Computer Reviews, Ratings and Tips

Dell XPS 410 review at CNET

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:28:50 +0000

CNET posts their review of the Dell XPS 410 and writes - ” While it can’t hold a candle to the gamer-centric XPS 700, the XPS 410’s included 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7900 GS is a good choice for casual gamers who don’t want to invest a lot in a video card. It churned out a very playable framerate of 111.1fps in Quake 4 at 1,024×768, and it will perform even better with high-end options, such as antialiasing, turned off. Stepping up to the $3,900 Falcon Northwest Mach V, which uses an overclocked 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 and an overclocked GeForce 7950 GX2, gave us 114.2fps in the same game, although at higher resolutions the differences would have been more pronounced.”

CNET posts their review of the Dell XPS 710 H2C and writes -

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:22:32 +0000

CNET posts their review of the Dell XPS 710 H2C and writes - “Dell’s service and support for the XPS 710 H2C remains on a par with that of most high-end desktop vendors, which is to say that it’s thorough, if stingy: one year parts and labor, which covers the overclocked CPU, by the way; 24/7 toll-free phone support; and a year of onsite service.

That’s the deal. Every time we mention to Dell (and most other vendors, for that matter) that we find the duration of this coverage to be insufficient, the response is usually, “So wait, do you want the price with three years of coverage?” No. What we want is this price–this very, very high price–to include three years of support. The way it used to be. It appears we’ll have to keep waiting for Dell and most of the rest of the industry to come back around. In the meantime, we will give Dell an extra point for its Dell Connect service, the remote-control tech support feature that gives a Dell tech direct control over your PC. Along with HP and Gateway, who have similar features, Dell Connect continues to distinguish the large vendors from their smaller competition in terms of support. Dell’s Web site has plenty of self-help resources as well.”

Full specifications
for Dell XPS 710 H2C (Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD)

Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Part number: DXCQZH1

Processor

* Processor manufacturer: Intel
* Processor type: Core 2 Extreme
* Clock speed: 2.66 GHz

RAM

* RAM installed: 4 GB

Display (Projector)

* Display (projector) diagonal size: 20 in

Optical Storage

* CD / DVD type: DVD±RW

Storage Hard Drive

* Hard drive size: 320 GB

OS Provided

* OS provided: Windows XP Media Center 2005

Dell Dimension E521 Review at CNET

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:31:05 +0000

CNET posts their review of the Dell Dimension E521 and writes -” Most of the hardware behind Dell’s midrange Dimension E521 isn’t that new. What is exciting is that Dell now offers it with Windows Vista Home Premium. The Dimension E521 in general is a typically customizable Dell PC, and the $1,029 configuration we received demonstrates that if you pick the right parts, you can make a strong, Vista-capable Dell that’s competitively priced. We wouldn’t recommend a Dimension E521 for 3D gameplay or for heavy, video-oriented multimedia work. During the first months of Vista you should also read up on any early bugs and compatibility issues and check in with multiple vendors to see how well they’ve updated their product lines and to learn about the deals they’re offering. If you have to purchase a strong, straightforward Vista PC right at launch, though, Dell’s Dimension E521 is a solid midrange choice.”

Fujitsu LifeBook A3110 Notebook

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:25:32 +0000

CNET posts their review of the Fujitsu LifeBook A3110 Notebook and writes -” The Fujitsu LifeBook A3110 is a mostly fixed-configuration system. You can choose XP Professional or Media Center Edition and add a few accessories, like a Media Center remote, but you’re stuck with the basic specs, which include an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-56 CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive spinning at a pokey 4,200 revolutions per minute. Those components will suffice for most users, although Intel’s Core 2 Duo CPUs are the current laptop (and desktop) leaders, thanks to their speed, competitive price, and low power consumption. In CNET Labs’ multimedia tests, the A3110 fell way behind the HP Compaq Presario V6000T, which features a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 CPU. The LifeBook A3110 also trailed the iBuyPower Z92T, which uses the identical AMD CPU but has a fast 7200rpm hard drive. On the iTunes encoding and Photoshop CS2 tests, which are less hard-drive-intense, the A3110 and iBuyPower Z92T had comparable scores. With no graphics upgrade options, you’re stuck with the integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 GPU–fine for casual and older games but not for the latest 3D titles.”

Lenovo 3000 C100 Review at Pocket-lint

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:21:59 +0000

Pocket Lint reviews the Lenovo 3000 C100 and writes - ” The screen is a decent size, measuring in at 15 inches. It doesn’t have the glossy coating or widescreen aspect ratio you’ll find on more multimedia-centric machines but for basic tasks it large and clear enough. On the plus side, if you’re using it out and about, the lack of a glossy coating means you won’t get glaring reflections.

The graphics are in line with the Celeron processor, so you’ll find an Intel 915GM chip handling things. This is fine for word and other office tasks, as well as watching DVDs but don’t even think of playing games.”

Evesham Quest A430

info — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:19:39 +0000

Trusted reviews has news on a new laptop from Evesham - the Evesham Quest A430. They write - “The Quest A430 ships with Windows XP Media Center Edition but also includes a free copy of Windows Vista Home Premium which is redeemable when it’s finally released - you will have to pay for shipping though.

Essentially the latest A430 is very similar to the previous Quest A430 Plus but with a reduction in price, from £979.00 to £899.00, which sounds like a bargain to me.”

Everex StepNote VA4101M

info — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:58:58 +0000

The Everex StepNote VA4101M comes with a 15.4 WXGA display, with 1.46Ghz Intel Celeron M 410, 512 MB of DDR2 RAM, a 60GB drive, dual layer DVD burner, wifi, VGA out, and a trio of USB ports this spec is OK. The VIA Chrome9 HC integrated graphics powers the screen with 1280 x 800 maximal resolution and shares up to 128MB of system memory.

And whats the price you may ask? well a nice simple $500 and it comes with MS Vista

Sony G11 Notebook

info — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:15:10 +0000

The new Sony G11 has 9 hours worth of battery which is quit good, with a super slim 12.1″ X-black LCD business laptop weighting a mere 1.13 kg thanks to a robust carbon fibre chassis…wow

I also believe it can withstand a drop of 90cm (if you try this let me know) and what happens if you drop it from 91cm?

Anyway it’s also Packed full with security features, including Finger Print Recognition sensor & Trusted Platform Module.

# Intel® Centrino® mobile technology with Intel® Core™ Solo Processor Ultra Low Voltage U1500 (2 MB L2 cache, 1.33 GHz and 533 MHz FSB) and Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11a/b/g
# Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (English version)
# 100 GB (Ultra ATA / 4200 rpm) hard disk drive
# 1 GB DDR2-533-SDRAM (512 MB on board + 1 x 512 MB), maximum 1.5 GB DDR2-533-SDRAM
# 12.1″ XGA (1024 x 768) LCD with LED technology
# Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with Total Available Graphics Memory of 224 MB
# DVD±RW/±R DL/RAM drive
# Finger print recognition, hard disk protection (G-Sensor HDD Shock Protection) and TCG Ver. 1.2 compliant Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
# Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g; Bluetooth® technology

Is Vista really Apple OS X

info — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 22:31:30 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQmOmdYPKJQ

Sony UX-91 SSD

info — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 22:04:56 +0000

Akihabara News have just got their hands on the new Sony Vaio UX-91 with 32GB of SSD, a Core Solo U1500, 1GB of RAM and Vista. Ironically they found that the OS’s over-protective security prevents some of the UX-91’s pre-installed pen-input features - such as the on-screen keyboard - from working.

If you jump over to their website you can see a Video Review