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ASUS G73JH-TZ008X battery charging
The G73 is the latest gaming notebook in ASUS' successful G-series product line. This 17.3-inch monster has a Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and the most powerful mobile video card available, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870. Read on for our take. ASUS G73JH-TZ172V battery charging
The ASUS G73JH is available as a pre-configured notebook only, though some dealers including XoticPC offer limited customization. Those looking for Blu-ray should check out the G73JH-A1 model, which has the same specifications as our test unit plus a Blu-ray drive for $1,699. ASUS G73JH-TZ155V battery charging
Build and Design
The ASUS G73 is has a "stealth" look, with non-traditional shape with angled surfaces and sharp lines that is clearly influenced by modern stealth aircraft. . The protruding rear end is especially aggressive with its angled exhaust vents. ASUS G73JH-TZ128V battery charging
The physical size of the G73 is intimidating, even compared to other 17-inch notebooks. The chassis is actually angled upward 5 degrees, which gives the notebook a more assertive feel and helps with ergonomics. The notebook has a rubberized shell, which has a pleasant touch and adds a measure of durability. ASUS G73JH-TZ091V battery charging
The G73 has strong build quality; it feels very solid (and heavy) when being held. The notebook is constructed entirely of thick and good quality plastic. The chassis is very resistant to twisting and surfaces like the palm rests barely flex under pressure. The lid has excellent support from two large and strong display hinges. The panel itself has ample support and twists less than most 17-inch notebooks. Furthermore, no ripples appear on the display when pressure is applied from behind the screen. Overall, the G73 is impressive in both the build quality and design departments. ASUS G73JH-TZ059V battery charging
Screen and Speakers
The G73JH comes with a 17.3-inch LED-backlit screen with a full HD (1920x1080) resolution. The display has a glossy surface that helps make colors more vibrant, but suffers from reflections as a result. The display is, in a word, beautiful. It is very enjoyable to use for gaming and multimedia. Viewing angles are about average; there is little color shift from side to side. However, colors quickly wash out and darken from above and below. ASUS G73JH-TZ034V battery charging
The display has a high-resolution as well, which is appreciated. With a full HD resolution, it's easy to view two windows side-by-side without shrinking them too much. The higher resolution also helps bring out the finer details in games and reduces the amount of scrolling necessary while surfing the Web. ASUS G73JH-TZ014V battery charging
The G73 has two stereo speakers located below the display and a small subwoofer. The speakers get reasonably loud and there is measurable bass. For notebook speakers, these are more than acceptable. ASUS G73JH-TZ012V battery charging
Keyboard and Touchpad
The G73 has a full-size keyboard with a separate numeric keypad. ASUS G73JH-TZ011V battery charging The keyboard has a "Chiclet" or island-style keyboard, where the keys are raised above the keyboard surface and have more than usual spacing. The keyboard has a soft, rubbery feel (not a bad thing) and makes typing easy. While some flex is evident when you type and the keyboard could have slightly better support, these two factors do not affect its usability. The tactile feedback is adequate, though could be improved if the keys had a longer throw. ASUS G73JH-TZ008Z battery charging
The G73's keyboard is backlit and looks good in the dark. We like that the keys have a rubberized non-slip finish, which adds durability and makes them more comfortable to use over extended periods of time. The keyboard's layout around the number pad is somewhat squashed though all keys are more or less in their expected positions. Overall, we like the keyboard and do not have any major qualms with it. ASUS G73JH-TZ008X battery charging
The extra-large touchpad sits slightly off-center to the left of the chassis to line up with the keyboard. ASUS G73JH-TZ002V battery charging It has a much-appreciated matte surface, which is easy to track on regardless of whether fingers are moist or dry. The right side of the touchpad is a dedicated scroll zone however it required an unusual amount of pressure to use. Unfortunately, the touchpad buttons are subpar. While quiet, they are harder to push down than expected, and we don't like that they are contained under a single piece of plastic. ASUS G73JH-TY098V battery charging
Apparently, gamers have no appetite for subtlety when it comes to style, ASUS G73JH-TY075V battery charging colours and flashing lights. As such, gaming PCs tend to resemble the Blackpool Illuminations, while gaming laptops have more lights than a 1980s revival disco. We expected the same from Asus' latest Republic of Gamers laptop, so we were surprised by its velvety, matt-black exterior and the Lamborghini Gallardo-influenced angles, complete with exhaust-shaped vents at the rear. ASUS G73JH-TY048V battery charging
The G73Jh doesn't weigh a ton either, and even when we turned it on, it had only subtle lights for WiFi, overclocking and so forth, and a slight blue glow beneath the screen. There's an Intel Core i7 processor and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 inside – this isn't just a chic laptop, it's also one of the fastest ever. ASUS G73JH-TY042V battery charging
As with most laptop technology, you shouldn't expect the same level of performance as a desktop, even if the laptop parts share the same names as the desktop. The CPU is the Core i7-720QM, the third highest in the range, yet it's nominally clocked at a meagre 1.6GHz. It may be a Hyper-Threaded quad-core CPU, but that seems paltry when decent desktop processors are a full 1GHz faster. ASUS G73JH-TY009V battery charging
Note that we used the word 'nominally' – the CPU is based on Clarksfield, which is the mobile version of the Lynnfield architecture of LGA1156 Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs. As such, it has Turbo Mode (Rev 2) and can boost its speed to 2.8GHz when necessary, and drop as low as 996MHz when idle to cut down on heat, noise and power consumption. ASUS G73JH-TX008V battery charging
Unlike the nominally 1.73GHz Core i7-820QM, the i7-720QM has only 6MB of Level 3 cache rather than 8MB. More is better, and Intel always equips its flagship CPUs with 2MB of highest-level cache per physical core. ASUS G73JH-ROG battery charging
Equally, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 isn't the equal of its desktop relative, thanks to the small dimensions of the card and the limited cooling ability of a laptop. While a desktop HD 5870 packs 1,600 stream processors into the GPU, which run at 850MHz, the laptop equivalent has half the number of stream processors and runs at 700MHz. However, the laptop GPU has more than half the number of transistors and a TDP of 50W, while the desktop card consumes 188W (ATI doesn't quote directly comparable power and heat figures for the desktop and laptop parts). ASUS G73JH-RE1 battery charging
However, with 800 stream processors, the Radeon Mobility HD 5870 is closer in configuration to the capable, but mid-range Radeon HD 5770 desktop card, although it has a slower GPU (700MHz compared to 850MHz). ASUS G73JH-RCNX09 battery charging
Still, with a ludicrous 8GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 memory, our review version of the G73 was hardly likely to be slow. Asus has seen fit to pack in two 500GB Seagate Momentus 7200.4 hard disks, and as their name suggests, these have spindle speeds of 7,200rpm rather than the typical 5,400rpm of laptop hard disks. Around the sides of the laptop are four USB 2 ports, an SD/MMC/MS media card reader, jacks for a headset (the audio codec supports EAX 4.0), and D-Sub and HDMI video outputs. ASUS G73JH-RBBX09 battery charging
When word of the Asus G73JH first came out at CES 2010, it definitely left an impression. A giant, all-black 17-inch full HD wide-screen gaming laptop with a Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, dual 7,200rpm 500GB hard drives, a Blu-ray combo drive, and a 1GB ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics card for $1,700 is tough to ignore. However, this is not that G73JH. ASUS G73JH-RBBX05 battery charging
The model we reviewed has less storage, less memory, no Blu-ray playback, and a lower-resolution display than that model, but retains much of the core components at a significantly lower $1,200 price. It's an excellent high-performance notebook for the money and well put together, too. We have a couple of issues with the design, but nothing to keep us from recommending it for anyone needing a more affordable, but still very powerful, desktop replacement. ASUS G73JH-DX11 battery charging
Inspired by the F-117 stealth fighter jet, the angular chassis is big and aggressive looking, but still somewhat low key. ASUS G73JH-BST7 battery charging Gone are the flashing lights and garish color schemes of previous Asus gaming systems we've tested. The G73JH is instead a nice matte black with the lid and keyboard deck finished in a pleasant rubberized texture that, unlike glossy plastic, doesn't need a constant wipe down to remove fingerprints. ASUS G73JH-B1 battery charging
On the lid is a simple silver Asus logo with a small engraved Republic of Gamers emblem below it. The only lights are a handful of blue backlit buttons and a single beam of blue light tucked into the bottom edge of the LCD's bezel. (The keyboard is also backlit for easier use in the dark.) It's an impressively large notebook and far from travel-friendly. All things considered, the system weight isn't bad; the power brick is gigantic, however, and weighs 2 pounds alone. ASUS G73JH-ATI 5870 battery charging
Immediately noticeable--whether the lid is up or down--is the junk in the trunk of this laptop. ASUS G73JH-ATI battery charging The keyboard deck is angled up 5 degrees to improve ergonomics, but also draws your eyes to the giant back end. There are two large cooling vents at the far left and right sides that apparently draw air through the front and exhaust it out the back. The battery charging pack is tucked in between the two vents. The setup allows the system to stay cool and relatively quiet even under full load. There are two substantial hinges for the LCD, but they are not in a typical location at the back of the system; they're moved forward about 2 inches so the display sort of floats above the body with the vents extending out behind it. ASUS G73JH-A3 battery charging
At the top left of the keyboard are three buttons; one shuts off the blue light under the screen, another activates a TwinTurbo mode, and the last changes screen color modes (Normal, Gamma Corrected, Vivid, Theater, Soft, and a custom option). ASUS G73JH-A2 battery charging The TwinTurbo mode provides instant overclocking and didn't seem to make much of a difference on this already powerful system. There are no discrete media controls, just markings on the function and directional keys. It's not a huge deal, but separate volume/mute keys would be appreciated. ASUS G73JH-A1 battery charging
Asus as usual makes good use of Function button commands so you can quickly change things like power schemes (High Performance, ASUS G73JH battery charging Entertainment, Quiet Office, and Power Saving) by pressing Fn + space bar. The keyboard is, again, backlit and the intensity is adjustable or can be shut off entirely. The keys have a peculiar rattle to them when typing and though the keyboard is pretty big, considering the size of the system, it seems unnecessarily compact; the number pad on the far right is noticeably squished compared with similarly sized laptops we've tested. In contrast, the touch pad and its accompanying single button are huge. ASUS G73J battery charging
The 2.1-speaker system performs well, getting very loud without distortion, but for having a small subwoofer, it doesn't have a great low-end. They sound good, but you'll still want to invest in desktop speakers or headphones for gaming or media. ASUS G73GW battery charging
The Asus G73JH-RBBX05's 17.3-inch glossy wide-screen LCD has a 1,600x900-pixel native resolution, ASUS G73G battery charging which is standard for lower-end desktop replacements. However, we're starting to see 1,920x1,080 pixels as the prevalent resolution on laptops at and more than this G73JH's price. In fact, other versions of this notebook are available with that resolution. The LED-backlit LCD gets very bright and has good color and contrast, though, and while the higher resolution would be great, we can't say we were disappointed with its performance. Viewing angles off to the sides are pretty good, too. ASUS G73 battery charging
The networking and port assortment on this G73JH is pretty basic; no Bluetooth, no eSATA or FireWire ports, no ExpressCard slots, no DisplayPort, and no Blu-ray player. If you don't need any of those things then you're set. ASUS G53SX-XT1 battery charging
Though the G73JH-RBBX05 isn't configurable before purchase, the G73JH is available in other versions. The port assortment stays the same, but you can get things such as Bluetooth and a Blu-ray-DVD combo drive. Should you want to make your own post-purchase additions, a panel in the bottom gives you easy access to internal components; there's room in the version we reviewed for 2GB more memory and an additional hard drive. ASUS G53SX-XR1 battery charging
The combined performance from the Core i7 processor, 6GB of RAM, 7,200rpm hard drive, ASUS G53SX-XN1 battery charging and 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 is pretty great, especially considering the laptop's price. It sailed through our multitasking, image processing, and audio encoding benchmark tests, achieving exemplary scores on all. In real-life testing it had no trouble handling streaming audio and video while simultaneously running IM and e-mail clients and other background tasks. We tested with a handful of games including Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Just Cause 2; all played smoothly. Again, for the money, this is a solid system. ASUS G53SX-XA1 battery charging
Earlier this year, we attended the Asus 2010 CES Event in Las Vegas. ASUS G53SX-XA battery charging While there, we caught a glimpse of several upcoming notebooks the hardware giant had in store. One of the most anticipated products we saw was in the Republic of Gamers line up. Dubbed the G73JH, it possessed a list of impressive specifications and an aggressive, stealth fighter design that spoke directly to enthusiasts. Thankfully, this powerhouse of a notebook made it to our lab and we had a chance to put it through our own testing. Ever since CES, we've been waiting to find out if the G73JH performed as good as it looked. Equally important, we aimed to determine where it fits in a market bursting at the seams with gaming laptops and desktop replacement notebooks. ASUS G53SX-TH71 battery charging
We mentioned that the G73 had killer specs and here they are. ASUS G53SX-SZ019V battery charging At the heart of this monster is an Intel Core i7 720QM quad-core processor, clocked at 1.6GHz with Turbo Boost technology for increased single core performance (up to 2.8GHz) and Hyper-Threading for multitasking situations. We find 8GB of DDR3 RAM installed, along with 1TB of total storage, consisting of two 500GB Seagate hard drives. But the real draw is ATI's Mobility HD 5870 graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and enough pixel pushing power to feed a 17.3" screen. In addition, Asus includes a full sized keyboard, Blu-ray drive, and a 2MP webcam, and a all of this comes at a relatively affordable price point. Interested? We thought so. Read on to find out how fast the G73 really is, and if it has what it takes to be your next laptop. ASUS G53SX-SX017V battery charging
Measuring in at 16.4" wide by 12.6" deep and weighing 8 lbs, the G73 does not qualify as thin and light. Don't get us wrong though, it is mobile enough for LAN parties and occasional travel, but much too large to carry on and use during a flight. Yes, the G73JH is smaller and lighter than your average desktop replacement notebook, but we feel that it is similar in that it begs to be stationary and plugged into a wall outlet. ASUS G53SX-S1185V battery charging
The hardware specs speak for themselves. This is a cutting edge gaming notebook with a powerful CPU, tons of RAM, and a high-end Radeon HD 5870 mobile graphics card installed. Let's take a closer look at the rest of the laptop, as well as the results of our benchmarks and testing. ASUS G53SX-RH71 battery charging
When not making tiny netbooks, Asus is busy crafting enormous gaming laptops that are fast enough to melt your face off. Its latest effort, the 17.3-inch G73, is the first we've seen that features the ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPU -- ATI's fastest mobile graphics card to date. The model sold in the UK, the G73Jh, also features an Intel Core i7-720QM CPU, 1TB of storage, a Blu-ray drive, and 8GB of DDR3 memory. It's available now for around £1,900. ASUS G53SX-NH71 battery charging
Stealth bomber
The G73Jh is the Hulk Hogan of laptops. It measures 420 by 67 by 310mm, and weighs 3.9kg, so you'll struggle to use it anywhere other than at home. That's a shame, because it's a sexy beast. ASUS G53SX-IX122V battery charging
Unlike most gaming laptops, it isn't adorned with flashing lights and garish embellishments hinting at its performance. Instead, it politely suggests its aggressive nature with a menacing matte black finish and a chassis inspired by the iconic F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. Every surface -- from the area around the keyboard to the frame of the webcam -- features slanting surfaces and jaunty angles. The G73Jh may not be a bomb-dropping, radar-dodging bringer of atomic death, but one glance is all it takes to convince you that it means business. ASUS G53SX-DH71 battery charging
The meaty vents on the G73Jh's rear keep its high-end internal components cool
Although the G73Jh lacks a built-in light show, it's not dull to look at -- there are plenty of appealing touches that look cool and also serve a real purpose. For instance, the battery charging pack isn't some off-the-shelf unit borrowed from another Asus machine. Its chunky, angular aesthetic is completely coherent with the rest of the laptop's design, and it gives the G73Jh a wedge shape, raising the keyboard to an ergonomic, five-degree angle. ASUS G53SX-AH71 battery charging
The keyboard itself is fabulous. Its chiclet-style buttons are well spaced out and have a responsive feel. The entire keyboard is backlit too, so you can see what you're doing in the dark. ASUS G53SX-A1 battery charging
Fast components
The G73Jh is brimming with high-end components. An Intel Core i7-720QM processor takes centre stage, accompanied by 8GB of high-speed DDR3 PC3-10700 memory and a top-of-the-range ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. ASUS G53SX 3D battery charging
The keyboard is comfortable to use, and its backlight means you can use it in the dark
These components can generate a massive amount of heat, so it's just as well that Asus has fitted the G73Jh with an elaborate cooling system. Two large vents live at the rear of the system, sucking air in and away from the internal components. It looks like the sort of thing that would generate a great deal of noise, but, for the most part, the G73Jh runs quietly and remains cool to the touch. ASUS G53SX battery charging
Rock out with your clock out
The G73Jh's Core i7-720QM CPU runs, as standard, at a relatively modest 1.6GHz -- the same clock speed as most netbook processors. Don't let this fool you, though -- it's a quad-core monster with the ability to overclock itself dynamically. It can sense when the user requires more performance and increase its clock speed to a mammoth 2.8GHz -- provided the unit is operating in the right temperature and power envelope. Accidentally cover up a vent, for example, and the system may get hotter than normal, limiting its overclocking potential. ASUS G53SW-XT1 battery charging
LENOVO IdeaPad Y570D charger
And the Samsung 550P7C is not the kind of notebook you can sling in a bag and cart around without risking the need to trouble your chiropractor before long. LENOVO IdeaPad Y580 charger
As a desktop replacement, however, it boasts some impressive credentials, including an Ivy Bridge Core i7 CPU rated at 2.3GHz (Turbo Boost 3.3GHz). That all-important screen is LED backlit, measures 17.3in, and crams in 1600 x 900 pixels. It's driven by an nVidia GeForce GT 650M with 2GB of VRAM, which is very capable graphics processor. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570P charger
The display has a matt finish so while not optimal for watching movies, it will please those troubled by glare in a well-lit rooms and offices.
In terms of connecting to the outside world, the Samsung 550P7C has gigabit ethernet, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
There are two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, a three-in-one card reader, and both VGA and HDMI. There's also a Blu-ray/DVD-RW drive. Oh and a pair of JBL-branded speakers with extra bass speaker. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570NT charger
In addition to the huge 1TB hard disk, Samsung has also reserved space inside for a second 2.5in drive, including the required proprietary SATA cable in the packing box.
Given the Samsung 550P7C's core specs and its price, you'd be forgiven for thinking that something has to give somewhere. And you'd be right. That something is build quality. It's not that its flimsy, far from it. But the plastic chassis is very, well, plastic. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570N charger
And while it won't slide easily off your desk, thanks to its 3kg heft and rubber feet, we'd hate to imagine the consequences if it did. We'd expect better of a high-spec laptop.
The keyboard, on the other hand, is lovely. Keys are well-spaced and have enough travel to make typing on it very satisfying. The trackpad is responsive and supports multi-touch gestures such as pinch to zoom – you'll have minutes of fun re-arranging the icons on your desktop with that.
Samsung 550P7C: Performance LENOVO IdeaPad Y570M charger
In our tests the Samsung 550 did rather well. A WorldBench score of 136 points is good for a machine without solid-state storage and at this price is very respectable.
And the MobileMark 2007 Productivity score of over 440 minutes charger life is excellent. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570D charger
In our games tests, the 550 notched up a decent 122fps in FEAR with detail set to Maximum.
In the more challenging Crysis test we recorded rates of 65fps (DirectX 9, 1024 x 768, Low detail) and 39fps (DirectX 10, 1280 x 720, Medium). That puts the 550 some way behind the likes of games-tuned Toshiba's Qosmio X870-11Q and the Alienware M14x – but for a laptop which can be bought for less than £800, it's very respectable.
Audio from the speakers over-emphasised the bass a little too much for our liking, but was an improvement on most laptop speakers, and Blu-ray movies looked great on the large display. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570A charger
This review was revised on 11th Oct 2012 with a more accurate WorldBench figure of 136 points, rather than 121 points, and including details of the storage options.
The Dell Inspiron 17R is a budget desktop replacement laptop, which sounds like it might be an oxymoron. After all, how can a laptop that's meant to replace a desktop be, well, a cheap laptop (listed at £559, to be exact)? LENOVO IdeaPad Y570 charger
Our review model sports an Intel Core i5-3210M processor - a dual-core CPU running at 2.5GHz (3.1GHz in turbo mode) - and a rather small 3MB shared L3 cache. It's also equipped with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD-RW optical drive, and built-in Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The 17.3-inch LCD panel offers 1600 by 900 native resolution, and has discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics. OS chores are handled by the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium. See also Group test: what's the best budget laptop? LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Hybrid charger
Dell Inspiron 17R: Performance
In our WorldBench 7 benchmark tests, the Inspiron 17R scored a below-average 86 out of 100. This means the Inspiron 17R is 14 percent slower than our baseline model, which sports a second-generation Intel i5 desktop processor and 8GB of RAM. This score is particularly low for the desktop replacement category. In fact, it's safe to say that while the Inspiron 17R may look the part of a desktop replacement, given its hulking, 17.3-inch size, it's nowhere near the league of most desktop replacements we've reviewed recently. See also: Laptop Advisor. LENOVO ThinkPad X1 charger
For example, the Alienware M17x R4 scored 146 on WorldBench 7, while the Samsung Series 7 Gamer scored 123. Sure, the Asus G75VW scored just 97, but remember that all three of these laptops are much more impressive than the Dell in ways other than WorldBench 7 performance score. In other tests the Inspiron 17R really showed its weaknesses - it scored 1627 in our office productivity tests, which is nowhere near the 6045 that the category leader, the Origin EON17-S, scored. In our Web performance tests, it managed 13.5 frames per second (the Origin managed 21.3). LENOVO ThinkPad X220i Tablet charger
While the Dell Inspiron 17R's general performance is a little low, graphics performance is decent. The Inspiron 17R has a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card, so expect decent gaming performance. LENOVO ThinkPad X220 Tablet charger
On another positive note, the Inspiron 17R does have slightly better charger life than do most of its competitors. In our charger life tests it managed to eke out 3 hours, 42 minutes, which isn't great, but isn't awful for the desktop replacement category. The last three laptops we tested in the category averaged 3 hours, 39 minutes, and the category leader (the Origin EON17-S) achieved only 2 hours, 33 minutes. LENOVO ThinkPad X220T charger
Dell Inspiron 17R design: chassis, keyboard, trackpad
The Dell Inspiron 17R isn't super-stylish, but it's also not bad-looking for a cheap desktop-replacement-size laptop. Our review model features rounded corners, plastic accents, and a switchable lid, like some other Dell laptops we've recently looked at. The lid features a silver brushed aluminum plate with a shiny finish, but if you flick a switch at the back of the computer the plate snaps out. You can then replace the plate with one of a different color or texture. This is a nice touch if you like to change up your laptop style every once in a while. Lenovo ThinkPad E530 charger
The interior sports a similarly luxe-looking brushed aluminum wrist rest (which is not switchable), as well as a black plastic bezel surrounding the glossy screen. Dell is clearly trying with the fancy aluminum plates, but the rounded corners and plastic edges just make the computer look a little cheap. And, well...it is. Lenovo ThinkPad 570E charger
The Inspiron 17R also has a full-sized keyboard with matte black island-style keys against a shiny black plastic base, as well as a 10-key numeric keypad. The keys are a little small, but are slightly indented to allow for more accurate typing. I found this keyboard one of the more comfortable I've used recently, as the keys are nicely spaced and offer good tactile feedback. They are initially a little stiff, which takes some getting used to, but typing quickly and accurately is easy. Lenovo ThinkPad 570 charger
Above the keyboard are three buttons: a settings button, which opens the Windows Mobility Center; a Waves MAXXAudio button, which lets you toggle through sound presets such as "movie" and "voice"; and a configurable "Instant Launch" button, to which you can assign your desired function. LENOVO ThinkPad Edge E430c charger
A large trackpad with discrete mouse buttons is located below the keyboard, slightly offset to the left. The trackpad is actually a continuation of the brushed-aluminum wrist rest, though it has a slightly rougher texture. The trackpad is large and sensitive, and performs multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling smoothly. The buttons are large, but a little difficult to press as they don't have much tactile feedback. They are pretty, though, and they look like they've been neatly cut out of the aluminum background. The trackpad can be turned off using the Fn F3 key, and a small orange light turns on when the trackpad is disabled. LENOVO ThinkPad Edge E430 charger
Port-wise, the Inspiron 17R is acceptable: four USB 3.0 ports (two on each side), HDMI- and VGA-out ports, and microphone and headphone jacks, plus gigabit ethernet, a lock slot, and a multicard reader. This isn't the greatest port selection I've seen on a desktop replacement, but the USB 3.0 ports on either side of the machine are a nice touch.
Dell Inspiron 17R: Screen and speakers Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E325 charger
The Dell Inspiron 17R sports a 17.3-inch glossy display with a native resolution of 1600 by 900 pixels. While this isn't the best resolution for a 17.3-inch screen, it's not truly awful, either. Other desktop replacements typically have 1920 by 1080 pixel resolutions, but other desktop replacements also cost a lot more than the Inspiron 17R. So you get what you pay for. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E320 charger
Apart from resolution, the Inspiron 17R's screen looks pretty good. It's very bright (almost overwhelmingly so at its brightest setting), so it's good for use outside or in brightly lit areas. Colors look good, if sometimes a little washed out. Images and text look crisp, and off-axis viewing angles are acceptable. The screen isn't too reflective, despite its glossy finish. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E125 charger
Video looks and sounds good on the Inspiron 17R. Integrated graphics issues (such as choppiness and artifacting) aside, HD video runs fairly smoothly. The speakers, which are on the bottom of the computer, near the front, produce loud, full sound. Sound is enhanced with Waves MAXXAudio software, which helps create much louder, deeper audio. The speakers can be a little harsh and tinny at the highest volume setting. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E120 charger
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 delivers serious power at a price that won't break the bank. On the other hand, it might break your back, weighing a hefty 6.2 pounds (not including accessories). But for comfort-be-damned power users, the Y580 will be well worth its £849 price. See Group test: what's the best laptop? LENOVO ThinkPad T430si charger
While it is heavy, it somehow manages to be not too bulky. The dimensions are 15.2 inches wide by 10 inches deep by 1.5 inches high. Its size and weight can be easily forgiven when you learn how well equipped it is. See all mid-range laptop reviews.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y580: Performance LENOVO ThinkPad T430s charger
Its speedy Intel Core i7-3610QM processor runs at a standard 2.3GHz, but Intel's Max Turbo Frequency technology kicks it up to 3.3GHz when put under strain. The Y580 scored a 108 on our rigorous Worldbench 7 benchmark suite. This makes it about 8 percent faster than our fully equipped desktop baseline system. Lenovo also provides 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM. This machine has plenty of speed and power for any application. Take a look at the Toshiba Satellite Z930 Ultrabook review too. LENOVO ThinkPad T530 charger
The Y580 also delivered a strong performance in our graphics/gaming benchmarks, thanks to the presence of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M GPU.To push the system to the brink, we ran DiRT 3 and Crysis 2 at the display's maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, with the games' graphics set on Ultra. Read our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review also. LENOVO ThinkPad T430 charger
The Y580 pulled 29.2 frames per second on DiRT 3 and 20.5 fps on Crysis 2. While that is barely playable, LENOVO IdeaPad V370G charger those are respectable numbers at the Ultra settings. When we dropped the settings down to High, DiRT 3 hit the coveted 60 fps mark (reaching an average of 61.1). Crysis 2 didn't become playable at that setting until we dropped the game's resolution to 800 by 600 pixels (at which point it averaged 80.1 fps). When we set the graphics quality to Low, the Y580 was able to hit 75.5 frames per second with 1366-by-768 resolution. LENOVO IdeaPad V370P charger
Lenovo IdeaPad Y580: Display and design
It's rare to see a lower-priced laptop sporting such a high-definition display. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit screen is pretty and not overly glossy, but it does throw a mean reflection at certain angles. LENOVO IdeaPad V370A charger
Lenovo pulled out all the stops with this machine, and the company made great strides turning it into a decent hybrid of gaming laptop and media machine. While so many laptops are foregoing optical drives to save space, weight, and money, LENOVO IdeaPad V370 charger Lenovo threw in a Blu-ray drive to render the Y580 capable of showing high-definition movies. The Y580's design is sleek but simple: It looks like a true power machine, but one that's free of flashy lights and garish decals. The wide, backlit keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is smooth and easy to use. I rarely have nice things to say about touchpads, since any plug-in mouse will be vastly superior, but this one's size and smooth, glass-like texture obviate any hassle in use. LENOVO V370P charger
Lenovo IdeaPad Y580: Ports aplenty
The Y580 also has plenty of speedy ports and features. On the left side are ports for VGA, HDMI, and gigabit ethernet, plus a pair of USB 3.0 ports. On the right is a third USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0, the usual headphone and microphone ports, and the aforementioned Blu-ray drive. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Intel's WiDi technology (for wireless audio and video streaming to a compatible monitor or HDTV). LENOVO V370G charger
Making use of Intel's Smart Response Technology, Lenovo configured a 64GB SSD to operate as cache for a higher-capacity (but much slower) 1TB, 5400-rpm mechanical drive. This configuration allows the system both to start up faster (boot time is just 21.7 seconds) and to run storage-intensive tasks much faster. A high-definition (720p), 1.0-megapixel webcam is built into the Y580's display bezel, and Lenovo bundles some fun recording software, as well. LENOVO V370A charger
With all its powerful components, it's no wonder that the Y580 falls short on our charger test: It delivered a little less than 4.5 hours of use, a significantly shorter life than what other notebooks we've tested recently have delivered. That might be enough juice to get light users through the day, but you won't want to travel far without a heavy power adapter nearby; there's a good chance you'll need it. LENOVO V370 charger
If you're looking for an even better deal, Lenovo's IdeaPad U410 scored a whopping 117 on our Worldbench 7 benchmark, and it's pretty cheap. True, the processor and graphics card powering the U410 are a little weaker than what you'll find in the Y580, LENOVO IdeaPad B570G charger and you'll give up the Blu-ray drive and the beautiful 1920-by-1080 display (the U410's maximum resolution is 1366 by 768 pixels). The flip side of these compromises is that the U410 outlasted the Y580's charger by an hour, and it consumed far less power while plugged in, too. If you're looking for a mean green machine, and you don't plan on playing hard-core games, the U410 would be a great choice—and it costs about £200 less than the Y580. LENOVO IdeaPad B570A charger
With a maximum thickness that barely approaches 17mm and a weight that's only just over 1.1kg, the 13.3in Toshiba Satellite Z930 is clearly one of the shining examples of what conventional Ultrabooks can and should be. It also packs a great amount of power within its thin chassis, thanks to a third generation Intel Core i5 CPU and a fast solid state drive, and it doesn't sacrifice much when it comes to connectivity. See: more ultraportable reviews. LENOVO IdeaPad B570 charger
Physically, the Satellite Z930 is similar to the Portege Z930 that we have already reviewed, with the main difference being the screen on the Satellite, which is glossy rather than matte, and also the lack of a SIM card slot on the side. The Portege is a business model equipped with a vPro chip that allows it to be more easily managed when rolled out in a corporate setting, and it also features biometric security and TPM. The Satellite is a consumer model and lacks those management and security features, but for anyone who doesn't need those features and who values great portability, it represents great value. See also Group test: what's the best ultrabook laptop? LENOVO B570G charger
We spent a lot of time with the Satellite Z930 during our test period and used it extensively on a day-to-day basis. It's the type of Ultrabook which, at first, can feel a little bit uncomfortable due to its shallow keyboard (the chassis is only 10mm thick on it's own after all), but the more we used it, the more we comfortable we got with it. In fact, we found it a rather pleasant Ultrabook to use for prolonged periods of typing, whether on a sturdy desk on our lap. Visit Asus Zenbook UX21E-DH52. LENOVO B570A charger
The keyboard has a chiclet style layout with keys that are 15mm wide and very soft to hit. As mentioned, they don't have much travel, but after a while you get used to them and they start to feel quite comfortable. We like the fact that it's a backlit keyboard, which can be always-on or controlled by a timer. It's great for typing in any sorts of dark environments. See also Lenovo IdeaPad U300s-1080. LENOVO B570 charger
Furthermore, the light weight of the Satellite Z930 allows you to use it on your lap with ease — and it's so light you can easily lift it and hold it up with one hand while you fiddle with your belongings or change position in your seat (if taking notes during a presentation, for example). The fan in the chassis doesn't make any noticeable noise when the Ultrabook is used for document creation, basic Web browsing and photo viewing. It does spin very quickly and makes a noticeable rushing sound when the CPU or graphics processors need to work at their maximum load for a while. LENOVO IdeaPad G470G charger
We don't think that the screen on the Satellite Z930 is great, primarily because it has a glossy finish that can reflect light sources behind you, and also because it has vertical angles that are narrow. However, once we found the sweet spot viewing angle, it was a fine screen on which to consume photos, LENOVO IdeaPad G470AH charger videos and documents. It's a bright screen that can be seen relatively easily in all sorts of well-lit environments; at the same time it's brightness can be manually turned down to a comfortably low viewing level in dark environments. However, a low brightness level combined with an illuminated keyboard backlight means you can sometimes see key reflections in the screen while using the notebook at night. LENOVO IdeaPad G470A charger
The touchpad is 85x50mm in size and has separate left- and right-click buttons rather than featuring a clickpad style with the buttons housed underneath the pad itself. It's a touchpad that was mostly responsive during our test period, and it performed multi-finger gestures such as two-finger scrolling and three-finger flicks without us having to repeat ourselves. The texture of the pad is a little too resistive for out liking — we would prefer a much smoother finish, and the left- and right-click keys are not the easiest to use because of the way they are set in the chassis; for example, they can be quite difficult to press with your thumb while trying to perform one-handed right-click-and-drag operations. LENOVO IdeaPad G470 charger
Even though it's such a thin and light Ultrabook, it doesn't feel compromised when it comes to build quality. The chassis is sturdily constructed and doesn't bend when you handle the Ultrabook with one hand from either corner; the screen itself is only about 4mm thick, designed to flex a little, and is held by hinges that are smooth and not overly stiff. In fact, the screen does sometimes have a tendency to lean forward on its own if you move the chassis up and down with reasonable force — for example, when picking up the unit after using it in your lap. LENOVO G470G charger
It's worth noting that because the screen is so thin and flexible, you shouldn't place any pressure on top of the notebook while the lid is closed — you could end up with an ever-so-slight keyboard outline on the screen's glossy finish if you do. Furthermore, the finish on the lid and chassis can be tarnished if you regularly carry around the Satellite in a backpack in between books, for example, without placing in a protective sleeve. LENOVO G470AH charger
Toshiba Satellite Z930: Features
The majority of the Satellite's ports are located along the spine of the chassis. LENOVO G470A charger These include Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, a full-sized HDMI port, a VGA port and the power port. We like the location of these ports, which are convenient when using the laptop on a desk setting to access a wired network and a bigger display. However, we would have liked the USB 2.0 ports to be USB 3.0 ports instead. The sole USB 3.0 port on the Satellite is located on the right side just next to the cable lock facility. The left side has separate headphone and microphone ports, as well as an SD card slot. LENOVO G470 charger
On the inside, you get a webcam, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi is an Atheros AR9485WB-EG module, which only supports single-band operation. We would have preferred an Intel Centrino chip with dual-band radios and WiDi support, but if you don't have requirements for dual-band or WiDi, then the Atheros chip will be just fine. LENOVO s270 charger
Toshiba Satellite Z930: Performance
When it comes to performance, the Satellite Z930 won't be a disappointment. LENOVO s230 charger It features an Intel Core i5-3317U processor that includes Intel HD 4000 graphics, and you get a generous 6GB of RAM to go along with it. Additionally, storage is provided by a 128GB solid state drive that proved to be very fast in our tests. It's safe to say that for typical office work (think word processing, presentation creation, spreadsheets and Web browsing), as well as photo editing, multimedia viewing and chatting, the Satellite won't let you down. It will even be able to perform tougher tasks such as video encoding and a limited amount of editing if you let it — even though it's not really designed to work hard for long periods of time. LENOVO s220 charger
In our Blender 3D and iTunes MP3 encoding tests, respective times of 49sec and 57sec were recorded. These times compare favourably against other Core i5-3317U Ultrabooks, such as Toshiba's own U840W and also HP's Envy Spectre XT. In our AutoGordianKnot test, where we convert a DVD file into an Xvid file, the Satellite's time of 56min shows how capable it is of performing tougher tasks — anything under one hour in this test is a very good result. LENOVO S280 charger
The integrated graphics of the Satellite Z930 performed well in 3DMark06, where a score of 5207 was recorded. It will be able to supply more than adequate power for presentation software, image editing and even a little bit of gaming, depending on the games you play (you won't be able to run the latest first-person shooters, for example). The graphics drive the screen's native 1366x768-pixel resolution, but can also be used to output Full HD video through the HDMI port. There is also an analogue video output if you only have older monitors or projectors to hand. LENOVO S260 charger
A 128GB solid state drive takes care of the storage needs for the Satellite Z930, and it's very fast. In CrystalDiskMark, it recorded a read rate of 474 megabytes per second (MBps) and a write rate of 236MBps. These results are just shy of the performance shown by the Portege Z930's solid state drive; however, in our own file duplication tests, the Satellite averaged much faster performance than the Portege, recording a rate of 174.5MBps compared to 137MBps. This is even faster than the previous fastest laptop in this test, the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. LENOVO S200 charger
During everyday workloads, the Satellite Z930 felt very responsive, whether we were opening applications, LENOVO ThinkPad X230 Tablet charger multitasking or copying files. Its resume time from sleep was just shy of 3sec and it was immediately connected to our wireless network by the time we got to the Desktop. Cold boot time was a mere 16sec. The only thing that diminished the overall user experience was the amount of third-party software that was preinstalled on our test model, including Clickfree Backup, Norton Internet Security and Splashtop Streamer, all of which, at one time or another, required user intervention to get rid of pop-ups and registration notices.
Toshiba Satellite Z930: charger life LENOVO ThinkPad X230Tablet charger
We tested the charger life of the Satellite Z930 using our standard rundown test, in which we disable power management, maximise screen brightness, enable Wi-Fi and loop an Xvid-encoded video until the unit can run no longer. The Z930 lasted 3hr 13min in this test, which is a result that's lower than the average for Ultrabooks, and even non-Ultrabooks with 13-inch screens. The Portege Z930, for example, lasted 4hr in this test. LENOVO ThinkPad X230T charger
When using the Z930 during a typical work day, with Wi-Fi enabled, the screen brightness at medium and running word processing and Web browsing tasks, we got over 4hr 30min out of it before having to reach for a power point. How long you get out of it will depend on your workload and configuration settings. LENOVO ThinkPad X230T charger
Toshiba Satellite Z930: Conclusion
Despite the lower than average charger life, the Satellite Z930 proved itself to be one of the best Ultrabooks on the market, mainly due to its light weight, slim design and great overall performance. We found it to be comfortable to use once we got accustomed to its keyboard and screen viewing angles and think it's a great model to consider if you want something highly portable to carry with you on a daily basis. With a street price that is sometimes lower than £799, it's also a great deal. LENOVO ThinkPad X230 Hybrid charger
One of the advantages of the dizzying progress of computer technology is that a good deal of power can be bought for very little. The Toshiba Satellite Pro L850-11U might lack the all-round showmanship of Acer's budget fare, but it's still a solid laptop. ThinkPad X230i charger
adapter LG LW20
Neben der gestiegenen Leistung punkten die neuen 3D-Transitoren der Intel-Ivy-Bridge-Prozessoren auch bei den Verbrauchswerten. adapter LG LW20-32DK Vor allem bei mobilen Endgeräten ist die Akkulaufzeit häufig ein kaufentscheidendes Kriterium. Im Office-Betrieb verbraucht das Testgerät zwischen 5,2 und 10,6 Watt. Diese Spanne liegt im Klassenvergleich im grünen Bereich. Unter Last steigt der Verbrauch natürlich an, wobei der Spitzenwert von 37,7 Watt ebenfalls unauffällig für diese Konfiguration ist. Summa summarum sind das gute Voraussetzungen für die folgenden Messungen. Dem Verbrauch steht ein Lithium-Polymer-Akku mit einer Kapazität von 44 Wattstunden (5880 mAh) gegenüber. Dieser befindet sich unter der Handballenauflage und ist aufgrund der schlanken Bauform fest integriert. adapter LG LW20-2DDG
Den Anfang der drei Messungen macht der Classic Test vom Tool Battery Eater. adapter LG LW20-1777 Dabei wird das System bei maximaler Bildschirmhelligkeit, aktivierten Funktechnologien und Hochleistungsprofil belastet. Nach 133 Minuten ist die gesamte Kapazität aufgebraucht. Das 900X3B erreichte im Vergleich nur 105 Minuten (-21 %). Das andere Extrem stellt der Reader's Test dar: Hier wird das Lesen eines Textdokuments bei minimaler Bildschirmhelligkeit, deaktivierten Funktechnologien und stromsparendem Leistungsprofil nachgestellt. Das Resultat ist eine überzeugende Laufzeit von 11 Stunden und 31 Minuten. In diesem Test muss sich der Vorgänger mit nur 7 Stunden und 58 Minuten deutlicher geschlagen geben (-31 %). adapter LG LW20-1757
Ein realistische Messung, die die Nutzung im Alltag simuliert, heißt "Surfen über WLAN". adapter LG LW20-1555 Bei einer genormten Bildschirmhelligkeit von 150 cd/m² wird alle 40 Sekunden eine neue Internetseite über ein Skript angesteuert. Bluetooth ist dabei deaktiviert und das Leistungsprofil "Ausbalanciert" ausgewählt. Das Testgerät erreicht in diesem Szenario ein gutes Ergebnis von 6 Stunden und 47 Minuten (407 Minuten). Das Samsung Serie 9 900X3B, das Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A und das Apple MacBook Air 13 Mid 2012 erreichen hier nur 296 (-27 %), 282 (-31 %) beziehungsweise 363 Minuten (-11 %). In diesem Bereich kann die überarbeitete Serie 9 auf ganzer Linie überzeugen. adapter LG LW20-1333
Das mit frischer Hardware bestückte Samsung Serie 9 900X3C-A04DE hinterlässt einen positiven Eindruck. adapter LG LW20-12DU1 Das Gehäuse weiß weiterhin zu überzeugen, das matte PLS-Display mit einer Auflösung von 1600 x 900 Pixel ist fast perfekt, die Eingabegeräte sind angenehm gestaltet und die Laufzeiten können sich sehen lassen. Der verwendete Intel Core i7-3517U Dual-Core-Prozessor samt integrierter Grafik bietet eine gute Anwendungsleistung, wobei ein Umstieg vom direkten Vorgänger mit gleichem Gehäuse wohl kaum lohnt. Die Kehrseite eines Hardware-Refreshs ohne weitere Anpassungen zeigt sich bei den Emissionen. Unter Last sind die Lüfter immer noch deutlich zu hören und die Oberflächentemperaturen fallen im Vergleich zum Vorgänger etwas höher aus. adapter LG LW20 Express
Abseits der aktuellen Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten fällt der Schnittstellenumfang weiterhin überschaubar aus. Aus Sicht der Usability machen uns der schwer zugängliche Kartenleser und die im Liferumfang fehlenden Adapter für VGA und HDMI Kummer. Die Reinigung der zwei Gehäuselüfter ist simpel. Auf der anderen Seite ist die Erweiterbarkeit des Systems stark eingeschränkt. adapter LG LW20
Insgesamt können wir beim Samsung 900X3C von einem gelungenen Gerät sprechen, das sich momentan mit nur zwei starken Gegenspielern im Bereich der Premium-Subnotebooks messen muss. Der Preis von 1.500 Euro ist in diesem Fall sicher gerechtfertigt, wenngleich diese Preislage sicherlich nicht für jeden in Frage kommt. adapter LG F1-2K25A9
Es gibt viel zu tun und das Thinkpad L430 von Lenovo soll hierfür das ideale Gerät sein. adapter LG F1-2ARNV Features wie der eingebaute Fingerabdruck-Scanner oder die alternative Maus-Steuerung mit dem TrackPoint in der Mitte der Tastatur sind mittlerweile Standard bei den Laptops der Serie. Kein Wunder also, dass das L430 in Design und Funktion seinem Vorgänger Lenovo L420 enorm ähnelt. Ob hier Konkurrenten wie das Dell Vostro 3460, das Lenovo ThinkPad Edge s430 oder der Acer Travelmate p643 abgehängt werden können, wollen wir hier testen. adapter LG F1-2AE9G
"Klassisch" darf man das Aussehen des L430 nennen, wenn man ihm wohlgesonnen ist. Kritischer wäre "veraltet" - eine Meinung, die durchaus nachvollziehbar ist. Der dicke Rahmen um den Monitor, das dunkle Plastik und die schnörkellose Form könnten von einem Notebook von vor 10 Jahren stammen. adapter LG F1-2A4GY
Derart kritisch kann man die Verarbeitung des Gehäuses jedoch nicht abwerten - keine Fugen, ein straffer Monitor, der beim Verstellen nicht wackelt und sich formschön schließen lässt. Eine Kerbe an der Vorderseite vereinfacht das Öffnen. adapter LG F1-2A3GY
Der Akku ist durch einen Einrast-Mechanismus gesichert und das Innenleben ist nur zwei Schrauben weit entfernt. Direkt an der Unterseite findet sich auch der Anschluss für eine Docking-Station wieder. adapter LG F1-2A36A
Leider ist das dunkle Plastik sehr anfällig für Fingerabdrücke. Diese lassen sich ebenso schwer entfernen, wie sie leicht auf das Gehäuse kommen. Das Gerät macht klar: Es möchte nicht hübsch, sondern solide sein. Insgesamt ist das Notebook nämlich sehr stabil verarbeitet. Akku SA5KX08FL
Die gebotenen Anschlüsse sind gut platziert, so findet man auf beiden Seite USB-Anschlüsse, einer davon sogar Powered USB 2.0. Wenn man sich - wie bei unserem Modell - gegen einen Slot für die Express Card entscheidet, findet man an dessen Stelle solides Plastik vor. Statt einem HDMI-Anschluss gibt es einen Mini DisplayPort wie bei Apple-Geräten. Für die Verbindung via DisplayPort oder HDMI muss also ein Adapter her. Akku SA5KX08AL
Als etwas knifflig erweist sich auch der Umgang mit dem 4-in-1-Kartenleser auf der rechten Seite des Gerätes. Die Speicherkarten müssen recht weit in den Slot hinein geschoben werden. Wegen dem starken Wiederstand werden Grobmotoriker wohl oft mehr als einen Anlauf benötigen, bis die Speicherkarte in dem Gerät ist. Akku SA5KL08F
Schwer erreichbar positioniert sind Gbit-Ethernet und Stromkabel-Schluss. Diese befinden sich an der Hinterseite. Hier sind wohl Desktop- und Dockingstation-Benutzer die Zielgruppe des Layouts. Akku SA5KL08A
Kommunikation
Über dem Bildschirm liegt die ThinkVantage Virtual Camera mit 5 Megapixel. Videoaufnahmen mit einer 720p-Auflösung sind damit möglich. Dank Facetracking wird stets ein stabiles Bild geliefert. Akku SA1F00KS
Aufnahmen mit dem Mikrofon sind selbst dann noch brauchbar, wenn man weiter vom Gerät entfernt spricht. Lediglich dann, wenn man die Position mehrfach ändert, kommt die automatische Lautstärkenanpassung nur schwer hinterher. Akku SA1F00KHC
Neben dem Realktek Ethernet Adapter (mit Anschluss an der Rückseite des Gerätes) sorgt ein 1x1 WLAN-Adapter für kabellose Verbindungen mit Geschwindigkeiten von bis zu 72 Mbit/s. Akku SA1F00KH
Sicherheit
Physikalisch kann das Notebook mit einem Kensington Lock gesichert werden. Der Anschluss für die Kette befindet sich hinten an der rechten Seite des Gerätes. Um die Daten auf dem L430 zu sichern, bietet sich der Fingerprint Reader an. Akku SA1F00B
Softwareseitig ist das ThinkVantage-Paket vorinstalliert. Dieses beinhaltet nicht nur einen Desktop-Ersatz, welcher vom Aufbau her Windows 8 nahe kommt sondern auch Kontrollprogramme für Energieoptionen und Verbindungen und eine Recovery-Partition auf der Festplatte. Adapter GATEWAY M250
Wartung
Zwei Schrauben gelöst, den Widerstand der Klemmen überwunden und schon ist der Deckel an der Unterseite entfernt. So sind Festplatte und ein leerer Slot für zusätzlichen Arbeitsspeicher leicht zugänglich. Der Lüfter hingegen verbirgt sich in einem Eck des Gehäuses, welches nicht so einfach erreichbar ist. Adapter GATEWAY M210
Garantie
Grundsätzlich gibt es 12 Monate Garantie, die sich - abhängig von dem genauen Gerätetyp - auf bis zu 5 Jahre verlängern lassen können. In diesem konkreten Fall kostet die Verlängerung mit dem vollen Servicepaket (Support vor Ort, die Festplatte bleibt beim Besitzer des Gerätes) 221 Euro. Wer sich mit weniger zufrieden gibt, kann die gleiche Versicherungsdauer auch um 178 Euro haben. Adapter GATEWAY 3610GZ
Tastatur
Da das L430 ein Arbeitsgerät ist, erwartet man auch eine benutzerfreundliche Bedienung - und man wird nicht enttäuscht. Die 19 x 19 Millimeter großen Tasten sind leicht nach innen gewölbt und bieten einen idealen Druckpunkt. Zwischen den einzelnen Tasten sind im Gegensatz zum Vorgänger l420 Leerräume - hier ließ man sich doch auf einen Design-Trend ein. Auch die blaue Enter-Taste ist aus dem Gesamtbild verschwunden. Adapter GATEWAY 3550GZ
Etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig für ThinkPad-Neulinge: Die Control- und Funktionstaste tauschen bei diesen Geräten den Platz. Links unten finden wir also die Fn- und rechts daneben die Strg-Taste. Adapter GATEWAY 3550GH
Touchpad
Mausbedienung im Doppelpack: Neben dem klassischen Touchpad sind die Geräte dieser Serie auch für den "TrackPoint-Stift" bekannt - das ist der rote Knopf zwischen dem G und dem H auf der Tastatur. Adapter GATEWAY 3545GZ
Die Oberfläche des Touchpad ist mit kleinen Punkten versehen, was für ein leicht raues Gefühl bei der Berührung sorgt. Das Fahren über die Oberfläche sorgt somit für ein haptisches Feedback. Wirklich groß ist das Touchpad mit 76 x 45 Millimetern (87 Millimeter Diagonale) jedoch nicht. Dafür kann es mit Multitouchgesten punkten. Die Maustasten sind leicht abgerundet und bieten nur wenig Widerstand. Auch das Klick-Geräusch beschränkt sich zugunsten eines ruhigen Arbeitsplatzes auf ein Minimum. Adapter GATEWAY 3525GB
Direkt über dem Touchpad sind (auf Kosten von dessen Größe) die drei Tasten des TrackPoint positioniert. Der kleine rote Punkt in der Mitte der Tastatur besteht aus griffigem Gummi, was eine präzise Bedienung ermöglicht. Die Mausknöpfe machen sich direkt unter der Leertaste groß - praktisch für die schnelle Bedienung. Im Gegensatz zum Vorgänger wurde hier das Design der Knöpfe leicht geändert, das grundsätzliche Konzept bleibt jedoch gleich. Adapter GATEWAY 3522GZ
Das 16:9 Display ist 14 Zoll groß und von einem dicken Rahmen umrandet. Bei einer Auflösung von 1600 x 900 Pixeln kommt es auf eine Pixeldichte von 131 dpi. Damit hat es die gleiche Auflösung wie das T430 und somit mehr als die gängige Konkurrenz. Adapter GATEWAY 3520GZ
Wem die Schriftgröße bei deser Pixeldichte zu klein wird, der kann das L430 auch mit einem weniger hochwertigen 14-Zoll-Display (Auflösung: 1366 x 768 Pixel) ordern. Erwähnenswert: Der Bildschirm lässt sich 180 Grad weit öffnen. Adapter GATEWAY 3040GZ
Der Hersteller führt das hier eingebaute Display mit einer Helligkeit von 250 cd/m2 an - unsere Messungen überbieten diesen Richtwert mit bis zu 300 cd/m2. Das ist im direkten Vergleich zu den Konkurrenz-Geräten (wie das Dell Vostro 3460 oder der Acer TravelMate P643) ein absoluter Spitzenwert. Sogar das teurere Thinkpad T430 aus dem eigenen Hause wird somit geschlagen. Adapter GATEWAY 3018GZ
Asus Eee PC 4G Surf charger
The chosen forms are simple, so, they contribute to the L40's worthy appearance. However, the construction of the case, the lid, and the front edge, make it easy to have the L40 pegged as Toshiba notebook. For those who are not really insiders, there's also a highly visible logo on the lid. Asus Eee PC 2G Surf charger
The plastic look and feel of the case when using the notebook is also distinctive. The haptics are rather moderate, however, the potential buyers of the Satellite L40-14N won't really mind. However, the L40's case still seems to be passably robust. Asus Eee PC 4G charger
The flexural rigidity and pressure resistance of the case is alright. So, basically using plastics was regarding these aspects unproblematic. Considering the low price, also the workmanship is alright. The only weakness is the slightly wobbling DVD tray. Asus Eee PC 4G Surf charger
The display also left a good impression. Its flexural rigidity is also passable and its pressure resistance is good. Also the hinges appear to be robust and keep the display's position without problems. A ramshorn hook keeps the Toshiba Satellite L40 closed during transportation. Asus Eee PC 701 charger
The provided ports are user-friendly located near the back of the flanks and at the back side of the notebook. However, only the most important interface are provided: Three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out for connecting an external screen or beamer, modem, and LAN (10/100 Mbit) , and two 3.5mm jacks for microphone respectively headphones. Asus Eee PC 8G charger
The keyboard comes with a typical Toshiba layout. The size of the keys is standard and the enter key extends over two rows. Despite it is not obviously structured the keyboard is user-friendly.The key feedback is rather clear. However, in practice, typing feels a little rickety, because the side lead of the keys is obviously too low. Asus Eee PC 900 charger
On the one hand the surface of the touch pad is user-friendly and the touch pad allows a precise navigation. However, its position is rather low compared to the case. Also its buttons could not really convince. It was cumbersome to use them and their clicking noise was rather loud and nasty. Neither the horizontal nor the vertical scroll regions are visually labeled. Asus Eee PC 700 charger
The Toshiba Satellite L40-14N does not provide any hot keys. There's only a switch for enabling/disabling the wireless communication at the front edge. All other options, e.g., volume control, have to be configured via standard keyboard by means of FN keys. Asus Eee PC 1015 charger
The display is rather untypical for the consumer market. Its a display with widespread WXGA resolution that is 1280x800 pixels, however, its surface is matte. So, it hardly reflects. Asus Eee PC 1015P charger
Also, the brightness of the screen is overall positive. Brightness levels of a maximum of 210.7 cd/m² measured in the left bottom region and a also still passable average brightness of 180 cd/m² are alright. However, the illumination of the panel is only 75%, because the brightness diminishes in the upper corners. Asus Eee PC 1015PE charger
Because of the matte display and its passable brightness, the screen of the Toshiba Satellite L40-14N should also be reasonably fit for outdoor usage. Although the brightness could be a little bit higher in this aspect, the non-reflecting surface nonetheless allows trouble-free work even when the light conditions are only moderate. Asus Eee PC 1016 charger
Rather narrow viewing angles are a weakness of the provided screen. Vertically, you'll face whitening respectively darkening if your viewing angle even only slightly deviates from the ideal. Horizontally, there is a clear contrast loss. Asus Eee PC 1016P charger
While many notebooks are nowadays equipped with Core 2 Duo CPUs, the technical specification of the Toshiba L40-14N lists a Dual-Core CPU with a clock rate of 1.46 GHz, which is a rather low rank CPU today. Although the T2310 CPU is based on Core 2 Duo CPUs (including 64 Bit support), it is only equipped with 1MB L2 Cache. Though the clock rate of the CPU is rather low, it benefits from the dual core technology inherent to dual core processors, which unites good performance and low energy demand. Asus Eee PC 1215 charger
Particularly with regard to the CPU, the Intel GMA X3100, an integrated video chip, is appropriate. Although it is not equipped with dedicated memory, it can dynamically use up to 358MB of RAM, if the laptop is equipped with at least 2GB RAM. However, the reviewed notebook was only equipped with 1GB RAM, so, less memory can be allocated for video processing. Asus Eee PC 1215N charger
This is also the primary disadvantage of the Satellite L40-14N. The pre-installed, memory demanding Windows Vista operating system uses already most of the available RAM. Furthermore, also the integrated video chip needs a part of the RAM. So, only little RAM is available for applications, which can worsen the performance. EPC 1015 charger
Therefore, we would highly recommend a memory upgrade, so that the notebook is equipped with a total of 2GB RAM. Due to a maintenance opening at the bottom side, it is easy to change memory modules. However, you'll need to buy two new 1GB modules, because there are only two slots and these are already occupied by two 512MB RAM modules. EPC 1015P charger
If you consider a CPU upgrade, there are not many options available. The Intel GL960 express notebook chip set supports only up to 533 Mhz FSB processors. So, most of the up-to-date Core 2 Duo CPUs (with 667MHz) cannot be used. EPC 1015PE charger
The Toshiba Satellite L40-14N is a typical notebook for text processing, browsing the Internet, watching movies, and listening to music. The performance is adequate for these purpose. If you focus on better performance, you should definitely consider upgrading RAM and CPU. EPC 1016 charger
During our review the Toshiba Satellite L40 was rather quiet without load (idle mode) and it's noise emissions stayed low during text processing and browsing the Internet via WLAN. The built-in hard disk was also hardly audible. Although the fan sped up under load, the noise level got never annoying. EPC 1016P charger
Although the maximum temperature was as high as 43.4°C at the bottom side, this is still alright. The top side stayed very cool. The maximum temperature of 36.8°C was measured near the back. EPC 1215 charger
The two speakers are left and right at the front edge of the base unit. Their sound is rather passable. Compared to other office notebooks even the basses are acceptable. Overall, the speakers are fit for rather good music playback. Asus Eee PC 1015B charger
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The Toshiba Satellite L40-14N is equipped with a lithium ions battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh (43Wh). The measured runtime in battery mode ranges from about 80 minutes under load to a maximum of about 3 hours at minimum energy demand. Asus Eee PC 1015P charger
Overall mobility is to some extent feasible. You can expect that the battery runtime will range from two to two and a half hour in practice. Asus Eee PC 1015PD charger
The Toshiba Satellite L40-14N is an office notebook whose equipment is kept to a minimum. It is able to comply with minimum demands, but, its main advantage is the low price.The L40-14N's case is decent. The workmanship is also good. Despite plastic is used at the surface parts, the stability of the case is convincing. Asus Eee PC 1015PDG charger
In general the keyboard is alright. However, during typing we found that some keys wobble and clatter little bit. We did not like the touch pad buttons, because to much force is needed to use them and, furthermore, their clicking noise is too loud. Asus Eee PC 1015PDT charger
We were pleased that the display has a matte and non-reflecting surface. Typically only business notebooks provide such a display. The measured brightness was also alright. The weakness of this panel is basically its narrow viewing angles, which could perhaps cause problems during mobile use. Asus Eee PC 1015PE charger
Regarding performance the Toshiba L40-14N is equipped for office work and adequate for these demands. However, there are hardly any reserve capacities. Especially the available RAM can soon turn out to be a real bottleneck. Asus Eee PC 1015PEB charger
The Toshiba L40 scores points regarding emissions. It is very quiet in idle mode and also the surface temperature stays within admissible range.The battery runtime ranges from a little above one hour under load to a maximum of 3 hours. Though limited, a mobile use of the L40 is possible. Asus Eee PC 1015PED charger
Fujitsu-Siemens (FSC) presents an about 1.8 kg light, portable, and powerful 13.3 inch notebook of the ultra-portable subnotebook class, the Lifebook S6410. Due to compact dimensions, i.e. 31,3 x 23,3 x 2,4 to 3,5 centimeters, it is easy to transport it in standard bags. Available for about 1,650 Euro, the Lifebook S6410 is ex factory delivered with further accessories, like a convenient notebook bag and a cable for modem connection. Asus Eee PC 1015PEG charger
Even optical recovery data media for the operating systems Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business, and CDs for Nero 7 Essentials, a burning and media software, and the business-bundle, value4you business suite (Corel WordPerfect Office X3, Babylon 6 – translation @ a click, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0) are included. Asus Eee PC 1015PEM charger
Beyond doubt an eye-catcher: The razor-thin lid of the Lifebook S6410 attracts attention at once. Despite of the very thin design, its stability is amazing, however, its pressure resistance and flexural rigidity are due to the construction method limited. Clear interference of the display can be provoked by pressing ones finger even slightly more forceful in the center of the lid or in the upper LCD-frame. So, you should take care that nothing hard bears against the lid, if you transport it in the supplied bag. Asus Eee PC 1015PN charger
Fujitsu-siemens S26391-F405-L810
sAuch im Bereich der Akkulaufzeit ordnet sich das UX32A in den erwarteten Zielbereich von Zenbooks ein. Der 45,6-Wh-Akku hält im extremsten Fall (minimale Displayhelligkeit, deaktivierte Drahtloskonnektivität, Energiesparmodus) 8 h 54 min durch. Das könnte für User interessant sein, die auf langen Zugfahrten ohne Stromversorgung auskommen müssen und dabei ein E-Book lesen wollen. Fujitsu-siemens S26391-F405-L810
In unserem standardisierten WLAN-Surfing-Test erreicht das Zenbook bei dritthöchster Helligkeit (ca. 150 cd/m²) im Energiesparmodus eine Gesamtlaufzeit von 4 h 22 min, positioniert sich dabei im Bereich des Ideapad U310 (4 h 17 min) und vorm Aspire S3 (3 h 58 min) sowie Fujitsus Lifebook UH572 (3 h 17 min). Der Klassenführer der Ultrabooks ist das 13-Zoll-Macbook-Air mit 6 h Laufzeit - im günstigen Preissegment erreicht das HP Folio 13 mit mehr als 5 h die Bestleistung. Fujitsu S26391-F518-L200
Bei Belastung und maximaler Leistungseinstellung sowie hellster eingestellter Hintergrundbeleuchtung triumphiert unser Testgerät im BatteryEater Classic mit 2 h 46 min über die Konkurrenz der verglichenen Ultrabooks. Diese geben hier allesamt etwa eine Stunde früher auf. Ultrabook-Liebhaber bekommen also gute Mobilität spendiert. Fujitsu FPCBP251
Man bietet dem Kunden für diese Preisklasse ohne Frage viel Luxus. Fujitsu FPCBP233AP Das flache, sehr schön verarbeitete und stabile Gehäuse ist zwar kein Unibody-Gehäuse, wie im UX31A, dafür eines aus Alu-/ Kunststoffverbund, welches genauso vom UX32VD übernommen wurde, wie etwa die exzellenten Lautsprecher von Bang & Olufsen oder aber das ausgeklügelte, leise Kühlsystem mit gleich 2 Heatpipes und 2 Lüftern. Das 13-Zoll-TN-Panel bietet überraschend gute Kontraste (ermöglicht durch einen guten Schwarzwert) und ausreichende Blickwinkelstabilität. 250 cd/m² sollten in Verknüpfung mit der soliden Akkulaufzeit von über 4 Stunden alle Ultrabookfans beruhigen - ja, ein außentaugliches, mobiles und doch günstiges Ultrabook ist möglich! Fujitsu FPCBP233
Bei all den gebotenen Premiumfeatures musste also Asus irgendwo anders sparen. So wird hier mit dem Core i3-2367M (2x 1,4 GHz) nicht nur ein vergleichsweise lahmer, sondern auch schon durch die Ivy-Bridge-Generation überholter Sandy-Bridge-Prozessor eingesetzt, der bereits damals keine Augenbrauen anzuheben vermochte. Fujitsu FPCBP176AP Diese CPU gibt es bei Lenovo im Ideapad U310 bereits um etwa 180 Euro günstiger! Um rund 800 Euro bekommt man in fast jedem Ultrabook-Konkurrenten sogar den wesentlich schnelleren Core i5-3317U, der vom Turbo Boost (maximal 2,6 GHz) so stark profitiert, dass mancher Konkurrent teils doppelt so schnell rechnet wie unser Testgerät. Fujitsu FPCBP176
Das sind leider nicht nur, wie sonst so oft, theoretische Messdaten - während dem Test merkte man unserem Zenbook oft an, Fujitsu CP335319-01 dass es beispielsweise vor Installationen oder vorm Durchführen von Benchmarks ungewohnt lang nachdenken musste. Das ist sicherlich nicht nur die Schuld des Prozessors, sondern auch die, der Festplatte - und zurzeit kein großes Problem. Dennoch stellen wir ein Fragezeichen hinter eine langjährige Zukunftstauglichkeit. Die Konkurrenten geben sich jedenfalls flotter. Fujitsu FPCBP234AP
Bestimmt jammern wir hier auf hohem Niveau. - Für 800 Euro bekommt der Ultrabook User, Fujitsu FPCBP234 was er sich von seinem zukünftigen Gerät erwarten darf: Ein schickes, leichtes, stabiles Gehäuse, gute Eingabegeräte, ein außentaugliches Display, sowie sehr zufriedenstellende Akkulaufzeiten. Als Schmankerl freut man sich bei Filmen über kontrastreiche Bilder und bei Musik über die tollen Lautsprecher. Wer keinen Leistungssportler, sondern einen relativ günstigen, ausgereiften Reisebegleiter sucht, darf ohne Bedenken zugreifen. Dennoch sei ein Vergleich mit der rechts angeführten Konkurrenz sowie ein Blick in unsere Top-10-Liste der Subnotebooks empfohlen. Fujitsu FPCBP198
Wer nicht mehr als 400 Euro für einen mobilen Klapp-PC ausgeben möchte, der schaut sich nicht bei den immer noch deutlich teureren Ultrabooks um, Fujitsu FPCBP175 sondern bei den Netbooks bzw. Subnotebooks auf Intel oder AMD-Basis. Die letzten 11.6-Zoller für diese preisbewusste Zielgruppe waren Acers Aspire One 756 (Pentium ULV), das Aspire One D270-26Dbb (Atom N2600), das Aspire One 722-C62kk (AMD C-60), das Samsung 305U1A-A01DE (E-450), das Sony Vaio SVE-1111M1E/P oder Lenovos ThinkPad X121e (AMD E-300). Die Zukunft bringt mehr dieser Sorte, wie Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E130 (Pentium 977), IdeaPad S206 (E1-1200) oder ThinkPad Edge E135 (E2-1800) zeigen (Tests in Kürze). Fujitsu CP335311-01
Intels Atom-Prozessoren, die das klassische Netbook von 2008 bis 2010 ausmachten, haben sich gegen AMDs APU-Plattformen nicht durchsetzen können. Bei besseren Multimedia-Eigenschaften und etwas höherer Rechenleistung schafften die APU-Geräte zumindest ähnlich lange Laufzeiten wie Intels Atom. akku Fujitsu-siemens Lifebook E8420
HP hat sich für die Neuauflage seines Pavilion dm1-4200sg (B6K79EA) für einen AMD E1-1200 (2x 1,40GHz) entschieden. Die APU rundet die aktuelle E-Serie nach unten hin ab. Dies lässt zwar eine noch geringere Leistung als mit der Schwester APU E2-1800 befürchten, aber bei einem 11,6-Zoller geht es vor allem um die Mobility-Eigenschaften. Wie sich der Kleine darin führt, das erfahren Sie in unserem ausführlichen Testbericht. akku Fujitsu-siemens LifeBook E8410
HP lässt sich vom Massen-Trend superflacher Subnotebooks nicht beirren und lässt einen 11,6-Zoller bauen, der im hinteren Bereich seine Wuchtigkeit betont. Das Gerät braucht die Bauhöhe von 32 Millimetern an dieser Stelle, um den entnehmbaren Akku unter zu bringen. Im Vergleich zu vielen Ultrabooks, aber auch zu dem einen oder anderen Low-Cost Mini (Lenovo S206), erscheint ein abnehmbarer Akku schon fast als Rarität. akku Fujitsu-siemens CELSIUS H250
Selten ist der weite Öffnungswinkel des Deckels von genau 180 Grad. Das Display können wir also komplett bis auf die Tischplatte aufklappen. Das hohe Gewicht von 1,5 Kilogramm ist teilweise dem 55 Wattstunden Akku geschuldet. Den Rest stemmt das Kunststoff-Gehäuse, welches zum Zweck der Griffigkeit auf dem Deckel gummiert wurde. akku Fujitsu LifeBook NH570
Die Scharniere als solche sind straff und fest an der Base-Unit angebracht. Die silberne Abdeckung über der selbigen kann aber deutlich eingedrückt werden. Beim Stichwort Eindrücken fällt uns auch der Deckel ein, dessen Fläche mittig und unten auf einfachen Druck hin nachgibt. Das alles beeinträchtigt die Funktion nicht, es schmälert aber die Wertigkeit. akku Fujitsu LifeBook N7010
Einfache Wartung und schneller Tausch von Komponenten scheint bei HP von großer Wichtigkeit zu sein. Auf eine Verschraubung der Bodenplatte wurde daher verzichtet, die Platte kann einfach nach vorn hin abgeschoben werden. Das legt nicht nur das Innenleben frei, sondern macht auch die Lüfterreinigung möglich. akku Fujitsu Lifebook E8420E
Leider erkauft sich das dm1-4200sg diesen Vorteil durch eine schwache Stabilität des Chassis sowie durch ungenaue Spaltmaße auf der Unterseite. Wir hatten sogar das Problem, dass sich die Bodenplatte beim Hantieren mit dem dm1 immer wieder von selbst leicht aufschob. Ein paar Schrauben zum Arretieren hätten hier Wunder bewirkt. So aber verbiegt sich die Base-Unit deutlich, etwa wenn wir sie an einer vorderen Ecke anfassend hochheben. akku Fujitsu LifeBook E8410
HDMI, USB 3.0, VGA und zwei Audio-Ports. Das Nötige ist an Bord des 11.6-Zollers. Mehr hat die Konkurrenz dieser Preisklasse auch nicht zu bieten. Im Gegenteil, USB 3.0 ist nicht immer Standard und manchmal wird sogar Ethernet und VGA weg gelassen (Lenovo Ideapad S206). akku Fujitsu LifeBook E780
Gigabit Ethernet und Draft-N WLAN sind inzwischen Standard und auch im HP zu finden. Neu ist der Broadcom Bluetooth 4.0+HS Adapter. Die 1,3 MP Webcam nimmt Fotos in einer brauchbaren Auflösung und Qualität auf. Uns gefallen die natürlichen Farben. Die Fokussierung (Scharfstellung) könnte besser sein, wird für Schnappschüsse und den Video-Chat aber vollauf genügen. akku Fujitsu LifeBook AH550
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