 3000 C200. Like the Lenovo, though, the Lamborghini is quite a bit boxier than thin-and-lights with wide screens, such as the Acer Ferrari 5000 and the Dell Inspiron E1505. At 5.8 pounds, the Lamborghini VX1 undercuts all three competitive models when it comes to weight, though its chunky AC adapter adds nearly a pound to the package.
Though the Lamborghini VX1 features a sturdy brushed-aluminum keyboard deck, its plastic case is so thin that it seems just a bit fragile. The optical drive, for example, feels like it could be crushed with a strong squeeze. Fortunately the lid, often a point of weakness on thin laptops, flexes very little and does a good job of protecting the screen.
Despite slightly shallow key travel, typing on the Asus Lamborghini VX1’s keyboard is comfortable even for extended periods, though the nonstandard layout of secondary keys–for example, Delete, Home, Page Up, and Page Down–requires some adjustment. The average-size touch pad provides a nice amount of drag, and a scroll zone helps you quickly browse Web pages and documents. The metallic mouse buttons are flush with the keyboard deck, and a blue light glows in the space between them. Initially we thought this was just decoration, but we discovered that the light turns off when the touch pad is disabled (via a touch pad on/off button above the keyboard)–a nice touch. Next to the touch pad’s on/off button are two programmable application-launch buttons and individual on/off controls for the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios. Unfortunately, the labels on these controls are black, which maintains the laptop’s minimal aesthetic but makes it difficult to see which button to press. We were also surprised by the lack of dedicated media controls, given that Asus pitches the Lamborghini VX1 as an entertainment laptop.
In this age of wide screens, the Asus Lamborghini VX1 features a 15-inch standard-aspect display with a crisp 1,400×1,050 native resolution. A glossy screen finish makes colors pop, though it was annoyingly reflective in a bright room. We enjoyed watching movies with such a sharp resolution and saturated color, but it was unfortunate that the image had to be drastically letterboxed because of the screen’s aspect ratio. Frequent movie-watchers would be better served by a wide-screen laptop, such as the Acer Ferrari 5000 or the Dell Inspiron E1505. Media enjoyment is also hindered by the Lamborghini’s speakers, which produce weak, flat sound.
The Lamborghini VX1’s case includes an average assortment of ports and connections for a thin-and-light, though we wish they were spread out more. The laptop’s right edge is loaded with four USB 2.0 ports, microphone and headphone (with S/PDIF) jacks, a four-in-one flash card reader, and jacks for modem and 10/100 Ethernet connections. On the left side of the case is the laptop’s double-layer DVD burner, VGA and mini-FireWire connectors, and a slot for the latest ExpressCards. There are no ports or slots on the front or the back of the machine, which makes for a clean look but can get crowded if you need to plug in lots of accessories. Built-in Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g radios round out the feature set. Asus also throws in a cheap plastic Lamborghini Bluetooth travel mouse, a leather Lamborghini-branded mouse pad, and a groovy laptop bag with Lamborghini-yellow accents.
The Asus Lamborghini VX1 is available in a single fixed configuration that costs $2,799, though a quick Web search uncovers prices as low as $2,600. As you might expect with such a high price, the laptop includes a strong set of components: a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, 2GB of swift 667MHz RAM, an Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card with 512MB dedicated VRAM, and a massive 160GB hard drive spinning at a middling 5,400rpm. The Lamborghini VX1 lived up to its sports-car namesake on CNET Labs’ performance benchmarks, performing as well as or better than two systems with faster processors and higher-end graphics cards: the WidowPC Sting 517D and the Dell XPS M1710. The Lamborghini’s largest leads came on the multitasking and office productivity tests, marking it as a well-rounded machine that can tackle almost any task a home user might throw at it. It also had enough gas in its tank to run 3 hours, 19 minutes per charge on our battery test–about average for a thin-and-light.
The Lamborghini VX1’s support package is a bit disappointing. The standard one-year warranty covers parts and labor, but you’ll have to pay to ship the laptop back to a repair depot for service. Also, phone-support hours are limited, and the call is not toll-free. The company’s support Web site includes the expected driver downloads and a brief FAQ but lacks useful features such as user forums or the chance to chat in real time with a technician.
February 22nd, 2007
If you’re one of the many mobile gamers who balks at paying an exorbitant price for a backbreaking rig destined for obsolescence, Asus has a proposition. The G1-AK008, part of the company’s new gaming line, is a solidly built machine tuned for gaming, with parts slightly below top-of-the-line, and attractively priced at well under $2,000. This isn’t a machine for the hardcore, but most gamers will find that price and portability can be as appealing as frame rates.
The 13.9 x 11.1 x 1.3-inch case features military styling appropriate for a gaming laptop. The lid and keyboard area are skinned with a mesh decal; hinge accents and a handful of green lights add to the serious appearance. An unnecessary button featuring the Asus gaming logo distracts from the comfort of the mouse pad, but we don’t mind the clearly labeled WASD keys. Despite the handful of stylistic touches, the G1-AK008’s restrained appearance doesn’t immediately mark it as a gaming machine. Neither does the weight, which comes in at 6.8 pounds without the power adapter.
Without a massive chassis to play with, Asus had to squeeze the Home, End, and Page Up/Down keys along the keyboard’s right side, where you can accidentally press them. Although there isn’t a number pad, the keys are otherwise very well spaced with considerable depth, which makes them well suited for typing and gaming.
The 15-inch case is relatively small for a gaming system, which can become cluttered with ports. Asus made the unfortunate decision to mount all four USB 2.0 ports on the rear side of the system, with the VGA and DVI connections. The right edge features sound ports (headphone, mic, and output) as well as Ethernet, FireWire, TV-out, PC Card slot, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The left is dedicated to the optical drive, while the front bezel is decorated with media-player controls. Quick-launch buttons live above the keyboard, as does a small OLED display for system messages.
The 15.4-inch display features a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels; it looks great while working with media or documents, browsing the Web, and watching movies. For gaming, we found that Nvidia’s Go 7700 graphics-a few steps behind the top-of-the-line GPUs-limited the playable resolutions to 1024 x 768 pixels. On autodetect, F.E.A.R. displayed a respectable if not impressive 55-fps average. With settings maxed, our tests suffered a significant frame rate reduction to 30 fps.
Outside of a professionally competitive multiplayer environment, the G1-AK008’s performance is ample for most players. The 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 7200 CPU and 2GB of DDR2 RAM provide a solid performance base. We’d like a faster drive than the 160GB 5,400-rpm SATA, however, as that speed could become a data bottleneck.
Relying on lower-spec components has two benefits. One is price: Just try to find a similarly capable machine for $1,800. The other is battery life: The G1-AK008 lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes with Wi-Fi on, making this system a truly mobile gaming platform.
Unfortunately, while gaming notebooks have been carrying more speakers, subwoofers, and audio options, the G1-AK008’s sound system is meager. The speakers put out far too little volume, and even at the loudest setting, we found a tinny, unappealing soundstage for both games and movies. Adding headphones alleviated the problems, demonstrating that perhaps a few extra dollars for better onboard speakers might be worth the expense.
Asus’ support options aren’t as varied as those of major American manufacturers: You’ll pay for shipping a notebook back and for help-center calls, which you can place only between 5:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. PST during the week and between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. PST on the weekends.
If you’re considering buying the G1-AK008, you’ll have to ask yourself the following question: How hardcore are you? If frame rates are the bottom line, pass up this option and go straight to machines by Alienware, Dell, or Voodoo. Gamers willing to settle for a very playable 30 fps on the most demanding games, however, will find that the G1-AK008 has plenty to offer and that the light weight and long battery life mean more gaming in the long run.
February 22nd, 2007
The holiday season of 2006 was filled with intense price competition between resellers for low-budget notebook sales. Online and brick and mortar stores alike battled for this market segment aggressively with mostly low-spec or low-quantity systems. The HP Compaq Presario V6000Z was a member of that competition, but unlike many of its competitors this model was available for build to order. There weren’t any lines to wait in or crowds to brave. Plus, this 15″ laptop features a Mobile AMD Semprom CPU which offers the power-saving technologies Intel leaves off their Celeron M line. The V6000Z is built to be a general purpose notebook suited for general productivity; not anything overly demanding like gaming. It’s a budget model that provides all the basics without sacrificing portability or battery life.
What led me to looking at HP notebooks was the fact that I didn’t have to deal with all the holiday traffic and crowds. Also, the price promotions and free upgrades HP was offering in the middle of December were exactly what I was looking for. This purchase was not for myself, however. Together my dad and I wanted to purchase a budget notebook for my mom. We didn’t have a lot of money to work with and wanted to keep things as inexpensive as possible. Our target price was to be no more than $550 (after rebates). Also, we made the decision to purchase a little late in the season. After some research, especially on this site, I found HP to be running the best offers at the time. I was particularly interested in the free upgrade to 1 GB of RAM HPshopping.com was offering the week of 12/13/2006.
Initially I started looking at the Compaq models because they were priced lower than the HP models on HPshopping. The V3000Z was the least expensive at the time I was looking, however the screen was 14″ inches and the RAM was at 512 MB. Making a significant upgrade to the hard drive to increase performance was out of the question, so I examined other models to see if I could get more RAM for almost the same price. This led me to the V6000Z and V6000T. These two were priced very similar. The difference was that the Z model had AMD processors and the T model had Intel processors. I made the decision to go with AMD after researching the power-saving technologies offered by both the Sempron and Celeron lines. I liked the variable clock speed ability the Sempron had over the Celeron, which lacked such a feature (speed-step is on Pentium processors). That and an inexpensive cache upgrade is what sold me on the Z model. Also, at the time there was a promotion for a free upgrade to 1 GB of RAM.
Packing
The system arrived via FedEx. I was really surprised when I got the initial tracking notification and the system started its FedEx journey in China. This isn’t a bad thing, but as someone who has purchased Dell’s in the past (which get transported to Texas before being shipped) it was a bit different. Again, not a negative though and FedEx did race it here. I liked the speed of the delivery because it was much faster than I anticipated. The notebook arrived with foam cushions on either side of its width and a box sitting atop it. The foam prevented both the outside box and inside box from touching the system, which was also wrapped in plastic. Basically, the packing is exactly what you’d expect to find.
Inside the box sitting next to the notebook is a quick-start poster, the AC adaptor (AKA power brick, which is actually more like a rice crispy because it’s small and light), a short phone cable, and a bunch of advertisements and instruction booklets. There were no restore CD’s provided. HP instead charges extra for these but does place an 8 GB restore partition on your system’s hard drive. I’m itching to get rid of that when Vista arrives. 8 GB seems excessive to me because I have Windows CD’s. However, some of the HP software is pretty nice.
Bloatware
Again I’m going to dedicate a section to the bloatware on this system. I know manufactures do this to lower prices, but it does get really annoying to boot into Windows for the first time and have to wait 5 to 7 minutes for all the garbage to load up and have to go through all the windows that pop up. You’ll find Norton, Vongo, and some HP software like a wireless network assistant, auto-update program, and a quick-launch button configuration utility upon starting the system up. There’s also a bunch of ISP offers like AOL plastered on your desktop. Removing most of these is rather easy. It also looks like HP provides some Wild Tangent games they’ve purchased for you and some picture album software. I only decided to remove some useless or annoying programs and left a bunch like the HP photo stuff and games. So far my mom has really liked the included HP software, especially the photo album tool. While installing replacement anti-virus and spyware software I had copied over from my other system I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my software installed.
The V6000Z comes in a very dark grey color. I want to call it charcoal-like in color. Some of the pictures online made it look silver and that’s just not what it looks like. It also really likes fingerprints. I did not opt for the imprint finish on this notebook since this was such a budget-conscious purchase. Upon starting up the notebook you’ll notice blue lights for the “feather-touch” volume controls as well as media button (which boots up a DVD player that only responds within Windows). There’s also a blue light on the power button and a blue ring that surrounds where the power adaptor plugs in. Blue indicator lights for the caps lock, scroll lock, and touchpad are right next to their appropriate buttons. There’s an orange light for the Wi-Fi on/off switch which is analog and can be toggled even when the system is off.
Screen
On this particular purchase I did not buy the BrightView screen. I got the regular screen since the only difference seemed to be $25 more for the glossy screen. I was pleased to find that there weren’t any dead or stuck pixels. Every pixel on the screen appears to be fine and there’s no sheen to the screen either. It’s just a regular LCD. The lack of the gloss coating helped save money and reduce glare/reflections, but picture quality on gloss screens always seems to be a bit more eye-catching for some reason. The non-gloss is fine for my mom’s needs though. There’s also not any noticeable light leakage on the bottom of the screen. Sure, blacks can seem a little uneven and the corners of the screen on the bottom look a little darker depending on how tilted your screen is, but these are all normal.
Viewing angles on this screen aren’t too bad. You can always see what you’re looking at from the sides, although the brightness decreases as you move to extremes. Vertical viewing angles are pretty narrow though. It takes a bit of practice to correctly position the angle of the screen so what you’re looking at has constant color and isn’t washed out or too dark. The NVidia graphics chip really struts its stuff here because it allows you to take the default sort of washed out look of the screen and reconfigure it to something much more appealing. I turned up the digital vibrance and contrast a bit and decreased the gamma a little. Brightness really didn’t need much adjusting. Without the NVidia chip you lose the digital vibrance feature, unfortunately. That really saved the day here and makes this LCD better than I had expected. I’m very happy with the display and so is mom. It will take a good 5 to 10 minutes of playing with the graphics settings and viewing images for users to really find their preference.
There is one little weird thing I’ve noticed, however. When running the V6000Z on battery sometimes there’s a quiet whine or buzzing from the lower right side of the screen right under the bezel. If you push on that plastic lightly or adjust the tilt of your screen the sound normally goes away. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not sure what causes it and it’s easy to get rid of.
Speakers and Audio
I really can’t say much about the audio on this system. Having the audio ports on the front is nice because you’ll definitely want to use them if you listen to a lot of music. The V6000Z’s speakers come from two quarter-sized ports sitting just above the right and left sides of the keyboard. The sound is unimpressive and you lose a lot of the lower frequency sounds. Higher frequency sounds can sound crackly which is disappointing. For general use this isn’t bad, but music lovers will definitely want headphones. I typically test the sound using orchestra music. If I can hear all the instruments, feel the drums, and things sound the way they do with a real orchestra then the speakers are good. With the speakers on this system none of the above happens although you can tweak the sound levels in various Media Players to help. A subwoofer might have helped here but this is only a budget system. The sound could be worse. I’ve heard systems twice as expensive as this V6000Z (take my old sold Sony GRZ-630 for example) which had much poorer quality sound output. For the price I paid I really can’t complain here. The speakers are competitive with what’s out there at this price point. The audio chip in this system says it’s a high-definition audio unit but I can’t hear a difference compared to a regular AC’97 system.
Processor and Performance
The V6000Z has the option of Mobile AMD Sempron processors or Turion processors. Because I was on a budget I went for the Sempron. I chose to upgrade from the 3400+ to the 3500+ with double the cache since it was $20. This along with the gig of RAM I thought would be able to offset the slowness of a 5400 RPM hard drive well. I was happy to see that the standard hard drives from HP were 5400 RPM and not 4200 RPM on the V6000Z at the time of my purchase.
I’m happy to say that the responsiveness of this system is much better than I had expected. It’s on par with a Pentium M 1.6 GHz laptop or an Athlon XP 2700+ desktop. The V6000Z is snappy and responsive. Thanks to the amount of RAM it does pretty well running multiple programs too. There’s very little lag when switching between programs. Also, to help you save battery life the processor automatically down-clocks itself when you let it idle. This was a major selling point against its Celeron competitor, the V6000T.
February 22nd, 2007
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