ASUS G53SX-A1 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

ASUS G53SX-A1 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The overall design and wedge shape of the notebook makes it bulky and difficult to handle. It is perhaps the largest 15.6-inch notebook on the market; it is about as large as a typical 17.3-inch notebook and heavier. The lid is securely attached to the chassis; pushing in on the back does not produce any ripples on the screen. It resists twisting well.The wedge-shaped chassis is covered in black anti-glare plastic. Most of the viewable surfaces have a grippy rubber finish. The quality of plastics used is good and does not flex, even when pressure is applied. The overall fit and finish of the notebook is good although some of the angled edges are a bit sharp.It involves removing the keyboard and palm rest to access the RAM and hard drive. This notebook actually has two hard drive bays; our review unit only has a single drive. I wish the screen tilted back a bit further.The G53SX's design is based on a military stealth bomber aircraft.

Despite its size the G53SX has a below average variety of ports for a notebook this size; the only notable inclusion is a single SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port. The G53SX lacks an ExpressCard slot, eSATA, and DisplayPort. All picture descriptions are left to right.

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HP ProBook 5330m latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

HP ProBook 5330m latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The design is a quantum leap over most of the previous HP ProBook laptops which are mostly just low-cost alternatives to the enterprise class HP EliteBook line. The 5330m gives you the durability of aluminum construction combined with an underside made of magnesium alloy and covered in rubberized black paint similar to what you'll find on the Lenovo ThinkPad line of business rugged notebooks.
Overall, the build is exceptionally strong for a notebook that has a starting price of just $799. At first glance the build and design has a lot of drool worthy elements for both IT geeks and average computer users. Of course, you can't have everything on a budget.

Most notebooks designed for business have an impressive array of ports so you can connect your laptop to any number of devices. Unfortunately, HP didn't include that many ports since the ProBook 5330m was designed for budget-conscious businesses and consumers. Of course, you also don't get a built-in DVD drive. What you do get are two USB 2.0 ports (three if you count the eSATA/USB 2.0 port), Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, an SD card reader and a headset jack.Gone are the days of ExpressCard expansion slots, FireWire or dedicated microphone and headphone jacks. HP decided to offer HDMI on the 5330m rather than DisplayPort since more consumers will likely connect their notebook to consumer-grade monitors or HDTVs.

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Lenovo ThinkPad W520 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

Lenovo ThinkPad W520 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

Lenovo made the bottom upgrade panels and keyboard easy to remove, for the most part, and labeled each screw spot appropriately.There is one screw you’ll have to remove to get to the hard drive and two screws to remove to reach the bottom RAM panel (and two to open up the keyboard). The wireless card under the keyboard should not take very long to locate and remove if you’re looking to swap it out. For example, if you’ve had even just a little bit of experience with upgrading notebooks you will most likely know right away which screws to remove to get to the RAM under the keyboard due to Lenovo’s icons. The bottom of the workstation provides simple access to the first two memory slots and another simple access panel for the hard drive.

The W520 offers an impressive, extensive span of ports. Just as the W510, this workstation has two USB SuperSpeed 3.0, one USB 2.0, one USB 2.0/eSATA, VGA, DisplayPort out, FireWire 400, ExpressCard/34, SDHC-card reader, and a headset combo jack. Work professionals will be pleased at the two USB 3.0 ports and 4-in-1 card slot included and will have the option of adding a Smart Card Reader. At this point Lenovo has not yet released an option for Blu-Ray as they did last time. Our system has a multiburner optical drive.


Lenovo ThinkPad W520 latest Notebook Specs:
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) LED backlit display, 95% color gamut, matte, 16:9 ratio
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
Intel Core i7-2920XM quad-core CPU (2.50GHz, 8MB cache), Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 (3.50GHz)
NVIDIA Quadro 2000M w/2GB DDR3 VRAM GPU switchable to Intel HD Graphics 3000
8GB DDR3 RAM (4GB + 4GB)
500GB at 7200 RPM SATA hard drive (Seagate Momentus)
Multiburner combo drive
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (802.11 a/b/g/n wireless) and Bluetooth
9-cell Li-ion battery (94Whr), 170W and 20V adapter
Lenovo Fingerprint Reader
Dimensions: 14.68" x 9.65" x 1.29-1.44"
Starting at 5.75 lbs with 9-cell battery and at 5.40 lbs with 6-cell battery

price: starting at $1,299.

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Acer Aspire 8940G latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

Acer Aspire 8940G latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The Acer Aspire 8940G shows quite a bit of resemblance to the Acer Aspire One ... keeping the same hinge shape and position as well as the protruding rear-edge of the main body that you can see when the lid is closed. The side profile of the 8940G doesn't look much thicker than a smaller 15" or 17" notebook. The sloped front and rear edge do a great job of masking thickness even further while also making it more comfortable to carry. Inside you have a completely flat surface containing the keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and multimedia keys. The keyboard is even recessed just enough so the flat keys lay flush with the outer bezel. Acer did an excellent job of making this laptop look user friendly and organized by keeping so many controls within a finger's reach.

Notebook manufacturers face a difficult task when it comes to making large notebooks that feel sturdy but aren't overweight. Wider panels require more bracing to reduce flex and heavier notebooks require stronger panels so they don't flex under their own weight.  The upgradability factor of this notebook looks great thanks to a single access panel on the bottom of the chassis. Simply remove the panel and you have access to the dual hard drive bays (one of which is unused in this configuration), two system memory slots, two mini-PCIe slots, and a partial view of the processor socket. I saw no "warranty void if removed" stickers anywhere, including the screws holding the heatsink onto the processor. If you want to add a second hard drive you will need to purchase a spare retention bracket, which mounts to the back of the drive, to prevent it from sliding out of place.

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Dell XPS 15z latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

Dell XPS 15z latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The XPS 15z resembles a MacBook Pro especially when the lid is closed; the darker-colored palm rest and hinge design are major differentiators. This notebook is mostly constructed out of high-quality metal; the bright silver outside is milled aluminum and the dark gray palm rest is magnesium alloy. Even the screen bezel is metal. The XPS 15z feels very solid to the touch and it is; the chassis hardly bends when flexed and the lid's aluminum backing keeps it from twisting too much.

The display hinge is strong and doesn't allow the display to wobble when let go abruptly. Additionally, the display can be opened with one hand which is convenient. I'm not a fan of the physical appearance of the hinge; it's not in sync with the rest of the chassis in terms of color or texture.The XPS 15z has an impressive variety of ports. Highlights include two USB 3.0 Super Speed ports, eSATA, mini-DisplayPort, HDMI, and despite being so thin, it also has an integrated optical drive. All picture descriptions are left to right.

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Lenovo G570 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices

 Lenovo G570 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The G570's outer build does not differ that much from its prior model, the G560. The G570 has a simplistic design, glossy plastics on the display lid with molded plastics throughout, and brushed aluminum across the entire top of the chassis around the keyboard. With the Li-ion battery, this unit weighs in at just under 6 pounds and measures in at about 1.5" thick, making it doable for light travel.

There is minimal flex when pushing down on the palmrests, but due to the brushed aluminum it is not significant; the aluminum also helps to keep this area where your palms and hands will rest stay cool even when the notebook is under exertion. The notebook is not, however, as durable as it could be thanks to the plastic build. The bottom plastic panels will hold up fine on your desk if you aren't a frequent traveler.The chassis itself is solid; when a lot tension is applied to the keyboard there is only minimal flex.

 Lenovo G570 latest Notebook Specs:
15.6-inch 720p (1366x768) HD glare with LED backlighting
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel Core i5-2410M dual-core processor
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 dual-channel RAM (2x2GB)
500GB 5400rpm Western Digital hard drive (WD5000BPVT)
Atheros AR9285 802.11n wireless LAN card
DVD-multi burner
Bluetooth 2.1
6-cell Li-ion battery (10.8V, 48Wh)
1-year limited warranty
Weight: 5.73 lbs
Dimensions: 14.8” (L) x 9.8” (W) x 0.7~1.4” (H)
MSRP: $899

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Toshiba Qosmio X775 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

Toshiba Qosmio X775 latest Notebook Reviews, Specs, Prices:

The processor and graphics listed above are enthusiast-level specifications; this notebook is clearly designed for gaming and high-end multimedia use. The 500GB hard drives are relatively small considering 640GB, 750GB, and 1TB drives are becoming mainstream. The biggest issue with these specifications is the low 1600x900 screen resolution; a multimedia notebook, especially one with a Blu-ray drive, should have 1920x1080 (1080p) native resolution.

The build quality is disappointing. The X775's plastic construction does little to differentiate it from most budget notebooks; more upscale materials are required on a notebook this expensive. The chassis has significant flex when twisted by the corners, meaning this notebook needs a stronger internal frame. The lid is flimsy and can be twisted with almost no effort; ripples appear on the screen when pressed from behind, indicating the display panel itself has little protection.Overall the gaudy design is tough to like and the build quality is substandard compared to other multimedia and gaming laptops in the same price range.

Toshiba Qosmio X775 latest Notebook Specs:

17.3-inch glossy 900p display (1600x900 resolution)

Intel Core i7-2630QM quad-core processor (2.0GHz, up to 2.9GHz Turbo Boost, 6MB cache, 45W TDP)

Intel HM65 chipset

Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card w/ 1GB GDDR5 dedicated video memory

Graphics automatically switchable to integrated Intel graphics (Nvidia Optimus)

6GB DDR3-1333 RAM (1x 4GB + 1x 2GB; supports up to 8GB - 2x 4GB)

Dual 500GB 7200RPM Seagate hard drives (ST9500423AS)

Atheros AR9002WB-1NG wireless network adapter

No internal Bluetooth

Integrated webcam

Tray-load Blu-ray ROM/DVD burner (MATSHITA BD-CMB UJ141EL)

1-year limited warranty

8-cell Li-ion battery (47Wh)

Weight: 6.6 lbs.

Dimensions: 16.3 x 10.8 x 1.1~2.4 inches

Price: $1,499.99

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