Lenovo Thinkpad X61 76744NQ

This laptop comes with Intel 2GHz Core2 Duo Processor; 2GB RAM which is upgradeable upto 4GB and 120GB HDD. It has a 12.1-inch display. This Thinkpad laptop also has an integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 video card, integrated modem and sound card, Wi-Fi, Point Stick mouse, inbuilt speakers, Fingerprint Reader, PCMCIA slot, three USB ports, Firewire port, inbuilt Bluetooth adapter and Infrared port. It comes with Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Business Edition. 

Apple MacBook Pro

This laptop comes with Intel 2.33GHz Core2 Duo Processor, 1GB RAM upgradeable up to 3GB and 120GB HDD. It has a DVD writer and a 15.4-inch widescreen display. This MacBook laptop also has an integrated ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 video card, integrated modem and sound card, inbuilt camera, touchpad Mouse, inbuilt speakers and microphone, S-Video port, two Firewire ports, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It comes in black with Lithium Polymer and Mac OS X Tiger. 

Design and Build

The design and build of the MacBook Pro is top notch.  For someone who has used and handled (although admittedly never owned) several Dells, HPs, and Compaqs (dang their University contracts) the step up in quality was very much appreciated.

Screen

 The Apple engineers made a tough choice to shave 60 precious vertical pixels off an already widescreen aspect in order to integrate the high quality iSight cam.  It still isn't as wide as the 16:9 movies I like to watch so it doesn't bother me at all that this was done.  I'm one of those crazies who actually uses the web cam so I consider it a fair trade.  The resolution is way better than the one found on the W3J, which was one of the things that bummed me about that notebook (1440x900 vs 1280x768)

Battery Life

Battery life is good but not great.  I get about 3 hours and 15 min with half brightness (more than adequate) when I am using my laptop to type stuff up and browse the web.  I haven't tried to play WoW on the battery, but I never plan to so I am pretty pleased with it.  It is pretty good juice for such a slim notebook.

Wireless

Wireless works great and has decent range as far as I know.  My apartment is pretty small so the "Airport Extreme" has no problems dropping out of strong signal strength.  It does seem to have better pickup than my wife's IBM T40.  I do appreciate that in OS X it automatically connects to the strongest available wireless network.

Sound

The speakers dominate the left and right side of the keyboard.  Bass is obviously not great, but it is pretty decent sound for a laptop if you ask me.  The placement of the speakers helps to project the audio so you don't have to worry about your belly blocking the sound (like front mounted speakers found on the HP line). Volume is fine for the movies (divx) I've seen and the audio output with headphones is great.

Pros:

• Very well built
• Great overall performance
• Smaller dimensions and weighs less than other laptops in its class (1lb less than the Acer 8204 for example)
• Can run Windows XP or OS X (and potentially Linux)
• Very quiet
• Amazingly bright non-glare type screen
• High quality web cam
• Decent battery life
• Plays WoW like a champ
• Comes with a remote for media and powerpoint

Cons:

• Somewhat hot when plugged in
• Boot Camp not quite ready for the masses
• Underclocked GPU

Acer Ferrari 1005WTMi

This laptop comes with AMD Turion 64x2 2GHz Processor, 1GB RAM upgradeable up to 4GB and 160GB HDD. It has a 12.1-inch TFT display. This Acer laptop also has an integrated Radeon Xpress 1150 video card, integrated modem and integrated Sound Blaster Pro sound card, Built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Touchpad mouse, inbuilt speakers and Microphone, PCMCIA slot, inbuilt Bluetooth adapter and Infrared port, three USB ports and 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader. It comes with a Firewire port, Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Business Edition. 

Sony VAIO VGN AR49G

Thisl aptop comes with Intel 2.22GHz Core2 Duo Processor, 2GB DDR2 RAM and 240GB HDD. It has a Blu-Ray Disk Writer and a 17-inch wide screen display. This Sony Vaio also has an integrated NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, inbuilt 1.3 megapixel Camera, integrated modem and sound card, Wifi, Touchpad mouse, inbuilt speakers and microphone, PCMCIA slot, Express Card slot, Firewire Port, S-Video port, 3 USB ports, integrated Bluetooth adapter and 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader. It comes with Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. 

Dell Latitude ATG D630

This laptop comes with Intel Core2 Duo 2.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, upgradeable up to 4GB and 80GB HDD. It has a DVD Combo Drive and a 14.1-inch wide screen display. This Dell laptop also has an integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 video card, integrated modem and sound card, Wi-Fi, dual point mouse, inbuilt speakers, Fingerprint Reader, PCMCIA slot, Serial Port, Express Card Slot, four USB ports, integrated Bluetooth and Infrared adapter and Media Card Reader. It comes with Windows Vista Business Basic Edition and Lithium Ion battery. 

Build and Design:

This thing feels like a tank and is extremely sturdy. The hinges on the machine are stiff but not difficult to open and the screen will not wobble. There is no flexing of the screen and you truly have to try to press the back to see ripples. When closed, a small, shiny hinge holds the screen locked. The top and bottom of the machine are made of magnesium. I still wouldn’t recommend dropping the machine in order to test if the material is durable.

The speakers are (I think) inside the laptop because I saw no openings for them. The battery sticks out in the front rather than the back. You are also able to add another battery to the DVD bay or replace the drive with something updated down the road. It is very simple to replace the drive in case something happens.

I do have one complaint: I frequently use my USB slots and I dislike having the other two ports in the back. I prefer them on the side. The USB slots are also a bit stiff. Sometimes you have to try to jam the connector into the slot.

Alienware Area-51 m17x

Build and Design

This all-black monster is one of the largest notebooks I have tested. It is 2.1 inches thick and tips the scales at 11 pounds. The physical design of the m17x is traditional – there are no fancy curves or other design elements. It has a box-like design with rounded edges. The rubberized matte black finish of the m17x lends it a high-end feel and look. The only glossy finish to be found on the m17x is on the borders of the LCD.

In addition to being one of the largest, this notebook is also one of the most solidly-build notebooks I have tested. The entire base of the notebook is inflexible. The palmrests do not budge under pressure, and neither do the other surfaces surrounding the keyboard. The base of the notebook does not bend when twisted, and the lid resists twisting better than the majority of 17-inch notebooks. The m17x’s lid is thicker than most. Pushing in on the back of the lid does not yield any ripples on the screen unless extreme pressure is used. The hinge holds the display in place well; there is some display wobble, though it takes effort to induce (such as shaking the table where the notebook is sitting). Given the size and weight of this display, I think the wobble is reasonably kept under control. The display does not have any latches but is instead held closed by a pair of small magnets.

The lighting system, called AlienFX, is what makes the m17x stand out from the crowd. Five areas of the notebook feature LED backlighting:

• Keyboard
• Touchpad
• Touch buttons
• Alienware logo below display
• Alien head power button and emblem on back of display

Each zone can be changed independently to one of 12 colors. In addition, it is easy to completely disable AlienFX by pressing [Fn] + [F11].

Display

The m17x comes standard with the only display available, a 17-inch glossy widescreen with a WUXGA resolution (1920x1200 pixels). The picture quality of this display is stunning – colors are vibrant and the brightness level is high. This screen is ideal for gaming, high-definition video, and general use. The crisp contrast makes reading text easy. Viewing angles are excellent from above and side-to-side, however like a typical LCD, the picture darkens viewed from below. The backlighting is generally even, with only a hint from the bottom of the screen.

Speakers

The m17x has two stereo speakers and a two-inch subwoofer. The sound quality is slightly above average for a notebook, and they get reasonably loud. The subwoofer adds some needed low-end. The sound system on the whole is unremarkable however not disappointing.

Heat and Noise

The cooling system is important on any notebook, but on a notebook packed with high-powered components like the m17x, it is mission critical. Fortunately the m17x’s system is up to the task. The notebook has several rather large fans that draw air in from numerous perforations on the bottom of the notebook and two additional air intakes under the palmrests.  The entire back of the notebook is lined with exhaust vents, which throw out extraordinary amounts of hot air. The cooling system does a remarkable job of keeping two video cards, a high-powered processor, and two hard drives under control:

Conclusion

The Alienware Area-51 m17x is a remarkable gaming notebook and a clear step forward for Alienware in terms of design and performance. It is packed to the gills with top-shelf equipment, most notably a pair of Nvidia 9800M-GT video cards. This is one of not even a handful of machines that can comfortably max out Crysis. It has the typical downsides associated with a portable desktop – loud cooling system, dismal battery life, and hefty weight, but it does everything else well. The $3,849 starting price is steep and out of reach for most, though the baseline configuration has the components that make the system worth buying. In this reviewer’s opinion, more could have been thrown in for the money, and for such an expensive system, not having a more comprehensive warranty is disappointing. To those who do have the cash for a system like this, you are getting an awesome machine that will get envious looks anywhere you go, but be prepared to sign a mortgage for it.

Pros:

• Phenomenal gaming performance
• AlienFX LED lighting system
• Solid build quality
• Fantastic screen
• Good keyboard & touchpad
• Input & output port selection
• Modular bay (SmartBay)

Cons:

• Sky-high price
• Loud fans
• Keyboard flex
• Weight (11 pounds)
• Dismal battery life (66 minutes as tested)

Lenovo N100

The Lenovo N100 is a new mid-sized offering from Lenovo in the 3000 series line of notebooks. The N100 will come in 14.1" and 15.4" widescreen sizes. Prices will start at $999 for Core Duo based models. Lenovo is positioning the notebook as one for small business and mobile professionals. To me it looks more like a consumer notebook with the silver skin, glossy screen and plastic case. There are plenty of people who are mixing business with pleasure today or people who use business notebooks for personal use, like me. The fact that Lenovo is going after both segments with this notebook makes sense. The N100 has lots to offer and a few less worthwhile qualities, all of which we will get into in more detail in this review.

Build and Design

When I first saw the N100 on NotebookReview.com, I thought it would be black being from the new maker of ThinkPads, but the pictures I saw of it only showed the inside. When I opened the box I found, much to my surprise, the outside is almost all silver with a strip of black along the sides and on the front. I prefer darker colored notebooks so the N100 didn't do a lot for me. I like the color scheme on something like the Fujitsu N3530 better, but it is a personal preference. Aside from the color, I found the shapes and curves to be pleasing. One thing I noticed about it right away is how thick it is, coming in at around 1.7" including the feet on the bottom.

Conclusion

The N100 has lots to recommend about it. From my vantage point, it looks more like a consumer notebook with the glossy screen and plastic case. A dash of the business side has been thrown in with the fingerprint reader, DVD-RAM and more extensive software bundle. I think the $64,000 question for the N100 is going to be price. If Lenovo can keep the price down for N100, it should do well. If the price starts to go too high, like over $1500, it is going to be a harder to justify the N100. At that price point there are notebooks, even Lenovo's own Z60, which will have better construction and features for the same price. It will be interesting to see when the Z60 gets Core Duoized how it stacks against the N100.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Speedy Performance
• Glossy WSXGA Screen
• Excellent Burn Quality From LG Drive
• Decent Battery Life
• Cool & Quiet
• Software Bundle
• Easy To Upgrade(Not The Video Card)
• Bluetooth
• Cons
• Scratchable Case
• WiFi Card Dropouts
• Poor Speakers
• Thickness
• Missing Home/End Keys