Desktop Replacement Laptops
Jim Martin
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Jan 1, 2008 3:49 PM
All the power of a desktop PC in a fraction of the space. We put a selection of desktop replacements to the test.
If you’re thinking of replacing an ageing PC, now’s the time to switch to a laptop. Gone are the days when laptops were far more expensive than their desktop cousins, and no longer are they the underdog where power is concerned.
In fact, swapping to a laptop brings several benefits. Most obviously, laptops are portable, so you can move them from room to room, or even take them out to the garden.
Their batteries mean you have a backup if there’s a power cut, and you can get some work done or watch a movie when you’re travelling. Plus, instead of a tower case, monitor and speakers dominating a room, you can simply close the screen on a notebook, pop it in a drawer and it’s out of sight.
Of course, one of the main advantages of a desktop PC is a large screen, but with the Acer and HP sporting 20.1in LCDs, and others boasting 1920 x 1200 resolutions on their 17in screens, laptops have again caught up. Also, the majority here sport a numeric keypad, so there’s no compromising on a comfortable keyboard, either.
If you’re looking for an entertainment notebook, three here have built-in TV tuners and remote controls for use with Vista Home Premium’s Media Center. Not only can you schedule TV recordings, but Media Center can be used as a jukebox and for storing all your photo albums. Some also play games but if you want a gaming beast, then Dell’s XPS with its SLI graphics is worth checking out.
If, on the other hand, you want to spend as little as possible and still have a decent-sized screen, look at Toshiba’s Satellite P200, which has a 17in display, a dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM for just $1525. Whatever you’re after, to find the ideal desktop replacement for you, read on.
Jim Martin: “Be careful of super-high-res 1920 x 1200 screens. While ideal for HD movies, cramming this many pixels into a 17in screen means text and icons are tiny. Unless you have superb eyesight, you could quickly end up with eyestrain. If unsure, check them out in your local computer shop first.”
How we test - plus the ratings explained
At the end of each review, there are four star ratings: one for Performance, another for Features & Design, a third for Value for Money and a final Overall rating. We don’t just pluck these figures out of the air: they’re calculated using a complex array of benchmark results, objective scores and subjective quality ratings.
Performance
We put each machine through its paces in a rigorous series of tests using real-world applications such as Word, Access, Photoshop and 3D Studio Max, using the same tests for PCs and notebooks (see the Real World Benchmarks PDF in the Editorial section of our cover disc).
The overall 2D result is relative to a score of 1.00 from our reference PC – a dual-core 3.2GHz Pentium D 840 system with 1GB of PC3200 RAM, a 10,000rpm Western Digital Raptor hard disk and an Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT graphics card. If a machine scores 1.50, it’s 50% faster than our reference machine overall.
We use Call of Duty 2 to test each notebook’s 3D performance, using one or more of three standard settings to suit the notebook’s graphical capability. At “low” settings, we use a resolution of 1024 x 768, ensuring anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering are turned off in the driver, and setting the textures setting to normal. If a laptop scores more than 30fps, we also run this test at tougher settings, although only the HP and Dell XPS were able to manage that feat this month.
Features & Design
The Features & Design rating takes into account an array of objective measurements, such as the range of interfaces, hard disk capacity and the capabilities of the optical drive. Software bundles are also assessed, but, more importantly, bonus points are given for the amount and type of warranty, as well as each company’s performance in the Reliability & Service Awards (web ID 92721).
The rating also includes some subjective points, which are decided by a panel of judges to help overcome any bias resulting from one person’s taste. The subjective scores cover all those items that can’t be measured objectively, such as the build quality, style and the quality of any speakers and accessories.
This month, the rating also incorporates battery life, since this isn’t a critical factor for desktop-replacement notebooks. We run three tests to measure battery life. In our light-use test, we run a simple timer application until the battery runs out; in the intensive test, we push the processor to its limit with our multitasking benchmark. This combination gives us a minimum and maximum battery life. In both cases, we use the power-management settings most appropriate for performance or longevity. Finally, we also measure the time each machine takes to recharge to 95% from empty, while switched on and when idle.
Value for Money
The Value for Money score is based on a weighted average of the Performance and Features & Design scores; we then factor in exactly how much each machine costs (including delivery) for a bang-per-buck result.
Overall
The Overall rating is a straight average of the Performance, Battery Life, Features & Design and Value for Money scores.