Review HP Elitebook 2570p-B6Q10EA Notebook

HP calls their series of laptops designed for professionals "Elitebook". Superb build quality and upscale materials do not come cheap, however - the price of admission starts at 1000 Euro. The range encompasses systems from 11.6-inch (2170p) to 12.5-inch (2560p and 2570p), and 14-inch (8460p and 8470p ) to 15.6-inch (8560p and 8570p). HP MT06 We should also include the Elitebook 2760p in this list - a 12.1-inch tablet PC.

Most Elitebooks now feature Intel's Ivy Bridge hardware. Our review system, the 12.1-inch 2570p, is the successor to the (already reviewed) 2560p. This time around, we check out a top-of-the-line configuration featuring mobile broadband, Core i7-3520M dual core CPU, integrated Graphics 4000 graphics card, 4 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD.

Case

As far as the chassis is concerned, HP stayed with the tried and true. The Elitebook 2570p looks like its predecessor - and sports the same substantial weight of 2 kilogram (4.41 pounds), as well as chassis thickness. HP MTO3

The hefty construction has its benefits: the chassis is very sturdy, does not deform when pressure is applied, and resists twisting forces extremely well. HP outfitted the notebook with a very rigid bottom cover, which can be removed in its entirety without unscrewing a single screw. The display resists pressure well, is torsionally very rigid, and does not deform when the notebook is lifted at a corner. We have no issues with the overall sturdiness of this notebook. HP MTO6

In addition, all materials are of very high quality. The aluminum surfaces (both brushed and painted) feel cool to the touch and resist scratching. The keys of the keyboard, for example, are made from matte, slightly rough plastic and feel pleasant under the fingertips.

The hinges are metal and hold the display securely with minimal back-and-forth movement after an adjustment of the display angle. Because of the weight of the base unit, the display lid can be opened with one hand without issues. HP TPN-Q101

HP decided to forgo the massive display lock featured on the predecessor. The hinges of the 2570p, even though quite stiff, don't manage to hold the display lid securely closed when the notebook is turned upside down and held by just the base unit. It might be advisable to use a sleeve for transport to prevent items from wedging themselves between the lid and the base.

Performance

HP TPN-Q102 The Elitebook 2570p is based on Intel's QM77 (Panther Point) chipset. Our version features the fast Intel Core i7-3520M dual-core processor. For this particular Elitebook, this is the top CPU. System RAM is four Gigabyte - part of which is shared with the integrated Graphics 4000.

Our test system is the top-of-the-line configuration. Other models come equipped with a slower Core i5 Ivy Bridge CPU and (in some cases) only two Gigabyte of RAM. We consider four Gigabyte to be the current standard. For simple office tasks and Internet browsing, the less expensive model with he Core i5 processor should be sufficient. More complex applications like databases or virtual machines will take advantage of the more powerful Core i7 processor. HP 2000-350US

Processor
The Intel Core i7-3520M is manufactured using the 22 nanometer process with 3D transistors and has a core frequency of 2.9 GHz. If cooling permits, Turbo Boost allows the Ivy Bridge CPU to overclock to 3.6 Ghz (one core) or 3.4 GHz (two cores). Since the processor features hyperthreading, the two physical cores can execute four threads simultaneously. For a detailed look at the processor, please check here. Our mobile processor benchmark list allows a comparison of the CPU performance. HP HSTNN-IB2P

To determine processor performance, we conduct a series of CPU-specific benchmarks. SuperPi only tasks one core. The calculation of 32 million digits took 612 seconds - last place in our comparison of laptops with the same CPU. Lenovos 14-inch ThinkPad T430 is a bit quicker with 608 second. Two direct competitors - the FujitsuLifebook P772 (Core i5 3320M, Graphics 4000) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X230 (Core i5 3320M, Graphics 4000) achieve the same result or are only marginally slower. HP VH08

The results of the Cinebench tests show our model to perform at the same level as other notebooks equipped with the same CPU. Single-Core rendering resulted in 1.47, Multi-Core rendering in 3.38 points. The ThinkPad T430 is slightly slower. Fujitsu's Lifebook P772 (Core i5 3320M, Graphics 4000) and Lenovo's ThinkPad X230 (Core i5 3320M, Graphics 4000) received 3.10 and 3.06 points, respectively (during the same Multi-Core test). The P772 achieved 1.32 points during the Single-Core test; we don't have any data for the X230 here. HP VH08XL

Unfortunately, CPU performance decreases significantly while the notebook is running on battery. Cinebench R10 64-Bit Single-Rendering now resulted in only 5.164 points (6.203 points while on external power). That means that the laptop is about 20% faster while it's plugged in. The Multi-Rendering test shows an even larger difference of 22%.

We never experienced any significant latency even when the wireless modules were turned on.

System Performance
HP QK641AA To evaluate overall system performance, we normally use the two PCMark benchmark tests. Unfortunately, PCMark 7 did not finish, so we don't have any results. Let's take a look at PCMark Vantage instead. The Elitebook 2570p achieved an overall score of 13123 points - an excellent result, owing mostly to the speedy storage drive (SSD). The Vaio SV-S13A1Z9E/S (GeForce GT 640M LE, 3520M CPU, and RAID 0 with two Samsung MZRPC512HAFU-000SO SSDs) scores 10% better (14496 points). Lenovo's ThinkPad T430 (NVS 5400M, 3520M, Hitachi Travelstar Z7K500 HTS725050A7E630) is quite a bit slower since it features a conventional hard drive (8385 points - our review system is 57% faster). HP HSTNN-LB2P Fujitsu's Lifebook P772 (3320M, Graphics 4000) also features a standard hard drive (7200 RPM) and isn't able to keep up (only scores about half the points). Lenovo's ThinkPad X230 (3320M, Graphics 4000) also has a 7200 RPM conventional hard drive and achieves 8503 points - better than the 6747 points the P722 could muster, but still a far cry from the performance of the 2570p with SSD.

Programs and data load speedily and the daily workload is a breeze. System boot and wake-up are significantly faster than those posted by systems equipped with a regular hard disk drive. HP HSTNN-IB2Q

Storage Devices
Our review system comes equipped with a Micron RealSSD C400 (MTFDDAK256MAM-1K12) SSD. The drive features a nominal capacity of 256 Gigabyte and comes partitioned: 20.98 Gigabyte are reserved for system recovery, while a partition called "HP_TOOLS" takes up 2 Gigabyte. The advantages of a SSD compared to a conventional hard drive with mechanical platters are the very low access times and the silent operation. For a detailed comparison of SSDs and regular HDDs, please take a look at this dedicated page. HP HSTNN-I93C

In order to compare performance of the SSD to other SSD models, we use CrystalDiskMark. Intel's SSD 520 Series as well as the OCZ Vertex 3 are a bit faster. The Micron RealSSD is able to outperform Intel's SSD 320 series by a fair margin, however. For a detailed comparison please check here.

Considering this is only a 12.5-inch system, we appreciate the integrated optical drive on the left side. The HP CDDVDW TS-U633J writes and reads all current CD and DVD formats. HP HSTNN-F10C

Graphics Card
Even though this is the top model of the 2570p, the customer still has to make due with the integrated Intel Graphics 4000. Depending on the processor, the clock speed of the Intel HD Graphics 4000 changes and the available cache amount varies. In addition, Turbo Boost is able to overclock the graphics card. Fast CPU versions, like our Core i7-3520M start with a core frequency of 650 MHz and are supposed to overclock to 1.1 to 1.25 GHz. Our review model behaves as we expected - see the section on temperature (stress test). HP 632425-001

To evaluate graphics performance, we run a series of 3DMark benchmarks. The 2570p reached 4949 points running 3DMark06, 2995 points running 3DMarkVantage, and 612 points running 3DMark11. Considering this is a speedy Core i7 dual-core CPU, the results are all a little below what we would have expected. The difference to the only system with identical hardware that we have evaluated before (One M73-2O) is between 20 and 30%, depending on the test. HP 632114-141 Some laptops with Graphics 3000 outperform the HP here - for example the Asus N53SV (15.6-inch, 2720QM, HD Graphics 3000, +7%). Same is true for systems with ULV processors: the Samsung 900X4C-A04DE (15-inch, 3317U, HD Graphics 4000, +7%). The Elitebook 2570p doesn't stand a chance when we compare it to the systems with dedicated graphics card we mentioned in our section about the processor: Lenovo's ThinkPad T430 features a NVS 5400M and Sony's Vaio SV-S13A1Z9E/S comes equipped with a GeForce GT 640M LE. Let's look at the direct competition: Fujitsu's P722 does better in all 3DMark tests; Lenovo's Thinkpad X230 offers the same performance. HP 632113-151

We couldn't detect any changes in frequency when we ran the stress test. That means that throttling due to excessive heat does not occur.

Battery Life

Our review system uses a 55 Wh battery, which protrudes in the back. A 9-cell (100 Wh) and a 6-cell (62 Wh) battery are also available.

We determine the maximum battery life with the display on its lowest setting, energy saving profile enabled, and turned off WiFi modules. The BatteryEater Readers Test simulates reading text. The 2570p lasted almost 11.25 hours before we needed to plug it in. HP 628369-421

With the display set to a brightness of 150 cd/m² and energy savings profile enabled, the user can expect about 6 hours while surfing the Internet. For this WLAN test, we run a script which simulates surfing the web and hitting pages with different content. With the energy saving profile enabled and the display turned up to maximum brightness (only one step above the setting for the WLAN test), the system was able to play DVDs for 4.5 hours. HP 630919-421

The minimum battery life is fairly short (2 hours).

Sony's 13-inch Vaio SV-S13A1Z9E/S (equipped with a 49 Wh battery, the same CPU and a GeForce GT 640M) fares a bit worse. Lenovo's 14-inch ThinkPad T430 (much larger capacity 94 Wh battery, 3520M, NVS 5400M) doesn't do much better than the Elitebook. The Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (which has a much brighter display) also features a larger battery (63 Wh), but lasts about an hour less during the WLAN test. Same is also true for the Fujitsu Lifebook P722. HP HSTNN-F08C

Verdict

HP's Elitebook 2570p has the same strengths and weaknesses as the predecessor. Our main point of criticism remains the display - even though it is now slightly brighter, it is still too dark and consequently mobility (outdoor use) suffers.

Plus points are the very comfortable keyboard and the touchpad / point stick combination. Build quality, sturdiness, port selection, and security features all support the status of the little Elitebook as a serious business laptop. We especially appreciate the inclusion of an optical drive in this small 12.5-inch subnotebook. HP HSTNN-OB2G

Equipped with a speedy SSD, the notebook is capable of convincing performance. The hardware components (Core i7 3520M CPU, Graphics 4000, and 4 GB RAM) are certainly sufficient for the typical office and Internet tasks. Even the top model of the 2570p is not suited for graphics intensive applications.

The Elitebook 2570p appeals to business travelers who have high demands as far as sturdiness and connectivity options are concerned. Many potential buyers are not going to like the dark display with its low contrast. Those who travel a lot, might consider the Thinkpad X230 with its much brighter IPS display instead. HP HSTNN-F11C

HP Envy 15-3040nr Laptop Review

The Envy series is HP's most revered lineup of notebooks, and for good reason. Every model thus far has left us good impressions here on Notebookcheck due to the Envy's combination of high-end looks, build quality, features and of course, the occasional high resolution IPS screen that HP has appropriately dubbed "Radiance".

While the Envy family now comes in a range of sizes starting from 14-inches all the way up to 17-inches, the last Envy 15 we reviewed was over two years ago when the premium lineup was still in its infancy. HP HSTNN-OB2H The new 2012 Envy 15 under review starts at $1099 USD and has been given the much-needed spec update with Sandy Bridge CPU configuration options (base 2.5GHz i5-2450M up to a 2.5GHz i7-2860QM), a Radeon 7690M GPU and a much sleeker design. The Beats Audio integration first found in the 2010 Envy 14 makes its return and will likely append itself to most if not all upcoming Envy notebooks down the pipeline.

HP HSTNN-I90C As impressive as the Envy models have become, we've always found certain issues and drawbacks that have thorned an otherwise solid series. Our reviews on previous models have noted the occasional high noise, ultra-glossy display and even the sudden exclusion of the IPS panel on particular models. Has HP patched up these leaks with the 2012 Envy 15? Or have they opened the door to even more unfortunate design choices? In this full review, we investigate the ins and outs of the early $1299 2012 Envy 15-3040nr.

HP HSTNN-W81C The 2012 Envy introduces to the series a brand new chassis design similar to the one used for the recently reviewed 2012 Envy 17 3D. We hate to be drawing comparisons to the MacBook Pro so early, but the redesigned Envy 15 practically parallels the Apple in many areas from the flat surfaces, leveled thickness from front-to-back (28.2mm) and even the gray coloring scheme used for the shiny but matte aluminum alloy base. Fortunately, HP has thrown enough curve balls on the overall design to prevent it from being a 1:1 replica of a MacBook. HP HSTNN-I91C For example, the unique orange lining around the perimeter of the keyboard and the volume control knob are both new to the Envy series and can definitely stand out if seen from afar.

When compared to the 2009 Envy 15 or even the 2010 Envy 14, the 2012 refresh sports less stubby edges and corners with a more minimalistic design. Gone is the long monitor hinge from the original Envy in favor of two smaller hinges nearer each end, but they thankfully still perform solidly in holding the monitor portion in place. The oddly textured case and surfaces of previous models have also been tossed in favor of a more uniform and smoother design. HP QK639AA

In terms of stability, the Envy 15 is first class. The palm and keyboard areas are very resistant to finger depressions and both the dense base and light monitor mean users can safely open the notebook with just one hand. Even the outer center of the lid, which is a usual weak point in most notebooks, is quite resistant to depressions. The base is difficult to flex from side to side as well, but the monitor portion is predictably less resistant to this sort of twisting. HP HSTNN-LB2F Edge-to-edge glass covering would have likely increased monitor stiffness and construction quality (the 17.3-inch Acer Aspire Ethos AS8951G and HP Spectre come to mind), but probably at the cost of increased weight.

Speaking of the display, the plastic protecting the flush screen is so glossy and vibrant that any sort of dust, fingerprints, blemishes or scratches (gasp!) would easily and clearly show up. In fact, the monitor portion in its entirety is quite the fingerprint magnet in contrast to the rest of the notebook. Get ready to clean the lid and display often if you plan on keeping the Envy 15 looking good as new. HP QK640AA

When taken as a whole, the chassis redesign is a surefire improvement over previous models both superficially and internally. It's most definitely a design that we can see HP utilizing for future Envy notebooks to come, at least throughout 2012.

Performance

HP CC06 The model under review has been pre-configured with the high-end and relatively new Core i7-2670QM rated at a base clock rate of 2.2GHz. This quad-core Sandy Bridge CPU is normally found in gaming or high-performance notebooks (e.g., MSI GT780DX or Acer Aspire 5755G) and is quite similar to the i7-2630QM that it supplants, down to the substantial 45 Watt TDP, 32nm lithology and 6MB cache size. The take home difference between the two is that the newer i7-2670QM can support Turbo Boost up to 200MHz faster than the i7-2630QM for a theoretical maximum of 3.1GHz. HP CC09 The powerful processor is guaranteed to run everyday applications and even modern high-end games flawlessly. In this case, any sort of slowdown would more likely be the fault of a bottleneck elsewhere in the system.

For RAM, the system is equipped with two Samsung 800MHz DDR3 modules for a combined 8GB. Two RAM slots total are available (and easily accessible) to the user for a maximum of 16GB. According to the DPC Latency Checker, the notebook suffers from no recurring high latency peaks even with WLAN and Bluetooth active. HP CC06XL

Processor

In the synthetic CPU-oriented benchmarks, the Envy 15 places itself alongside some of the top notebook performers. Results weren't as high compared to the higher-end i7-2760QM, of course, but the CPU scores from the HP are directly in line with other i7-2670QM notebooks we have tested. For example, CPU scores from 3DMark 06, SiSoft and Cinebench R10/R11 between the Envy 15, HP Pavilion dv7 and Acer Aspire 5755G are literally percentage points away from one another, suggesting very consistent performance of the Intel CPU between a variety of notebooks. HP HSTNN-CB2F

Raw single-core and multi-core performances of the CPU were also tested with Super Pi and wPrime (set to 8 threads), respectively. In theory, the slightly higher-clocked Turbo Boost of the i7-2670QM means either scores here should be marginally stronger or at least the same as the i7-2630QM when running those same tests. Indeed, this is exactly what we see with the Envy 15. The HP scored 11m15s and 5m28s in Super Pi 32M and wPrime 1024M during our tests, respectively, which are about the same or better than the average i7-2630QM according to our database. HP HSTNN-LB2G

System Performance

We turned to PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 for gauging general system performance where the Envy 15 was able to score 10164 and 2612 points, respectively. For a notebook without a built-in SSD, these results are very impressive. The Acer Aspire 5755G and Pavilion dv7-6c07eg with the same Core i7 CPU, for example, scored thousands of points lower in PCMark Vantage with 7569 and 8488 points, respectively. HP QK642AA Even though both benchmarks have been known to heavily favor SSD-based systems, the Envy 15 still generally outscores less powerful systems with SSDs, such as the Asus UX31 and Toshiba Z830 Ultrabooks. An Envy 15 equipped with an SSD would potentially boost its PCMark Vantage score by thousands of points, putting it in the same ball field as the MSI GT780DX.

Mass storage

HP HSTNN-DB2H For internal storage, the Envy 15 can be pre-configured with up to a 1TB 5400RPM HDD or up to a 300GB SSD, but expect to pay a pretty penny ($580) for a solid-state drive that size. The review unit under our belt runs on a Hitachi 750GB 7200RPM HDD and delivers an average data transfer rate of 92.7MB/s on HD Tune, which is pretty much on par with the 7200RPM Seagate found in the Envy 17 3D. For a single 7200RPM HDD not in RAID formation or assisted by any SSD cache, this is practically as good as it gets without cashing out for a dedicated SSD. HP HSTNN-LB2H Other 7200RPM drives usually produce average transfer rates of around 80MB/s on HD Tune or even less when considering 5400RPM drives.

Out of the 750GB of space, 20.39GB is reserved for system recovery and 677.95GB is immediately available for the OS and end-user.

Gaming Performance

In terms of graphical prowess, the Envy 15 is powered by a moderately fast Radeon 7690M GPU (no other discrete cards are available for preconfiguring). Lying somewhere between the more common GeForce GT 555M and Radeon HD 6850M in terms of general performance, the discrete AMD GPU in the Envy shouldn't be taken too lightly. It's certainly no speed demon, but the 7690M was able to play everything we threw at it on at least medium settings. HP QK643AA This is especially important considering the 1080p display that the graphics card must render on. When the GPU is idle, GPU-Z reports a core clock speed of just 100MHz. See our dedicated page on the Radeon 7690M here for more technical information on the AMD graphics processor.

Unfortunately, it is worth noting that the 7690M in the Envy 15 is not the more powerful 7690M XT. As a result, only 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM is provided with core/memory clock speeds of just 600MHz/800MHz. HP HSTNN-E04C This is compared to the Pavilion dv7-6c07eg, which includes the fully-featured 7690M XT with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM and core/memory speeds of 725MHz/900MHz. In other words, the GPU in the Envy 15 has the same 480 unified shaders and 128-bit memory bus width as its faster brothers, but with slower fillrates, slower memory bandwidth and reduced core and memory clock rates. Users who were expecting to get the definitive 7690M may be disappointed at this fact.

HP HSTNN-LB2I Subsequently in the synthetic GPU-benchmarks, the 7690M of the Envy 15 performs a bit below our 7690M database average in every single graphics benchmark. Results from 3DMark 05 all the way up to 3DMark 11 and OpenGL CineBench renders were at least several hundred points lower than the 7690M in the 2012 Envy 17 3D and HP dv7-6c07eg.

The synthetic results are bound to disappoint at least some gamers, but at least the GPU can handle most modern games on medium to high settings at respectable frame rates hovering above 30FPS. Fujitsu LIFEBOOK T580 Battery However, we do recommend turning down certain taxing features like FSAA and ambient occlusion if playing more demanding games at the full 1080p display resolution.

Temperature

So, how did HP manage to cool both a quad-core CPU and a Radeon GPU inside a relatively thin notebook base? By having a total of seven vents, of course. The rather copious number of exhaust outlets ensures that air circulation is at its optimum for maintaining internal temperatures. Fujitsu LIFEBOOK UH572 Battery

If left idle for hours and with no running tasks, all four cores eventually settle at 800MHz according to HWiNFO. This allows the notebook to stay close to room temperature throughout the chassis, at least when under ambient temperatures of 18 degrees C.

To test maximum potential temperatures, we stressed both the CPU and GPU with Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously for over an hour. Surface temperatures on all 18 quadrants predictably skyrocketed with the more intense changes nearest the processors. Fujitsu LIFEBOOK UH552 Battery Perhaps surprisingly, the left palm rest area can remain relatively cool, although users will definitely feel a temperature difference between their left and right hands while typing. The temperature gradient is more extreme on the underside, especially from the rear where it can feel uncomfortable to use unless if the notebooks is on a solid surface. Still, this torture test is more of a hardware analysis than a representation of real-world conditions – most users won't reach these temperatures under everyday browsing, word processing or video playback. Fujitsu LIFEBOOK A552/EW Battery

To investigate any hints of throttling, we again turn to Prime95 and FurMark. We first ran FurMark only to stress the GPU and confirmed with both GPU-Z and HWiNFO that the Radeon core tops off and maintains 600MHz instead of the typical 725MHz for a 7690M. We even checked our settings and some games to see if any changes could be made to reach the target 725MHz, but alas, 600MHz was all the GPU would offer.

Fujitsu LIFEBOOK A572/EW Battery With only Prime95 active, all four CPU cores were able to maintain clock rates between 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz, well above the base 2.2GHz. The promised 3.1GHz Turbo Boost can only be reached with a single core and for brief periods of time. Such a maximum is simply unattainable when all cores are under heavy load.

When both Prime95 and FurMark were active simultaneously, the CPU and GPU cores continued to hold up very well. During our tests, the GPU maintained its 600MHz ceiling while the CPU cores shifted by 100MHz to a stable 2.3GHz to 2.4GHz. CPU temperatures, however, reached unnervingly high ranges above 95 degrees C while the GPU core leveled at around 76 degrees C. FUJITSU LifeBook T901 Battery

3DMark 06 was initiated again immediately after stress testing was completed. Final CPU and GPU scores (5312 and 9627 points, respectively) were similar to pre-stress scores, confirming no throttling issues.

HP proudly displays the Beats Audio logo not just once or even twice, but thrice on the Envy 15 on three different locations. With such a strong focus on the Dr. Dre-approved brand, it wouldn't be so irrational for users to have high expectations from the notebook speakers. FUJITSU LifeBook T901/D Battery

All in all, the built-in 6 speakers and 2 subwoofers (or as HP calls it, the "Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer") can produce balanced sounds during both music and movie playback. Bass and treble reproductions are acceptable enough that cheap external speakers wouldn't be necessary, at least in the short run. Overall sound quality is actually quite good given the diminutive size of the audio system. Distortions do not become noticeable until very high volumes, but even then the effects are much less discernible compared to speakers found in smaller notebooks. FUJITSU LifeBook T901 Tablet PC Battery

The analog volume knob on the right edge proves to be a much better and accurate controller compared to discrete +/- buttons because of the sensitivity gains. Pressing on the knob will also launch the pre-installed Beats Audio control panel, which will give users access to various sound settings such as noise cancellation, beam forming and the all-important equalizer.

FUJITSU Lifebook BH531 Battery The three audio jacks on the left edge allow for a microphone and two separate 3.5mm headphones or external speakers to connect to the Envy simultaneously. From the looks and sounds of the Envy 15, it's obvious that HP has put in a lot of effort in emphasizing and optimizing the notebook's audio quality and related features.

To power the thirsty quad-core CPU, discrete graphics and bright display, the Envy 15 includes an 8-cell li-ion battery capable of providing up to 72WHr. Although the battery is user-replaceable, no other sizes exist. Nonetheless, 72 watt-hours of power is substantially more than what many other 15.6-inch notebooks with discrete GPUs provide, such as the Packard Bell EasyNote TS13HR. FUJITSU Lifebook LH531 Battery

For maximum battery life, the Envy was tested with the Battery Eater Reader's Test under the Power Saver profile at the minimum brightness setting and with disabled WiFi/GPU/CoolSense. The notebook clocked in at 6 hours 46 minutes.

For minimum battery life, the Performance profile and the7690M GPU were enabled with full brightness and WiFi active. The Envy 15 clocked in at just 55 minutes under the Battery Eater Classic Test. FUJITSU Lifebook SH531 Battery

For a more reality-based test, we browsed the web at 150cd/cm3 screen brightness (about 60 percent brightness level) with only the integrated GPU. The backlight and proximity sensor were both switched off as well. Results will vary broadly between users, but we were able squeeze out 4 hours before the 5 percent battery warning popped up.

FUJITSU Lifebook LH532 Battery In general, the battery life of the HP isn't all that remarkable, but we weren't expecting it to be in the first place. The specs of the Envy 15 are essentially at the level of gaming notebooks – otherwise known as some of the most energy-demanding portables around. Compared to other notebooks with the same i7 CPU like the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire 5755G, 17.3-inch Pavilion dv7-6c07eg or even the Envy 17 3D, the Envy 15 is indeed quite similar in overall runtimes. We can only assume that the full HD IPS display here is at least partly to blame for drawing more power than what is normally required for standard and sub 1080p TN displays. FUJITSU Lifebook NH751 Battery

Verdict

The Envy 15 hits the mark in numerous areas and falters in only a few. Unfortunately, those few areas may be important enough to dissuade customers from the new 2012 refresh.

When considering the desktop replacement or multimedia notebook categories, the performance to weight ratio of the Envy 15 is one of the best. It is powerful without being too bulky, flashy without looking eccentric and stuffed with features without losing its multimedia focus. If you've ever wanted a jack of all trades notebook made to function as a primary indoor computer and for infrequent trips, then the Envy 15 should be more than fitting. FUJITSU Lifebook NH751 NH532 Battery

But as HP's premier consumer-oriented notebook, it is still far from perfect. The overly glossy screen is impossible to ignore, easy to smudge and is essentially the sole reason why the notebook can be so difficult to use outdoors. Clicking with the touchpad can be a pain if the user dislikes single-tap clicking and connected cables can easily accumulate and become a nuisance due to tight port placement. The stunted 7690M GPU could be a big concern as well, especially for hardcore gamers looking to get the most out of their systems. FUJITSU Lifebook N532 Battery

Perhaps our most significant criticism, however, would be the IPS display. As beautiful as it is, its highly inaccurate colors are downright unacceptable when the user has to put down well over one grand for the notebook. How HP managed to blunder on one of the key aspects of the Envy is really a mystery, especially when they've done almost everything else right in terms of hardware quality. FUJITSU Lifebook N532/E Battery

If it were not for the IPS display flaws, we would have easily recommended the 2012 Envy 15 as a multimedia home notebook. Of course, if you don't mind the imprecise colors or are satisfied with HP's TN panel option, then the Envy 15 would make for a slick-looking and exceptional performing notebook for all kinds of tasks and games.

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Review Fujitsu Lifebook E781 Notebook

The Lifebook E781 is available in a variety of configurations ranging between 900 to 1400 Euros ($1100 to $1800 USD). The test model on hand for this review retails for 1100 Euros ($1400 USD) and is one of the more popular configuration (E781MPCN2DE) options available for the Lifebook E781. In the following review, we will take a close look at the hardware and construction of the unit. Asus a32-u31

The base configuration of the Lifebook E781 is fitting for a business notebook: anti-glare 15.6 inch display, extensive connectivity, a modular slot and a UMTS module. The laptop uses a dual-core CPU: the 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M commonly found in many other business notebooks. Hyperthreading allows the CPU to work on up to 4 threads simultaneously.

The previously reviewed "sister model" (Fujitsu E751) passed with a great score. Can Fujitsu strike it twice with the E781? Asus a42-u31

Case

The Lifebook E781 has a plain design, which is perfect for its business-oriented target group. The notebook has a good combination of matte black and silver-grey. The matte display cover is made of magnesium and with a high-quality feel. The sturdy hinges work in concert with the display cover to hold the panel securely in place and we are pleased to note that the screen neither wobbles nor does it open and close while being carried. The hinges provide an ideal opening angle of 180 degrees. Asus U41JF-A1 Battery

The workmanship is near perfect, although the loosely seated optical drive can clatter slightly. Fortunately, this minor issue is all but overshadowed by its ability to be swapped in and out. The modular slot gives the user freedom to insert additional modules such as hard disks or a second battery.

The notebook has ports on all sides and only a single interface is covered with a flap. Asus n82j Battery

At 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds), the Lifebook E781 is certainly a mobile business notebook and the power adapter only adds an extra ~300 grams (0.66 pounds) to the total weight. The test model measures 372x245x35 mm - perfectly normal for a 15.6 inch laptop, but it could have been slimmer.

Connectivity

Asus U31SD-A1 Battery The Fujitsu Lifebook E781 has extensive connectivity options. In fact, our test model has a few interfaces that have disappeared from the notebook world altogether. Fujitsu has placed the power outlet, a 56k modem interface and two USB 2.0 ports on the back and on the right. The 2 USB ports are placed over one another which may cause some problems: for example, a thick USB stick could block the neighboring USB interface. The left side has another USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port. The combination of the USB 2.0 and eSATA interfaces is a welcomed feature. ASUS U36S Battery

External monitors can be connected via the digital or analogue interface of the Fujtsu Lifebook E781. The classic VGA interface is placed further towards the back while the digital port is a DisplayPort interface, which is positioned on the left side. An adapter must be used to connect monitors with a DVI or HDMI interface and must be bought separately.

The obligatory Gigabit LAN interface is placed at the level of the left display hinge on the back of the test model.

The useful SmartCard reader and ExpressCard slot are not a common sight in laptops. Thankfully, the E781 has both. Both ExpressCard 34 and 54 are supported. The slot is ideal for useful modules such as a TV card or for additional ports. ASUS U36SD Battery

The card reader is placed on the front and can read SD/XC cards and MemoryStick/MemoryStick Pro cards. Two 3.5 mm audio jacks (for headphones and microphone, respectively) are also placed on the front. The slider, placed next to the audio jacks, allows the user to easily switch on or off the communication modules.

Asus P52F Battery Last but not least, the docking interface lies on the bottom of the laptop which allows the user to connect a docking station if available. The docking station makes life easier: the notebook can be used as a stationary PC at the office without creating a spaghetti of cables. The appropriate docking station can be found at the Fujitsu store, and we round off this section by noting that the laptop has great connectivity that business users can absolutely appreciate.

Performance

Asus F8Sa Battery Fujitsu offers 8 different CPUs for the Lifebook E781 from the Intel Core i series. These processors are all dual-core CPUs. Our test model is in the lower third of the E781 series as it is equipped with a standard Intel Core i5-2430M. The dual-core CPU runs at 2.4 GHz and represents the middle-class of mobile processors from Intel. Turbo Boost allows both cores to speed up to 2.7 GHz and a single core can be overclocked to 3.0 GHz.

ASUS U35JC battery In our test model, we have 4 GB DDR3-1333 RAM and the model supports a maximum 8 GB. The test model has a single 4 GB module installed which makes upgrading easy.

Processor
The Intel Core i5-2430M provides no surprises - positive or negative. The performance of the Fujitsu Lifebook E781 is exactly at the level expected and is close to other laptops with similar specifications. The results may not be stunning, but this was clear from the specifications.

Asus U3S Battery The Turbo Boost function works flawlessly and delivers full performance. Even after multiple hours of stress testing, the cores did not throttle down. Another worthy note is that the full performance is possible even while running on battery.

System Performance
The system performance of the Fujitsu Lifebook E781 notebook is average as expected of the middle-class internal hardware. Windows gives the laptop a low performance index of 4.7 points due to the graphics card, but the laptop can still hold its own compared the competition. In fact, it can even compete with laptops with stronger processors as the system performance is not determined by the CPU alone. Asus G70sg Battery

Gaming Performance
We would not describe the Intel HD Graphics HD 3000 as a gaming graphics card - at least not for the latest, demanding 3D games. Still, neither the Lifebook E781 nor the IGP is designed to make gamers happy. The IGP provides sufficient performance for older and less demanding 3D games, but even modern games like Anno 2070 can run fluidly at low settings. Simulation games such as Fifa 2012 can be playable of medium settings. Asus K43SJ Battery

Battery Life

The Lifebook E781 is quite conservative when it comes to power consumption. The 15.6 inch model consumes no more than 15.6 watts at maximum brightness. Overall, the power consumption hovers around 13 watts. At full load, the power consumption can rise up to 68.8 W, but this is only achievable while the battery is charging simultaneously. While the notebook is off, it consumes only 0.2 watts and in Standby mode use up to 0.7 watts. Asus G51V Battery

The moderate power consumption means that the Fujitsu Lifebook E781 has a good battery life, which is especially important for a business notebook. Although the laptop cannot last an entire workday even under ideal conditions, it has a good run time of more than 7 hours. In everyday use, the laptop lasts between 4 to 5 hours. The laptop is great for DVD playback as it can last up to 4 hours while playing a movie at maximum brightness. Even long movies, such as "Dances with the Wolves", will not be a problem on this model. At full load, the laptop goes into Standby mode after one and a half hours. ASUS ZenBook UX31 battery

Verdict

The Fujitsu Lifebook E781 is a full-blooded business notebook and it has our recommendation. The biggest strength of the well-configured model is the display and its size and resolution are perfect for business users. In addition, the matte display is bright and offers a lovely contrast and great viewing angles. The good keyboard, reliable touchpad and fast mouse buttons all make the laptop very ergonomic. Let us not forget: the multitude of interfaces offered on the model are absolutely necessary for business users. Laptop maintenance is very easy and the modular slot will help users customize their notebook. ASUS UL50VT battery

The Lifebook E781 has great mobility thanks to its low weight, UMTS module, and long battery life.

The review model lands at an expected level in terms of performance: all office tasks are accomplished with ease. However, gamers and video editors will find this laptop too slow for their needs as the E781 lacks a discrete graphics card. Of course, not installing a discrete graphics card, drops the price of the laptop considerably and increases the battery life. Asus W3J battery

We have to mention the flaws of the Fujitsu Lifebook E781 as well: the high temperatures on the bottom of the laptop and the audible hard disk noise emissions. The HDD emits an annoying high-frequency buzzing noise at full load and the speakers are poor. ASUS G73SW-TZ083V Battery

Overall, we found the Fujitsu Lifebook E781 notebook to be a satisfying business laptop. The model has weaknesses in areas which, most importantly, do not affect the business use. We believe the laptop offers a good price-to-performance ratio for a price starting at 900 Euros (about $1100 USD). This means that business users can get a reliable work laptop with extensive connectivity options for relatively little money.

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Review Asus U44SG Notebook

With the U44SG, Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS offers a slim, lightweight, premium 14 inch laptop that promises high performance and low emissions. The U44SG features a 14 inch display squeezed into a stylish 13.3 inch case. Asus L0790C6 Currently, ASUS offers 4 different versions of the U44SG in Germany, all of which use a large 256 GB Solid State Drive (SSD) for storage. The hardware delivers high performance but comes with a comparably high price as the laptop starts at 1200 Euros ($1500 USD). At press time, our test model featured the highest-end options in nearly every category in the series. For the above 1200 Euros ($1500 USD), the buyer receives an Intel Core i7-2640M CPU, 4 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD, the NVIDIA GeForce 610M discrete graphics card, and a matte 14 inch display. Asus C22-UX31 Other configurations of the U44SG have more RAM and/or a weaker CPU.

Case

We have classified the ASUS U44SG as a subnotebook, as we did with the previous generation's U36JC and U36SD, due to its compact 13.3 inch build, low weight, and product orientation. Our test model is nearly identical to its 13 inch predecessors with the main exception being the larger 14 inch screen. In some ways, the ASUS U44SG promises more than it can deliver, as was the case with the U36JC and U36SD. Asus A31-1015 Advertisements claim a weight of 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) and the claimed measurements which are only possible with a small 4-cell battery that was not available for either the previous U36 models or our U44SG test model. We could not confirm the promised 19 mm (0.75 inches) thickness as this seems only possible when the rubber feet are removed. Otherwise, the laptop measures 24 mm (0.94 inches) thick. With the 8-cell battery, the laptop thickness increases to 30 mm (1.18 inches) in the back. Asus AL31-1015 Despite this, the U44SG remains a slim notebook which can compete with laptops like the 13 inch MacBook Air or the Samsung 900X3A. The laptop has found a nice niche as a 14 inch notebook and undersells many competitors like the ThinkPad T420 or HP Elitebook 8460p and is particularly appealing when considering its weight.

ASUS constructed the case of our test model using a high-quality aluminum-magnesium alloy that proved surprisingly strong. There are no flaws in the workmanship and ASUS has done a great job down to the smallest detail. Asus A32-1015 Critical areas such as the wrist-rest region and the region above the battery are sturdy and do not yield to specific pressure. Even the display border, which usually bends easily, remains impervious to typical pressures. The hinges hold the display securely and fit into the overall scheme well.

The display has a restricted opening angle due to the design of the hinges and this may negatively affect users depending on specific use. One obvious example of this drawback revolves around a potential inability to maintain vertical stability of the display when using the notebook on one's lap. Asus PL32-1015 Another drawback related to the display involves the space between the display and the notebook's base unit. The spacing is too large even when the notebook is closed, allowing dust and potentially larger, harmful objects to enter.

The underside of the notebook is clearly partitioned by a large flap and the battery. The battery sits well and can be secured with a separate mechanism. In the event that the battery is removed during stationary use, four rubber feet on the underside secure the notebook and prevent sliding or rocking. We found no flaws in workmanship on the notebook's underside. Asus A32-K53

Performance

The test model featured a 2nd generation Sandy Bridge processor paired with the well-known Intel HM65 Express chipset. Intel's Core i7-2640M, the fastest dual-core Sandy Bridge CPU in the mobile market, serves as the processor. The graphics system utilizes NVIDIA Optimus which allows the user to switch between the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 and the dedicated entry-class NVIDIA GeForce 610M. Asus A42-K54 For storage, the U44 series uses a 256 GB SSD to provide fast seek times, high speeds, and low emissions. The RAM of our test model is a single 4 GB module and can be upgraded to a maximum of 8 GB in two slots.
Processor

The Intel Core i7-2640M is a powerful dual-core processor that can simultaneously execute two threads per core thanks to Intel's Hyper-Threading technology, allowing the CPU to handle up to 4 threads simultaneously. The combined Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technology, Intel's dynamic CPU speed boost that accelerates the processor from 2.8 GHz to a maximum of 3.5 GHz based on CPU load, ensures that the user always receives an optimal level of performance for the task or tasks at hand. Asus a32-u31

As expected, the benchmark results are good. In the Cinebench R10 Single CPU (32-bit) benchmark, the i7-2640M scored 4,443 points, outperforming even some quad-core processors. The Intel Core i7-2760QM is the first quad-core CPU to reach this score and demonstrates the significant role that the i7-2640M's maximum clock speed of 3.5 GHz under Turbo Boost plays in system performance. Asus a42-u31 This is also shown in the benchmark list where the test processor places 7th in the Cinebench R10 32-bit Single CPU benchmark amongst current notebook CPUs. Clearly, these results disprove the commonly held belief that all recent quad-core processors outperform all dual-core processors.

The roles are somewhat reversed in the Cinebench R10 Multiple CPU (32-bit) benchmark where our i7 CPU falls a few ranks with a score of 10,000 points. This places our test model behind the older Core 2 Quad Q9100 which scored slightly over 10,000 points and the Core i7-2720QM which scored 14,000 points. Asus A42-G73 Nonetheless, the i7-2640M still performs respectably and finishes 18th in the above benchmark list amongst current notebook CPUs in the multiple CPU Cinebench R10 test.

In practical single-threaded programs and applications which support dual-core processors, our CPU delivers excellent performance. The relative performance of our i7-2640M only declines significantly in programs which offer support for more than two cores. It should be noted that such programs are still far from the norm. Asus 07G016DH1875 As a result, it should be no surprise that the ASUS U44SG placed ahead of all previously tested mobile processors in the iTunes conversion test, a single-threaded clock-dependent process.

The test methodology used in the video conversion test in CyberLink Media Espresso was changed from that used in the Video Conversion section to allow the use of up to four threads during pure CPU conversion and the subsequent result was quite good. This result is even competitive with the performance of stronger GPU alternatives which usually perform better. Asus 70-NY81B1000Z

Throttling was not found in our test model. The clock speeds in multi-core tests, even with simultaneous load on the NVIDIA GPU, remained constant at 2.8 GHz. The removal of the battery did not have any effect on performance. On battery, we ran Cinebench R10 32-bit and achieved 4,492 points in the Single CPU test, 9,719 points in the Multiple CPU test, and 6,008 points in the OpenGL test, results similar to those obtained while on AC power. Asus 90-NY81B1000Y The system completed the wPrime 1024M test in 494 seconds on AC power and 491 seconds on battery power confirming no significant performance differences on battery power.
System Performance
The ASUS U44SG accomplishes all tasks quickly. The system performance is subjectively very high and should have sufficient power for some degree of future-proofing. An additional RAM module can be added to make the performance even better. Only demanding 3D tasks such as computer-assisted design (CAD) and games will yield entry-level performance (see "Gaming Performance" for more information). ASUS 07G016DH1875 The PC Mark Vantage benchmark shows a very good score of 12,471 points and PC Mark 11 scores 3,419 points.

We checked the latency with DPC Latency Checker to see if problems might arise while using an external device that requires precise synchronization with the notebook for data transfer. Our test model did not perform well in this test. While WiFi was on, we noticed numerous critical values. ASUS 70-NY81B1000Z The performance barely improved after the module was turned off. The source of this latency is indeterminate and users may have to find different drivers to improve performance.

Gaming Performance
The gaming performance of the NVIDIA GPU on a single 4 GB RAM module was much better than that of the Intel HD 3000 IGP. However, this gap in performance would be decreased if a second RAM module were added and the laptop set to dual-channel mode.

StarCraft 2 was tested using both GPU options and there was a significant difference in performance under the current configuration. Intel's IGP delivered 77 fps whereas the NVIDIA GPU managed 132 fps at low settings. At medium settings, the game became unplayable as the Intel HD Graphics 3000 delivered a mere 8 fps and the NVIDIA GPU did little better at 23 fps. In summary, StarCraft 2 is only playable at low settings but could be run with either the Intel HD Graphics 3000 or the NVIDIA GeForce 610M. The NVIDIA GPU is clearly the better choice and one or two settings could be raised at the native resolution of 1366x768.

World of Warcraft was playable at 77 fps at medium settings and even maintained 46 fps when the resolution was raised to 1366x768 pixels using the NVIDIA GeForce 610M. These settings made the game enjoyable and the GPU had enough overhead to increase one or two settings even more.

Anno 2070 could only be run at low settings. At medium settings, the game stuttered occasionally and playing for a long time would not be fun. Even at low settings, the game slowed down when there were a lot of units on the screen and when the game had been running for some time. Anno 2070 is the limit for the ASUS U44SG.

Deus Ex Human Revolution ran surprisingly well at low settings and looked good. At higher details, small stutters began to appear and the game slowed down. For long periods of playing, we recommend the use of the low settings.
Temperature Emissions
Temperature emissions are one of the few areas that have gotten worse in comparison to the older 13 inch models. Under load, the rear right side and surrounding region maintained temperatures between 44.0 °C and 51.6 °C (111.2 °F to 124.9 °F). That is almost 10 °C (18 °F) more than the ASUS U36JC and 4 °C (7 °F) more than the U36SD. The heat was tangible on the underside and also in the keyboard region due to the materials used. These materials seemed to dissipate heat well and helped with cooling.

We measured 45.1 °C (113.2 °F) in the center of the keyboard. While this temperature is not critical, it was certainly tangible. The cooling vents managed better temperatures between 38.0 °C and 44.0 °C (100.4 °F and 111.2 °F) but as they are directed towards the hand, this could become uncomfortably hot after a while. Thankfully, we were unable to detect any heat or power adapter throttling and the performance stayed constant in all our tests. In normal use without constant strain of the main components, CPU and GPU, the case remained cool at 30.0 °C (86 °F).

Graphics Card

The ASUS U44SG uses both the Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated in the Core i7 CPU and the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 610M GPU with 1 GB DDR3 VRAM. This pairing benefits from NVIDIA's Optimus technology which allows the system to deactivate one graphics card in favor of the other depending on the application. Optimus activates the GeForce 610M when 3D performance is required in games and other 3D applications. In virtually all other scenarios, Optimus activates the Intel HD Graphics 3000 Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) to conserve power and extend battery-powered runtimes. The GeForce GPU has a 64-bit memory interface and a 900 MHz memory clock. The GPU has 48 shaders and a variable core clock that peaks at 900 MHz. These specifications confirm that the NVIDIA GeForce 610M is the direct successor to the GeForce GT520 and can be classified as an entry-level GPU.

The benchmark results show what was already expected from the technical specifications of both GPUs. NVIDIA's solution is more power than the Intel IGP but only performs slightly better. NVIDIA's GeForce 610M scores 15.5 points whereas the Intel IGP scores 9.01 points in the Cinebench R11.5 benchmark. In 3D Mark Vantage, the NVIDIA GPU scores 2,428 points and the Intel IGP manages 1,736 points. In the Heaven 2.1 benchmark, we recorded 8.0 frames per second (fps) for the NVIDIA GPU whereas the Intel IGP scores 7.4 fps. This gap in performance can be reduced by adding a second RAM module (up to the maximum system memory of 8 GB) and activating dual-channel mode which will greatly benefit the Intel HD Graphics 3000.

We could not quantify this performance gain as the second RAM slot of our test model had a bent pin. In the test of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220, adding a second RAM module led to a significant increase in performance in graphics-intensive tasks. These results are discussed in depth in the "Performance" section of the Lenovo X220 (IPS) Review.

Video Conversion

We used two different Full HD video files - one WMV and one QuickTime - to test the video conversion capabilities of our test model. The files were converted into an iPhone-compatible 640x320 resolution H.264 format and the results were then compared. We used CyberLink's Media Espresso 6.5 for this test due to its support for all 4 of our test methods - pure CPU conversion, Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA CUDA, and ATI Stream. NVIDIA Optimus allowed our test model to use three of the four methods with the ATI Stream method being unsupported due to the absence of an AMD GPU. As expected, pure CPU conversion was barely capable of competing with the other methods and took up to three times as long as the other methods. GPU conversions (Quick Sync and CUDA) were performed faster and placed less load on the system. Intel's Quick Sync led to a 28% to 58% CPU load whereas CUDA required 7% to 42% of total processor power. Pure CPU conversion created a CPU load greater than 90%. Quick Sync was the fastest for converting QuickTime movies whereas NVIDIA CUDA was slightly faster for converting WMV video.

Battery Life

Power Consumption
Despite its slim build, the laptop has a removable battery. This is advantageous for the user as this allows one to choose between battery life and mobility by purchasing the corresponding battery. If the battery fails, the user could simply swap it out instead of needing to send it for repair. According to the cover sheet, the ASUS U44SG is available with a 44 Wh 4-cell battery (90-N181B1000Y) which costs 100 Euros ($125 USD) and a 83 Wh 8-cell battery (90-N181B4000Y) which costs 160 Euros ($200 USD). Unfortunately the 4-cell battery, as in the case of the U36, is not currently available here. This restricts possible use scenarios slightly as the user cannot choose between the portability of the 44-Wh battery and the longer runtimes of the 83-Wh battery.

We measured power consumption from the adapter ranging from 8.5 Watts to 71.4 Watts. This demonstrates that ASUS has good control over power consumption despite power hungry components, thanks in part to NVIDIA Optimus. As the Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip takes care of most tasks, the power consumption only rose moderately from 10.8 Watts to 12.1 Watts with adjusted brightness, changed profiles, and wireless modules switched on. When the NVIDIA GPU was set as the standard graphics chip in NVIDIA's control panel, the power consumption rose to 11.5 Watts idle at minimal settings, 14.4 Watts idle at medium settings, and 16.3 Watts idle at maximum settings. With the NVIDIA GPU under medium to full load and the CPU at maximum load, the power consumption jumped to 66.7 Watts. As mentioned before, the laptop can consume a maximum of 71.4 Watts. The power adapter provides sufficient power with its 75 Watt rating.

Battery Life

The possible battery runtimes were measured with our standard testing methods and the Power4Gear profile, provided by ASUS in addition to the standard Windows power plans, was also taken into consideration. Compared to the standard profiles, the Power4Gear profile only increased runtime by approximately 10 minutes. The main differences in this profile are reduced Desktop quality, colors optimized for use, and shorter periods before the system went into standby mode. We recommend that the user play around with the settings of the profiles a bit as some profiles had maximum processor performance set as standard. This led to the CPU running at the highest clock speed even while idle and increasing power consumption and noise emission for no real purpose.

In the Battery Eater Readers Test, we obtained an amazingly long run time of 654 minutes (almost 11 hours) using the "Power Saver" mode with Intel HD Graphics 3000 as standard, minimum display brightness, and all wireless radios switched off. This result tops the runtimes of both the ASUS U36JC and the ASUS U36SD. While surfing with WiFi turned on and an adjusted display brightness of around 150 cd/m² (level 7), we recorded a runtime of 512 minutes. Increasing the brightness to maximum reduced the runtime to 447 minutes.

As the ASUS U44SG lacks an integrated optical drive, the DVD test was performed with a video file stored locally on the SSD. With the laptop in "Power Saver" mode, wireless modules off, Intel HD 3000 as the GPU, 4% CPU load, and maximum brightness, we achieved a runtime of 382 minutes. Playback of Full HD material (H.264) consumed a little more power and reduced runtime to 344 minutes.

In the Battery Eater Classic test, we used the "High Performance" power profile with everything turned on, and maximum display brightness. A full load scenario was simulated and this test should reflect a real-world minimum runtime. While less demanding than the combined Prime95/FurMark stress test which consumed 71 Watts, the Battery Eater Classic test consumed approximately 44 Watts and our U44SG lasted 111 minutes.

Verdict

The ASUS U44SG is a solid, stylish, fast, well-equipped subnotebook. In comparison to its 13 inch brethren, its performance is higher and the laptop has a brighter, larger, matte 14 inch display. The Solid State Drive delivers good size at 256 GB and excellent performance. Despite more powerful hardware, the battery life has improved significantly indicating well-designed energy management. At low loads, noise and temperature emissions are good

When under constant load, however, the fan can become quite loud and heat emissions can rise to fairly high levels. The left touchpad key did not respond well and the second RAM slot could not be used due to a bent pin. These flaws could be considered unique to our test model, but we believe that ASUS still has room for improvement in the display's contrast ratio and viewing angles, the lack of important ports such as 3G, and the seeming unavailability of the 4-cell battery.

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Review Sony Vaio SV-Z1311Z9EX Notebook

Our SV-Z1311Z9EX test model comes with a Quad-Core-CPU of the Ivy Bridge generation, 8 GB Ram, and a fast RAID-0 mass storage solution. Sony PCGA-BP2T battery With the respective configuration, the provided Power Media Dock can improve the graphics performance with its AMD Radeon HD 7670M. Can the configuration deliver what it promises?
Case

For the elegant and timeless black casing Sony uses carbon fiber and aluminum. Since the materials are so light, the laptop weighs less than 1.2 kg. Fortunately, the matte surfaces are less sensitive to dust than high-gloss surfaces and feel fantastic. Sony PCGA-BP3T battery Fingerprints are only easily visible on the shiny touchpad buttons, which have a little bit of a sticky haptic.

While there is nothing wrong with the processing, the stability could be better. The casing creaks no matter if it is being held on one corner of the main unit or the screen. The area above the fan unit gives in considerably under pressure and the torsional stiffness of the screen case ought to be better as well. The weight reduction definitely comes at the expense of stability. Sony PCGA-BP2V battery

The hinges at the underside of the main unit do a good job. When opened the display lid pushes itself underneath the main unit and raises it at an opening angle of more than 90 degrees, which slightly tilts the keyboard.

Connectivity

Sony PCGA-BP4V battery In comparison to the predecessor, there have only been slight changes to the interface equipment (Review Sony Vaio VPC Z23N9E-B). Unlike other slim subnotebooks, HDMI and VGA are available on the Notebook and useable without any adapters. The RJ-45-Port (LAN) is located behind a flap on the left side edge. The front edge not only accommodates a SD-card slot but also a Memory Stick PRO-HG compatible slot with Sony´s MagicGate function.

Sony PCGA-BP2R battery Unlike the predecessor, the notebook has two USB-3.0 interfaces now. The rear interface is simultaneously the plug for the provided Power Media Dock. The Media Dock offers a Blu-Ray burner and an AMD Radeon HD 7670M as external video card. Furthermore, the manufacturer expands the interface by two more USB-ports (1x USB-2.0, 1x USB-3.0), RJ-45 (LAN), HDMI and VGA. The VGA-signal is good via the docking station as well as when connected directly.

Sony PCGA-BPZ51 battery The array of the interfaces on the notebook works for left- as well as right-handers because Sony has consequently placed its ports towards the rear on both sides.

Communication
The communication equipment is excellent. Ethernet-connections can be done via Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit) in gigabit speed. Due to Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 (abgn), internet surfing with standard-n via Wi-Fi Hotspot is possible. Sony PCGA-BPZ51A battery A broadband modem, which supports LTE, is also on board. The accompanying SIM-card slot is on the underside. Unlike the predecessor, the laptop has Bluetooth 4.0 + HS now.

Accessories
The scope of delivery is extensive. Besides necessary accessories such as the power supply unit and the battery, it comes with a few information brochures, a cleaning cloth, and the Power Media dock with tripod and a bigger power supply unit. Sony PCGA-BPZ52 battery Furthermore Sony offers various accessories at extra charge. For example, a docking-station for the independent docking-port at the bottom costs between 400 to 500 Euros. A bigger battery costs 130 Euros.

Maintenance
On the underside, the battery can be changed after unscrewing 8 screws. Maintenance openings are not available.

Warranty
Sony PCGA-BP51 battery Ex works the warranty contains a 24 months bring-in service. Warranty extensions are possible against a surcharge. For a 3 year standard-warranty you have to shell out 149.90 Euros and for a 4 year full coverage even 349.90 Euros
Performance

The SV-Z1311Z9EX is based on the HM77 chipset of the Ivy Bridge platform and was equipped with a Core i7-3612QM four core processor from Intel with 2.1 GHz base clock. Eight Gigabyte main memory is provided for the processor. Sony PCGA-BP51A battery The notebook itself only uses the integrated Graphics 4000 chip for the video display, which causes parts of the memory to be put aside for the graphics memory. To enhance the graphics performance, our test device additionally has Sony's Power Media Dock (PMD) with external AMD Radeon HD 7670M and Blu-Ray drive. For mass storage Sony uses a RAID 0 system with two Samsung MZRPC256HADR-000SO SSDs. Sony PCGA-BP51A/L battery

If the SV-Z is configured freely in Sony's online-shop, an up to date Intel Core i5-3210M two core processor is available, as well. Data is always saved on a SSD. The options range from 128GB, over 256GB, up to 512GB. Concerning the main memory, 4GB or 8GB can be chosen. Finally, the Power Media Dock is also optional for this model. The PMD of our test device would cost over 450 Euros for the freely configured model. Sony PCGA-BP52 battery
Processor
Due to hyper threading, which provides one virtual core for every physical one, the Core i7 3612QM can work eight threads simultaneously. The Turbo-Technology allows a maximal overclocking of 2.8 GHz for four cores, 3.0 GHz for two cores, and 3.1 GHz for one core. We refer to our data bank for a more detailed description of the processor. Our benchmark list of mobile processors allows a performance based classification. Sony PCGA-BP52A battery

In the following, we test the performance of the Core i7 3612QM in our Sony test device with a few CPU-oriented benchmarks. In the tests with the Cinebench R10 64-Bit the CPU scores 2843 points in single rendering and 10031 points in multi rendering. In the Cinebench R11 it only reaches 1.87 points. These values are distinctly below average for the Core i7 3612QM CPU. Sony PCGA-BP52A/L battery A glance at the clock rates confirms that the CPU only clocks with a maximum of 1.6 GHz, which is noticeably lower than usual. Concerning the pure CPU performance our test device even falls behind the Z23N9E-B equipped with the Intel Core i7 2640M Sandy-Bridge processor.

If this problem only comes up on our test device or is series specific, cannot be found out with just one test device, though.
System Performance
For evaluating the overall performance and the interaction between all components we will use the usual two PCMark tests. Our test device scores 8545 points in the PC Mark Vantage, while the PC Mark 7 does not complete its run. Sony PCGA-BP52AUC battery With the Power Media Dock plugged in it is the other way around. The PC Vantage crashes and our SV-Z1311Z9EX gets 3161 points in the PCMark 7. In this case the fast mass memory solution comes in handy. Owing to the reduced processor performance due to the low tact rate (see chapter processor), our test device can obviously not use the full potential of its hardware equipment.
Storage Devices
Sony VGP-BPL4 battery Our test sample uses as mass memory a RAID-0 system of two Flash SSDs. This is called "striping", which means acceleration without redundancy by splitting the data on two memories. If one memory crashes, the saved data cannot be reconstructed.

The advantage of this solution is, as proven by the hard drive tools, a performance growth, which goes beyond the level of a single Samsung MZRPC256HADR-000SO. For example, our test sample reaches high 865 MB/s in the sequential reading test from AS SSD. Sony VGP-BPL4A battery The RAID solution gets 20.12 MB/s at reading and 62.94 MB/s at writing in the CrystalDiskMark 4K test. In comparison: the Vertex 4 scores 26.7 and 83 MB/s, the Samsung 830 14.5 and 53.1 MB/s and the Intel 520 29.7 and 91.2 MB. Subjectively, the loading time of programs is short as well. We refer to our HDD-SSD-Comparison for further performance comparisons.

Sony VGP-BPS4 battery In total the gross capacity of the RAID-0-system (and also the individual hard drive) is 256GB. 16.22 GB are reserved for the recovery partition. 213.90 GB are available for the operating system and user data.

The SV-Z1311Z9EX does not have an internal optical drive but the Power Media Dock does. The drive is the Optiarc BD RW BD-5850H SCSI CDROM Device, which can read and write Blu-Rays and DVDs. Sony VGP-BPS4A battery
Video Card
The graphic chip Graphics 4000 is integrated in the 3612QM processor. The chip is responsible for the graphics output when the Power Media Dock (PMD) is not used. When the PMD is connected, the graphics performance can be enhanced through the external AMD Radeon 7670M. You can find out more details about the video card on the respective sites of the Graphics 4000 and the Radeon 7670M. Sony VGP-BPL2A/S battery

Let´s take a look at the graphics performance of the system without PMD first: Due to the reduced CPU clock rates, the graphics performance of the integrated graphics processor comes in below average as well. However, it needs to be mentioned that one test sample is not enough to test if this problem is specific for the test sample or series immanent. Sony VGP-BPL2C/S battery

According to its configuration the graphics performance rises with plugged in PMD. The results of the 3DMark tests with HD 7670M fortunately rank at the expected level in the middle of all tested systems with AMD Radeon HD 7670M video card. The performance also ranges at the middle class level and is comparable to the Geforce GT 630M and GT 550M video cards from Nvidia. Sony VGP-BPS2A/S battery
Gaming Performance
Even though the Graphics 4000 would reach the common level concerning graphics performance, it is way more attractive to play with an independent middle-class video card. We have tested the gaming performance with three games. With plugged in Power Media Dock (PMD) the external AMD Radeon HD 7670M positions itself in comparison to other test samples with the same video card in the lower section on all three games. Sony VGP-BPS2C/S battery

Anno 2070 stays playable with PMD up to medium graphics settings. Comparable samples with the same graphics equipment are between 1% (Dell Vostro 3560, 15.6") and 14% (HP Pavilion g7-2007sg, 17.3") faster.
The integrated video card is able to display the little demanding Fifa 12 on medium settings. Our test sample with PMD still achieves playable 37.7 fps even on maximum settings. Sony VGP-BPS2C/S/E battery Here our test device performs especially badly in comparison to other samples with the same CPU and video card. Dell's 15.6-inch Vostro 3560 is nearly one and a half times faster with the same settings.
Temperature

Due to the slim design, the surfaces of the SV-Z1311Z9EX get warm very easily even under load. In this scenario the body temperature is partially exceeded as well. Sony VGP-BPS2 battery Under load (stress test) the temperature rises on the underside as well as on the top. At the bottom the temperature even crosses the 50 degree Celsius mark. Fortunately the palm rest and touchpad stay cool.

We observe the core temperature for two hours with the help of the stress test (without PMD). Fortunately the cores only reach a maximum of close above 70 degree Celsius. Sony VGP-BPS2A battery In return the system starts to clock with 1.2 GHz shortly after the beginning of the stress test. The GPU clocks with 650 MHz (core) and 800 MHz (memory) during the stress test. The 3DMark06 run, immediately following the stress test, even delivers a slightly better result than the below-average cold start run with 3482 points.

Temperature
Stress test

Sony VGP-BPS2B battery Due to the slim design, the surfaces of the SV-Z1311Z9EX get warm very easily even under load. In this scenario the body temperature is partially exceeded as well. Under load (stress test) the temperature rises on the underside as well as on the top. At the bottom the temperature even crosses the 50 degree Celsius mark. Fortunately the palm rest and touchpad stay cool. Sony VGP-BPS2C battery

We observe the core temperature for two hours with the help of the stress test (without PMD). Fortunately the cores only reach a maximum of close above 70 degree Celsius. In return the system starts to clock with 1.2 GHz shortly after the beginning of the stress test. The GPU clocks with 650 MHz (core) and 800 MHz (memory) during the stress test. The 3DMark06 run, immediately following the stress test, even delivers a slightly better result than the below-average cold start run with 3482 points. Sony VGP-BPL2 battery
Battery Runtime

Our SV-Z1311Z9EX is equipped with a 45Wh lithium-ion battery, which allows up to 7 hours battery runtime according to manufacturer. A bigger battery that can increase the battery runtime up to 14 hours, according to manufacturer, can be purchased in the online-shop. Sony VGP-BPL2C battery

Our ascertained maximum battery run time, tested with the Battery Eater Readers Test with minimum brightness, energy-saving profile and turned off Wi-Fi modules, is nearly 6 hours. This is noticeably underneath the manufacturer's information we read off the configurable model. However, this information could apply for the equipment with Core i5 CPU. Sony VGP-BPS3 battery

The Classic Test of the Battery Eater Tools records a minimum runtime of 2.75 hours with maximum brightness, high-performance profile and turned on Wi-Fi modules. The practical oriented WLAN test with the energy-saving profile and a brightness of 150 cd/m² simulates 3.25 hours of web surfing with our standard script.
Verdict Sony VGP-BPS3A battery

Light, high-quality materials, extensive communication equipment, broad band modem included, Full-HD resolution, and sheer unbelievable specifications: A Quad-Core processor, 8 GB main memory and even two SSDs in the RAID-0 system in a small 13 inch casing sounds quite amazing. Owing to the mass memory solution, the device achieves excellent values in the hard drive tests and good values in usage performance. Sony VGP-BPL5 battery Sadly, we also had to experience that the Quad-Core CPU of the Ivy-Bridge generation in our device stays permanently underclocked even in the high-performance profile.

Another point of criticism is that the screen is less bright than the predecessor's one. Nevertheless, the high-resolution Full-HD display excels with its wide color space and good contrast.

Sony VGP-BPL5A battery The Power Media Dock is also part of the scope of delivery, which not only expands the offer of interfaces and adds a Blu-Ray burner but also improves the graphics performance with the external Radeon HD 7670M. However, the video card cannot fully keep up with other HD 7670M systems.

The overall design of Sony is, despite its weaknesses, quite appealing and should interest business clients, also because of its integrated safety features. Due to its weight and size, it can be transported quite easily and the Power Media Dock is a welcome supplement. Sony VGP-BPS5 battery

However it is uncertain, if the mentioned underclocking of the processor only appears in this test model, is series specific, or even was intended to improve the battery runtime and lower emissions. We will try to get our hands on another test device for control measurements. The evaluation stays reserved until clearance.

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Review Update Lenovo ThinkPad X121e (AMD E-300) Notebook
In September 2011, we reviewed the Lenovo ThinkPad X121e featuring an AMD E-350 CPU. In this review, we consider a variant of the X121e that features the AMD E-300 APU, 4 GB RAM, a 320 GB hard drive, and the FreeDOS operating system. Lenovo IdeaPad G575L Charger This particular variant is in most aspects similar to the X121e already reviewed and, as a result, we will limit our review to highlighting the differences of this variant. Information regarding the features and input devices can be found in the original review.

Both the AMD E-450 APU and an Intel CPU are available for slightly more than our test system with its entry model configuration and the optional Windows 7 that we selected. Lenovo IdeaPad G575M Charger As a result, we will consider both the performance-to-price ratio and feasibility of this notebook in the course of our review.
Case

As with the previous X121e, the case shows weaknesses in several keys areas such as the touchpad and battery. Users have reported that the casing lifts slightly around the upper part of the display frame and around the wrist rest. While the middle of the display lid has rubber standoffs on the display frame that allow for a good fit, those for the edges of the display are not thick enough to fill the gap when the unit is closed. Lenovo G470 Charger This does not cause any real issues but can lead to dirt and grime on the display during frequent use. This defect is unlikely to cause serious harm to the display in regular use, but the display is more susceptible to damage if pressure is applied to the display lid directly. This is something that should be avoided in all notebooks, however.

Display

Lenovo G470A Charger The display in our sample unit is identical to that of the previously reviewed X121e – an 11.6-inch LED-backlit 1366x768 (WXGA) display. Lenovo's datasheet confirms that the specifications remain unchanged.

The WXGA resolution provides a good balance between available work space and the size of icons and text. This balance is perhaps the only good aspect of the display. Our measurements demonstrated that the display brightness has significantly dropped. Lenovo G470AH Charger The previously reviewed model featured an average brightness of 192 cd/m2 whereas the sample in this review was only capable of an average brightness of 137 cd/m2, reflecting a reduction of 50 cd/m2. This brightness is barely enough for indoor use despite its matte screen. This low brightness may make the unit unusable even under bright interior lighting and represents a clear step backward. This display does not meet the versatility requirements of modern notebooks. Lenovo G470G Charger The primary benefit of the display – being able to use maximum brightness without a significant increase in battery consumption – is entirely offset by the lack of screen visibility. Contrast, colors, and viewing angles show no discernible improvements over the previous variant. This allows us to conclude that this is one of the worst displays we have reviewed in the past several years. Lenovo IdeaPad G470 Charger

Performance

Compared to the AMD E-350 APU from the previously reviewed X121e, this variant uses the AMD E-300 APU, lacks dual-channel memory support, and has a CPU clock of 1.3 GHz, 300 MHz less than the E-350. The Radeon HD 6310 still serves as the graphics card and maintains its 500 MHz clock speed. The 18 Watt Thermal Design Power (TDP) also remains unchanged. Lenovo IdeaPad G470A Charger
Processor
It should go without saying that the slower AMD E-300 underperforms the AMD E-350 used in the previous ThinkPad X121e. In our CPU benchmarks, we observed a performance reduction of about 20 percent due to the reduction in CPU clock speed. The E-300 achieved 941 points and 1809 points in Cinebench R10 64-bit Single- and Multi-CPU benchmark tests respectively. By comparison, the E-350 achieved 1158 points and 2196 points in the same tests respectively. The SuperPi 32m test took 2920 seconds instead of 2427 seconds as well. Lenovo IdeaPad G470AH Charger

We observed no throttling due to overheating or power constraints. The included 65 Watt power supply was adequate and the cooling was sufficient to keep the system temperatures quite low.

On battery power, we observed a CPU clock speed reduction. In the Cinebench R10 64-bit tests, the CPU scored 921 points (down from 941 points) and 1794 points (down from 1809 points) for Single- and Multi-CPU tests respectively. Lenovo IdeaPad G470G Charger
System Performance
In practical use, there is barely any noticeable difference in speed compared to the AMD E-350 model. Productivity programs and light photo editing were both smooth and one could work without interruption. Heavier tasks such as audio and video conversion highlighted the decreased clock speed. For example, converting MP3s using iTunes was done at a 9.2 speed instead of the 11.1 speed achieved by the E-350. Lenovo B570 Charger By comparison, the Intel Core i7-3610QM CPU achieved a speed of over 50 in iTunes. One might easily experience an increased conversion time of several minutes going from the E-350 to the E-300, depending on the number of MP3s that need to be converted.
Storage Devices

The test ThinkPad was equipped with a slim 7 mm (0.28 in) 7200 RPM Seagate hard drive. This drive proved to be relatively fast but also relatively noisy.

Lenovo B570A Charger A solid state drive (SSD) would definitely improve the performance but would far exceed the total cost of the system. As well, the weaker CPU could potentially throttle the SSD. Our sample did not support any mSATA SSDs. We attempted to use a 64 GB Crucial M4 in this slot and our test notebook was unable to detect it. From this, we conclude that the slot is reserved for 3G modules with integrated antennae. Lenovo B570G Charger
Graphics Card
The ThinkPad X121e's graphics card is the CPU-integrated AMD Radeon HD 6310 and features identical technical specifications as in the AMD E-350 APU. We expected worse results considering the weaker CPU. However, we achieved a 3DMark06 score of 2211 points reflecting a 200 point gain over the previous ThinkPad x121e with the E-350 APU. We attribute this performance gain to improved drivers that optimize performance. Lenovo IdeaPad B570 Charger In 3DMark Vantage, we observed almost identical results with the AMD E-300 scoring 707 points and the E-350 scoring 720 points. The E-350 also came out ahead in the Cinebench R10 64-bit OpenGL shading test with 1881 points compared to the E-300's 1707 points. These differences are measurable but perhaps not significantly noticeable. In the real world gaming performance of StarCraft 2, the difference corresponds to a reduction of only 2 fps. Lenovo IdeaPad B570A Charger

On battery power, the Cinebench 64-bit shading test result dropped from 1707 points to 1590 points. This difference was amplified in 3DMark06, dropping the score from 2211 points to 1627 points. It is clear that one should expect graphical performance losses when running on battery power.
Battery Life

Lenovo IdeaPad B570G Charger The previously reviewed sample had a very good life and our current sample is almost on the same level. The lower CPU clock speed and brightness yield better results in Wi-Fi surfing and the BatteryEater Classic Test. In typical usage with maximum brightness, one should expect five to seven hours of battery life.
Verdict

Lenovo V370 Charger Despite its low price, we do not recommend this configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad X121e. The dimly lit display, and its corresponding low contrast, is not on par with modern notebooks and limits its usefulness. While battery life, weight, and size are suitable for portability, the impractical display makes no sense.

Lenovo V370A Charger The reduced CPU clock speed of the AMD E-300 APU is barely noticeable but this speed loss yields no real benefits. The price difference between the E-300 and E-350 is marginal and the battery life difference is negligible.

Lenovo V370G Charger The case's build quality and the reaction time of the touchpad remain irritating. The remaining qualities of the system are the low entry price for the Windows-less version, 3G-readiness, and high mobility in terms of battery life, weight, and size. These positive aspects, however, will only appeal to those who are unaware of the rather large drawbacks.

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Quick Review Acer Aspire 7739Z-P624650MNKK Notebook

The Aspire family offers a variety of differently equipped models in various sizes. The 7739z is a 17.3-inch laptop at the lower-end of the performance spectrum. Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 battery The system, which features an Intel P6200 processor and integrated Intel HD Graphics, has enough performance to tackle everyday tasks like internet browsing, office work, and videos - but unlike the Aspire members featuring a "G" in their name, it's not really suitable for more demanding 3D tasks (think modern computer games).

Case

The exterior of the Aspire 7739Z is, except for the form factor, nearly identical to the 15-inch Acer-TravelMate-5744Z-P624G50Mikk. The black / charcoal gray chassis is made entirely out of plastic which is partially textured. Acer Aspire M5 battery

The main unit appears to be solidly built, is resistant to deformation and torsionally rigid. Because of the size and weight (3.3 kg), the display doesn't really lend itself to being opened from the corner but it resists twisting surprisingly well. The screen handles pressure reasonably well; only a fair amount of force will cause a change in the picture.

ACER Aspire S Series battery When we examined the Aspire closely, we discovered the same minor flaws that we noted when testing the TravelMate-5744Z: a few sharp edges and inconsistent gaps, especially around the display frame.

Considering the size of the LCD panel, the display hinges are stiff and comparatively small which causes the lid to rock back and forth after it's been opened. Opening the lid one-handed causes the base of the laptop to lift up a bit. ACER Aspire S7 Series battery

Power Consumption
During idle, the notebook consumes between 11.3 and 20.4 watts which is in the same range as other systems like the HP 630-LH384EA or the Acer TravelMate 5744Z-P624G50Mikk. During maximum load, the 7739Z is the most power hungry out of the three systems - we need to consider though that the screen brightness is superior; the Travelmate also only features a smaller 15" monitor. Acer Aspire S Series battery The higher power consumption seems to be justified; and overall it doesn't seem to be too excessive. Compared to the more modern and significantly more powerful Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge architecture, this Arrandale-based systems seems downright archaic though.
Battery Life
The 7739Z comes equipped with a 48WH lithium-ion battery - a similar capacity battery is included with the HP 630-LH384EA and the Acer TravelMate 5744Z-P624G50Mikk. Since our test model consumes more power, it's not surprising that battery runtime is the lowest of the bunch. Acer Aspire S3 battery

For our BatteryEater Reader's Test, we turned down screen brightness to the lowest level, turned of WLAN, and chose the "energy saving" power profile. The laptop lasted for 270 min before shutting down wth 5% capacity left. During the more realistic WLAN test, the laptop reached the 5% threshold after 92 min. We wanted to change the 5%-capacity setting to 3% but where unable to do so. ACER Aspire V3 battery

Connectivity

For a 17.3-inch laptop the connectivity options are fairly limited - something one should expect in this price range. On the plus side, both VGA and HDMI ports are included, allowing for analog and digital display connections. The built-in 2-in-1 card reader supports SD and MMC. Unfortunately the 7739Z only offers 3 USB 2.0 ports but no faster options like eSATA or USB 3.0 for transmitting data from and to external storage devices. ACER Aspire 8943G battery

The placement of the ports towards the front of the laptop is less than ideal if they are utilized heavily because cables can get in the way. In addition, some ports (for example the USB ports on the right hand side) are placed very closely together. On the other hand all ports are within easy reach.

Communication
ACER Aspire Ethos 8943G battery The cabled ethernet connection via the Atheros AR8152 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Controller operates at 10/100MBit but not GigaBit speeds. Wireless connectivity to WiFi-Hotspots is provided by the Atheros AR5B125 Wireless Network Adapter (bgn) which also supports standard N. Bluetooth or an integrated broadband modem are not available.

ACER Aspire One E100 battery The low-resolution Acer Crystal Eye Webcam (640x480 Pixel; 0.3 MP) is adequate for video conferencing but not for more demanding applications.

What's in the box
Included are only the most basic necessities like the power adapter, battery, and informational material like quick-start guide and warranty information. The user is responsible for creating a system recovery DVD as one isn't included. This task can be easily accomplished using Acer's eRecovery Manager.

Maintenance
Acer Iconia 6120 battery The covers on the underside of the laptop only allow access to the hard disk drive, the RAM module, and the WLAN module. The battery is user replaceable but the laptop can be used sans battery without any issues.

Warranty
According to the Homepage, Acer offers a 2 year standard warranty for all Aspire models in Germany; the first year is ITW (International Travelers Warranty).

Performance

Acer Iconia 6886 battery As far as the internal components are concerned, our laptop mirrors the 15-inch TravelMate-5744Z. Here is a quick synopsis:

The Pentium P6200 is based on the (now two year-old) Arrandale architecture. Potential buyers have to do without Turbo Boost or Hyperthreading.

Acer TravelMate 8372 battery The P6200 integrates a DDR3 memory controller and the DirectX 10 capable Intel GMA HD Graphics, which runs at 500 MHz (Turbo up to 667 MHz). The 2.13 GHz dual-core processor has, according to Intel, a TDP of 35 Watts. Thanks to the 4GB of available RAM (1 slot) and the 500GB hard disk, the laptop handles normal office tasks well; for much more the hardware configuration just isn't sufficient.

Processor
Acer TravelMate 8372G battery Subjected to the Cinebench R11.5 64-bit test, the 7739Z was only able to eke out a fairly mediocre 0.71 points during single-core rendering and 1.4 points during multi-core rendering. The results are in line with other P6200-equipped laptops though. Newer Core i3 entry-level processors offer quite a bit more performance. For additional information, check out our processor page; to compare other processors, take a look at our CPU benchmark comparison.
System Performance
Acer TravelMate 8372T battery PCMark Vantage evaluates the overall system performance and its core components. Our test system reached a score of 4357 here - since the laptop uses the same components as the TravelMate-5744Z, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the performance of the two laptops is nearly identical. Considering the hardware being used, this is pretty much exactly what we expected performance-wise.
Storage Devices

Acer TravelMate 8372TG battery The hard drive the system ships with is a Western Digital-sourced Scorpio Blue WD5000BPVT-22A1YT0 spinning at 5400 rpm and offering a capacity of 500GB. The hard drive is partitioned: 13.5GB are assigned to the Recovery Partition; 452.16GB are available as the C: - drive for system- and user data. The benchmark results mirror what we've come to expect from 5400 rpm hard disk drives.
GPU Performance
Acer Iconia Tab W500 battery Intels HD Graphics offer the manufacturers of notebook systems an inexpensive graphics solutions since the card is packaged with the CPU. The video decoder is capable of smooth playback of movies and trailer at 1080p; 3D-performance is extremely low though. The Acer reached 1567 points during 3DMark 06 - a fairly typical result for this kind of hardware. The graphics card can't handle 3DMark Vantage and errors out with a "std::exception Device removed".
Gaming Performance
Acer Iconia Tab W501 battery Considering the hardware specs, there is no doubt that the 7739Z is not a gaming system. Games with low demands on the hardware are playable though. We tested the (slightly more) taxing Diablo 3, and managed a not-so-smooth 20 fps at the lowest setting. We performed additional tests of various games during our review of the TravelMate-5744Z, which uses the same hardware. Our list of games shows the performance of various games using different graphics solutions.
Emissions

Noise Level
Acer Iconia Tab A100 battery The fan rarely kicks in during system idle and is almost inaudible at 31.5 dB(A). Hard drive access noise increases the level to 33.2 dB(A). The high-frequency humming of the power adapter gets annoying after a while. Under load, noise levels increase to a value of 38.3 dB(A) which is still fairly quiet. When playing movies, the DVD drive is very audible at 40.2 dB(A).
Temperature

Acer Aspire 4250 battery Our test candidate stayed cool during idle. As one would expect, the temperature increases under load - we measured 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on the bottom, and 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) on the top, respectively. The hand rest remains cool to the touch.

Acer Aspire 4251 battery During full load, internal temperatures can reach 70 degrees Celsius (158 Fahrenheit) - still an OK number. The CPU does not get throttled - which is something 3DMark06 confirmed: the values after our load test are identical to ones we got during the "cold" system performance test.
Speakers

Acer Aspire 4252 battery The speakers are located above the keyboard. The maximum volume could be a bit higher but the sound remains distortion-free. We found the bass to be lacking - a pretty common scenario with built-in speakers. The 3.5mm audio jack functions without any issues. HDMI allows for digital transmission of audio signals.
Verdict

Acer Aspire 4253 battery You just can't expect too much from this value-priced 17-inch system. It doesn't have a lot of interface options and no fast ports for connecting external storage. The display is a glare-type and unsuitable for extended (professional) use. The hardware dates back to 2010 and is not sufficient to run demanding 3D games.

On the other hand, performance is more than adequate for running office applications or internet use. Considering the price point, the quality of the input devices and the chassis is not bad at all and the display is at least bright enough. Acer Aspire 4253G battery

Target audience for the Aspire 7739Z is the value-conscious home user who doesn't intend to play games. This price bracket offers a never-ending supply of constantly updated systems - some utilizing more current hardware. Shopping around pays off - if 500 Euros is your upper limit, take a look at the (AMD based) HPs Pavilion g7 or Packard-Bell EasyNote LK11.

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Review Acer Aspire 5250-E304G50Mnkk Notebook

In March 2011, we tested the Acer Aspire 5253. This system featured the then brand new AMD Fusion platform, the AMD E-350 (2 x 1.6 GHz). AMD later released the E-450, a fairly minor update to the E-series, which didn't really have any impact on performance and features. Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 battery

This time around, Acer installs a new E-series processor into a chassis that remains 95% unchanged from the last model. Not a very exciting prospect, since the new CPU E-300 has a lower core frequency (2 x 1.30GHz) and uses the same GPU as the E-350/450 (Radeon HD 6310). Why a downgrade? Do we really need a "new" CPU that is slower than the models from over a year ago? We can at least hope that the lower core frequency will allow for longer battery life. Acer Aspire M5 battery

We had to look very hard to find any differences to its predecessor, the Aspire 5253. The Acer logo, which was comprised of single letters in the middle of the lid, is now embedded as a label in a corner. The old model had status LEDs for the HDD and the WLAN next to the power button. These status lights were completely eliminated on the new laptop. Guess we have to listen to the hard drive to figure out if the system is busy or not. ACER Aspire S Series battery

The chassis is now less rigid. It's easy to twist the base unit and the display lid. At least the lid is sufficiently solid. We like the feel of the textured matte surfaces which resist smudges and finger prints very well.

The hinges hold the display well without allowing it to rock back and forth. They are a bit tight though, so both hands are needed to open the display. The maximum angle of 160º is more than adequate while using the notebook on the lap. ACER Aspire S7 Series battery
The photos show the port selection to be pretty meager. There is an empty spot where the previous model had an HDMI port. The number of USB ports hasn't been increased though, with only three. Reason for the missing HDMI port might be pointed to the manufacturer who had to pay a license fee when integrating such a port. The position of the USB ports on the left and right side is not the best, as cables plugged into them and the VGA port can interfere when using a mouse. Acer Aspire S3 battery At the very least, having the cables stick out looks untidy.
Communication

Internet connections are available via Ethernet and WLAN. Both modules are the same ones found in the Aspire 5253. The Atheros AR5B97 WLAN card lost the Bluetooth 3.0 module. The Atheros AR8151 Ethernet Adapter supports Gigabit-Ethernet.

Accessories ACER Aspire V3 battery

There are no recovery discs included in the box - a common trend we've seen for a few years now. The user has to create his/her own recovery disc set using the Acer Recovery Manager. The number of pre-installed software titles is fortunately not too overwhelming. Acer GameZone, Accessory Shop, Registration, Updater, and Office 2010 Starter are of course part of the package. ACER Aspire 8943G battery The biggest pre-installed program is NTI Media Maker 9 which is used to convert video files and to burn optical discs. The inclusion of said software is actually not very generous on Acer's part, since Media Maker 9 can be downloaded for free.
Power Consumption
ACER Aspire Ethos 8943G battery Does the low performance translate into equally low power requirements? With all energy-saving options enabled and the display brightness turned down all the way, idle power consumption is only 7.6W (Aspire 5253: 9.7W). A more realistic scenario is the maximum idle power consumption of 12.6W. All things considered, the Aspire 5250 is not that energy efficient. Even a well-equipped multimedia notebook like the Samsung 550P5C-T02DE with an i5-3210M and GeForce GT630M, only requires 8.3/11W (minimum/maximum) during idle (5250: 9.7 to 13.6W). ACER Aspire One E100 battery

During 3DMarks 2006, power consumption rose to 26W. Maximum power requirement during the stress test (Prime95 & Furmark) was 28W. The power adapter is rated for 65W and hence more than adequately sized.

Battery Life
Acer Iconia 6120 battery The AMD Fusion system with the longest run time (WLAN-test) is the Samsung 305U1A-A01DE. This 11.6-inch system lasted for almost 9 hours. The HP Pavilion dm1-3180eg kept running for about 7 hours, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X121e NWS5QGE lasted for about 5 hours (both are 11.6-inch systems). Our test system lags a bit behind with only 4 hours. The older Aspire 5253 managed almost 5 hours in the same test. Acer Iconia 6886 battery

The 48Wh battery can't be the culprit because the Aspire 5253 came with a battery offering the same exact capacity. It takes 1 hour 35 minutes to recharge a completely depleted battery. When we were playing a DVD movie, the laptop ran out of charge after 3 hours 25 minutes.

Performance

Acer TravelMate 8372 battery Acer equips this 15.6-inch notebook with the dual-core APU AMD E-300 (2 x 1.3 GHz). This particular processor is in the same family as the E-450, which is used in some versions of the Aspire 5250. The APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) has a TDP of a miserly 18W and is particularly well-suited for small notebooks. The Integrated Graphics Unit, a Radeon HD 6310, has DirectX-11 support and a UVD3 Video Decoder. It is marginally slower than the HD 6320 in the APU E-450. The APU has access to 2 x 2048 MB of DDR3 RAM. Acer TravelMate 8372G battery The hard disc drive is a Western Digital (WD3200BPVT-22JJ5T0) with 320GB storage space. The OS supplied is Microsoft Window 7 Home Premium (64 Bit).

Processor
Acer TravelMate 8372T battery Looking at the scores of the E-300, we can only come to one conclusion: this processor ranks at the bottom of the pile. It almost seems ludicrous to pair up a CPU offering basically netbook-like performance with a 15.6-inch laptop when Intel's low-cost Pentiums offer so much more performance. There has to be demand, however, since there is even a 17-inch notebook with the APU E-450 (Packard Bell EasyNote LK11-BZ-080GE). Acer TravelMate 8372TG battery

Subjected to Cinebench R11.5, the E-300 was only able to reach 0.46 points. Other processors, like the Pentium P6100 (+185%), Core i3-350M (+224%), i3-2310M (+340%), or the AMD A4-3300 (+146%) are substantially faster. The only CPU that manages to be even slower is the netbook processor Atom N450 (-43%). CPU performance remains the same whether the laptop is on battery power or on external power. Acer Iconia Tab W500 battery Other notebooks with the same performance are the Aspire One 722-C62kk (C-60) and the ThinkPad X121e NWS62GE (both have 11.6-inch screens).
System Performance
More important than the processor benchmark is the evaluation of overall system performance. Our test system reached a score of 834 points after we ran PCMark 7 on it. This test takes the speed of the HDD, RAM, and the graphics card into consideration. Acer Iconia Tab W501 battery The HP 630-LH384EA with a Pentium CPU managed to be only about 36% faster here - courtesy of the rather weak Intel GMA IGP. AMD-based A6-systems are, depending on the clock speed and the GPU, 75% to 100% faster. Towards the top we find the Core i3-2350M (+90%). A better GPU can improve performance further like in the Sony Vaio SV-E14A1M6EW, with the Radeon HD7670M (+120%). An Atom (N2800) based netbook, like the Asus Eee PC R052C-WHI002S, is only about 11% slower, despite the weaker GMA 3650.Acer Iconia Tab A100 battery

Storage Devices
HD Tune showed a sequential read speed of 64 MB/s for the 320GB Western Digital HDD. Small and dispersed data reads cause the fairly slow read-write heads to lag behind and the speed drops to 0.4 to 1.0 MB/s. 7200 rpm models do better here. Notebooks with SSDs are significantly faster, as even the slowest ones start at around 120 MB/s and go up to about 376 MB/s. Acer Aspire 4250 battery The hard drive in the Aspire 5250 ended up with a below average HDD score of 2296 points in PCMark Vantage. SSD equipped laptops manage 300% to 2800% better results here.

Graphics Card

Acer Aspire 4251 battery In 3DMark2006, our test system scored 1943 points. This result means that the Radeon HD 6310 has 24% less performance than the HD 6320 in the E-450. Of course the 6310 can't compete with any (even low-end) dedicated GPUs like the GT 630M (+312%) or the Radeon HD 7610M (+221%). Intel's HD3000 was 30% to 150% faster; the current HD4000 tops these results.

Acer Aspire 4252 battery The three game tests that follow show extremely low FPS values even with older games. Playing games should not be on the agenda, period. The main purpose of the Radeon graphics is to relieve the weak APU of HD-decoding duties. This decoding doesn't just happen in the conversion tools like Media Espresso or the (pre-installed) NTI Media Maker 9, but even when using the Media Player.

Acer Aspire 4253 battery Acer's clear.fi player manages to play 1080p clips with CPU utilization below 20% CPU. We were able to start another movie clip in Media Player (CPU <45%) without encountering any stuttering. We recommend not starting too many programs, since the mouse pointer is apt to show significant lag and installations will take forever.
System Noise

Acer Aspire 4253G battery Overall noise level is pleasant. The fan never turns off but doesn't exceed 31dB (A) during idle. During activities like surfing, listening to music, or typing, the fan noise stays constant and discreet in the background. Since the range between idle and load is very small, we could only measure an rpm difference but not hear it. The HDD is now less audible during read/write access than the one in the Aspire 5253. Acer Aspire 4333 battery While the HDD in the predecessor emitted a high-pitched hum of 33.9dB (A), the new HDD remains under the noise level of the system fan.

The game tests we conducted didn't push the cooling system much either, as the noise level remained at 31.9dB (A). Even during the stress test (Furmark & Prime95), we only measured a maximum of 32.9dB (A). As before, the rpm remained constant. Overall the fan control is very well executed. Acer decided to let the fan spin constantly during idle to avoid having it turn on and off all the time. Acer Aspire 4339 battery

Temperature

We measured an average of only 30ºC (86ºF) at the bottom of the notebook during word processing tasks and surfing the Internet (lots of idle time). The palm rest tops out at 27-30ºC (80.6 - 86ºF). The temperatures are slightly higher than the ones we recorded for its predecessor, but we also conducted the tests at a room temperature of 23ºC instead of 19ºC (73.4ºF instead of 66.2ºF). Acer Aspire 4349 battery We can assume that temperatures would have been a bit lower otherwise. Under load, we measured up to 46ºC (114.8ºF) on the bottom. At this temperature, having the machine sitting on the lap is pretty uncomfortable. The APU does not have any sort of turbo mode, so throttling is not an issue. Cinebench R11.5 Multi showed that the cores of the E-300 remain at 1.3 GHz at all times.

Verdict

Acer Aspire 4352 battery Is the never-ending supply of new notebooks offering more features and better performance just too confusing? Acer tries a different approach and downgrades the already low-cost Aspire 5253. Who needs HDMI, after all?

The Aspire 5250 is a notebook on a feature diet. The fact that the CPU (E-300) is even less powerful is something we could overlook, since the E-450 model (2 x 1.65) is also available. But trying to cut features (no HDMI) on what was a low-end model to begin with - that's almost audacious. Acer Aspire 4551 battery

The price difference is only a few euros. Those who don't care much if they pay EUR 369 or EUR 374 should opt for the E-450. The sister model featuring the E-350 also had a longer battery life on our test.

Acer Aspire 4551G battery We honestly can't recommend the Aspire 5250. The Asus Pro P53E-SO136D, X54C and the Lenovo B570 (no OS) are systems in the EUR 375 to EUR 400 price bracket featuring the Core i3-2350. For about EUR 300 you can get yourself a Pentium-equipped TravelMate 5742Z (with Linux OS). Even though that system features obsolete hardware, it offers faster performance and probably about the same battery life. Acer Aspire 4551G-P322G32Mn battery

AMD's E2-1800 (2 x 1.70GHz) with Radeon HD 7340M is truly new. Stay tuned for reviews of the HP 655 (starting at EUR 330) and the Lenovo G585.

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