Clevo X7200 Gaming Laptop

By Elias | Published: November 4, 2011

 

Clevo X7200 Specifications:

  • 17.3-inch TN panel display with LED backlighting (1920×1080)
  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  • Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition 6-core Processor (12MB Cache, 3.47 GHz)
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 580M 2GB GDDR5 graphics card
  • 12GB DDR3-1333 RAM (3x 4GB)
  • 128GB SSD boot drive (Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2)
  • 500GB 7200RPM hard drive (Seagate Momentus XT) for additional storage
  • BIGFOOT Networks, Killer Wireless-N 1102 Wireless Card, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
  • 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet LAN
  • Blu-ray Burner/DVD-SuperMulti
  • Li-poly battery (78.44Wh), 300W power supply
  • Weight: 13.48 lbs. (notebook only)
  • Dimensions: 16.5 x 11.3 x 2.2~2.4 inches

High-performance wireless networking tuned for online games, HD video and high quality audio: Killer(tm) Wireless-N high-performance Wi-Fi® adapter for notebook PCs is advanced 802.11n module which provides up to 5x the speed for online games, HD video and high quality audio.

Core™i7 LGA1366 processor

With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it’s needed most,new Intel® Core™ i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹ You’ll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media creation. And you’ll experience maximum performance for everything you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology² and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³, which maximizes performance to match your workload.

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX® 580M – Simply the Fastest

The NVIDIA Geforce GTX 580M is the fastest notebook GPU capable of playing the latest games at 1080p in 3D. For maximum performance, look for notebooks with two GTX 580M GPU in SLI.

Real-World Gaming Effects

Gaming is becoming more and more realistic. NVIDIA® PhysX™ technology enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic gaming experience – filled with lifelike explosions, natural water, and cloth that drapes and tears naturally. GeForce GTX notebook GPUs come with out-of-the-box support for these new class of PhysX-accelerated games.

Transcode Your Videos 10x Faster

What else can you do with a new GTX notebook GPU besides gaming? NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology unlocks the power of the GPU’s processor cores to accelerate the most demanding system tasks – such as video transcoding – delivering incredible performance improvements over traditional CPUs.

ATI® Radeon™ HD 6990

Dismantle the enemy with deadly efficiency with uncompromising graphics and intense gaming performance with DirectX® 11 Evolved technology. Get outstanding tessellation performance, advanced DirectCompute support, Shader Model 5, texture compression and OpenCL™ support for true-to-life, high-definition game play you deserve. Take complete control of the action with a view from all angles with AMD Eyefinity technology. Supercharge your applications and experience unprecedented digital video quality with AMD App Acceleration. Get real. Get Radeon™ in your system.

NVIDIA® Quadro® 5010M

The NVIDIA® Quadro® Mobile Workstation product family is a complete top-to-bottom range of solutions with unmatched performance and quality for the most demanding professionals on the go. From digital content creators on a movie set, to design engineers at a remote plant, to geo-scientists on an oil rig, Quadro mobile graphics processing units (GPUs) are the trusted solution for professional 3D applications.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first and only industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV), over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless digital audio formats Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.

Thanks for AVADirect , for the review of this gaming laptop.

The price of this laptop is around $3,700 to $5,800 depending on the package you want. So here in the Philippines it’s going to be pricey about Php165,000 to around Php 250,000. Its for those people with very thick wallets and really love gaming.

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Looking for a Gaming Laptop?

By Elias | Published: November 2, 2011

You might want to try this Alienware M18x

Alienware M18x Specifications and features:

  • LCD:18.4 inch (1920×1080) HD Display
  • Intel® Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
  • Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit
  • 8GB or 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
  • Quad Core Sandy Bridge
  • WLED technology
  • TrueLife glossy panel
  • Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6970M – AMD CrossFireX™ or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460m)
  • Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with WavesMAXX Audio
  • 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port
  • Up to 1500GB SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
  • Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
  • Option to Upgrade to Bluray Drive
  • Battery: High Capacity 12-cell Lithium Ion (97whr) capable of delivering up to 15 hours of battery life
  • 3D-capable
  • Latest Wi-Fi, HDMI Ports and Card Reader Slots
  • 4-Zone, multi-color RGB, 82 key keyboard with AlienFX™ lighting controls
  • 3.0 Megapixel HD Video and Picture Camera with dual digital microphones
  • USB 3.0,HDMI Supported
  • Colors : Space Black Anodized Aluminum , Nebula Red Anodized Aluminum

Case

The Alienware laptop sticks out of the crowd with its luxurious and optically fabulous case (a definite crowd-pleaser). Buyers can choose to order the model in either red (Nebula Red) or black (Space Black).

The case surfaces (notebook cover, sides and bottom) are supposedly made of anodized Aluminum. However, the hand-rest regions have a comfortable rubber coating. All-in-all, the surfaces leave a high-quality impression. The workmanship is overall very good, although it does have some minor flaws. Still those are only noticeable if one takes a magnifying glass to the laptop.

The case will not get dirty easily thanks to its resistant surface. Only the glossy display falls victim to fingerprints and dust particles. The sturdiness of the case leaves no room for critique, even pushing down on the case strongly will not make it bend. Only the very tightly wound hinges could have been designed better. While opening, the base unit swings along with the display and shaking the base unit causes the display to wobble.

Alienware deserves praise for its extensive lighting elements. Keyboard, touchpad and many other elements can be lighted in any possible color. So even working in the dark will not be a problem. Frequent transportation of the case will be impossible due to its size (43.6 x 32.2 x 5.4 centimeters) and its weight (5.64 kgs).

Keyboard

Good input devices are a must for gaming notebooks. An external keyboard will not be necessary for the M18x, as the white bordered keys, with a nice size of 18×18 mm, offer a comfortable typing feel. Pressure point and stroke distance are also good, and the typing noise is acceptable.

The layout is nice. Alienware included 5 macro keys on the left of the keyboard. The user will need some time to get used to these keys as due to their placement, the main part of the keyboard has also shifted slightly. This will cause quite a few errors while typing at first, but the user will soon get used to the displacement. The sturdiness of the keyboard is sadly not good. There are many spots where the keyboard can be pushed inwards.

Touchpad

The minimally sunken touchpad can be deactivated and is of good quality. We really liked the big size (99 x 56 mm) and the smooth finish. The touchpad is very easy to use and comfortable.

Precision is great and vertical and horizontal scroll bars function without a problem. The multi-touch input is not activated by default and must be activated using the system controls. The two mouse keys should also be improved. The clicking method seemed rather undefined.

Display

Alienware uses a 18.4 inch WLED display for the laptop with a format of 16:9 and a glossy surface. The resolution of 1920 x 1080 is not surprising and the entertainment branch speaks of Full-HD. Thanks to the big display diagonal (46.7 cms) films and games can really come to life. The picture quality of the installed SEC5448 panel is great. An average brightness level of 221.9 cd/m² will be more than enough for indoors use. Thanks to the low black value of 0.36 cd/m², dark areas do not have ugly grey stripes. The contrast also beats the competition with a value of 736:1 which is offered by very few devices.

Performance

Processor: Intel Core i7-2920XM

“The best possible performance” – this seems to have been the motivation Alienware had when creating this notebook. The wide range of high-end hardware components available for the M18x is proof of this. Alienware completely disregards dual-core CPUs and picks quad-cores from Intels Sandy Bridge generation for future value. The Core i7-2630QM and Core i7-2720QM quad-core CPUs provide good enough performance for most applications. More expensive models bring fewer advantages. Alienware equipped our test model with the fastest quad-core CPU they had.

The Intel Core i7-2920XM is from the Extreme series and is produced, like all other Sandy Bridge processors, in the 32 nm format. The extremely high performance delivered by this CPU is thanks to its big 8 MB L3 cache (normally CPUs have between 3 to 6 MB). Some programs even profit from the “Hyperthreading” feature, which simulates virtual cores in addition to the four real cores. This means that the processor can simultaneously process up to 8 threads.

The best feature in our opinion is the high clock frequency. The CPU runs at a respectable 2.50 GHz right off the bat. As long as the core load and the temperature of the laptop stay within limits, the CPU clock frequency can be boosted up to 3.50 GHz – an increase of 1000 MHz! That is not all: thanks to the extensive overclocking features placed in the BIOS, the Core i7-2920XM can be sped up even further. There are three practical profiles, which increase the speed of the processor, as in our test model, to up to 4.20 GHz. The power usage is also equally high with a TDP value of 55 W. The weaker quad-cores have a TDP value of 45 W.

Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6970M X2

The M18x had to offer an expensive duo of the latest graphic cards in SLI or Crossfire (Nvidia and AMD respectively) to match the performance of the strongest desktop GPUs.

The Radeon HD 6970M CF is currently the fastest dual-GPU combo after the GeForce GTX 485M SLI. AMD’s 6970Ms are DirectX 11 ready and they have the codename “Blackcomb XT”. They are produced with the latest 40 nm process. The graphic cards have over 960 Unified Shaders and while the core runs at 680 MHz, the memory of 2048 MB GDDR5-VRAM is clocked at 900 MHz. The memory interface is well-dimensioned: 256 bit. This will almost never be used to the full extent.

Dual-GPU configurations offer many advantages, the biggest being the higher performance (up to +100%). However, these high performance configurations also come with a few disadvantages. For example, the so-called “micro stutters” caused by dual-GPU systems (caused by the difference between the two pictures created by the graphic cards), can be quite annoying in some cases. Subjectively, these are not noticeable in the M18x, as the Radeon HD 6970M CF manages to process fast enough most of the time (micro stutters only become clearly visible when the frame rate drops under 30 fps).

Another problem of SLI or CF systems is their high dependence on drivers. This is usually clearly noticeable with the latest games as they still lack the proper drivers. The result: the second graphic card does not increase performance or even slows down the performance. In addition, the power usage and temperature emissions rise, which also leads to louder noise emissions.

SLI or Crossfire systems are usually for buyers with an obsession for the best possible performance, and to achieve this, they are usually ready to put out more money and download the latest drivers on a regular basis.

Dell Alienware M18x Price $1999, it like around Php 87,000 or higher here in the philippines.

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Dell Alienware M17x

By Elias | Published: July 10, 2011

 

Alienware Command Center provides intuitive, user-friendly access to exclusive applications and controls, including AlienFX® lighting effects software and AlienFusion power management system. Updates and new releases download directly into Command Center, creating a constantly evolving tool for modifying and personalizing your M17x.

AlienSense — This facial recognition software identifies numerous distinguishing features, utilizing the M17x’s Webcam to read and verify biometric measurements that cannot be faked or stolen like a typed password.

Speed Is SurvivalAny hesitation means almost-certain death. Power through the most hard-core games and intense applications with the latest Intel® Core™ i7 and Core™ i5 processors featuring Intel® Turbo Boost Technology for dynamic, on-the-fly overclocking.

Dell Alienware M17x Specifications

DisplayDiagonal Size : 17″

Max Resolution : WXGA+ (1440 x 900) / WUXGA (1920×1200)

Graphics : NVIDIA GeForce® GTX285M 1024 MB

ProcessorType : Intel® CoreTM i7 940XM

Speed : 2.13GHz with turbo boost up to 3.33GHz

Cache : 8MB cache

Memory : 8GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 4GB DDR3)

 

Ports, Slots & Chassis

4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports

1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare

8-in-1 Media Card Reader

IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port

ExpressCard SlotDisplayPort, HDMITM , VGA – Video Output

Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack

Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack

Rear Surround Audio Out Connector

Audio In / Microphone Jack

Two Built-In Front Speakers

Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack

Rear Surround Audio Out Connector

Audio In / Microphone Jack

Two Built-In Front Speakers

Dimensions

Height: 51.31mm to 53.59mm (2.02 inches to 2.11 inches) – Front to Back

Width: 405.89mm (15.98 inches)Depth: 321.31mm (12.65 inches)

Weight: Starting at 5.3kg* (11.68 pounds)

BinaryGFX — With Alienware’s BinaryGFX technology, users have the ability to switch between discrete or integrated graphics.
Stealth Mode — While in Stealth Mode, discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components throttle down to achieve a 65-watt power limit.

Anodized aluminum — Sophistication. Protection. Durability. Alienware M17x’s case design combines a long life span with naturally textured beauty that can withstand normal wear and tear. Considering the amount of gaming power the M17x pumps out, a case that can manage thermals efficiently and has plenty of strength to protect everything inside is essential. The M17x’s anodized aluminum case design boasts aggressive lines and an in-your-face attitude.
QuickTouch system control pad — Run your fingers above the keyboard on your M17x and you won’t feel a thing. Your laptop, however, will. The Alienware QuickTouch control pad uses touch-capacitive sensors to access and manage power and volume controls, Bluetooth® and wireless connectivity and Command Center and Stealth Mode launch functions. Illuminated by the dramatic AlienFX lighting control system, QuickTouch renders mechanical buttons and control knobs obsolete.

Webcam — The 2.0-megapixel webcam and digital microphone array lets you broadcast across the web, while wireless capabilities have you up and running anytime, anywhere.

Display — See bolder colors on the 17¨ widescreen LCD display. Featuring a dual CCFL back-lit LCD with higher brightness, the Alienware M17x will display more detailed, higher-quality imagery than single CCFL displays. And with an 8-ms response time, ghosting will be a thing of the past.

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Asus G73SW-A1Gaming Laptop

By Elias | Published: April 26, 2011

 

 

The ASUS G73SW-A1 is one more laptop exclusively designed for the hard core use of gamers who wish to have a lot of features and effects to be visualized in their game.  It comes with the logo of the Republic of Gamers and proclaims itself as the gamer’s friend.

Asus G73SW-A1 Screen has a 17.3? inch Full High-Definition screen display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. This is supported by an ASUS Splendid Video Intelligent Technology propped up with NVIDIA GTX 460M, 1.5GB GDDR5 Graphics Card. The whole process is carried out with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium of 64-Bit Operating System which is able to handle all such processes like a breeze. It has a huge memory and hence deleting games will be obsolete – a thing of the past thanks to the 1,000GB hard drive, and even though it is excellent for gaming, the 17.3” display with 1920×1080 resolution also works grand with the Blu-ray player. It permits all Blu-ray movies to be watched in their original resolution.

Asus G73SW-A1 has a gun metal grey colouring throughout its body and does not have any flashy red or blue blinking lights anywhere on its surface. It has a rubberized covering, which make it very grip friendly and does not allow fingerprints to be visible on it. The same gun-metal gray theme continues on the inside as well and the keyboard is present along with the number pad which allows number crunching. The disadvantage of this model is that the key board is quite smaller than other laptops in the same genre. There is extra space around the keyboard which could have been put to good use. The keys are small and the space between the rows of keys are very less there by it performed quite badly in the quite badly in the typing speed – error tests.

* Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU

* Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB video card

* 8GB of RAM, dual 500GB hybrid HDD/SSD drives for 1TB of storage

* Blu-ray combo drive,* Full HD screen with LED backlight,* Windows 7 Home Premium OS

* Asustek’s 8-pound gaming machine sports an 8-cell battery

* Built-in stereo speakers and a subwoofer, TNX TruStudio audio technology, backlight keyboard

* 2MP web camera with mic

* 802.11n Wi-Fi

* Bluetooth

* Gigabit LAN

* three USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port

* HDMI and VGA outputs, and an 8-in-1 media card reader

* The 3D edition has a 120Hz 3D-capable screen and includes 3D Vision glasses.

The ASUS G73SW-A1 costs almost $2000, so it would cost around Php 86,000 or more when it hits here in the Philippines.

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Sony VAIO Y21BGX/B Notebook

By Elias | Published: March 4, 2011

Sony series Notebook model named VAIO Y21BGX/B Notebook. this Notebook is having a screen display of 13.3 inches of TFT WXGA LED backlit display with 1366 x 768 pixels of screen resolution ,VAIO Y21BGX/B Notebook comes with 1.2 GHz Intel Core i3 330UM processor which is made for high performance ,this Notebook comes with 800 MHz 3 GB / 8 GB (max) DDR3 SD Ram ,the webcam resolution is good ,comes with inbuilt 10/100 MB ethernet Lan Port ,supports hard-disk storage upto 320 GB, Serial ATA-150, 5400 rpm ,has Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 bit Edition operating system ,has 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi card , for high resolution applications this Notebook has Intel GMA 950 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0 card
This is Sony VAIO Y21BGX/B Notebook Features and Specifications:
* Product Description: Sony VAIO Y Series VPC-Y21BGX/B, Core i3 330UM 1.2 GHz, 13.3? TFT
* Dimensions (WxDxH): 12.8 in x 8.9 in x 1.3 in
* Weight: 4 lbs
* System Type: Notebook
* Built-in Devices: Wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna
* Processor: Intel Core i3 330UM / 1.2 GHz CULV ( Dual-Core )
* Cache Memory: 3 MB, L3 cache
* RAM: 3 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max), DDR3 SDRAM, 800 MHz ( 1 x 1 GB + 1 x 2 GB )
* Card Reader: Yes
* Hard Drive: 320 GB, Serial ATA-150, 5400 rpm
* Display: 13.3? TFT 1366 x 768 ( WXGA )
* Graphics Controller: Intel HD Graphics Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
* Audio Output: Sound card
* Networking: Network adapter, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
* Notebook Camera: Integrated
* Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition
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ASUS G73JW-XA1 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop

By Elias | Published: February 16, 2011
The ASUS G73JW-XA1 only recently hit the market but there are already tons of 4 and 5 star reviews on various websites. Most ASUS G73JW-XA1 reviews that I’ve read have commented (very favorably) on several key features. I’ll discuss a few below.
ASUS G73JW-XA1 Tech Specs
1.73Ghz Quad-core Intel i7-740QM
8GB RAM (DDR3 1066MHz)
Nvidia GTX 460M Graphics with 1.5GB GDDR5
750 GB HDD
Super Multi DVD Drive
17.3-Inch Full HD (1920×1080) LED Display
Illuminated Keyboard & 2.0MP Webcam
Windows Home Premium 64-bit Operating System
Every gamer knows that the latest games demands the best performance. But we don’t believe in just meeting the minimum requirements, we believe in obliterating them. That’s why we made sure that the Republic of Gamers (ROG) G73Jw-XA1 was jam-packed with one-of-a-kind innovation that propel mobile gaming performance to unseen levels.
Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M graphics engine that comes with a massive 1.5GB of GDDR5 VRAM, the ROG G73Jw-XA1 leads in DirectX 11 gaming for advanced tessellation and faster graphics rendering. This gaming powerhouse, powered by the Intel Core i7-740QM quad-core processor, soars while performing several tasks simultaneously. And while others struggle to find the keys in dimly lit areas, the backlit gaming keyboard gives you the edge in the dark to put you ahead of the competition.
The ROG G73Jw-XA1 showcases a stealth fighter-inspired design with a unique thermal design that promotes airflow and keeps the air away from you. Plus, its 17.3-inch LED-backlit Full HD display lets you experience the latest in high-definition entertainment brilliant 1080p playback. The ROG G73Jw-XA1 breaks from the heard of traditional gaming notebooks with built-in overclocking feature through the ASUS Power4Gear Hybrid utility – instantly giving you extreme power with a push of a button.
The ROG G73Jw-XA1 also boasts 750GB 7200RPM hard drive, 8GB DDR3 system memory, high-speed wireless N, Intel Turbo Boost Technology, Super Speed USB 3.0 connectivity, Bluetooth v2.1, HDMI connectivity, 2.0 megapixel camera, and Altec Lansing speakers with EAX Advanced HD 4.0 sound.

ASUS G73JW-XA1 reviews made it clear that this Republic of Gamers laptop is a high end gaming laptop that runs even high-end video games flawlessly. The 17” high-def display is something that most ASUS G73JW-XA1 reviews mentioned as a big draw since it really immerses you in the game you are playing. In addition to the huge display, many an ASUS G73JW-XA1 review noted the huge hard drive and 8GB of RAM as key selling points.

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Toshiba Satellite C650D-ST2NX2

By Elias | Published: February 2, 2011

Do more of the things you love with the multi-core performance and energy efficiency of AMD Athlon™ II processor-based laptops. Video-chat with friends and family around the world with a convenient built-in webcam and microphone. At home, in the office, at school or on the go, your life never stops moving. Microsoft® Office gives you smart, simple, timesaving tools to help you keep up. This laptop comes with Office 2010 Starter preloaded (reduced functionality Word and Excel with advertising) — purchase a product key during checkout to activate the full version.
Specification

  • Processor: AMD Athlon™ II Dual-Core Mobile Processor P340
  • Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
  • Graphics Engine: ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 4250, Memory 256MB-1405MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
  • Memory: 3GB DDR3 memory
  • Hard Drive: 320GB HDD (5400rpm)
  • Optical Drive: DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer)
  • Display: 15.6″ widescreen, HD TruBrite® LCD Display, 1366×768 (HD), Supports 720p content, 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Audio: Microphone jack (mono), Headphone jack (stereo), Standard stereo speakers
  • Webcam and microphone built into LCD bezel
  • Wireless LAN: Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
  • LAN: 10/100 Ethernet LAN
  • AC Adapter: 65W (19V 3.42A) Auto-sensing, 100-240V / 50-60Hz input
  • Battery: Li-Ion (48Wh, 6-Cell), Battery Life Up to 3.4 hours
  • Media: Memory Card Reader
  • USB Ports: 2-USB (2.0)
  • Security and Protection: HDD Recovery, TOSHIBA Supervisor Password Utility, Password Security, Security Cable Lock Slot
  • Inputs and Controls: TouchPad™ pointing device with multi touch control, Touchpad on/off, Standard US keyboard with 10-key pad (Black)
  • Weight: Starting at 5.5 lbs.
  • Color: Trax Texture in Black

This is Priced around P24,000 onwards depending on the package set in various Laptop stores. Hope with the specifications and a little bit of review helps all the people who are finding a suitable laptop for their needs.

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Getac V100

By Elias | Published: January 26, 2011
Getac designed the V100 with in-the-field engineers, in-the-line-of-duty military personnel, and all other manner of big bruiser outdoor professional types in mind, and they’ve been cranking out rugged notebooks and tablets since the 90s.
Getac V100 Specs
Genuine Windows 7
Intel CoreTM i7-640UM 1.2 GHz Processor
10.4-inch XGA (1024 x 768) TFT QuadraClear sunlight readable LED
2 GB DDR3 800/1066 MHz expandable to 8 GB
SATA 320 GB HDD(optional SATA 80 GB Solid State Drive)
Integrated 225 degree reversible 2.0 MP camera
10/100/1000 base-T Ethernet
56K ITU V.92 modem
WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
GPS (optional)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR class 2
3G (optional)
11.4  x 8.74 x 1.93 inches
5.51 lbs
BUILD & DESIGN
In the age of the iPad and other sleek tablets, it’s easy to scoff at the V100′s unappealing boxy exterior, but in my eyes, it’s an awfully handsome device.
The V100 actually looks the part of a high tech piece of military equipment, and its 5.5 lbs. of bulk does make you wonder how effective it would be at point blank range in a dire, self-defense situation. It’s also MIL-STD-810G compliant, and that’s just a fancy technical way of saying that it’s up to specs with Department of Defense standards for the ability to withstand drops, shock, high levels of vibration, extreme weather conditions, dust, and humidity.
Its exterior case is made up of magnesium alloy, and comes complete with rubber bumpers on its edges. It practically growls “Hit me with your best shot!”, which you may or may not want to try. I did, and the V100 won. I walked away with bruised knuckles and the V100 kept chugging right along. Suffice it to say, it’s an incredibly durable machine. Even the removable hard drive is shock-mounted, and you can do things to the screen that you wouldn’t even dare consider on other laptops.
Durability
Understanding the durability ratings of rugged laptops is sort of like trying to comprehend the numbers on the sidewall of your car’s tire – each letter and number represents a specific rating that actually means something important. In the case of the V100, it’s been rated IP65 compliant. Basically, the “6″ in the equation tells us the V100 is completely dust proof  (no vents). The “5″ indicates that the interior is completely protected against water jets. And we’re not talking a simple mist of rain here, but an actual water jet at point blank range from any angle. I wouldn’t submerge it in a swimming pool, but you also don’t have to worry about it fizzling out if you’re caught outdoors in a monsoon with it.
The V100 can also function perfectly in temperatures ranging from -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s -20 to 60 degrees Celsius everywhere else in the world), and can be kept in storage in even more extreme temperature conditions: -60 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, or -51 to 71 degrees Celsius. Functionality in humidity can range from 5 to 95 percent relative humidity.
Activpen Stylus and Inking Capabilities
The unit we reviewed features a dual-mode touchscreen that is both pressure sensitive and has a digitizer. The V100 is also available with only a resistive touchscreen or a glove-type multi-touch screen.
The action on the V100′s activpen leaves a bit to be desired, and this was one of the biggest disappointments about it. When you first take a gander at it, the expandable/collapsible stylus – which extends to about three quarters of the length of a full sized pen – looks like a mini-miracle of practical design. When collapsed, it fits neatly into a well placed 2.5″ slot on the bottom interior face of the flip-up screen.
As convenient as this is, the results I experienced when actually putting it into use for the purposes of inking were only so-so. Although there’s very little lag and it feels plenty comfortable in your grip, in order to get the activpen to respond, it’s got to be pressed firmly against the screen. Any let-up in pressure causes a disruption of the flow and therefore renders the V100 fairly ineffective as a tool for note taking. Also, there is no palm recognition – which wasn’t as big a deal as I imagined owing to the screen’s relatively small size and large borders, which my palm rested comfortably on.
The likely culprit for the inking issues is the collapsible pen, which is much smaller than the traditional Wacom or N-trig unit. It’s also possible the tough-as-nails display has something to do with the decreased sensitivity. Either way, there is a noticeable tradeoff between function and form with the V100 pen capabilities.
Display and Speakers
One of the coolest features of the V100 is its convertible swivel screen, which easily turns the laptop into a fully functioning tablet. When I say “easily,” I do mean easily. It doesn’t take a genius or even anyone with above average dexterity to accommodate the transformation. Once the screen is placed into tablet view, the same front locking mechanism that keeps the V100 tightly clamped shut can also be fully engaged – but even without the lock in place, there’s very little give on the hinges.
The brightness level of the display is rated at 1200 nits, which allows the screen to be easily viewable in direct sunlight and is about as bright as rugged tablet displays come these days. The only drawback to this is that the brighter the display setting, the lower the battery life. By some estimates, usage at full brightness can cut the amount of time you’ll get from your battery by more than half (the average expected length under light usage is approximately 7 hours).
Keyboard and Touchpad
With a full size, 83-key qwerty keyboard, the V100 proves easy to use with bare or gloved hands, lending to its adaptability to rugged outdoor environments and usability in conditions that would otherwise render a laptop as useful as a brick in your lap. The only issue I experienced was that the ENTER key is positioned slightly higher on the keyboard face than I’m used to on a standard keyboard, providing a bit of a learning curve that I was able to overcome with little difficulty and only a few misplaced keystrokes. The mouse touchpad is equally responsive to bare or thickly gloved fingertips and supports two-fingered control, as well as scrolling.
Ports
An examination of the sides and rear of the V100 reveals all of the ports necessary for standard operation: USB, VGA, PCMCIA slots, Ethernet, modem (for the built-in 56k), power supply, and audio in/out. In addition to this, both the battery and the hard drive on the V100 are removable through easily accessible side slots. All ports are protected by weatherproof plug-like doors that are as easy to pop open as they are to snap firmly back into place. The doors which facilitate the removal of the battery and hard drive require a bit more work to open, but are far from difficult.
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Shared Laptop Experience

By Elias | Published: January 11, 2011

From abigail

hi. i bought my neo-laptop on june 2008 and except for the short-life span of the battery (my fault because i was ignorant how to extend its “life”), Thank GOD, it’s still running very good. i used it 10 hours daily for powerpoint presentations in my classes, internet surfing, movie watching, game playing. at times until 3 am. i finished my thesis using this one for one whole year of used till 5 am. used this also during my thesis proposal defense, pre-orals and final oral defense. every weekend (saturday & sunday), it is still being used 7-8 hours.

my colleagues who got their neo laptops a year/6 months ahead of me, are not complaining of their laptops except for the short-life span of the battery. although some of the colors and “paints” are peeling off on the exterior, they are still functioning very well. they are also using them in their classes for powerpoint presentations, movie and video showings as well as video productions. one colleague even dropped his laptop, but aside from loose screws, it is still performing as if it is new. the LCD is still functioning well although it was really a hard fall. another colleague brought his laptop to a neo-outlet service center to fix his DVD disc player and got it after 3 days. no complaint ever since. he admitted however, it was his fault because he let the students played 5-6 DVDs non-stopped during their free times. in our university, most teachers let some of their students use their neo-laptops during lunch hours and when they are having their classes. their neo-laptops are turned on from 7 am to God knows till what time…and still the performance is very good. we also used our neo-laptops to encode the subjects’ raw scores (attendance, recitation, quizzes, presentations, projects) and grades online (prelim, midterm and finals) and really that takes a lot of time esp. if we have 50 – 60 students enrolled in most of our classes.

so far, this laptop has not failed me yet for 3 years and 6 months now…i am using Windows Vista Home Premium Edition…that goes the same with my teacher colleagues.

i just thought there is a need to share this one to others. maybe we are the blessed few but it still boils down to taking good care really of it. i have a colleague who bought a toshiba but she made use of it only for 3 months. time came when she wanted to encode her raw scores and grades, it crashed. one FIL-AM student of mine from California commented that most of the time it all boils down to taking care of a laptop. i shared to him my wish to have a DELL, an HP or a COMPAQ. he told me, that “most of the time the brand does not matter. what matters is how the user takes good care of it”. advised me to read the manuals first. he has a COMPAQ and an HP from the USA when he came to the philippines, but he still insists to me that my laptop is doing very very well inspite of the fact that the brand is locally made.

by all means, if you can afford it, buy the branded ones especially MAC. but if your budget is really that constrained, assess and evaluate fully the cheaper ones. and don’t expect and force the cheaper ones to function as “supercomputers”. know the limitations of your laptops as well as its capabilities.

i am saying this because most of our laptops in the university are NEO’s and so far, our laptops are doing very, very well till now!

Thanks for sharing some experience that you got from your laptop, hope others will see the different points of view of each laptop user by this shared one.

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Toshiba Portege R705-P35

By Elias | Published: December 16, 2010

Different users have to make different needs, budgets and expectations, and the technology of tomorrow does not threaten just-purchased laptop semi-obsolete before it even comes out of his box.
The Portege R705-P35 is a 13-inch laptop (similar to Apple’s MacBook), the largest screen size, we would consider carrying around a regular basis, but also the smallest, we would be in a position comfortable for full-time-use computing. It is thinner than the current white plastic MacBook (but not as slim as the MacBook Air or Dell XPS Adamo) and has a sturdy magnesium alloy chassis.

P35 variant of the R705-P35 is a built-in support for wireless 4G. If you live in an area served by a WiMax provider (eg Clear, Sprint, Time Warner), you can up service at the time of sale (you need a contract, but for a discount on the hardware-eligible) or add it later by contacting the provider. It is yet another monthly bill, of course – and it will certainly speed up your battery power – but you do not have to have any additional USB dongles or external Mi-Fi equipment in tow.

The integrated Intel graphics are a draw, the keyboard is not illuminated (which have been a nice touch to this sleek-looking system), and the only average battery life is not enough for a full day of on-the-go computing. Also out of the box, the hard drive accelerometer was much too sensitive, parking our HDD head every time when we breathed as much as on the R705-P35. Onboard Bluetooth is a no-show.

The keyboard uses flat, widely separated island-style buttons. While perfect, the keys are much more rectangular than most, as if they were shortened to save space. The input is a bit on the side clacky, but not as much as a deal breaker. We appreciate the great separate page-up, Page Down, Home and End keys on the right side – they are usually relegated to alternate function keys on most laptops. Our biggest complaint is that the keyboard is not illuminated. We have seen this feature on other Toshiba notebooks in this price class, and it is always a welcome extra. Toshiba would also do well to media and volume controls easily changed by swapping them with their access Fn key to make – something we’ve seen in other multimedia-friendly laptops trending.

General

* Width 12.4 in
* Depth 8.9 in
* Height 1 in
* Weight 3.2 lbs
* Color Black
* Notebook type Ultraportable (Under 4 lbs.)

Processor

* Processor Intel Core i3 2.4 GHz

RAM

* Installed Size 4 GB

Storage

* Hard Drive 500 GB

Display

* Display Type 13.3 in

Operating System / Software

* OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition

the R705-P35’s touchpad is one of the bigger we’ve seen on a 13-inch laptop. Multi-Touch gestures include scrolling with two fingers, but as always seems the case on Windows laptops, it is nowhere as smooth and react like a MacBook. The left and right mouse buttons are well sized and easy to use – a concept that many PC manufacturers seem to have problems.

Toshiba also includes a few custom software utilities to the system. ReelTime is a type of browser history and shows all previous documents and web-page in thumbnail form at the bottom of the screen. It is amazingly smooth and usable, although it is not really a necessity. There is also a Toshiba Bulletin Board App You compile photos and notes in a single working environment. It is also plain looking, but we’re always dubious of learning a new software tool that only works on one brand of laptop.

With a 2.26GHz Intel Core i3 CPU, the Toshiba R705-P35 is more than fast enough for mainstream use of Web-surfing and productivity in order processing and high-definition video playback Photoshop. The next step, the i5 Core series of processors offers greater performance, but we do not have the chips in a system seen this thin and light. Performance-wise, it is certainly similarities with other recent 13-inch laptops, but remember that you are getting a lot more horsepower in the same price range of trade up to a medium-large 14 – or 15-inch laptop with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor. Apple’s latest MacBook actually managed our benchmark tests run faster with the older Core 2 Duo processor, but many of these tests Apple-optimized software, including iTunes and QuickTime.

The largest deficit of the R705-P35 is that it is saddled with the basic integrated Intel graphics. The 13-inch MacBook, for example, has a low-end, but still very impressive GPU from Nvidia, which is good for mainstream gaming. The integrated graphics and CPU Core i3 for playback of HD video streaming in order, but not for some of the basic games. If you are mainly interested in PC gaming, we want to try OnLive streaming platform game you play even a top-shelf PC games on almost any PC or laptop.

The Portege R705-P35 ran for 3 hours and 56 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the six-cell battery. This is fine for a 13-inch or larger laptop, but about 2.5 hours less than the standard MacBook. We have heard some complaints from readers that the R705-P35 not live up to its advertised “up to 8 hours” battery life – and under normal conditions, it is surely only get half. But Toshiba is not alone in this, almost all PC makers exaggerate battery life under test by unrealistic conditions. Also, remember that our battery discharge test is particularly hard, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

Review From THINKLAPTOPS

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