BEST LAPTOP PICKS FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

BEST LAPTOP PICKS FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

"Today, there is a laptop to fit into every budget. " 

I had just finished a survey at local stores lately and here are what I found. I hope these will serve as a guide in helping you choose what suit you most. Netbook are cheap but I don't really recomend it. Most netbook uses Windows 7 Starter which is a strip down version of windows, the limited processing power and the responsiveness just proves to be a little sluggish at times. As the industry continue to innovates, cheap yet powerful laptop are out there. Here are just some of my worthy picks.

Around RM1500

COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ42-280TU

COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ42-280TU

No doubt this thing really look like the Apple MacBook(look at Macbook). But at the price around RM1500 this is the MUST BUY if you are on a budget and really want the best bang for the bucks. Here are the tear down:

Intel P6000 1.86Ghz Processor

2GB DDR3 RAM (Single Module)

320GB HARD DISK DRIVE

14.0 INCH LED HD DISPLAY

DVD Super Multi Double Layer (Lightscribe disc image enabled)

Intel GNA4500M Graphics

Altec Lancing Speakers

802.11B/G/N WIRELESS LAN

Bluetooth

Card Reader

Webcam (1.3 megapixel)

6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

NB Carrying Bag

DELL INSPIRON 14

DELL INSPIRON 14

DELL INSPIRON 14 is also a nice pick. It feature similar spec as the HP Compaq CQ42-280TU, but to me, the design is a bit of old style. Anyway, it has a bit more powerful processor. The tear down follows:

Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 2.3Ghz

2GB DDR3 RAM
320 GB HARD DISK DRIVE
14.0 GLOSSY LED DISPLAY
Intel GMA 4500MHD Graphics
Standard DVD RW Optical Drive
WIRELESS B/G/N LAN
Webcam (0.3 Megapixel)

Memory Card Reader

AROUND RM1800

COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ42-268TX

COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ42-268TX

If you do require a bit more graphic punch, the COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ42-268TX is a worthy lookout for its dedicated ATI Radeon 545V 512MB Graphics processor. If the same macbook style unibody design, this compaq also feature a much better Intel core i3 350 processor crunching the binaries at 2.26Ghz. Jump over the break and there's the specification. 

Intel Core i3 350 2.26 Ghz Processor

2GB DDR3 RAM (Single Module)

500GB HARD DISK DRIVE

14.0 INCH LED HD DISPLAY

DVD Super Multi Double Layer (Lightscribe disc image enabled)

ATI Radeon 545V 512MB Graphics processor

Altec Lancing Speakers

802.11B/G/N WIRELESS LAN

Bluetooth

Card Reader

Webcam

6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

NB Carrying Bag

AROUND RM2200

ACER ASPIRE 4738G-322G50Mn

ACER ASPIRE 4738G-322G50Mn

The 

ACER ASPIRE 4738G-322G50Mn might not have the best looks, but this thing pack a punch in its budget price tag. It packs dual core processor which separates into 4 logical processing threads, making it performs like a quad core processor. This is just one of the interesting features of intel core i5 line up.  It also has a dedicated graphics processor, the ATI Radeon 5470, arming 512 MB DDR3 of graphic RAM. If you are a heavy multimedia user, and a mild gamer, I dedicate this to you.

Intel Core i5 450M (2.2 Ghz) Processor

4GB DDR3 RAM
500GB HARD DISK DRIVE
14.0 INCH LED DISPLAY
DVD Super Multi Drive
ATI Radeon HD5470 512MB GRAPHICS
802.11B/G/N Wireless LAN
Card Reader
1.3 Megapixel Webcam
NB Carrying Bag
Windows 7 Home Premium

AROUND RM2500

HP G42-381TX

HP G42-381TX

Continuing the macBook like unibody design, HP recently roll out the HP G42 series of laptops. The 

HP G42-381TX  has a 2.53Ghz Intel Core i5 processor, supported by a ATI Mobility Radeon HD5480 with a whopping 1GB of Graphics VRAM.

The Charcoal version of HP G42

HP G42-381TX is a good looking mobile computer capable of satisfying today most heavy multitasker. With a dedicated graphic processor, games like Star craft will play smoothly. 

The metal body is probably the eye candy. 

If you want some heavy computing without compromising the looks and feel, the HP G42 is pretty much what you should invest. 

Intel Core i5 460M 2.53Ghz Processor

ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470 1GB VRAM

599GB HARD DISK DRIVE

2GB DDR3

DVD-RW SuperMulti Drive (Lightscribe)

14 Inch HD LED Display

Wireless LAN B/G/N

Approx. Weight 2.15kg

Ports: USB x3, VGA port, HDMI port, Audio jacks

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

AROUND RM4500

ACER ASPIRE 5943G-724G64

ACER ASPIRE 5943G-724G64

If you have no problem forking out RM4500, the Acer Aspire 5943G is my pick of gamers. 

It features about the same spec as Alienware expensive gaming laptops line-up.  Alienware laptops are sold around RM8000, and at almost the same spec, the acer 5943G is only half that price tag.

The aluminum body design is eye catching as well as sleek looking. The island keyboard feels nice and also offers a multi touch gesture track pad.

Overall looks.

At the center of the beast is a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, running on 4 cores and separated into 8 threads. Making it crunching through data like a 8 core monster. It also feature a ATI HD5840 graphics processing unit with 1GB of DDR3 video RAM, making it a gaming machine. Tested on its 15.6 inch HD LED Display, games run pretty smoothly. It also support latest DirectX 11 and shaders.

Raw power.

Memory wise, the acer ethos has 4GB of DDR3 memory running at 1066MHz and a plenty 640 GB of SATA Hard Disk Capacity. The above model also feature a Blue ray/DVD optical drive bay and Bluetooth. On the networking side, it has the typical wireless B/G/N Wireless LAN and also ethernet port. Whats gaming without awesome surround sound anyway? So.. the Acer Ethos 5943G has a Dolby Optimized surround sound system. The sound is generated by 2 build in stereo speakers and a subwoofer capable of low-frequency effects. The webcam captures in HD resolution (1280X800 resolution) and supports enhanced Acer PrimaLite technology.

Probably the most interesting niche is the backlit keys on the touch pad. It can be activated with a touch of a button and provide access to your media.

THE VERY VERY COMPLETE TEAR DOWN.

Genuine Windows 7® Home Premium 64-bit
Intel® Core i7-720QM processor (6 MB L3 cache 1.60 GHz, up to 2.80 GHz, DDR3 1333 MHz, 45 W), supporting Intel® 64 architecture, Intel® Smart Cache, Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Mobile Intel® HM55 Express Chipset
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5850 with 1024 MB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM, supporting Unified Video Decoder (UVD), OpenEXR High Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, Shader Model 5.0, Microsoft® DirectX® 11, OpenGL® 3.1, OpenCL™ 1.1
15.6" HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, high-brightness (220-nit) Acer CineCrystal™ LED-backlit TFT LCD with integrated color engine, featuring virtual wide color gamut
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ with Acer Nplify™, featuring MIMO technology
4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory
640GB SATA HDD
4X Blu-ray Disc™ /DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
Integrated Bluetooth® 3.0+EDR
Dolby®-optimized surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakers and one subwoofer supporting low-frequency effects
Optimized 3rd Generation Dolby® Home Theater® audio enhancement, featuring Dolby® Digital Live, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx, Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Natural Bass, Dolby® Sound Space Expander, Dolby® Audio Optimization, Dolby® High Frequency Enhancer technologies
True5.1-channel surround sound output
Integrated Acer Crystal Eye high-def webcam, featuring 1280 x 800 resolution, supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technology
Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution, featuring Windows® logon, computer protection, Acer FingerLaunch, ProfileLaunch, MusicLaunch, Password Bank, MyLaunch, FingerNav
Multi-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MMCplus™, MS, MS PRO, xD)
Three USB 2.0 ports17
IEEE 1394 port
eSATA port
HDMI™ port with HDCP support
Consumer infrared (CIR) port
External display (VGA) port
Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
Microphone-in jack
Line-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter
71 W 4800 mAh 8-cell Li-ion battery pack
Estimated battery life: Up to 3.5 hours
(Actual battery life may vary, depending on usage and configuration).
382 (W) x 269 (D) x 24/39.4 (H) mm
3.3 kg (7.27 lbs.)
1-Year International Traveller Warranty
Free:- Acer Designed Carrying Bag

The Acer ethos 5943G is a serious contender for budget gaming laptops. With the nifty design and the powerful on board processors, this baby is ready for prime time. The only thing is the laptop battery could only last for 3 hours approx. Not a good thing for someone who enjoy gaming in cafe. Anyway, for the RM4500 price point, and its capabilities, it is undoubtly my best laptop pick for main stream budget gamers out there.

by Vincent Tey 빈센트 on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 3:25pm