Handy Computer Guide

Jessica Gardner writing over at Notebook Review has posted her review of the affordable Toshiba Satellite Pro L100 notebook PC. ‘The Toshiba Satellite Pro L100 is a dual-purpose notebook from Toshiba. At the low end configuration the L100 is a 15” XGA budget notebook solution, while at the high-end configuration the L100 can be a power home/business laptop, utilising Intel’s Centrino Duo technology. The L100 line is the replacement for the L20 series of notebooks sold in Europe (as of now this laptop is not sold by Toshiba in North America). The notebook being reviewed here is the PSLA4 version of the L100. The graphics are based on ATi’s Xpress 200 chipset, featuring the very rare 256MB version of this integrated graphics solution, and the processor is an Intel Celeron-M CPU.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite Pro L100 Review – Notebook Review

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PC Magazine have reviewed the HP Pavilion Media Center a1640n PC. 'The a1640n comes in a midsize tower case that's very similar to the one on the Compaq Presario SR2050NX. Under the skin—which, for the a1640n, is mostly silver—they are the same case. The a1640n holds a single 250GB hard drive, 2GB of system memory, a DVD multi drive that can read and burn discs in single- and dual-layer DVD+R, DVD-R, and DVD-RAM formats in addition to CDs. It also features HP's LightScribe technology, which burns labels onto specially prepared CDs and DVDs. The a1640n carries an Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 processor; to save costs, it also comes with integrated Intel GMA 3000 graphics. There is a free PCIe x16 slot for future graphics upgrades.'

Read: HP Pavilion Media Center a1640n - PC Mag

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A review of the feature-rich Asus V1JP notebook PC has been posted at Notebook Review. ‘The ASUS V1JP is a new high-end 15.4” business notebook. The V1JP offers many features such as a fingerprint reader, webcam, multi-bay, spill proof keyboard and optional docking station. The ASUS V1JP reviewed here comes with a Core 2 Duo T7200 CPU, an ATI X1700 graphics card, a WSXGA+ (1680x1050) screen, 1x1GB DDR2 @ 667mhz ram, 120GB hard drive @5400 rpm, DVD-super multi dual layer, Windows XP Pro and 2 years ASUS Global Warranty with Global Zero Bright Dot Guarantee for 30 days.’

Read: Asus V1JP Notebook Review (Pics, Games) – Notebook Review

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The HP Compaq dx2200 business desktop PC has been reviewed over at PC Magazine. 'The dx2200 comes in a pedestrian-looking case, and the interior components are pretty pedestrian as well. The system's 3.06-GHz Pentium 4 524 processor was top-of-the-line—circa 2002. That said, how much horsepower do you really need to write e-mails and create Microsoft Excel spreadsheets? The P4 524 processor is hyper-threaded, which means that it will handle some multimedia tasks better than a true single-core processor, but not all. If you're in a graphics-intensive biz, you're going to want a system with a Core 2 Duo or Athlon X CPU. The dx2200's integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics are also ordinary, but they are DX9-compliant and will get you up to basic Microsoft Windows Vista compatibility.'

Read: HP Compaq dx2200 - PC Magazine

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The Averatec 2370 12” notebook has been reviewed over at Notebook Review. ‘Unlike earlier Averatec notebooks, the 2370 is not a re-branded MSI notebook. Instead, this particular model was built by Twinhead, the same company that manufactures the Durabook. As a result, the build quality of the 2370 defied my prejudice against the Averatec brand. The 12.1” screen features a 1280x800 resolution. Similar to many other multimedia notebooks, the 2370 has a glossy screen. The LCD for the 2370 is manufactured by AUO or SEC. I have an AUO screen, which appears to have washed-out colors but is still usable. Some may find adjusting the color settings necessary. The SEC screen would be most desirable since it’s reported to not have these problems.’

Read; Averatec 2370 Notebook Review

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Paul LaPota writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 with Core 2 Duo installed. 'This notebook has a 14.1” screen with a resolution of 1400 x 1050 SXGA. I was perplexed on whether or not to spend the extra money on getting the extra resolution. I finally decided to go with it because I wanted the better graphics card. I am happy I went with it because it definitely is nice and crisp. Going from the Thinkpad to the Averatec or the junky LCD on my desktop allows me to really appreciate the extra resolution on the Thinkpad. Otherwise the screen is probably just average. The viewing angles are average; giving good view from left to right, but just okay viewing from top to bottom. There also seems to be a little light leakage on the bottom of the screen, but is only noticeable when it is black. Other reviews on this website have also mentioned these comments and have covered it sufficiently. It is better than that of my Averatec, but you would expect that.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Core 2 Duo - Notebook Review

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Trusted Reviews have reviewed the lightweight Vaio VGN-SZ3XP feature-rich notebook from Sony. 'I won't go into too much detail about the chassis as I've already covered it in my Sony Vaio VGN-SZ2XP review, but I will go over the most salient points. The first is the very thin display. This is due to Sony using an LED backlight. This enables the screen to be noticeably thinner than a conventional laptop displays that use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp technology. It also means that the laptop tapers from the back to the front making it easier to hold, while the wedge shape is easier on the eye. Another advantage of an LED backlight is that it produces a better black level, giving you a better image in dark scenes when watching videos or playing games. I found that it was actually less forgiving of poorly encoded videos with dark scenes as I could clearly seen artefacts - the latest Harry Potter trailer was a case in point.'

Read: Sony Vaio VGN-SZ3XP - Trusted Reviews

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Digit-Life have posted their review of the affordable Acer Aspire 3628AWXCI notebook PC. 'The system demonstrates more than adequate results for its price, I would say that the 3628 is getting close to leaders of the market. This battery life is quite sufficient even for most mobile users. The 3628 owner shouldn't be concerned with battery time, it will be enough for most cases. The keyboard produces a nice first impression. We have absolutely no gripes with the layout – even the left ctrl button is in the corner (frankly speaking, I am so used to notebook keyboards that I even fell out of the habit, but it's definitely an advantage when you also work with a desktop keyboard; besides, this layout is more convenient to switch between languages using ctrl+shift), so you'll get used to this keyboard very quickly.'

Read: Acer Aspire 3628AWXCI – There Ain't No Cheaper? - Digit-Life

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The Gateway E-6610D SB business workstation has been reviewed over at PC Magazine. ‘The E-6610D SB is housed in Gateway's black business BTX tower case (which I found a little cluttered). It carries a pair of high-powered components: Intel's Core 2 Duo E6600 processor and a 128MB nVidia Quadro FX 550 graphics card. The dual-core E6600 will help you get those graphics-heavy (or database computing-intensive) projects out the door so you can meet your clients' deadlines. The Quadro FX 550 card has a dual-link DVI port on it, so it can support a 30-inch flat panel display from Dell, Apple, HP, or Samsung. Gateway doesn't have one yet, but it's only a matter of time until it does. A 30-inch panel gives you the space to view two to eight pages of data at once, design multiple Web pages, work on multimegapixel images, or create a large-scale database schema, among other things. If you need these abilities and can find the appropriate wide-screen display elsewhere, the E-6610D SB will help you out’

Read: Gateway E-6610D SB – PC Mag

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Trusted Reviews have posted their review of the powerful Alienware Area-51 7500 gaming desktop. 'Opening up the side of the case, you'll find a very neat interior, though bizarrely Alienware in its literature claims that it's giving you 50 worth of wiring up for free! One would expect a pre-built system to arrive actually wired up, so I'm not really sure it's the bargain it claims to be. Still, it is all very neat and tidy. There's space for four hard discs in the interior, and two are supplied in this system - two Hitachi Deskstar 7K500s, each with 500GB capacity. These are set up in RAID 0 capacity for the best performance. It adds two points of failure but with games such as Oblivion demanding as much I/O performance as you can give them, RAID 0 on a desktop system is starting to make more sense.'

Read: Alienware Area-51 7500 featuring Quad-Core and 8800 SLI - Trusted Reviews

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Laptop Magazine have posted their review of the stylish VGN-C150P/B notebook computer from Sony. 'The VGN-C150P/B's aesthetic is simple but effective: The dimpled plastic around the keyboard and the tasteful, "urban gray" case and complementary bronze-colored detailing will lend elegance to any office or living room. If you want to spice things up a bit, the C series is available in four other colors: Seashell White, Blush Pink, Spring Green, and Espresso Black. Take that, MacBook. At 5.1 pounds, the VGN-C150P/B feels sturdily constructed but lightweight, and its 13 x 9.3 x 1.5-inch frame won't prohibit it from regular travel. We're fond of the laptop's keyboard: The exceptionally large keys offer the perfect amount of tactile feedback and are very satisfying to type on. Likewise, the responsive touchpad and firm mouse buttons are of sufficient size and quality for extended use.'

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-C150P/B - Laptop Mag

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John Ratsey writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Samsung NP-X60plus Core 2 Duo Notebook PC. 'The Samsung NP-X60plus is an enhanced version of the Samsung X60 series and includes the Intel Core 2 Duo. The X60plus is very similar to its predecessor and weighs in at about 2.55kg (5.5lb) with a 6 cell battery, which places it among the lightest notebooks with a 15.4” display. The version of the X60plus reviewed here has the Core 2 Duo T7200 CPU, the ATI X1700 GPU, WSXGA+ display, a 120GB 5400rpm hard disk and a Lightscribe DVD burner. Samsung aren’t completely sure what to call this new model. The label on the bottom of the computer says NP-X60 plus, and the logo on the inside, under the display has X60plus. For convenience, I am using X60plus, which will, I hope, avoid confusion by the search engines with other types of X60.'

Read: Samsung NP-X60plus Core 2 Duo Notebook Review - Notebook Review

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The lightweight Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 notebook described by the editors as the "most powerful 12-inch laptop we've come across" has been reviewed over at ZDNet. 'The Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 is a little powerhouse of a laptop. It features the same chassis as the U205-S5022 model we reviewed earlier in the year, which straddles the line between ultraportable and thin-and-light, but underneath its hood the U205-S5044 now boasts a Core 2 Duo processor, a rarity among laptops of its size. Thanks in part to its Core 2 Duo T7200 chip and 2GB of memory, it's the fastest 12-inch laptop we've tested to date. If not for the tiny touch pad, we'd say the $1,599 Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 is the perfect laptop for users looking for a fully featured, powerful laptop that's still small and light enough for daily travel. The Satellite U205-S5044 is one of the chunkier laptops you'll find with a 12.1-inch wide-screen display. It measures 11.6 inches wide, 8.7 inches deep, and a somewhat portly 1.5 inches thick. By comparison, a similarly sized Acer Ferrari 1004WTMi is less than an inch thick, and Apple's 13.3-inch MacBook is an inch thick. The Fujitsu LifeBook T4215 is closer in size and thickness to the U205-S5044, but the LifeBook weighs about half a pound more. At 4.2 pounds, the U205-S5044 feels lighter than you'd expect. With its AC adapter, the total travel weight is 5.1 pounds. '

Read: Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 - ZDNet

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CNET have reviewed the budget-priced (base configuration) Gateway NX570X laptop. ‘The Gateway NX570X is a midsize workhorse, and its flexible configuration options let you put together a system that ranges from the truly budget base price of $899 (currently $699, thanks to a $200-off promotion) to our reasonably upscale $1,368 review unit ($1,168 with same the promotion). HP's Compaq Presario V6000T is a similarly configurable jack-of-all-trades, and the differences largely come down to aesthetic considerations such as the Compaq's look-at-me shiny finish versus the Gateway's understated matte look. For what is essentially an entry-level system, the NX570X leaves a very positive impression. Despite the wallet-friendly price, the NX570X looks and feels like a much more expensive system. A textured, scratch-resistant surface gives the lid a heavy-duty quality. Add to that the brushed-aluminum palm-rest inlay, and you have a low-cost laptop that you won't be embarrassed to be seen with at a coffee shop or an airport.’

Read: Gateway NX570X – CNET

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Mark Mierzwa writing over at Notebook review has reviewed the ASUS G1 gaming notebook. ‘The laptop is solid with little flex. The build is of good quality. The hinge is sturdy and the screen easily adjusts position. It does wobble slightly when shaken and may prove disturbing on trains, planes, and automobiles. I pushed on the lid and received no observable ripple. I twisted the LCD but it did not have any give. When closed, you can pull up on the top and observe the latch does not hold the unit together firmly. Some may consider it slightly annoying that the laptop does not snap shut tightly. The textured look is very subtle but noticeable and does not show finger prints too obviously. At roughly 7 lbs (6.8lbs by some accounts, though I have yet to weigh it myself) it is light enough to be considered portable and the backpack is ideal for transferring the weight into an easily carried form.’

Read: Asus G1 Review – Notebook Review

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A review of Dell's OptiPlex 745 business desktop PC has been posted over on PC Magazine. 'The 745's Core 2 Duo processor, Radeon X1300 graphics, fast DDR2-667 memory, and speedy 10,000-rpm drive together achieved commendable SYSmark 2004 SE benchmark-test results: an excellent score of 364 on the Internet Content Creation test and a good score of 260 on the Office Productivity test. The system wins both categories when compared with other business systems in this space, so it's the one to shoot for whether you're in a time-sensitive business or just have demanding computing needs and really want to keep the system for more than a couple of years. It comes out ahead of the Lenovo ThinkCentre A60 on both performance and form factor (though the A60's tower case gives you more room for upgrades), and though it's considerably more expensive than the HP Compaq dx2200 Business System, it also outperforms the dx2200's slower, single-core Pentium 4 processor and hard drive. The OptiPlex 745's closest competitor, the Gateway E-6610D SB, has a tower's expandability, but is a smidge more expensive because of its nVidia Quadro workstation-class graphics card and SCSI hard drive.'

Read: Dell OptiPlex 745 - PC Mag

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PC Magazine have posted a review of the affordable eMachines T5212 desktop PC. 'eMachines has a knack for offering a system to fit every budget point, and the T5212 ($569.99 direct) is its current $500–600 "top-of-the-line" model. It's is a good system for the majority of adult users out there and for the more demanding school-age student. With a dual-core Intel Pentium D 805 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a PCIe x16 expansion slot, and integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics, the T5212 is nominally ready for Microsoft Windows Vista. That said, in order to get true performance out of Vista's new 3D-style Aero interface, you'll want to budget at least another $100 or so for a discrete graphics card such as the ATI Radeon X1300 or the nVidia GeForce 6600. Without the upgraded graphics, however, the system is powerful enough to do basic multimedia tasks in both Windows XP and in Vista.'

Read: eMachines T5212 - PC Mag

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The powerful Fujitsu LifeBook T4215 convertible tablet PC has been reviewed over at CNET. 'Early convertible tablets often were saddled with out-of-date components. But newer models--such as the $2,429 Fujitsu LifeBook T4215--don't require you to sacrifice power for functionality, because they offer the latest technology, including Intel Core 2 Duo processors. While not as elegant as either the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 or the Gateway M285-E, the LifeBook T4215 is highly configurable and features a specially coated screen for outdoor use, making it a good fit for a range of uses and budgets. It also boasts a useful feature not found on other tablets: The rotating screen swivels both ways. With a middling keyboard but useful tablet features, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4215 is well worth a look if you plan on keeping the system in tablet mode a good deal of the time.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook T4215 - CNET

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The Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 "desktop replacement" notebook has been reviewed over at Notebook Review. 'The build of this notebook is very good. The construction is not of cheap plastic that bends, but of solid material which has no flex at all. There's no creaking to be heard when pressing at the corners of the notebook, something that my older Fujitsu M1437G does. The notebook does not scratch very easily and does not attract any fingerprints at all. There's no having to clean your notebook every time it's used. The hinges are tough and you get a confident closing sound when shutting the lid down. The weight of this notebook is very good for a 17” desktop replacement. It weighs 4.1 kg (8.2 lbs) when configured with 2 hard drives. If you add the adapter the weight is around 4.5 kg (9.0 lbs). The notebook is not very thick for a 17”. I still do not recommend you taking this notebook to college every day; it will hurt your back after a while.'

Read: Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 - Notebook Review

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Kevin O'Brien writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Lenovo C200 notebook PC. 'As a refreshing update to the C series budget line, Lenovo released the C200 model to replace the older C100. Much of the laptop has been changed, it has adopted the style seen in the Lenovo V/N series, but a few parts have stayed the same. Luckily for us, the majority of the changes have been much needed improvements. Some of these include stronger hinges, a newer SATA hard drive interface, processor series upgrade, and chipset upgrade. Compared to the previous C100, you can see right away that the newer model is much faster, and on par with the majority of new laptops out right now. The only part that changed from the C100 to a lesser component in the C200 is the battery. The old C100 models all had an 8 cell battery, and the new C200 is only a 6 cell. Personally I would rather take a hit on an hour or so of battery life to be able to use a much faster laptop.'

Read: Lenovo C200 - Notebook Review

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A review of the affordable Toshiba Satellite M115-S3094 dual-core notebook has been posted over at Laptop Magazine. 'The M115-S3094's gray lid and silver body look equally tasteful at home as in the office. Though the flexible plastic case isn't especially sturdy, at 5.2 pounds, the system is quite light, particularly for its 13.5 x 9.5 x 1.5-inch footprint. The almost-full-sized keyboard is reasonably comfortable to type on, though it's a bit on the spongy side. The touchpad and mouse buttons are small but responsive enough to use; if you have big fingers, you'll want to connect a larger external mouse to one of the USB ports. The 14.1-inch widescreen display serves up rich color and sharp images; the 1280 x 800-pixel native resolution, average for a display this size, affords enough screen real estate to work in multiple windows. The two stereo speakers placed above the keyboard deliver audio that's clear, though it's neither particularly rich nor loud. We love the row of handy multimedia controls (which work with the Express Media Player), the quick-launch buttons located just to the left of the keyboard, and the external volume control wheel on the M115-S3094's front edge.'

Read: Toshiba Satellite M115-S3094 - Laptop Mag

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PC Magazine have reviewed the Dell XPS M1710 (Blu-ray) laptop which is claimed as the “the best gaming laptop in the market”. ‘Being the centerpiece of your gaming room is apparently not enough for the Dell—it wants to take over your living room too. The Dell XPS M1710 (Blu-ray) ($4,249 direct) becomes only the second laptop to integrate a built-in BD-RE drive for watching all your high-definition Blu-ray content, as well as burning it. And Dell didn't forget about gaming. The previous M1710 (Core 2 Duo) put up some of the best frame rates on our benchmark tests, and now Dell is looking to top that with the latest graphics card from nVidia, the GeForce Go 7950GTX. The Formula Red lid has been a mainstay for the last three M1710 iterations. It would have been nice to see some color variation, like the paint jobs found on the Voodoo Envy u:909 and the Alienware Aurora m9700. Still, the bright red color fits gamer style. The screen is intensely bright, and the 1,920-by-1,200 resolution is among the best for watching high-definition content.’

Read: Dell XPS M1710 (Blu-ray) PC Mag

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CNET have reviewed the ZT Group Reliant VPX6001 Core 2 Duo-based business PC. ‘The marketing efforts behind Intel's various platforms have met with differing degrees of success. While the Centrino mobile platform was one of Intel's more successful campaigns, it's safe to say that the Viiv platform for Media Center PCs has failed to resonate with PC buyers. The jury is still out on Intel's business platform, dubbed vPro. A vPro desktop must feature certain hardware attributes--starting with a Core 2 Duo processor--and will include IT management features that make it easier and less costly for organizations to monitor, protect, and maintain the PCs on their network. We focus primarily on consumer PCs here at CNET, but we took a look at this business PC from ZT Group because some aspects of vPro technology are expected appear on consumer desktops and laptops in the future. At $899, the ZT Group Reliant VPX6001 represents a good deal for small businesses and larger enterprises.’

Read: ZT Group Reliant VPX6001 - CNET

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A review of the portable Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 (Core Solo 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD) notebook has been posted on CNET. ‘The Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 combines the best features of ultramobile PCs (tiny size, easy-to-use touch screen) and convertible tablets (an attached keyboard, laptop-caliber performance). As with most hybrid technologies, however, the LifeBook P1610 forces you to make some compromises: its tiny keyboard makes extensive typing a challenge, and--though we'd like to carry the P1610 with us all day long--its battery life isn't enough to last through a full day of work. Also, the P1610's tiny case can't accommodate the latest dual-core processors, leaving it to trail behind larger convertibles, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet, when it comes to performance. Despite these faults, the LifeBook P1610 remains the best choice on the market for users who want more features than a smart phone in a still-portable size. If you can carry a little extra bulk and weight, though, we highly recommend the faster (and less expensive) ThinkPad X60 Tablet.’

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 (Core Solo 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD) - CNET

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