Read the latest hardware reviews by ComputerMonger.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 is an integrated graphics processor that can be found in 2010 AMD Mainstream Platform-based laptops.
The DirectX 10.1-compatible on-board chip is a part of the M880G chipset and includes 4 ROPs, 40 unified shaders, a 32-bit BUS width, and the UVD2 high-definition video decoder. GPU and memory clocks are 500MHz and 533MHz, respectively.
The Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4598 is an affordable 15.6-inch laptop featuring the Intel Pentium T4400 2.2GHz processor, GMA 4500M integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB 5,400rpm hard disk, a DVD burner, 1366×768-pixel display resolution, a claimed battery life of “2,5 hours”, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.
The 6-pound Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4598 also has a web camera (without microphone), stereo speakers, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, two USB ports, a multi-in-1 digital media card reader, and a VGA output.
The HP Pavilion DV6-2162NR is a 15.6-inch entertainment laptop, featuring the Intel Core i3-350M 2.26GHz processor with Intel HD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB 7200rpm hard disk, DVD writer, display with LED-backlit and resolution of 1366×768 pixels, a claimed battery life of 4.25 hours, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.
The 6.34-pound DV6-2162NR also has a web camera, microphone, Altec Lansing speakers, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, four USB ports, an eSATA/USB port, ExpressCard/54 slot, a 5-in-1 digital media reader, and HDMI and VGA outputs.
The Lenovo G560 06793JU is a 15.6-inch entertainment laptop featuring the Intel Core i5-430M 2.26GHz processor, Intel integrated graphics, 4GB DDR3 memory upgradeable up to 8GB, a 320GB 5,400rpm HDD, DVD burner, 720p HD LED backlight display, a 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.
The 6-pound Lenovo G560 06793JU also has a webcam, microphone, HDMI and VGA ports, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, two USB ports, and a multi-in-one media card reader.
The HP Pavilion DV4-2161NR is a 14.1-inch entertainment laptop, featuring the Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz processor with Intel HD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard disk, DVD writer, display with LED backlight and resolution of 1280×800 pixels, a claimed battery life of 3.5 hours, and Windows 7 Home Premium OS.
The 5.2-pound DV4-2161NR also has a web camera, microphone, Altec Lansing speakers, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, three USB ports (third shared with eSATA), an ExpressCard/54 slot, a 5-in-1 digital media reader, and HDMI and VGA outputs.
The MacBook MC516LL/A belongs to the latest generation of Apple laptops. It has a 13.3-inch glossy LED-backlit display at 1280×800 pixels, the Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, Nvidia GeForce 320M integrated graphics, 2GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 memory, a 250GB 5,400rpm hard disk, a DVD writer, a claimed battery life of up to “10 hours”, and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
The 4.7-pound MacBook has a white Unibody chassis made of plastics and includes the iSight web camera, microphone, stereo speakers, AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth, two USB ports, a mini DisplayPort connector, a full-sized-keyboard, and glass multi-touch trackpad.
The Acer Aspire AS5745G-3690 is a 15.6-inch entertainment laptop featuring the Intel Core i5 450M 2.4GHz processor, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 1GB DDR3 dedicated video card, 4GB DDR3 memory, a 500GB 5,400rpm HDD, DVD burner, display with LED backlight and resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, claimed 3.5-hour battery life, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.
The 5.72-pound AS5745G-3690 also has stereo speakers, Dolby Home Theater audio technology, a webcam, microphone, HDMI and VGA ports, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, four USB ports, and a multi-in-one media card reader.
The VIZIO M220VA is an affordable 22-inch full HD 1080p LED-backlight LCD HDTV.
Priced at around $230, the VIZIO M220VA delivers 20,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, a brightness of 250 nits, 5ms response time, 170/160 degrees (horizontal/vertical) viewing angles, 60Hz refresh rate, matte display finish, 2 x 3W front speakers, and SRS TruSurround HD & SRS TruVolume virtual surround sound.
The ASUS G51JX-X1 is a 15.6″ gaming laptop PC with the Intel Core i7 720QM processor at 1.6GHz, the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M 1GB graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and Windows 7 Home Premium OS. The display is full HD 1920 x 1080 and has LED backlight. It’s currently priced at $1,199.99 after instant savings.
The Logitech Comfort Wave 450 ergonomic keyboard is a business version of the similar Wave K350.
The difference is that the reviewed 450 has a wired USB connection, a slightly different design, and lacks some multimedia buttons, whereas the K350 is a wireless keyboard for multimedia oriented consumers.
The Intel Atom N450 processor for netbooks has replaced the older N270 and N280 CPUs.
The reviewed N450 integrates the CPU, the memory controller, and the graphics processor on a single piece of silicon, in order to reduce power consumption. These chips are separated in the previous N270/N280-based netbook platform.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 is an integrated graphics chip that can be found in AMD-based mainstream notebooks, such as select Acer Aspire AS5542, Compaq Presario CQ61z, HP Pavilion dv4 and dv6, HP ProBook 6545b, or Toshiba Satellite L505D, A505D and L555D models.
The HD 4200 supports DirectX 10.1 and has the UVD chip for hardware decoding of high definition video. The GPU is a part of the 2009 AMD Mainstream Platform for laptops, also featuring the AMD AMD Turion II Ultra, AMD Turion II, and AMD Athlon II dual core processors, and a single-core Sempron.
I’ve compared three AMD’s Socket AM2 processors with prices below $50 in the US market. These are the AMD Sempron LE-1250 and LE-1300, clocked at 2.2 and 2.3GHz respectively, and the 2.7GHz AMD Athlon LE-1640. All CPUs are single core units and come in retail packages with coolers included.
The tested 64-bit chips have 512KB of L2 cache and a 45W power consumption. They are built using the 65nm production technology. The Semprons have an 800MHz HyperTransport link, whereas the Athlon LE-1640 uses a 1000Mhz HT. Supported instruction sets include MMX, 3DNow, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, and x86-64. In addition, the 1640 supports virtualization.
The Chieftec Aegis CH-05SL-B-OP is a silver & black ATX mid-tower steel computer case, advertised as an “Extreme Workstation Tower”. The case includes front door, a side panel with a window, three 5.25″ drive bays, six 3.5″ HDD bays, a 3.5″ Floppy drive bay, and seven expansion slots. Mounting of 5.25″ and 3.5″ devices, as well as PCIe/PCI cards, is screwless.
Select netbooks in the market now feature the Intel Atom N280 processor instead of its precursor, the Atom N270. I have compared the N280 vs N270, clocked at 1.66GHz and 1.60GHz respectively.
Besides a clock speed increase of only 0.06GHz, the N280 features a faster front side bus. It’s 667MHz, which is up from 533MHz in the N270.