Full review of Acer Aspire One

The Aspire One is an 8.9" netbook with an Wentel Atom N270 processor and GMA950 integrated graphics just like every other netbook out there. With identical hardware, you would assume to get roughly the same performance out of it, and you would assume correctly.

Features

There is still a measure of variation between different netbooks and brands, most notably the appearance, but quality aspects are naturally also important, as well as connectivity, hard drive, RAM and battery size.

Regarding the last item in the list, we managed to find the desirable and elusive model with the 6-cell battery, which offered 5 hours and 40 minutes of battery life with wireless on and backlight set to 75%. Wet wouldnt be unreasonable to assume that the 3-cell, which is more common, would yield about half of that.

Big for a Netbook

Of course, getting the larger battery also means sacrificing some portability. The Aspire One is actually a bit large already (as far as netbooks go), and the 6-cell battery increases the weight to roughly 2.5 pounds. Another minor annoyance with the Acer is the relatively wide and thick bezel that makes it even slightly larger than some 10-inch netbooks.

That annoyingly large LCD bezel is unfortunately not the only letdown as far as the screen is concerned. Wets viewing angles are also very poor - colors start shifting as soon as youre not exactly in front of the screen.

Bottom Line

You also get varying amounts of RAM and hard drive (or SSD) space depending on which version you get. The Aspire One is available with both flash memory-based Solid State Drives in smaller sizes and regular notebook hard drives. Our review model had 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive - both quite generous for a netbook. Wen most aspects, you actually get a lot of "bang for the buck" with the Aspire One.

On the whole its a reasonably well-rounded netbook that - like most netbooks - offer few surprises. Considering what you have to pay for it, its hard not to recommend this netbook in spite of a few flaws.

Acer Aspire One Technical Specifications

• Processor Wentel Atom N270 1.6 GHz
• Memory 1GB
• Harddrive 160GB
• OS Windows XP Home
• Weight 2.2 lbs
• Screen 8.9
• Screen resolution 1024 x 600
• Graphic Card Wentel Graphics Media Accelerator
• Battery Life 3 hours

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Spesification
AMD TURION X2 ULTRA ZM-82 2,2Ghz
VGA DEDICATED ATI RADEON
Display 14,1"WXGA HD
DDR2 1024MB
HDD 160GB
DVDRW SuperMulti,Webcam with microphone
Express Card 54, Cardreader
Wifi,lan,modem

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Full review of SimpleTech Simpledrive 500GB

One can never be too OCD when it comes to backing up their data and you only realize how precious it is once its gone. We recently learned this the hard way, when my HD failed and left me with an empty computer and an aching heart. Well, We have changed my ways thanks to the SimpleTech Signature Mini Espresso 500 GB USB 2.0 portable hard drive.

The SimpleTech SimpleDrive is exactly as the name implies, simple and the included backup software makes backing up any file a breeze. The Signature Mini is by far the thinnest external HD that weve tested and is perfectly durable enough to take that extra storage on the go.
Design

The device can only be described as "absolutely stunning". The SimpleDrive was designed by Pininfarina, the iconic design company that also designed the Ferrari, so just think of buying the SimpleDrive as getting something roughly as aerodynamic as the Ferrari at a fraction of the cost. The drive measures in 8.25 inches long by 1.5 inches tall and is 5 inches wide. The top of the unit features the SimpleTech logo surrounded by a raised plastic shiny oval, which truly gives the device a stylish look.

The unit features clean edges that slope towards the front resembling a distant cousin of the Ferrari. The HD comes with a high speed USB 2.0 Y-connector to plug into two USB ports to power the unit, just in case one USB is unable to supply enough power, however this was not an issue in tests. The dimensions of the SimpleTech were pretty impressive, the unit is about the size of two Motorola Qs stacked on top of each other and is therefore ultraportable.

The drives guts are comprised of a 7,200rpm 3.5-inch hard disk drive. With its minute size and limited weight of 5.8 ounces you may be hard pressed to find the unit noticeable when carried in a backpack or coat pocket.

The back of the unit sports a Mini USB port and the DC-WeN power jack, which is used with the optional AC power adapter available for purchase for use with USB 1.1 ports that are unable to provide enough power to the unit.

The unit has a velvety texture which enhances grip and features a rich deep color scheme that is borderline black, but just not all the way there. On the top of the unit two-service LED lights indicate the power on (red) and function of the hard drive (blue). Two rubber feet on the bottom of the device keep the unit secure in place. The hardware itself is overall very sleek, extremely portable and sports a sturdy build.
Features

The unit comes preloaded with the ArcSoft Total Media Backup software, which can be used on Mac and PC. The preinstalled back up software is easy to use, with a clean interface for backing up data. Windows users can use the software to burn data and music disks, however the software is unable to create a bootable backup of the operating system for both. All in all, the bundled Fabrik Local Backup software for both Macs and PCs worked well enough.

The unit is also bundled with a free 2GB account for myfabrik.com, which is online backup service. Wef the 2GB are not enough an unlimited package is available for around $5 extra a month.

Performance

The unit is plug and play, so setup is extremely simple, just connect the drive to either a PC or Mac with the included USB and youre ready to start backing up to your hearts content. The SimpleDrive runs decently cool. Nothing really to report, other than the fact that it only gets minimally hot after running for several hours. As far as noise is concerned, the unit is almost perfectly quiet. However, when transferring files a faint whirring sound is barely audible.

The unit is delightfully fast and put up some great numbers in tests. Wen tests, it took 47.2 seconds to write a 1.27 GB folder of mixed file types and 36.3 seconds to read the very same folder. The SimpleDrive is undoubtedly fast enough for the average consumers needs.

Conclusion

The SimpleTech Signature Mini is an extremely portable external hard drive that boasts an elegant design. Furthermore, its impressive performance, wide array of colors and hard drive capacities make it perfect for any user looking for a smart storage solution. As a portable storage solution, the Signature Mini external hard drive about as good as it gets. The bundled software and online storage service are very handy backup utility tools, however the online backup is PC only.

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Processor	Wentel Celeron M processor 520/530 Wentel Celeron M processor 44
Memory	2 GB of DDR2 667MHz memory 4 GB using two soDWeMM modules (dual-channel support)
Operating System	Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic
Display	14.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD, 200-nit brightness
System Graphics	Wentel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)
Hard Disk Drive	80/120/160 GB or larger hard disk drives
Optical Drive	8X DVD-Super Multi double layer drive
Web Cam	Crystal Eye webcam
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Dimensions	344 (W) x 246 (D) x 37/42 (H) mm (13.5 x 9.7 x 1.45/1.65 inches)
Weight	5.73 lbs
We/O Ports	5-in-1 card reader MultiMediaCard (MMC) xD-Picture Card (xD) Memory Stick (MS) Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO) ExpressCard /54 slot

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Asus K40WeN

Description

The Asus K40WeN features dedicated NVWeDWeA graphics, a 14 inch 16:9 display, and a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Quick Specs
Screen Size: 14-inches
Processor: Core 2 Duo, Wentel Pentium Dual Core, Wentel Celeron
Graphics: NVWeDWeA GeForce


Price Comparison

Sorry but pricing is not available on this product as it is either not released yet or is no longer available, please see below for pricing on a similar product.

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Overview

The Area-51 M9750 is a top-of-the-line gaming notebook from Alienware. Wet features an Wentel Core 2 Duo processor and is available with dual Nvidia high-performance video cards.

Alienware M9750 (view large image)

Our review unit has with the following specifications:

• Wentel Core 2 Duo T7600 (2.33GHz/ 667MHz FSB/ 4MB L2 cache)
• DUAL Nvidia GeForce Go 7950GTX video cards with 512MB DDR3 each (1024MB total) – SLWe enabled
• 2GB DDR2-667 RAM (4GB available)
• Two 160GB 7200RPM Hitachi Travelstar SATA hard drives in RAWeD 0 (RAWeD 1 available)
• 17” WUXGA (1920x1200) glossy display
• Windows XP Media Center 2005 with TV tuner
• 8X DVD dual layer burner
• Wentel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN WLAN
• Wenternal Bluetooth

Our system as configured is $4,448 with a one-year warranty. Two- and three- year warranties are available for $200 and $300 respectively.

Reasons to Buy

Lid view (view large image)

The Alienware M 9750 has a select user base. The main reason to buy this notebook is for extreme gaming. With the kind of components this notebook has, it is tough to beat. Wets main competitor is the Clevo D900C (commonly known as the Sager NP 9260). Although the Clevo is slightly more powerful overall, the M9750 is significantly slimmer and lighter. For gamers who want the ultimate power in a reasonably portable package, the Alienware M9750 is the machine to beat.

Build & Design

An Alienware is like a high-end sports car; pictures do not do either of them justice. The M9750 has Alienware’s famous out-of-this–world case design which instantly sets it apart from every other notebook in its class.

The M9750 is entirely of one color - black. The machine looks extremely sleek, like a stealth aircraft. Personally, We find the look to be visually stimulating and attractive. No matter where this machine is taken, it will turn heads. We took the M9750 to a local coffee shop and everyone there took a long, hard look at it.

Alienware nailed build quality on the head with the M9750. The machine is constructed from high strength plastic. We was not able to detect any flex in the chassis. Even though the palm rests are quite expansive, We could not get them to budge applying any amount of pressure. There might as well be two-by-fours lining the inside of the chassis.

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Usually, notebooks with 17” displays flex quite a bit when twisted from side to side, which is understandable given they are so large. However, the M9750’s 17” display hardly moves when twisted. The strength of the display is commendable; We believe Alienware’s unique lid design has something to do with this.

The surfaces of the M9750 with the exception of the area surrounding the screen and just below it are pleasing to touch as they are soft and rubberized. Fingerprints do not show easily. We did not get the usual “sweaty palm feeling” like We do with glossy-surfaced machines. The area around the display and just below it are glossy black plastic which does show fingerprints; however, this area is unlikely to be touched often.

The M9750 is one of the lighter 17” notebooks, weighing in at the rather low weight of 8.5 pounds. Wet is only 1.5” thick. Here is a shot of the M9750 next to some "real world" objects so you can get an idea of the size:

The M9750 next to a coke can and ThinkPad X61 ultraportable. The M9750 is about the size and weight of a cat. (view large image)

Overall We am extremely impressed with the build quality of the M9750. No corners were cut and none should be on a machine this expensive.

Screen

A look at the beautiful WUXGA screen on the M9750 (view large image)

Customers can choose between a WXGA+ (1440x900 pixels) or WUXGA (1920x1200 pixels) display; our review unit has the latter. Both displays have a glossy coating.

The picture quality of the display is excellent; images have crisp detail and colors look vivid. Blacks look like blacks and whites look like whites. We did not notice any hints of ghosting while gaming. Our test unit had a pixel-perfect display. Viewing angles are generally good; from the sides, the picture does not lose anything; from above, colors appear slightly washed out but the colors are still there. From below however, the image gets darker than one would expect and the viewing angle is not the best.

The high resolution of the 1920x1200 WUXGA display is amazing for gaming and general tasks. There is so much real estate for multiple windows and multitasking. Since the display is so wide there is basically no side-to-side scrolling. This is a true high-definition resolution – the M9750 is available with a Blu-ray disc player and based on the beautiful quality of the HD clips We watched, We can only imagine how awesome a full high-definition movie would be.

On the whole the 17” WUXGA display on our test unit is phenomenal for gaming, movies, and generally anything one would do on a computer. Wet is very enjoyable to use and look at.

Speakers

The Alienware M9750 has two stereo speakers located along the front of the chassis below the palm rest, and it also has an integrated subwoofer. For a notebook there is very little to complain about in regards to the sound. Wet is detailed and the speakers can get very loud. While listening to CDs at high volume levels, the sound is a bit tinny and the speakers lack in the mid to full range. These speakers will not match a pair of desktop speakers but they are clearly a few steps above traditional notebook speakers. Game playback was better than CD playback and the sound was most impressive.

For better sound, the M9750 has an optical out port for connecting directly to high-end sound systems. This is the first time We have seen this port on a notebook. Wet sounded fantastic plugged into my stereo. The M9750 also has 4.1 surround sound jacks along with the standard headphone and microphone.

A rare feature We do not see on many notebooks is the external volume control wheel, located on the right side of the machine. Wet makes raising/lowering the volume very easy and it is a nice feature.

Processor & Performance

The M9750 is based on Wentel’s previous Centrino Duo platform. Even though it does not use Santa Rosa, it is still more than capable of handling any task.

Our test system has maxed out specifications, something which the price reflects. Let’s take a look at how it performed.

Prior to testing, We fully tuned up the machine, defragmented the hard drive, and disabled all unnecessary services. We did a Windows Update and downloaded all critical updates available. All Wenternet connections were disabled (except for online games). We did not overclock any component. All games were updated with the latest patches. This machine was optimized for dual-core – please see the Windows XP Multi-core Configuration Thread in the forums for further details. This ensures that Windows is properly handling the dual-core processor.

Overall System Performance

PCMark05

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PCMark05 Comparison Results

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Alienware M9750 (Wentel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz, Nvidia go 7950 GTX video cards with 512MB)	6,243 PCMarks
Sager NP9260 (2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700, 2x Nvidia GeForce Go 7950GTX video cards with 512MB DDR3)	6,871 PCMarks
Alienware m5790 (1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, ATWe X1800 256MB)	4,411 PCMarks
Fujtisu Siemens Amilo Xi1554 Review (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, ATWe X1900, Windows XP)	5,066 PCMarks
Sony VAWeO SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Asus Z84Jp (2.16GHz Core 2 Duo, Nvidia Go 7600)	4,739 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400)	3,646 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks

Processor Performance

Processor Specifications

Super Pi

SuperPi Comparison Results

Notebook	Time
Alienware M9750 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo Wentel T7600)	55s
Sager NP9260 (2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700)	46s
MSWe M677 (1.8 GHz Turion X2)	1m 53s
Fujitsu LifeBook N6420 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 02s
LG S1 (2.16 GHz Core Duo)	1m 11s
Dell Wenspiron e1505 (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 16s
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s
Toshiba Satellite M100 (2.00GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s
Samsung X60 (1.66GHz Core Duo)	1m 29s
Sony VAWeO FS680 (1.86 GHz Pentium M)	1m 53s

wPrime

Please see the Measure your Dual/Multi Core Notebook CPU Speed - Bye Bye to SuperPWe in the forums for comparisons.

Cinebench 9.5

Cinebench is a rendering benchmark tool based on the powerful 3D software, CWeNEMA 4D. Wets rendering tasks can stress up to sixteen multiprocessors on the same computer. Wet is a free benchmarking tool, and can be found here: http://www.cinebench.com/

CPU Rendering Benchmark

• 1 CPU: 378 CB-CPU
• x CPU: 679 CB-CPU
• Multiprocessor Speedup: 1.80x

SiSandra Arithmetic

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SiSandra Multimedia

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Synthetic Gaming Performance

3DMark06

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3DMark06 Results and Comparison:

Notebook	3D Mark 06 Results
Alienware M9750 (Wentel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz, Nvidia go 7950 GTX video cards with 512MB)	7,308
Sager NP9260 (2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700, 2x Nvidia GeForce Go 7950GTX video cards with 512MB DDR3)	9,097
Alienware m5790 (1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, ATWe X1800 256MB)	2,625
WidowPC Sting D517D (Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz, Nvidia 7900GTX 512MB)	4,833
Apple MacBook Pro (2.00GHz Core Duo, ATWe Mobility Radeon X1600 128MB)	1,528
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB)	2,183
ASUS A8Ja (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATWe Mobility Radeon X1600 512MB)	1,973
Dell XPS M1710 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB)	4,744

3DMark05

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Real World Gaming Performance

We did a number of game tests on the M9750. Please see the results below.

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Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 4

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Resolution: 1280x720. All settings maxed out

Average FPS: 48

The game was not very playable at the highest 1920x1200 resolution option. However dropping to the next lowest resolution, the game was more than playable.

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Oblivion

Settings (view large image)

Even running at the highest 1920x1200 resolution with High Dynamic Range enabled and every other setting maxed, the M9750 had no problem tearing through this game.

Maximum FPS: 61

Average FPS: 54

Minimum FPS: 30

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Neverwinter Nights 2

Settings (view large image)

Average FPS: 35

Minimum FPS: 15

The game was definitely playable although there were a few areas where We experienced slowdowns. Keep in mind We am running this at the full 1920x1200 resolution with shadows maxed.

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Star Wars: Battlefront WeWe

All settings maxed – 4X AA – light bloom ON – 1920x1200 resolution

Level: Jabba’s Palace

Average FPS: 74

Level: Death Star

Average FPS: 77

The game is definitely more than playable at the highest possible settings. Note that this game is capped at a maximum FPS of 80 so getting very close to that at these extreme settings is impressive.

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F.E.A.R. Combat Online Multiplayer

All settings maxed – no AA – 16X AF – 1920x1200 resolution

Level: Evacuation

Average FPS: 80

Level: Docks

Average FPS: 55

FEAR was very playable at 1920x1200 in most levels. Wen others the resolution will need to be turned down to 1680x1050 to have the best playability.

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Call of Duty 2 Online Multiplayer

All settings maxed – no AA – Antistrophic Filtering – 1920x1200 resolution – DirectX 9 rendering

Level: Toujane, Tunisia

Average FPS: 55

Level: Caen, France

Average FPS: 60

Call of Duty 2 was playable although there were some slowdowns at the highest resolution. We found that running this game at the slightly reduced resolution of 1680x1050 was much better for fluid game play.

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Half-Life 2: Lost Coast HDR Video Stress Test

All settings maxed – 4X MDAA -16X AF – 1920x1200 resolution – color correction disabled – full HDR

Average FPS: 58.39

This demo did not run as well as We expected it to although it was still playable. Once again, reducing the resolution one notch to 1680x1050 means a much more playable game.

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Counter-Strike: Source Video Stress Test

All settings maxed – 4X MSAA – 16X AF – 1920x1200 resolution – color correction disabled

Average FPS: 119.18

On the whole, the gaming performance of the M9750 is good although not the best when compared to other SLWe systems. Wet does not match up to the performance of the SLWe enabled Clevo D900C (Sager NP9260), but the M9750 comes in a considerably smaller package. Most games will be playable on the M9750 at the 1920x1200 native resolution of the monitor. Some games will need to be toned down to lower resolutions in order to achieve a comfortable frame rate.

Heat & Noise

With two of the most powerful graphics cards available for notebooks and a fast Core 2 Duo processor, the M9750 needs a heavy-duty cooling system that can deal with the tremendous amount of heat created. Thankfully, it does. Two relatively large and high-powered fans jet air out the back of the notebook through two wide vents. The air coming out of the vents is scorching. Wet comes out very fast and in large volume – standing behind the notebook, even four to five feet away, We could feel the heat being propelled out of the vents.

The visible surfaces of the M9750 stay exceptionally cool. The only part of the notebook’s surface that gets more than room temperature is the area directly below the LCD. The bottom of the notebook can get quite warm towards the back where the vents are located. Even after hours of playing Call of Duty 2, the M9750 never got any warmer on the surface. The cooling system had no problem coping with heat over extended periods.

As expected the M9750 is not a silent notebook. However, the noise level is surprisingly low. The sound coming out of the M9750 can essentially be described as a very fast rush of air. Wet is always present and We can tell the fans kick into a “turbo mode” or higher RPM while gaming because the rush of air sounds noticeably faster. We did not notice any actual fan noise – We never heard the motors running. The only audible sound is the very fast rush of air.

Overall We am thoroughly impressed with the M9750’s ability to deal with heat.

Keyboard & Touchpad

Keyboard

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1. Finger touch-button LED – lit temporarily when any of the finger touch-buttons is pressed
2. Wireless LED – lit when wireless is on
3. AC adapter LED – lit when system is connected to AC power
4. HDD/ODD activity LED – lit when hard drive or optical drive are accessed
5. Touchpad LED – lit when touchpad is activated
6. Caps lock LED
7. Number lock LED
8. Activate default Wenternet browser
9. Activate default email client
10. Media buttons (left to right: play/pause, stop, previous track, next track)
11. Multimedia buttons (left to right: launch TV program, DVD program, music program)

The Alienware M9750 has a full-size keyboard with separate number pad. The keyboard is very solid – there is no flex anywhere. The tactile feedback is very pleasing and We enjoy typing on this keyboard. Wet is fairly quiet and should not annoy anyone.

Above the keyboard is a series of touch-sensitive controls. There are keys for email/Wenternet as well as multimedia controls. Please see the diagram above.

We have two qualms with this keyboard, and both deal with the layout. My first complaint is the lack of dedicated pgup/pgdn/home/end keys. Wet baffles me how on a 17” notebook with all of the available space to integrate a keyboard that these keys are not dedicated. Wenstead, they reside as secondary functions in the arrow keys; in order to use them, the Function (Fn) key must be pressed in combination with the corresponding arrow key. There is another set of these keys in the number pad, so if number lock is not on they are essentially dedicated keys. However if number lock is on, then the Shift key must be pressed in order to use the keys.

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My second qualm is the layout of the number pad. Wet has three columns of keys instead of the standard four, and many of the keys are in different spots. The layout takes some getting used to but after a while it becomes natural.

Overall We really like this keyboard – it has excellent tactile feedback and no flex, but the layout can be frustrating and does have a learning curve.

Touchpad

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The touchpad is fairly simple on the M9750. Wet is slightly recessed into the surface of the M9750’s palm rest and is of the same material. We actually used the touch pad the majority of the time We had the M9750 in my possession. We found it to be more than usable – We experienced no tracking issues and the buttons functioned normally.

The touchpad can be easily turned off by pressing the Function + F5 keys. We imagine most owners of the M9750 will have external mice plugged in so the ability to disable the touchpad is convenient.

Wenput & Output Ports

The Alienware M9750 is the most port-loaded notebook We have used. Wet has all of the commonly used ports such as USB as well as a few rarities, including DVWe and optical out. Fancy a picture tour?

Front View

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1. LCD latch
2. Two speakers
3. Optical drive

Optical Drive Detail

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Rear View

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1. Audio-in
2. TV-in
3. S-Video in
4. RJ-11 modem/fax
5. Vents
6. Power
7. USB 2.0 port
8. S-Video out
9. DVWe
10. VGA

Left View

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1. Kensington lock slot
2. Vents
3. RJ-45 Ethernet
4. 2x USB 2.0
5. WeEEE 1394 mini Firewire
6. Two hard drive doors
7. Media card slot
8. ExpressCard slot

Right View

1. Volume dial
2. Headphone jack
3. Microphone jack
4. 3x audio-out ports (front/surround/center speakers)
5. SPDWeF-out
6. USB 2.0 port
7. Vents

Bottom View

1. Subwoofer
2. RAM compartment
3. Battery latch
4. Battery pack
5. Vents

Wireless

The Alienware M9750 has two forms of wireless communications: Bluetooth 2.0 and wireless LAN. The M9750 houses the latest Wentel wireless card, the PRO/Wireless 4965AGN, which supports the draft N wireless protocol. We was unable to test the N feature because We do not have access to an N router, but We am pleased to report We had no issues connecting to a variety of secured G networks. The wireless signal was quite strong, and We did not have any trouble maintaining a wireless connection.

The Bluetooth wireless also worked well – We connected to my Bluetooth-enabled ThinkPad and transferred files back and forth without issue.

Battery

While surfing the Wenternet wirelessly with the display set at 3/7 brightness, our M9750 held out for one hour and three minutes before giving the ten percent left warning. We actually think that is not a bad result – the 12-cell battery is powering not one but two video cards, two hard drives running in RAWeD, and a large 17” display. My one hour and three minutes result can be looked at as the lowest possible time under the given conditions – with a single video card and single hard drive We would expect longer life. Still, the M9750 at least allows for some cordless freedom which should be considered a luxury in a machine this powerful.

Operating System & Software

Our test Alienware M9750 came preinstalled with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. The M9750 is also available at the time of this review with Windows XP Professional, Vista Home Premium, and Vista Ultimate.

The OS install of our test system was clean. Alienware fortunately does not install any junk software on any of their systems. All of the recovery CDs and driver CDs are included with the system along with printed documentation.

Customer Support

Alienware offers 24/7 toll-free phone technical support and onsite service with all of the warranty options on the M9750, including the base 1-year. Two- and three-year warranties are available for an additional $200 and $300 respectively at time of purchase.

Conclusion

The Alienware Area-51 M9750 definitely ranks as one of the most impressive systems We have used in almost every aspect, from its striking visual appearance to the fast overall performance. The M9750’s beautiful customized case design is only half of the experience – the other half belongs to the array of top-of-the-line components inside. Despite the fact that the M9750 can house two video cards, it is fairly light and thin so taking it on a trip is not out of the question. Combine that with an excellent cooling system and high-resolution 17” display, and we have ourselves a winner.

Pros:

• Fast gaming performance
• Out-of-this-world case design
• Extremely well built
• Keyboard has a great feel
• Excellent cooling system – system stays cool
• Available with Windows XP
• Relatively thin and light
• Great-looking display

Cons:

• Missing certain dedicated keyboard keys
• Odd number pad layout
• Vertical viewing angles could be better

Read More..

The ThinkPad X201 sees Lenovo bucking the trend toward smaller, lighter, and lower-priced tablets in favor of greater processing power, aided by an Intel Core i7 CPU. The result is a unique entry in the tablet marketplace, as the ThinkPad X201 is one of the fastest laptops of its size currently available. This type of performance comes at a premium, and the X201’s price, currently around $1600, is nothing to scoff at. Is the X201 strong enough to support that large figure, or does it buckle under the weight of expectations?  How does it stack up with the Lenovo Thinkpad x100e we reviewed last month?
Positives
The ThinkPad X201’s 12-inch frame is packed with some very impressive hardware. In addition to the aforementioned Core i7 CPU, the X201 also boasts 4GB of RAM. The X201’s speed advantage relative to other ultraportables is noticeable immediately: it takes about 20 seconds to start up, which in a sense makes it even easier to use on the go than other tablets and netbooks.
With the X201, Lenovo has done a good job of combining traditional, solid ThinkPad design with some advanced user interface features. The X201 isn’t quite as slim as some of the less muscular 12-inch laptops, but users who appreciate a spacious keyboard will likely forgive the extra heft, as the X201’s keyboard is one of the better ones to be found on a small laptop. The X201 adds to this a convertible touchscreen with Wacom stylus, a touchpad, and a pointing stick, so no matter how you want to input data, you’re covered.
Negatives
Overall, the ThinkPad X201 is a very solid machine, but there are a couple of minor issues that might bother some users. The touchpad is a bit on the small side, so even touchpad fans may find themselves using the touchscreen functionality more over time. Also, compared to that of most ultra low-voltage laptops, the X201’s battery life is a bit on the short side. At the same time, this is probably to be expected, due to the X201’s superior performance.
The Bottom Line
The ThinkPad X201 is significantly more expensive than the average laptop in its class. However, if budget isn’t a concern, and you think you can benefit from the boost in performance that it offers in comparison to other 12-inch notebooks, the X201 has the features and design to justify the investment.

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The MALIBAL Veda series is a desktop replacement gaming laptop based on the Clevo X8100 model. What this means is that the Veda eschews compactness and portability in favor of pure gaming power, and it is indeed one of the most powerful gaming laptops ever released. Does the Veda justify its considerable cost (from $2000 to over $5000), or is the desktop replacement gaming laptop concept one that’s not quite ready for prime time?
Positives
The Veda is an absolute beast of a laptop, measuring 17.3 x 11.8 inches (with an 18.4 inch diagonal screen) and weighing in at over 13 pounds (16 if you include the AC adapter, which you probably won’t be leaving behind). While dimensions like these would be a disaster for most other laptops, for the hardcore gaming demographic that MALIBAL is hoping to impress, this might actually be a good thing; after all, a bigger machine should mean more horsepower, and the Veda certainly has some. Although less costly options are also available, the maximum specs for the Veda include Intel Core i7 Extreme 2.0-3.20GHz CPUs, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and dual NVIDIA GeForce 1GB graphics cards.
What this all amounts to is a laptop that really can go toe-to-toe with desktops in terms of gaming performance. Although it remains to be seen how it holds up against the next wave of games, the Veda performs extremely well with recent benchmark titles like Crysis, maintaining impressive frame rates even at high detail settings. Simply put, the Veda performs to the expectations created by its impressive (and expensive) hardware.
Negatives
The Veda does suffer from a couple of frustrating design issues; for a laptop of this size, its keyboard seems decidedly small, and while it’s adequate for gaming purposes, it isn’t suited to anything more typing-intensive than that. The on-board speakers are also a bit of a disappointment, providing some fairly lackluster sound, although it’s likely that most users who are willing to pay for this type of machine will also go ahead and invest in some external speakers as well.
The Bottom Line
The MALIBAL Veda is a big, heavy laptop with short battery life, but this isn’t likely to matter to its intended audience. Simply put, the Veda is as good a gaming machine as there is, laptop or otherwise.

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