Handy Computer Guide

IT Reviews have published their review of the Dell - XPS M1710 laptop. 'The M1710 (N04XPS7) is the bigger brother of the M1210 and, just like its smaller sibling, it's very different in appearance to the rest of the Dell laptop range. It's powerful, too; in fact it's one of the most powerful notebooks currently available. The XPS M1710 has been around for a while but our review sample, the flagship model of the range, is one of the latest with a Blu-Ray writeable drive fitted as standard. The M1710 comes in two colours - Metallic Black (our review sample) or Formula Red - and, as is becoming for a member of the XPS clan, enough lights to shame a Christmas tree. The design of the notebook is what you could call "funky industrial" with the metallic black lid inlay neatly set off by the metallic silver surround. It's a tough beast as well, with a magnesium alloy chassis, steel lid hinges and thick plastic palm wrests, but weighing in at 5.5kg you won't want to be carrying it around much anyway.'

Read: Dell - XPS M1710 review - IT Reviews

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Gateway NX570X (Core 2 Duo) laptop. ‘Our test unit came with the optional matte 15.4-inch high-res widescreen (1400 x 1050 pixels); you can instead opt for a glossy 1280 x 800-pixel panel and save $100. The higher-res screen makes sense if you'll load all sorts of widgets for the Vista Home Premium OS and have them floating off to the right, but DVD playback will look more vibrant on the glossy panel. Audio output is passable for personal use, but the speakers sounded thinner and weaker than the audio delivered by the Dell and HP entries.’

Read: Gateway NX570X (Core 2 Duo) – Laptop Mag

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Evesham Zieo N500-HD notebook. ‘The Evesham Zieo N500-HD conforms to the Centrino Duo certification, and pleasingly is the first notebook we've seen to feature a Turbo Memory module – in this case a 1GB one. As a result there's been a fair amount of extra testing to do, since we've tested this system with Turbo Memory enabled and disabled to get an idea of how/if it performs. Later on I'll also be taking a look at whether it improves system boot-up speed, one of the mooted improvements it should provide. Before I get onto that, however, let's take a closer look at the specification. Starting with a Core 2 Duo T7500 running at 2.2 GHz, the Zieo features 2GB DD2 667Mhz RAM, a generous 160GB 5,400rpm hard-drive, DVD/CD-RW/ Dual-Layer DVD-RW drive, a 17in 1,680 x 1,050 display and a nVidia 512MB 8600M-GT graphics. There's also in-built Bluetooth, a 6-in-1 Card Reader, Gigabit LAN, a 1.3 Megapixel web cam and an internal Digital TV Tuner.’

Read: Evesham Zieo N500-HD – Trusted Reviews

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A review of the Gateway MT6839b notebook has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The 15.4in widescreen display has a glossy coating to improve contrast. It also proudly boasts ‘Ultrabright Widescreen’ and, while evenly lit, the screen is actually a little dimmer than on more expensive notebooks. The left side of the notebook is home to a multi format DVD writer and cooling vent that keeps the unit noticeably cool and quiet. The right side houses four USB ports, network and modem sockets, a memory card reader that caters for SD, MMC, Xd Picturecard and Sony Memorystick but not Compact Flash. There’s also a Firewire port that makes it easy to connect a digital camcorder.'

Read: Review: Gateway MT6839b notebook computer - Computeractive

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A review of the Dell Latitude D630 notebook has been posted over at CNET. 'The Latitude D630's 14.1-inch wide-screen display is remarkably bright (223 cd/m^2 in our Labs measurement). Its 1,440x900 native resolution is as sharp as some desktop replacements', which unfortunately can make text and icons appear small. The screen's matte finish makes it a winner for typical office productivity work, though, and its wide aspect ratio lets you comfortably work with two to three windows open side-by-side. Missing above the display are a Webcam and microphone, both of which can be found on competitors' systems, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad R61. It's not a great loss unless you find yourself frequently engaging in Web conferences.

In a world where manufacturers regularly adjust key width and placement to fit the width of their laptops, we appreciate the Dell Latitude D630's standard keyboard, which is quite comfortable for pounding out e-mails and Word documents. If you don't like the nubby, flat-headed pointing stick (not unlike that found on a ThinkPad) with two dedicated mouse buttons below the spacebar, you can use the wide, rectangular touch pad, which has its own activation buttons on the wrist rest. If you opt for biometric security (as we did on our system), Dell squeezes a fingerprint reader between the touch pad's buttons; we appreciate the added security but wish the buttons were a bit larger. Above the keyboard sit all the media controls you'll need on a business laptop: volume up, volume down, and mute. For a business system, the Latitude D630 has some pretty nice speakers; though the sound became muddled at high volumes, sound in the lower three-quarters of the volume range was full and balanced.'

Read: Dell Latitude D630 - CNET

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Marshall Burke writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the HP DV2000t laptop. ‘The fit and finish is fairly close to that of the DV2000t except for some reason the first couple of days the LCD Screen did not lay flat on the left side, but after use it seems to have corrected itself, I am not sure as to the cause, maybe the chassis was twisted during shipping. The first program I ran was to test for dead/stuck pixels of which none was present. The top lid came packaged with a clear sticky overlay to protect it from scratching and no noticeable scratches or defects were found. The DV2000 series is as close to IBM/Lenovo build quality as you are going to get in a consumer level laptop. The hinges are tight (minimal bounce, nice for use in an airplane or in a car) and the laptop has minimal flex on the chassis, and the latch less design makes opening and closing the LCD painless.’

Read: HP dv2500t – Notebook Review

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Laptop Magazine have published their review of the Acer Aspire 9300-5005 laptop PC. 'At 15.7 x 11.6 x 1.2 inches, the Aspire 9300-5005 is average sized for a desktop replacement with a 17-inch display. At 8.1 pounds, it's far too heavy for regular travel but light enough to bring into the next room without undue strain. Its black-and-silver coloring and functional design are inoffensive but unremarkable. The keys are large but spongy and packed together, partly because of the dedicated number pad--a nice feature for spreadsheet jockeys but not much of a value add for anyone else. We're fans of the Aspire 9300-5005's large touchpad, which features both horizontal and vertical scrolling zones. A four-way rocker switch between the large mouse buttons facilitates navigating through long documents and Web pages.'

Read: Acer Aspire 9300-5005 - Laptop Mag

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the high-end Vadim Custom Fusion LQX gaming desktop. 'The PC I'm looking at today packs in every bit of performance hardware available and it's quite a long list, so take a deep breath. It contains an Intel Core 2 QX6800 quad core CPU, 2GB of OCZ Reaper DDR-II memory, two ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTs running in Crossfire, two 150GB Western Digital Raptor hard drives in RAID 0, a 750GB Seagate Barracuda hard drive, a Creative X-Fi ExtremeGamer Fatal1ty sound card, a Dual layer rewritable DVD drive, a 1000Watt Enermax Galaxy modular power supply, an Asus P5W DH Deluxe motherboard, a full water cooling setup, and no less than 11 fans all housed in a Silverstone TJ07 aluminum case. This is one hell of a specification that will make mincemeat of anything you throw at it, all that's missing are the custom paint job and custom-cut side panels.'

Read: Vadim Custom Fusion LQX - Trusted Reviews

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PC Magazine have published a review of the Systemax Venture VX2 B67IVU gaming desktop. ‘The Venture VX2 uses the same drab, utilitarian case that lower-priced Systemax Venture PCs use for lesser machines such as the mainstream Venture DH531IV. It's a tractable case. This is a system to consider if you like to tinker, but don't want to do the initial build yourself. There's lots of space for upgrades, including PCIe x16 slots on the Intel 975X-based motherboard for two additional graphics cards. Though it's not supported by many games yet, there is technology that can use the GPU in one of the graphics cards on a 975X-based motherboard as a coprocessor in order to make game physics more realistic. The system's case fan and its CPU cooling fan are slow-turning and quiet, though the fan on the GeForce 7950 GT card is a little loud. You can always swap out the graphics card later, but you can't customize the VX2 when you order the system on Systemax's Web site.’

Read: Systemax Venture VX2 B67IVU – PC Mag

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Digital Trends have publsihed their review of the Gateway E-155C ultraportable notebook. 'Base features include the 12.1” WXGA LCD with sunlight readability filter and ambient light sensor, which was pretty clear during both indoor and outdoor viewing. Outdoor viewing was especially clear for a laptop, though, as expected, colors were significantly washed out. The onboard Intel GMA950 won’t win any F.E.A.R. matches, but then again, this isn’t a gaming machine. The only processor option is the Core 2 Duo ULV U7500, clocked at 1.06GHz. We found the processor to be capable of most applications, though there was some borderline significant lag on OneNote during digitizing. Ram is under-clocked to 533 MHZ to reduce power consumption, and offered at up to 3GB (our model had 1G Hard drive offerings max out at 120GB, and there is an option to upgrade the CD-RW drive to a DVD-RW one. Rounding out the configuration is Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11a/b/g. It should be noted that as an option, this system includes Windows XP Tablet Edition, which does not support many of the tablet enhancements available in Vista. We recommend that you stick with Windows Vista. If Bill Gates uses a Tablet PC for his day-to-day computing, you know he added his two bits on what could be improved, and people hopped to it. Overall, the E-155C scored a 3.1 in the Windows Experience Index, which isn’t horrible, but could be improved upon.'

Read: Gateway E-155C - Digital Trends

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A review of the Asus U1F ultraportable notebook has been posted over at Pocket Lint. 'Asus is probably better known for its larger notebooks with emphasis on multimedia and style and left slim and light machines to the likes of Sony. Things are changing though and the U1F is a great example of what slim and light really means. Weighing in at 1.1kg, this notebook sits comfortably in your hand and with an impressive finish is a direct competitor to Sony’s VAIO VGN-TX5VN. Pre-installed with Windows Vista Business Edition you’ll expect a powerful specification in order to get the most from the OS. So the use of Intel’s ultra-low voltage 1.06GHz Core Duo U2400 means things are a little slow to boot up and run. It comes with 1024MB of memory but you’ll see things improve if you upgrade to 2GB. The 60GB hard drive rounds out the specification.'

Read: Asus U1F laptop Review - Pocket Lint

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John Ratsey writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the affordable Samsung R20 notebook computer. 'The R20’s construction is plastic. However, it is a very rigid plastic and the only part with a little flex is the cover to the hard disk compartment. The battery, which is long and narrow, is fixed onto the back of the computer behind the hinges. It is necessary to push very hard on the display back to cause any ripples on the screen. There is no wobble in the hinges. The display is held closed by a sliding latch with two hooks. This is also plastic but appears to be quite strong. The bottom of the computer is stepped, with protruding feet (about 5mm at the front and 3mm high at the back). These feet enable airflow under the computer. Overall, the front of the computer is lower than the back, which adds to comfort in use while the thinner front part of the chassis makes it easier to hold the computer by one of the front corners.'

Read: Samsung R20 Review - Notebook Review

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A review of the Velocity Micro Raptor DCX (ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT) multimedia desktop has been posted over at CNET. ‘The configuration of this system is close to other high-end PC's we've reviewed over the past six or seven months, but a few key differences help it stand out. Where others in its class have sent us Core 2 Extreme quad-core CPUs, Velocity Micro sent this Raptor DCX to us with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600 overclocked to 3GHz (a $25 upgrade). That's faster (on paper, at least) than the stock 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6800 in the $3,940 ABS Ultimate X Striker Elite and the $4,570 Maingear X-Cube. It also likely accounts for the Velocity Micro's strong scores on the Cinebench test, which measures raw processing power.

Application performance isn't tied explicitly to CPU speed, though. The 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 memory in the Raptor DCX should be fine for current games and any mainstream application you want to use. But as you can see from our Photoshop test results (and likely our iTunes results as well), systems such as the Dell XPS 710 H2C and the ABS that have 4GB of system memory will benefit when dealing with memory-intensive tasks such as image editing.’

Read: Velocity Micro Raptor DCX (ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT) - CNET

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PC Authority have published a review of the HP Compaq tc4400 convertible tablet PC. ‘The tc4400 has been out for some months now but we’ve been aware of its quality. Now that PC Authority has flung itself in to the world of Tablet PCs it seemed only right to test what many consider to be the best of the bunch. Indeed, Tablet PCs in Australia have traditionally been used by industry and the education sectors. For a long time their build quality was suspect and the cost premium, enormous. However, the features have now been refined and Vista has further helped popularise the form factor making Tablets more useful for everyone.’

Read: HP Compaq tc4400 - PC Authority

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CNET have published a review of the HP Pavilion dv9500t "desktop replacement" laptop which features Intel's (Santa Rosa) Centrino Duo mobile platform. 'The dv9500t has a typical array of ports and connections for a desktop replacement, though it lacks DVI output. We especially like the laptop's dual headphone jacks, which make it easy to share movies and music with friends. We also like that our Pavilion dv9500t preproduction unit included an HD DVD drive and HDMI output. Unfortunately, this option will not be available on initial dv9500t models, though the laptop will include a double-layer DVD burner with LightScribe, which lets you burn your own labels onto compatible discs. (When the HD DVD drive is offered, we expect it to add about $400 to the laptop's price.) We're not convinced the lack of a next-generation drive is a deal breaker, though buyers who simply must have a high-definition drive immediately should look to the Dell XPS M1710 (Blu-Ray) and the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660 (HD DVD).'

Read: HP Pavilion dv9500t - CNET

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Lenovo ThinkPad R61-14W laptop PC with Windows Vista Business Edition installed. 'Measuring 13.2 x 9.3 x 1.5 inches, the ThinkPad R61-14W is noticeably thinner than past models and weighs just 5.4 pounds, which makes it easy to tote to and from the office. (View our photo gallery.) While we love the spacious, ergonomic keyboard, those with large mitts will find the touchpad a bit on the small side. An integrated pointing stick provides another means of cursor control. Above the keyboard are dedicated volume keys, the power button, and a handy ThinkVantage launch key for tweaking system settings. A 1.3-megapixel webcam above the display provided decent, if unspectacular, visuals.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad R61-14W - Laptop Mag

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Michael Truong writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Compaq Presario C500 budget notebook. ‘This notebook is made entirely of plastic. In my opinion, the plastic all around the notebook is pretty thick and rigid. The look/feel of the notebook is pretty nice. It is not flashy like the HP dv6000 series, but rather has an elegant, minimalist, essentialist design. The laptop does not feel like as cheap as the price reflects. Pushing on the back of this notebook produced a slight LCD ripple, indicating that the lid could offer a bit more protection. That's not surprising with a budget notebook like this though.’

Read: Compaq Presario C500T – Notebook Review

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Trusted Reviews have posted a preview of the new Samsung Aura R70 notebook which is based on the new Centrino Duo platform. 'Like the R20 before it, the R70 really doesn’t look like a budget notebook. The glossy black lid really does look the business, and is sure to complement your Heals décor, when sitting on your cast iron and glass desk. Opening the R70 reveals an inside that doesn’t quite live up to the piano black lid, but is slightly less underwhelming than the R20 was – basically there are no Artex type swirls like the ones that ruined the internal aesthetics of the R20. The inside is finished in matt black and has a suitably minimalist look to it, the matt bezel also highlights the glossy black screen.'

Read: Samsung Aura R70 Santa Rosa - Exclusive Preview

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Personal Computer World have published a review of the Zepto Znote 6625WD notebook. 'The new Znote 6625WD from Zepto hides an array of highly anticipated technologies. Most importantly, it houses Intel's new laptop platform, previously codenamed Santa Rosa. Rather confusingly, Santa Rosa laptops will still be branded Centrino Duo for home users. A new Centrino Pro badge will be added to corporate laptops containing Intel's vPro management software. Santa Rosa brings a new motherboard design with Intel's new PM965 chipset and a new CPU plug called Socket P. This can hold new Core 2 Duo processors (the T7100, T7300 or T7500), all of which have an 800MHz front side bus (FSB), up from 667MHz on previous Core 2 Duo processors.'

Read: Review: Zepto Znote 6625WD Santa Rosa notebook

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PC Magazine have published a review of the Gateway E-265M business laptop, 'Gateway's new E-265M ($2,100 direct) is a sturdy mainstream laptop with a classic black exterior, a switch from the previous edition's bland silver. The real makeover, however, is inside, thanks to Intel's new Centrino Duo (code-named "Santa Rosa") platform. Performance is the big ticket for business professionals, as well as many consumers, and in that area, the E-265M comes through. The system now bears some resemblance to the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 Widescreen, only it's thicker. The lid is reminiscent of the one found on the Gateway NX570X, sturdy and able to repel scratches and smudges. The 6.4-pound frame isn't as light as that of the 5.4-pound T61, but then again, the T61 doesn't have a 12-cell battery sticking out from the back. The E-265M's weight dips below 6 pounds with a smaller battery. The 14-inch widescreen has a bright transflective coating, ideal for video and photo professionals. When you order the system, you can outfit the screen with a matte finish to fend off fluorescent glare. But if you don't mind extra weight, check out the Gateway E-475M. It has a 15.4-inch screen with 1,680-by-1,050 resolution. In fact, the screen size is the only difference between the E-475M and the E-265M.

Read: Gateway E-265M - PC Mag

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CNET have published a review of the new eMachines T5226 budget PC. 'The only significant difference between the eMachines T5224 we reviewed earlier in the year and the new T5226 is the CPU. The newer $550 T5226 has a 3.0GHz Intel Pentium D 925 dual-core processor, a slight uptick over the older Intel chip in the T5224. And while we like eMachines' first system of 2007, this update finds itself competing against more-robust competition. We're pleased that most budget desktops these days have modern features--DVD burners, dual-core CPUs, Windows Vista Home Premium--but every little bit of raw CPU performance helps as well, and, similar to our criticism of the T5224, the T5226 falls slightly behind the competition in terms of straightforward computing power.

In addition to the Pentium D 925 chip, the T5226 comes with 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM, a 250GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics chip. In other words, its core specs are identical to the T5224 except for the CPU. While we've been glad to find in that a PC with 1GB of memory and integrated graphics will run Windows Vista and its Aero visual effects with no trouble, this $550 PC's overall performance is eclipsed by that of HP's new $580 Pavilion Slimline s3020n PC, a dual-core AMD Athlon-based desktop that we gave a CNET Editor's Choice award last month.'

Read: eMachines T5226 - Pentium D 925 3GHz - CNET

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A review of the Gateway C120X "Convertible" notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'The C120X has a nice design, but forgoes being too gawdy or flashy. Gateway didn't go with a glossy lid or white keyboard with this Tablet, like we saw with the Toshiba R400, instead they went with a classy flat black finish that almost looks grey. Combined with the metallic accents around the hinge area, this Tablet has a professional and sturdy appearance. More importantly the C120X has a solid build to support that sturdy look. The high-impact magnesium alloy casing and reinforced hinge help to make this a sturdy device, but the screen hinge is a little wobbly. I would have liked a stronger hinge to minimize the screen wobbling, but this is much tougher to implement on tablets than regular notebooks that have the advantage of two hinge points.'

Read: Gateway C120X Thin and Light Convertible Tablet PC Review

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Laptop Magazine have reviewed the portable Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 notebook. ‘Weighing in at four pounds, the S2210 is light enough to carry all day, and it feels like it can last a long time. Measuring 11.5 x 9.4 x 1.3 inches, it runs slightly narrower than most contemporary widescreen thin-and-lights. When the lid is open, however, the system is nearly two inches taller than its widescreen rivals, which will make it more difficult to use on an airplane tray table. The S2210's keyboard is mediocre; the keys are full-sized but felt somewhat cramped and not as firm as we'd like. The touchpad is of adequate size, however, and the biometric fingerprint sensor between the mouse buttons doubles as a vertical scroll button for quickly navigating through documents and Web pages.’

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 – Laptop Mag

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The Register Hardware have published their review of the Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P1610 portable PC. 'Laptops come in all shapes and sizes, from super-big, hernia-inducing desktop replacements to mega-dinky ultra-portables. The Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P1610 sits firmly at the smaller end of the scale, with a footprint barely larger than an A5 sheet of paper. It's built to be lightweight and portable, and though it may be petite on the outside it's not short on the features front. The P1610 is also a tablet PC, so you can swing the screen around and fold it back down flat. With a size of just 23.2 x 16.7 x 3.7cm and a weight of around 1.2kg, it's actually very usable in this mode. Like most tablet PCs, the single hinge feels a little fragile - but as it's attached to a smaller screen it doesn't feel as flimsy as larger tablet screens do.'

Read: Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook P1610 - Reg Hardware

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A review of the "The Thin & Light Convertible" Gateway E-155C portable PC has been posted over at Tablet PC Review. ‘The E-155C has a nice design, but forgoes being too gawdy or flashy. Gateway didn't go with a glossy lid or white keyboard with this Tablet, like we saw with the Toshiba R400, instead they went with a classy flat black finish that almost looks grey. Combined with the metallic accents around the hinge area, this Tablet has a professional and sturdy appearance. More importantly the E-155C has a solid build to support that sturdy look. The high-impact magnesium alloy casing and reinforced hinge help to make this a sturdy device, but the screen hinge is a little wobbly. I would have liked a stronger hinge to minimize the screen wobbling, but this is much tougher to implement on tablets than regular notebooks that have the adva