Multimedia notebooks review

04.Product profiles

Profiles - the best

17-inch screens

Apple MacBook Pro 17in

Price: $3799

Good points

• Best overall.
• Fastest boot time.
• Excellent standby power.
• VGA-DVI adapter included.
• Slot-loading optical drive.

Bad points

• No multimedia card slot.
• Failed comfortable temperature test.

Dell XPS M1730

Price: $3984

Good points

• Blu-ray drive.
• Dual hard disks and graphics cards.
• Excellent standby power.
• Bundled Creative earbuds.
• 4-in-1 multimedia card reader.

Bad points

• Failed comfortable temperature test.
• Heavy — 5kg.

Pioneer Dreambook D901C

Price: $3971

Good points

• Quad-core processor.
• 12 months licensed security suite.
• Passed comfortable temperature test.
• Comes with a carry bag.

Bad points

• Heavy — 5 kg.
• Borderline battery life.
• Only OK ease of use.

Toshiba Satellite X200

Price: $3798

Good points

• Multimedia remote.
• Dual graphics cards.
• Dual hard disks.
• Recovery partition (a special area on the hard drive with software for restoring the operating system in the event of problems).
• Extensive electronic manual.
• Fingerprint scanner.
• Passed the comfortable operating temperature test.

Bad points

• Only has 90 day antivirus trial.
• Heavy – 4 kg.
• HD-DVD drive.
• Poor battery life.
  

15.4-inch screens

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510-300

Price: $2399

Good points

• Excellent standby power consumption.
• 6-in-1 multimedia card reader.
• Slot-loading optical drive.
• Light — 2.9 kg.

Bad points

• Failed comfortable temperature test.

Asus M51SN-AP003G

Price: $1799

Good points

• Inteagrated TV tuner.
• Two years warranty.
• 12 months licensed security suite.
• Fingerprint reader.

Bad points

• Slowest boot time.
• Worst standby power.
• Failed comfortable temperature test.

BenQ R56-BV30

Price: $1614

Good points

• Recovery partition.
• Two years warranty.
• Excellent standby power.
• Passed comfortable temperature test.
• 5-in-1 multimedia card reader.
• HDMI interface port.

Bad points

• Dim status lights and no labelling.
• Only OK performance.

 

Profiles - the rest

15.4-inch screens

Optima CentorisV870 Series

Price: $1999

Good points

• USB TV tuner.
• Light – 2.7kg.
• On-site warranty.

Bad points

• No anti virus software.
• Failed the comfortable operating temperature test.
• Only OK performance.

QDI MX100

Price: $3121

Good points

• Two years on-site warranty.
• Integrated TV tuner.
• Multimedia remote.
• Comes with a carry bag.
• Fingerprint scanner.
• Light – 3 kg.

Bad points

• No antivirus software.
• Failed the comfortable operating temperature test.
• Only OK ease of use.
• Only OK performance. 

 

17-inch screen

Toshiba Satellite X200

Price: $3798

Good points

• Multimedia remote.
• Dual graphics cards.
• Dual hard disks.
• Recovery partition (a special area on the hard drive with software for restoring the operating system in the event of problems).
• Extensive electronic manual.
• Fingerprint scanner.
• Passed the comfortable operating temperature test.
  
  Bad points
• Only has 90 day antivirus trial.
• Heavy – 4 kg.
• HD-DVD drive.
• Poor battery life.

19-inch screen

LG S900-U.CPS1A

Price: $2811

Good points

• Multimedia remote.
• Integrated TV tuner.
• Passed the comfortable operating temperature test.
• Fast boot time.
• Excellent standby power consumption.

Bad points

• No antivirus software.
• Heavy - 5.9 kg.
• Very poor battery life.
• Lowest score overall.
• Comparatively low-res screen.