computer-reviews.net

ASUS UL80Vt-A1 14-Inch Laptop

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews | View Comments

The ASUS UL80Vt-A1 is one of a newer bread of laptops with a ultra low voltage processors. The ultra low voltages give the computer extended battery life because of reduced power consumption and at the same time allow much thinner and lighter designs.

The ASUS features a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and comes with Windows 7 as standard. It also comes with a wide 14 inch screen with 720p resolution.

Here are some of the main features

• 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU
• 4GB of DDR3 memory
• 1366 x 768 screen resolution
• HDMI graphics port
• Wifi
• DVD burner
• Media card reader

The SU7300 is an ultra low power processor, which is why the design is so slim, and why the claimed battery life is over 10 hours. In reality that 10 hours might be a bit of an exaggeration, but at least a few solid hours will be possible while using Wifi, surfing the Internet and bashing out some documents.

The included 4GB of memory is a welcome addition to the setup. Only recently, after increasing my online activity did I realize just how much I needed more memory for my computer. With only 1GB on my work computer I sometime run out of memory when running Tweetdeck for using Twitter, Digsby for chat, Firefox for browsing the web (with about 10-15 tabs open) and Microsoft Word for doing some documents. 2GB would probably be enough, but memory is not expensive and the extra will save one trip to the computer guy in the future.

The hard drive is 320GB which is just fine for storing just about anything. I have never needed more than that, and with an every-increasing amount of information, photos and videos being stored online, a large hard drive is not extremely necessary. This one is more than enough anyway.

The system comes with Windows 7, which is the replacement for Windows Vista. Vista was marred with problems and 7 seems to have things together, which should mean less headaches on the whole.

The wide screen is pretty common on most laptop computers and allows windows to be placed side-by-side, although the width is not great enough for two full windows. Perhaps a chat client and a web browser next to each other is possible, but still a little cramped. Video output is handled by a VGA port and the more useful HDMI port. The HDMI is a digital video port, so it will connect to any screen that accepts digital input. The VGA port is a great legacy port though and will connect to pretty much anything.

Networking consists of a Gigabit Ethernet port, great for anyone running a super-fast home network, and high speed Wifi. The Gigabit Ethernet port will run at slower speeds if necessary, but allows the faster connectivity when connected to a network that support 1000Mb/s speeds. Wifi supports b/g/n standards which offer up to 300Mb/s speeds. The seeming lack of Bluetooth is very disappointing for a laptop though.

Three USB ports are available, audio output, line input, microphone input and built-in microphone and webcam are amongst the other extras.

Pros:

• Long battery life
• Lightweight
• Lots of memory

Cons:

• Bluetooth???

Tags: low-voltage, notebook, slim, ultra-low-voltage

HP Pavilion P6120F Desktop PC

Monday, December 7th, 2009 | Barebones Computer Reviews, Desktop Computer Reviews | View Comments

Desktop computers offer more power for the money than almost any laptop or notebook computer. The HP Pavilion P6120F is not exception. Although the popularity of desktop computers is dropping against stylish little netbooks and well-priced portable computer they remain the staple of business and enthusiasts for good reason.

Although not the sexiest, for any computer that does not need to be moved around, desktop computers are the best option. This HP Pavilion, Windows-based desktop computer can be matched with a large screen monitor for a powerful desktop computer under $1000.

Here’s a quick rundown of the specifications:

• 2.80GHz Intel Pentium E6300 processor
• 8GB of memory
• 1TB (1000GB) hard drive
• 1 x PCIex16 slot
• 5.1 channel audio
• LAN
• Wifi
• DVD burner

The HP delivers a feature-rich package with a CPU known for its overclocking abilities. The E6300 is a an entry-level processor which is based on the same technology as its older brothers. Because of this, the processor can safely be overclocked, meaning have its speed increased, by 25% without any additional fancy technology or hardware trickery. This makes it quite worth it for a little bit of time spent increasing the front side bus speed from 266MHz to 333MHz.

The system also comes with 8GB of memory. That is pretty huge. Seeing as the computer is intended for home use, that amount of memory is more than anything you can possibly throw at it.

The mix of networking options if pretty standard, except that it also includes Wifi connectivity. Although Wifi has been standard fair on laptop computers for a very long time now, their absence on desktop computers usually means that the desktop has to be within cable distance from the home router. Well, with that limitation removed, this computer can be placed a room or two away from where the router sits. The router can be placed in a central location in the home and the computers placed where needed. 300MB/s wireless is supported.

A DVD burner is included as standard, as it is on almost any modern computer. It supports Lightscribe so the cover side of supported DVDs can have a picture burned onto it by the DVD player.

Storage needs are met with a large terabyte hard drive. A terabyte is 1000GB, which is about the size of 150 DVD movies. Plenty of space for almost anything and the speed should do fine for most applications.

Graphics is supported through onboard graphics. This is limiting in that most new games cannot be played, but a good graphics card can cost as much as this whole computer, so this limitation is expected. The processor is not fast enough for modern games though, so adding a super-fast PCIe x16 video card will not turn this into a superb gaming machine, although it will handle the needs of the non-fanatic.

Pros:

• Overclockable dual-core processor
• Plenty of memory
• Big hard drive

Cons:

• Not suitable for heavy gaming
• Similar price to a good netbook

Overall, the system provides a very solid experience, but for the price I might be tempted to go for a cheap laptop computer. If you need a powerful and fast home computer then this is a good bet.

Tags: barebones, Desktop Computer Reviews, gaming, overclock, value

Netgear GA311 PCI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

Friday, August 22nd, 2008 | Networking (LAN), Reviews | View Comments

The Netgear GA311 boosts network speed tenfold compared Fast Ethernet. The Netgear Gigabit Ethernet adapter puts your local network on steroids, and only using a standard PCI connector. The Netgear GA311 Gigabit Ethernet adapter enables higher speeds and faster transfers over local networks, allowing videos to be played almost as though they were on the same computer.

Networking is the lifeblood of the everyday computer. 10 years ago an isolated computer was just the norm, but now modern computers rely heavily on networks, usually the Internet, for almost all aspects of computing.

For computers on a local network, where information is often stored on separate storage media like Network Attached Storage devices, the speed of the local network makes a big difference when it comes to watching videos over the network, or listening to music, or just about anything that moves a lot (or a little) data over the network.

Older computers typically utilized a Fast Ethernet adapter, meaning it could handle up to 100Mb/s of data transfer. This is still the standard, but faster is better, and the Netgear GA311 helps with that.

The Netgear Gigabit Ethernet adapter transfers data at up to 1000Mb/s, or around 1GB in 10 seconds. The Netgear GA311 is perfect for older computer that attach to faster networks. It does need to be combined with other components that also handle Gigabit speeds, so the routers and other components also need this.

For $25 this is an easy way to make a home network that much more seemless.

Tags: gigabit ethernet, Networking (LAN), pci

Gateway M-6750 Notebook PC with Core2 Duo and 3GB RAM

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews | View Comments

After plenty of laptop computer reviews and notebook computer reviews I have come to a point where I really do think that most desktop computers can be scrapped for laptop or notebook computers. Seeing as my home computer is a Pentium 4 and I’ve been using that for six years, with a few repairs along the way. The Gateway M-6750 provides enough processing power for all applications besides games and a 15″ monitor that gives enough desktop space.

Let’s continue our notebook computer review.

For under $600 the Gateway M-6750 notebook computer comes with a nice shiny finish combined with polished aluminum looking edge around the keyboard. The looks are good, and that’s not bad for a nicely priced laptop.

The Core2 Duo processor, although a mobile version, will give enough power for office type applications, web browsing, listening to music or playing videos. The processor is combined with 3GB of RAM and the Windows Vista operating system.

Some of the main features are

• 1.66GHz Intel Core2 Duo CPU
• 3GB of RAM
• Windows Vista Home
• DVD writer
• Memory card port
• Speakers
• Webcam
• Network port
• 802.11n wireless

These features together will do well for a home office or personal use.

The 3GB of memory is good for Windows Vista as it needs more memory than previous operating systems, which is usually true anyway I guess. The dual core processor helps too.

Networking features are good, and having 802.11n wireless, which supports up to 300MB/s transfer speeds allows the fastest possible speeds over wireless networks.

The graphics uses up to 384MB of main memory. This is good for increasing the graphics quality, but not so good as it uses up more of the memory that could be used by other programs on the computer. With that said however, there is plenty of memory to go around and programs won’t be left wanting with still 2GB of memory after the graphics and Windows’ needs.

There are three USB slots and an Express Card slot for system expansion.

Finally, the 15 inch monitor supports up to 1280 x 800 screen resolution. This is spot on for a monitor of this size and gives enough extra room to squeeze two web browsers side-by-side, but keeps them at a readable size.

Tags: 15 inch, desktop replacement, gateway, home office, Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, notebook computer reviews, refurbished, webcam

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 Laptop Computer with Intel Core2 Duo

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, Reviews | View Comments

This laptop computer review item goes for just under $1000, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 offers a well-rounded package with fairly high performance processor, decent sized screen and enough extras to keep most users happy. Ahead with the notebook computer review.

The screen is a around 14 inches and offers 1280 x 800 screen resolution. I always find this a little disappointing. The screen resolution doesn’t allow much more than a standard amount of desktop space, that is to say it will fit a document or a webpage, but struggle to fit both. I suppose that’s reasonable for the size, but even if the text is small, I like to be able to fit two windows comfortable beside each other. On the other hand, I do use a 1280 width monitor for work and it’s usually enough.

The dual-core processor gives a bit of punch, and allows multiple programs to be run simultaneously, whilst the load is spread over the two cores.

Here are some of the main specs for the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510:

• Intel Centrino Core2 Duo
• 3GB of memory
• 250GB hard drive
• DVD writer
• Windows Vista Home
• 3 USB ports
• Wireless 802.11b/g/n
• Fast Ethernet
• Up to 4 hours battery life

A major plus is the amount of memory and hard drive space. 250GB of hard drive space is enough to store plenty of photos, songs and videos. 3GB of memory gives a lot of memory for Windows Vista to play around with. Windows Vista needs at least 1GB and this gives it more than it needs.

Wireless connectivity supports up to 300Mb/s, faster than most internet connections. The Ethernet port only supports up to 100Mb/s, which is a little strange, because the wired networks usually support much faster speeds than the wireless. However, there are probably more fast wireless networks around than Gigabit wired networks.

At a tad under 3kg, this is not a light notebook, but makes up for the extra weight with a full house of features. Add to these Lenovo’s VeriFace security software, which verifies users by their facial features and you get a very capable machine quite worthy to be a desktop replacement laptop.

Tags: 1280 x 800, 15.4", 802.11n, core2 duo, desktop replacement, laptop, laptop computer reviews, notebook, notebook computer reviews