Asus UL30A-A1 Prons and Cons

Asus UL30A-A1

Asus UL30-A1 is an $799 ultraportable from Asus with 13-inch display with good looks and goods performance.

The Prons

Cheap
It's only $799! The ultraportable competitors is above $2000.

Ultraportable
It weighing less than 3,7-pound with 13-inch screens. The competitors only have 12.1-inch screens. The super slim screen supports a 16-to-9 aspect ratio.

Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
With integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can connect to the Wi-Fi jungles around you.

Aluminium Casing
The casing is not a fingerprints magnet. Many competitors have glossy cases attract fingerprints, but not the UL30A-A1.

Excellent Sound
The UL30A-A1 have excellent sound quality.

Generous Ports Selection
They'll give you VGA and HDMI video output, SD-memory-card slot, headphone and microphone jacks, three USB ports, a LAN port, a power port, Kensington lock slot, triangular slot. The triangular slot is for attaching the notebook with a lanyard.

Comfortable Keyboard
The keyboard is comfortable and highly responsive.

Longer Battery Life
5 hours and 30 minutes for watching live video. The above $2000 competitors lasted only 5 hours. Asus promises 12 hours of battery life on light tasks.

Warranty
Asus offers two-year global warranty and one year of accidental-damage protection.


The Cons

No Optical Drive
You can't play dvd with this Asus. There's no optical drive.

Bad Webcam
The webcam is only 0.3-megapixel. It produced grainy and washed-out images. The competitors usually have 1.3 megapixels webcam.

Mistouches
The touch pad is higher than the keyboard and the spacebar sits so close to the touch pad so we often mistouches the touchpad while touching the spacebar.

Slow
Asus UL30A-A1 only have 1.3GHz CPu. But it's forgivable because the price is so low.


Specification
Processor: 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Optical Drive: None
Screen: 13.3 inches (1,366x768 native resolution)
Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD
Weight: 3.7 pounds
Dimensions (HWD): 1x12.7x8.8 inches
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)

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Acer Aspire 5810 Review

Reviewed by: Jeffrey Bernard Yozwiak
Review Date: August 2009


ComputerShopper-We'll leave it to economists and pundits to sort out whether this is indeed the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. What we do know for certain is that we’re all making sacrifices: cutting our spending, saving more, and searching for deals. At ComputerShopper.com, we’ve seen an undeniable surge in interest—from both readers and sellers—in low-cost computers, and part of that wave is the Aspire Timeline series from Acer. Dressed in an austere gray and promoted at Wal-Mart, among other outlets, these bare-bones notebooks are built for business users on a budget. The latest Timeline configuration we tested, the AS5810TZ-4657, is the largest of the line (it has a 15.6-inch screen) and lists for $598. (Note that at the time we wrote this, Wal-Mart had knocked down its selling price to $548, and other sellers had discounted this model, too.) But, in keeping with the times, this laptop will also demand you make some sacrifices. It has great battery life for a mainstream notebook, but its performance is mired somewhere between that of a low-end laptop and a netbook.

On the outside, this Timeline sports a dull, brushed-aluminum finish. It's not as flashy as some notebooks we’ve seen—if you want to stand out on a budget, try the HP Pavilion DV2-1030US—but it’s certainly professional-looking. Measuring in at 1x15x10 inches and weighing 5.3 pounds, the chassis is slim yet solid; we felt like we were typing on a slice of steel. And, without the glossy exterior finish that many of its competitors bear (including the Pavilion DV2-1030US), the Aspire 5810 Timeline is immune to fingerprint smudges.

Under the lid, the laptop hosts a luxurious full-size keyboard with a dedicated number-pad region. The keys are black, flat, and slick, with clear separation between the keys in what's commonly called a "Chiclet"-style design. Unlike the rest of the body, though, the key tops do become greasy with use. Our opinion of the keyboard is divided: We think the smooth (as opposed to sculpted) key surfaces make touch-typing tough, but we also love the keys’ snap and response.



The Chiclet-style keyboard is roomy and features a dedicated number pad. Media controls are via Fn-key combinations.



The touch pad, by contrast, has the same appealing, nonsmudging finish as the case, and its single left- and right-click button has a satisfactory click-feel. A separate, tiny button to the pad's right allows you to lock the touch pad—and, at times, you'll want to do so. The pad is very sensitive, and so much as a stray headphone cord can muddle your mousing. The touch pad also supports multitouch gestures, and here the pad's sensitivity is a plus; scrolling through text, zooming in on photos, and flipping through Web pages using two fingers is a lot of fun.

The wide-aspect-ratio screen measures 15.6 inches corner-to-corner and has a spacious native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. The display can support a cinematic 16-to-9 aspect ratio, but we noticed that some of our favorite test DVDs—The Matrix, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Brazil—appeared a little washed-out on this LCD. Indeed, the screen had a mild paleness about it in other applications, too, evident even after much tweaking of brightness levels. Above the screen is a 1.3-megapixel Webcam; in our tests, it gave us a saturated image under most lighting conditions. We wouldn’t recommend it for videography (even with Acer’s Crystal Clear Webcam software), but it's fine for everyday video chats.
Acer Aspire 5810 Timeline


We didn't expect meaty sound from the morsel-size speakers. We were, alas, right.

Volume levels, and audio in general, were a slight disappointment in this model. The overall sound proved a bit muted. Granted, we didn’t expect much bass from the tiny speakers, but we couldn’t get the volume cranked up very loud, either. The Beethoven snippet included in Windows Vista's Media Center sounded clear enough in our tests, but at top volume it didn't pack much punch and evinced some clipping of high notes. Although the Aspire 5810 Timeline is not an ideal laptop for media lovers, it should suffice for users who mainly want to use productivity apps and browse the Web.

Indeed, our benchmark-testing regimen confirmed that those two classes of task are the best fit for this laptop. Performance heavily reflected the laptop's budget innards. The 5810TZ-4657 configuration we tested employs Intel's 1.3GHz Pentium SU2700 processor and 3GB of DDR3 RAM. The SU2700 is a recent, power-efficient addition to Intel's mobile-CPU armory; classed as a "CULV" processor (the acronym stands for "Consumer Ultra Low Voltage"), it's one of several new laptop-centric CPUs intended for use in low-cost, thin, mainstream laptops. Disconcertingly, though, the SU2700 is a single-core processor (not all CULV chips are), which foreshadowed the dismal numbers we saw on our tests.

On our PCMark Vantage test, which measures a computer's ability across a range of common hardware-usage scenarios, the Aspire 5810 Timeline eked out a score of 1,452—the lowest result we’ve seen from a mainstream, non-netbook notebook this year. The laptop also took almost 22 minutes to encode our standard test clip in Windows Media Encoder 9 (WME9), and 8.5 minutes to convert our 11 standard MP3 test files to AAC format in iTunes. In both cases, the Aspire 5810 Timeline lagged behind just about every comparably priced laptop we've bench-tested this year that wasn't an Atom-based netbook. And its score on Cinebench 10, a measure of CPU and graphics performance, was, at 1,387, very close to the trailing edge of the group.

At $599, we certainly don't expect the Aspire 5810 Timeline to take on dual- or quad-core laptops with dedicated graphics chips, but it could offer much more pep as a budget laptop. The Gateway NV5214u, for instance, recently managed a 2,261 score on our PCMark Vantage test, encoded our WME9 test video in less than 10 minutes, and converted our iTunes test tracks in about 6 minutes. Even though the Gateway’s performance isn’t stellar, the model we tested rang up at $500.

As you'd expect, with its integrated Intel graphics chipset (the GMA 4500MHD) and single-core Pentium engine, the Aspire 5810 Timeline isn't a fit gaming machine. At its native screen resolution, it achieved a score of 557 on our 3DMark06 test. (Once again, the less-pricey Gateway NV5214u scored higher.) Undemanding older games may run adequately at a dialed-back resolution, but we wouldn't expect much more. Think Bejeweled rather than Crysis.


You can't tell by looking, but the center two icons indicate push-buttons for data backup and a power-saving mode.



In our battery-rundown test, however, this laptop got its chance to shine. The Aspire 5810 Timeline's screen is energy-efficient and LED-backlit, and Acer’s patented PowerSmart technology senses when the laptop is unplugged and automatically reduces power-draining functions. (PowerSmart can also be activated by a button above the keyboard, although at first we mistook the button for a status light.) In our grueling battery-draining benchmark test—we play a DVD movie continuously until the laptop dies—the Aspire 5810 Timeline survived for an impressive 3 hours and 56 minutes. That’s longer than any other mainstream notebook that we've tested has endured, a testament to an efficient design and the power-sipping SU2700 processor. The thin-and-light MSI X-Slim X600, which crossed paths with the Timeline in our labs, came close in our battery test, but, then again, it costs about $200 more and lacks a built-in optical drive. Under lighter and more judicious usage, we suspect that the Aspire 5810 Timeline could last close to Acer's projection of a full 8 hours.



On the left edge, VGA and HDMI video outputs live side by side. Three USB ports here are joined by a fourth on the opposite edge.



The laptop offers plenty of connectivity options. You’ll find a two video outputs (old-school VGA and modern HDMI), as well as microphone and headphone jacks, and a Kensington-lock slot. The four USB 2.0 ports on the chassis are one more than the norm. The front edge of the laptop has a five-format memory-card reader and a handy indicator light that shows at a glance whether the battery is fully charged. The notebook can connect to the Net wirelessly over 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or cabled through the Ethernet jack.

As for the rest of the package, our test model had a spacious 320GB hard drive preloaded with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. Acer also includes 60-day trials of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and McAfee Security Center, and it backs the machine with a one-year warranty. Other software includes eSobi Lite 2 (an RSS newsreader) and Acer Backup Manager, which is integrated nicely with the machine. By simply pressing a button above the keyboard (again, it’s tricky, because the button looks like a status light), you can trigger a backup to an external hard drive.

The Aspire 5810 Timeline may bear a low price, but it sacrifices some serious performance to make it possible. We did like its steel-gray finish and strong battery life, but even at the budget end of the spectrum, a laptop is a long-term investment for most users. If you’re looking to get the best value, spending a bit more for a peppier, more media-friendly machine will be the right move, unless your two big motivators are a big screen for spreadsheets and maximum off-the-plug runtime. (For alternatives, see our guide to shopping for a budget laptop.)
Price (at time of review): $598 (mfr. est., as tested)

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Gateway NV5807u All-Purpose Laptop

By Patrick Miller
August 19, 2009 07:01 PM ET

PC World - The biggest selling point of the Gateway NV5807u all-purpose laptop is its LED-backlit, 15.6-inch, HD panel with a 1366-by-768-pixel native resolution. As with all glossy LCD screens, the glare becomes extraordinarily annoying in brightly lit environments, but you can offset that by blasting the LED backlighting (and burning the laptop's battery life). Also make sure to keep your head precisely positioned: At about 20 degrees from center, the display starts to dim, and at 45 degrees it's unreadable even at the brightest setting possible. If you're watching a movie on it with someone else, the two of you might end up cheek to cheek. (Bug or feature?)

Once you've found a good place to put the display, the video quality is excellent. I thought the vivid yet accurate colors--and the seamless, lag-free transitions--were striking. Like any laptop offering integrated Intel GMA 4500 MHD graphics, however, this machine can't play many conventional games. It will yield decent video via the VGA and HDMI-out ports, though it might take a little fiddling; when I tested it with a ViewSonic HD display, the recommended resolution cut off a significant chunk of the edge of the desktop.

Bolstering the NV5807u's appeal as an entertainment PC are its speakers, which I found to be surprisingly good. Though they're no replacement for a decent pair of external speakers (particularly on bass output and overall volume), their sound quality and clarity were impressive for laptop speakers. I thought that they rivaled some desktop-replacement laptop speakers. It's kind of a shame that the NV5807u lacks a discrete graphics card--if it had dedicated graphics, that plus the gorgeous screen and the speakers would make this laptop a solid portable gaming machine indeed.

The other big selling point of this laptop, though, really has to be the $599 (as of 8/7/09) price. The NV5807u's spec sheet shows that you get a decent deal for your dollar. Between the Intel 2.1GHz T6500 Core 2 Duo processor and the 4GB of memory, the laptop should be more than powerful enough for any basic home, business, or entertainment needs. In WorldBench 6 it notched a score of 77, fairly low for an all-purpose laptop but about right for the price point. However, the NV5807u's closest competitor, the Lenovo G530, managed to stay roughly on a par with this machine in most of our benchmarks (including earning a slightly higher WorldBench mark) despite being $100 cheaper.

In battery-life tests, Gateway's laptop survived 4 hours, 22 minutes. Though that isn't nearly a match for the marathon-ready performance of something like the Lenovo T400, the result is slightly longer than the average we've seen in our tests.

The 320GB SATA hard drive and the 8X dual-layer Super Multi optical drive will give you plenty of storage space, and the standard array of ports (two USB ports on each side of the laptop and a multiformat card reader) and connectivity options (56-kbps modem, gigabit ethernet, and 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi) will give you plenty of ways to fill that hard drive up. Note that the NV5807 doesn't have FireWire, so if you have a video camera that requires it, look elsewhere. The laptop does have a (rather unremarkable) Webcam and mic for voice and video chat, and the provided driver software lets you access the feature when you move the mouse to the spot right under the camera, which can be sort of neat (and is easily disabled, in case it gets annoying).

I found the keyboard mildly irritating. Kudos to the NV5807u's designers for managing to cram in not only a keyboard and trackpad but also a keypad, which number crunchers everywhere will appreciate. The problem is, the number pad and keyboard are just about jammed up on top of each other. My right hand frequently ended up over the number pad when I actually wanted to press Enter or Delete.

Atop the keyboard are touch-sensitive buttons that allow you to access the volume controls and power-saving functions (most useful), open up the Gateway MyBackup software (sometimes useful), and turn off the trackpad.

On more than one occasion I was tempted to use that last toggle, as the mouse button bar is horribly awkward to use. This landing strip for a gnat supposedly doubles for left and right mouse clicks, but my oversized hands ached to find the right angle to tap. The middle of the button is a dead zone that won't register any input. Instead of resting my wrists on the laptop and leaving my thumb on the button, I had to hold my hand in the air and press down, practically at a 90-degree angle. You'll probably want to bring your own mouse for this one. The machine is also pretty heavy, at 5.8 pounds--it's fine if you're driving from home to office to café, but if you're walking or taking the bus, it's a little much.

Gateway's NV5807u has an attractive display, above-average speakers, and enough power under the hood to serve as a general-use PC for quite some time. The trade-off you make is in portability: 5.8 pounds of computer is an awful lot to be carting around between classes or around the city, and a 15.6-inch display looks great on a desk but eats up most of an airplane tray table (not to mention your battery life). If you're a student who would rather use a computer to watch movies in your dorm than take notes in class, or if you're a professional who needs the screen space and doesn't mind the weight, then the NV5807u is a solid buy for $599 compared with similarly priced models from other manufacturers, such as the Acer Aspire Timeline, the Lenovo Ideapad Y450, or even Lenovo's business-centric G530, which sells for even less ($499).

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Asus N90Sv-X1 Specification

Specification

* Manufacturer: Asus
* Part Number:N90Sv-X1

* Built-in Devices Four speakers , Bluetooth antenna , Wireless LAN antenna
* Width 18.1 in
* Depth 12.2 in
* Height 1.9 in
* Weight 9.3 lbs
* Screen type Widescreen
* Wireless capabilities IEEE 802.11b , Bluetooth , IEEE 802.11 n (draft) , IEEE 802.11g

Processor

* Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 / 2.66 GHz
* Multi-Core processor technology Dual-Core
* 64-bit processor Yes
* Data bus speed 1066 MHz
* Chipset type SiS671DX

Cache Memory

* Type L2 cache
* Cache size 6 MB

RAM

* Installed Size 4 GB / 4 GB (max)
* Technology DDR2 SDRAM - 800 MHz
* RAM form factor SO DIMM 200-pin
* RAM configuration features 2 x 2 GB

Environmental Parameters

* Environmental standards RoHS

Storage Controller

* Storage controller type Serial ATA
* Storage Controller / Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA-150

Storage

* Floppy Drive None
* Hard Drive 320 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 7200 rpm
* Storage Removable None
* Hard drive type Portable

Optical Storage

* Type DVD?RW / DVD-RAM - Integrated

Optical Storage (2nd)

* 2nd optical storage type None

Card Reader

* Card reader type 8 in 1 card reader
* Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick , MultiMediaCard , SD Memory Card , Memory Stick Pro

Display

* Display Type 18.4 in TFT active matrix
* Max Resolution 1920 x 1080
* Widescreen Display Yes
* Features Glare , Color Shine , Zero Bright Dot

Video

* Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M
* Video Memory 1 GB

Audio

* Audio output type Sound card
* Audio Input Microphone

Notebook Camera

* Camera Type Integrated
* Notebook Camera / Sensor Resolution 1.3 Megapixel

Input Device(s)

* Input device type Mouse , Keyboard , Touchpad
* Features Built-in numeric keyboard

Networking

* Networking Network adapter
* Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
* Data link protocol Ethernet , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Fast Ethernet , Gigabit Ethernet , Bluetooth 2.1 EDR , IEEE 802.11n (draft)
* Networking standards IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g , Bluetooth 2.1 , IEEE 802.11n (draft)

Expansion / Connectivity

* Expansion Slots Total (Free) 2 ( 0 ) x Memory - SO DIMM 200-pin , 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard
* Interfaces 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm , 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm , 1 x Audio - SPDIF output/headphones , 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) , 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A , 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 , 1 x Display / video - HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A

Miscellaneous

* Included Accessories Carrying case , Optical mouse
* Features Express Gate , System password , Hard drive password , Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
* Compliant Standards RoHS

Power

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

Battery

* Technology 8-cell Lithium ion
* Installed Qty 1
* Battery capacity 4400 mAh

Operating System / Software

* OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
* Microsoft Office Ready Includes a preinstalled image of select 2007 Microsoft Office suites. Purchase a Medialess License Kit (MLK) to activate the software.
* Software ASUS Splendid , ASUS WinFlash , ASUSDVD 6-in-1 , Virtual Camera , ASUS MultiFrame , ASUS NB Probe + , ASUS Net4Switch , ASUS SmartLogon , ASUS CopyProtect , ASUS Live Update , Adobe Reader 8.0 , ASUS Screen Saver , Nero 8 Essentials , Drivers & Utilities , ASUS Wireless Console , InterVideo WinDVD 8 BD , ASUS Power4 Gear eXtreme , ASUS Data Security Manager , Norton Internet Security 2009

Manufacturer Warranty

* Service & Support 1 year warranty
* Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year

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Alienware M17x

Review
Reviewed by: John R. Delaney
Review Date: July 2009



Long known for its high-end, high-performance systems, Alienware continues to impress with its new M17x gaming notebook. Sporting a refreshed case design and a dizzying array of features and performance parts, the M17x sets the bar for DirectX 10 3D-gaming performance in a notebook. Prices start at $1,799, and our test system came in at a staggering $4,849, so be prepared to pony up big bucks for a fully equipped rig. But gamers with ample funds to indulge their habit will not be disappointed.





The M17x has a smooth aluminum case, sporting a subtler-than-usual alien head.

With the M17x, Alienware has moved away from the familiar finned Skullcap design found on earlier models such as the Alienware M17 and instead wraps the system in an anodized aluminum shell. Our review system came in Lunar Silver, but you can order it in Space Black as well. The smooth aluminum lid sports the always-present alien-head logo and has a look that conveys extreme speed. Similar to the lines of a mid-’70s Corvette, the case comes to a slight point at the front and is beveled in the back. A pair of black speaker grilles on the lower front part of the chassis completes the look. The M17x measures 2.1x16x12.7 inches (HWD) and weighs a hefty 12.7 pounds. The chunky AC adapter adds another 2.2 pounds, so you’ll need a strong back—or a bag on wheels—to haul it to and from LAN parties.

Under the lid sits a striking 17-inch display with edge-to-edge glass over a black frame. With a maximum resolution of 1,920x1,200 (a 1,440x900 screen is available for $150 less) and dual CCFL backlighting, the panel delivers rich colors and a remarkably crisp image. It’s ideal for gaming or viewing HD content. We fragged our way through a few rounds of Far Cry 2 with the visual effects set to high, and we came away impressed with the panel’s motion-handling prowess. The action was fluid, and ghosting was not an issue. The BBC’s Planet Earth series on Blu-ray Disc looked awesome on the big screen, as well, and showed no signs of smearing or motion artifacts. The level of detail was outstanding, and viewing angles were nice and wide. As with any glossy-finish screen, however, the panel’s reflective characteristics can be distracting under certain lighting conditions. A 2-megapixel Webcam is embedded into the top of the display, and a backlit Alienware badge is at the bottom.




You can light up the M17x's keyboard in a choice of 20 colors.



The full-size keyboard has a dedicated number pad and is a pleasure to type on. The keys have a good tactile feel and are responsive and quiet, while the two-button touch pad provides smooth, effortless cursor control. The keyboard deck is all black, save for white translucent key lettering and borders around the keys and touch pad, which light up when the AlienFX feature is enabled. With a palette containing 20 color choices, AlienFX lets you add mood lighting to four separate zones on the keyboard, as well as the touch pad, the speaker grilles, the alien-head logo and Alienware badge, and the power switch (which is also in the shape of an alien head). You can light up each zone with different colors or opt for a more subtle, uniform lighting scheme. (Alternately, you can disable the lights altogether.) Although the M17x doesn’t provide special labeling for the WASD buttons, gamers who rely on those keys to control the action can light up that quadrant of the keyboard in a unique color, making them easily identifiable while playing in the dark.

The AlienFX applet is part of the Command Center, where you go to adjust the AlienSense face-recognition settings (which work with the Webcam as an added measure of security) as well as the AlienTouch settings, which control touch-pad properties, including tapping, sensitivity, and scrolling. There’s also an AlienFusion utility that lets you select and edit power plans. Above the keyboard is a row of touch-sensitive controls, including DVD/CD player controls, a Wi-Fi switch, a Command Center launcher, and a stealth-mode button that disables the system’s discrete graphics to conserve battery life. There are also two volume controls for the integrated 5-watt speakers, which are loud and powerful but could use a subwoofer, like the one used on the competing Asus W90Vp-X1 gaming laptop. You need a good amount of bass response to appreciate the rumbling explosions in games like Far Cry 2 and Crysis, and the M17x comes up short in this area.

Connectivity options are abundant, with ports and slots conveniently positioned along the sides of the M17x. On the left, VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors offer a variety of video-output choices and are joined by two USB ports, a USB/eSATA combo port, a FireWire port, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Two additional USB ports are on the right side, along with an ExpressCard/54 slot, a flash-card reader supporting eight formats, and four audio jacks for connecting to a six-channel surround-sound speaker system. (Two of these jacks double as headphone and microphone jacks.) A slot-loading Blu-ray-reader/DVD-burner combo drive rounds out the feature set.




The M17x has sleek lines, glowing red accents, and an abundance of ports.



The M17x gets its muscle from Intel’s top-of-the-line Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 processor, which runs at 2.53GHz and has a whopping 12MB of cache. It also uses 8GB of DDR3 memory and has two Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M graphics cards running in SLI mode. For those times when you’re not gaming and don’t require that much 3D horsepower, you can switch over to an integrated GeForce 9400 graphics engine that's also in the system to conserve power. Two 500GB hard drives configured for RAID 0 help give the M17x an added performance boost without sacrificing storage space.

The M17x took top honors on several of our performance tests, including PCMark Vantage 64, where its score of 5,819 unseated our previous gaming-laptop champ, the Asus W90Vp-X1. Its Windows Media (3 minutes and 48 seconds) and iTunes (3 minutes and 28 seconds) encoding times were significantly faster than the average desktop-replacement laptop but not quite as fast as two workstation-class notebooks we tested not long ago, the HP EliteBook 8730w and Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds. On the CPU-intensive Cinebench 10 (32-bit) test, the M17x’s score of 9,375 was nearly 3,000 points above the average and beat the Asus W90Vp-X1 handily by 3,513 points. Not surprisingly, the quad-core CPU handled our multitasking test with aplomb, requiring just 16 seconds longer to finish the Windows Media Encoder test with a full Windows Defender scan running in the background.

DirectX 10 3D performance is key for the hard-core gaming crowd, and the M17x did not disappoint, posting a class-leading score of 61.7 frames per second (fps) on our Company of Heroes DirectX 10 gaming test while running at its native 1,920x1,200 resolution. It did very well on the DirectX 9 version of the same test, too, scoring 146.5fps, and it aced the 3DMark Vantage test with a score of 12,037, more than double what its predecessor, the Alienware M17, managed.

Our battery-life test results were disappointing, but not surprising. This class of notebook typically doesn’t last very long on our DVD battery-rundown test, in which we play back a DVD on a loop until the battery gives up the ghost. The M17x was no exception, lasting a scant 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can't expect to range far from a power plug with this behemoth.

Clearly, the Alienware M17x is not for everyone. The super-size price alone will have some gamers seeking inexpensive alternatives, such as the Asus W90Vp-X1, but they’ll have to sacrifice some DirectX 10 gaming performance, as well as the Alienware mystique: all of the design and lighting eye candy that makes Alienware systems so special. But if price is no obstacle, when it comes to bleeding-edge performance and the latest in portable CPU and GPU technology, the M17x is the gamer's dreamboat machine to beat.

Pros
Outstanding performance; cool new design; features galore

Cons
Very expensive; heavy; short battery life

Editors' Take
The fastest gaming laptop we've ever tested, Alienware’s M17x packs top-shelf components in its 17-inch frame. But dedicated gamers will have to dig very deep to afford this field-dominating PC.

Key Specs
Processor: 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300
Memory: 8GB RAM
Storage: Two 500GB drives
Optical Drive: BD-ROM/DVD±RW combo
Screen : 17 inches (1,920x1,200 native resolution)
Graphics: Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M (2GB)
Weight: 12.7 pounds
Dimensions (HWD): 2.1x16x12.7 inches
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)

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Toshiba Satellite A355D-S6930

PC World - With netbooks on one side and desktop replacements on the other, finding room for a laptop that's based around compromise is tough. In the Satellite A355D-S6930, Toshiba clearly aimed for an entry-level media machine with a screen and speakers that defy expectations for the category. Its shot, however, isn't very high caliber.

The A355D boasts specs that at first glance indicate a reasonably equipped system. The configuration Toshiba sent us came with a 2.1Ghz AMD Turion X2 processor, 4GB of DDR2400 RAM, a 256MB ATI HD 3470 x2 graphics card, a 300GB hard drive, and 64-bit Vista Home Premium--all retailing for a list price of $800.

But our tests found somewhat disappointing performance. It struggled more than many ostensibly less-equipped laptops, limping with a score of 66 in our WorldBench 6 test suite. Even the Acer Aspire Timeline (a netbook/notebook tweener running an Intel Core 2 Solo) fared a little better. (For perspective, models on our all-purpose laptops chart score anywhere from 75 to 115 in WorldBench.) The user experience confirms the score, as things often felt sluggish in normal operation.

And for a multimedia machine with a dedicated GPU, the graphics option also underwhelmed. In Unreal Tournament 3, it posted 27 frames per second at a 1024-by-768 resolution, and it didn't manage much in Quake Wars: Enemy Territory, either (17 fps). With Half Life 2, the A355D posted unsteady frame rates in the high teens along with long load times, and the game's most recent installment, Episode 2, was more or less unplayable even at low settings.

Things aren't all bad, though, as the A355D's display makes a good showing. It's got great brightness indoors and even outside with some sunlight. The screen is very readable, with no fuzzy text or blurry desktop icons. The color reproduction is decent, though at times it looks a little washed out--especially red tones. It would have been nice to see a higher resolution than the native 1360 by 768 on such a large display, but given the price, it's a compromise I can live with, and its resolution does ensure that the A355D can handle 720p video.

Audio, Toshiba's calling card, is the A355D's bright spot. The included Harman/Kardon speakers sound nice and clear with enough volume to be heard over moderate levels of noise from across the room without much distortion at all. They won't impress audiophiles, thanks to some iffy mids and the lack of decent bass (even with the included subwoofer), but for the average user, the A355D provides more than adequate audio for movies or music in the bedroom, the dorm room, or a smaller office.

Unlike several of its recent and more-expensive cousins, the A355D offers good expandability options, no jeweler's screwdrivers needed: The RAM and hard drives are located under separate, easily accessible panels. The memory modules--two DIMMs--are replaceable, and you can also replace the hard drive with little trouble.

The A355D has a full-size keyboard, great for touch typists shuttling between desktops and their notebook. The function key is set to the right of the control key, preventing accidental contact. The keys share the same high-gloss finish as the rest of the notebook--a detail that can make for easier typing in the dark (since the keys reflect light from the display), but my fingers sometimes slid around more than I would have liked. The keys can also become smudgy if you have dirty hands--so keep the Purell handy. The touchpad is flush with the rest of the lower panel of the notebook but remains comfortable to use. The A355D also features a small row of touch-inductive buttons above the keyboard for media playback.

The software suite on the A355D marks it as an entry-level consumer laptop. While it features the now-standard recovery-disc creator, it lacks the hard-drive-protection software found in some of its more-expensive competitors. Instead, the main pieces of extra software on the notebook are Toshiba's acoustic silencer for the CD/DVD drive and Cyberlink's Powercinema media center application. While it won't revolutionize your media experience, the latter app is fast and pretty slick, and might manage to pull duty as your video player of choice.

The A355D makes a better impression on paper than it does in actual use. The bulleted list of hardware and features makes it seem like a steal, but the performance numbers and overall functionality are enough to raise some caution flags. If you don't have a lot of cash, and if a nice, big screen and good speakers are enough for you, then check out the A355D. But better options exist, such as Lenovo's IdeaPad Y530, which goes after the exact same demographic as this Toshiba and does a better overall job.

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ASUS EEEPC 1000HE

A Winning Netbook





ASUS is well into the double digits in the numberof netbook variants it has launched, and this seasoning has finally paid off with its best one yet. The1000HE dethrones the MSI Wind as the leader of thepack of pint-size laptops. What puts it on top is notits revamped keyboard, its elegantly tucked-awaysix-cell battery, or its Intel Atom N280 processor(an industry first)—although these do help. The1000HE earns an Editors' Choice because it deliversall of these things at a low price.



The EeePC 1000HE resembles the vast majorityof netbooks, though a closer examination will reveal some design tweaks. In line with its rivals from MST,Acer, and Samsung, the 10001-IE offers only two colorchoices, solid black and navy blue. At 3.2 pounds, the10001-IE is heavier than most of its competition. Theframe is designed around the six-cell, 63-Wh battery,so the awkward protrusion you see on the backs ofothers are eliminated. Other design improvementsinclude mouse buttons that are substantially largerthan those of the Aspire One and MST Wind and agesture-based touchpad (a netbook first).

The 1000H E's 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N280 processor is rated slightly faster than the l.6-GHz Intel AtomN270 CPU found in its rivals, but on our benchmarktests I saw little speed difference. The new CPUallows for a bigger battery, however, and the 1000HE did excel on battery life, turning in a score of 6 hours36 minutes and 7:26 with the Power Saving settings.

All of these enhancements wouldn't mean a thing if the price weren't right. The 1000HE makes fewercompromises than other netbooks, and the value youget with design, typing experience, and battery life istough to beat.—Cisco Cheng



Specs: I.66-GHz Intel Atom N280; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; 10.1-inch, 1,024-by-600 LED widescreen; 3.2 pounds; three USB ports; 63-Wh, 8.6-Ah. lithium ion battery; Windows XP Home Edition.

PC Magazine April 2009

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