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

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews | No 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 | No 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

Acer Aspire Refurbished Notebook PC with AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, Reviews | No Comments

This notebook computer review is for an Acer computer for just under $600 and offers a lot of features for a fully-featured laptop. AMD Turion 64 X2 processor offers a lot of processing power without sucking too much power. A 15.4″ screen gives ample viewing area. 2.0 GB of memory allows Windows Vista to operate well, and 160 GB hard drive and DVD burner give plenty of options for storing lots of data.

Personally, I love litte, ultraportable computers. That’s probably because I do the vast majority of my work at a desktop and have little need for a regular laptop. However, modern laptops have improved so much that they provide more than enough power for what most users require. My five year old desktop computer still does everything I want it to do, and laptops now do better, for even less than what I originally paid.

This Acer Aspire does give what’s necessary to be a desktop replacement notebook. Here are some of the main features:

• 1.9GHz AMD Turion 64 X3 Dual-Core processor
• 15.4″ wide screen (1280 x 800)
• 2.0 GB of DDR2 memory (supports up to 4.0 GB)
• 160 GB hard drive
• DVD writer
• Media reader
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Wi-Fi (b/g)

This is a refurbished notebook though, so you get a computer that has been used before, but fixed up. With all the features I would still say that this is a good bet and offers everything necessary to be a desktop replacement computer.

Tags: 15.4", desktop replacement, dual-core, laptop, laptop computer reviews, notebook, notebook computer reviews

Asus Eee PC 4G Surf with Wireless, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB SSD

Saturday, May 31st, 2008 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, Reviews | No Comments

Little computers are becoming very popular, or so it would seem with the amount of hype around mini-sized laptops recently. There are plenty of notebook computer reviews and laptop computer reviews on these little guys, so I’ll add my opinion to the mix.

The Eee PC from Asus is heading up this movement to smaller, more portable computers, that tend to fit somewhere between a laptop, which is meant to cover as a full-time computer, and a PDA with a traditional operating system.

The Surf model has a few more features than the standard Eee PC.

Here are some of the features:

• 7″ screen
• 2 pounds
• 3 USB ports
• 1 VGA port
• Audio out / Mic in
• Intel Mobile CPU
• 512 MB RAM
• 4 GB solid state drive
• 10/100 Mb/s LAN
• Wireless connectivity (up to 54 Mb/s)

Personally I have quite an affinity for these little PCs. They offer everything that most people would want from a computer nowadays. Network connections are taken care of thanks to wireless and wired networking support.

The advantages of this computer lie mostly in it’s size and portability. It’s extremely light, and extremely small, not small enough for a pocket, but small enough to fit in a briefcase. The built-in operating system offers a web browser, document editors, messaging, media player and other standard software.

The downsides also have to do with reduced sizes. You’ll need an extra monitor and keyboard for prolonged use. The screen is too small for extended work, and the keyboard is not full-sized like a regular keyboard, it’s around 83% the size, which will make big hands feel cramped. The hard drive is only 4 GB, so no storage of DVDs. Linux OS is harder to upgrade. Although a new OS can be installed if you like, either Windows or another flavor of Linux.

Basically, I really like it. The best part is the price, it is cheap. It is functional and performs specific tasks very well. It lacks in power and storage space, but you can pay more for an 8 GB model or wait till more powerful ones are released in the future.

Tags: 7 inch, Asus, Eee PC, laptop computer reviews, notebook computer reviews, SSD, ultra-portable

HP Pavilion AMD Turion 64 X2 Notebook PC

Monday, December 10th, 2007 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews, News | 1 Comment

A desktop replacement laptop computer with a 17 inch screen and graphics that leave little to be desired. This notebook computer review looks at a high-powered laptop computer with some hard hitting performance. Let’s start the laptop computer review.

AMD have had a tough time with Intel’s release of their dual- and quad-core processors. But despite this I still have a little soft spot for the underdog of the processor industry.

The HP Pavilion is based on an AMD chipset, offering fast performance from their tried and tested Turion X2 processor. With a direct connection to the memory from the processor, AMD processors get a boost in performance because the memory can operate at the same frequency as the processor.

Here are some of the main features:

• 1.8 GHz AMD Turion X2 processor
• 17 inch monitor
• 7.8 lbs
• Built-in webcam
• 1 GB of memory
• 160 GB hard drive
• USB
• Firewire
• LAN port
• VGA
• ExpressCard slot

Lets have an overview of the different specifications. As mentioned all ready, the processor gives good performance and does well for power savings, meaning longer battery life.

A 17 inch monitor is fine for anyone that intends to use their laptop computer exclusively. For modern computing this is about the least necessary for continuous use of the computer. Widescreen monitors give that little bit extra width, which is more useful that pure size, but this size is still fine.

Built-in features are very necessary for keeping the size of a laptop down. It is easy to have a small laptop, but which requires a handful of USB devices to accomplish very simple tasks like reading from a CD or DVD. The DVD writer is a bonus which allows DVD to burnt without an external device.

System expansion is handled by three external USB ports, a firewire port and an ExpressCard slot.

Video performance is good, thanks to the onboard video chipset. A built-in webcam allows video conferencing on the increasingly popular Skype of other VoIP networks, or just for taking still pictures.

The mouse pad is placed well, being by the center of the spacebar. Often it is placed at the center of the computer, which means it gets knocked by the ball of the right hand when typing.

Overall, a full set of features, with enough power to do any office work and play some games. There is no need for extra bits, which means the laptop bag, although a little heavy, doesn’t need to be weighed down by other goodies.

Tags: laptop computer reviews, notebook computer reviews

HP Compaq 6710b Notebook PC

Thursday, November 8th, 2007 | Laptop and Notebook Computer Reviews | 2 Comments

The HP Compaq 6710b is a business laptop with a moderately powerful dual core processor, wireless capabilites and a solid set of features that’s suited to the needs of high-demand computing at a price that makes it attractive to even the most budget-conscious. Our notebook computer review sees just how apt it is for the task.

Dual core computing is well entrenched in the market now and often the only reason to not get one is the super-low prices on single core models. To keep up with the curve however, dual core certainly makes a lot of sense. The added power of a second processor core makes multi-tasking applications a much smoother process. The 1.8GHz Intel processor featured on this model is at the low end of the range, which certainly helps with its low pricing. The slowest models in a range often give much better per-dollar performance that the faster models.

Other features include:

• PC card slot
• 4 USB ports
• Firewire port
• LAN port
• Modem port
• Microphone input and audio output
• VGA port
• DVD writer with LightScribe
• S-video connector

The standard 1GB of memory is more than enough for most applications. Windows Vista Business is slightly less demanding on the system than Vista Professional so should be enough to handle your applications. Getting more would probably be a little overkill, but for a future performance boost both either one of the current memory modules would need to be replaced. Having a single 1GB card would make an upgrade a little less costly, as only a single 1GB would need to be added. Not a big gripe.

The screen is a 15.4 inch WXGA affair. This can handle up to 1280×800 screen resolution. Although fine for most laptops it might be a too little for the eyes, especially seeing how sizes are generally increasing. The resolution might need to be run a little bit lower than that to achieve good size of screen items, but will sacrifice a lot of on-screen real estate.

The standard hard drive that comes with this model is 120GB which is still enough for most applications. No large video storage though.

The other features include a DVD writer that includes LightScribe technology, which allows images to be burnt onto the top of the disc using the DVD writer. Maybe not that useful, but it does do all the usual DVD burning stuff as well. Wireless connectivity is included, but make sure to secure your connection when connecting.

Overall, a great buy for the money. The little complaints don’t take away from the overall functionality of the HP Compaq 6710b notebook computer.

Tags: laptop computer reviews, notebook computer reviews