Computer Shopper - February 2006
Computer Shopper - February 2006
Computer Shopper - February 2006
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
REVIEWS NOTEBOOKS<br />
Asus W2V<br />
One stylish Media Center machine<br />
THE $2,599 Asus W2V is elegantly designed and features<br />
impressive multimedia capabilities.<br />
With a brushed-aluminum chassis measuring<br />
1.4x17.6x12.7 inches, the W2V is wide but possesses a<br />
sleek, high-end look. Weighing a reasonable 7.5<br />
EDITORS’ RATING 6.7<br />
pounds,<br />
the lap-<br />
0 BETTER >> 10<br />
PROS Elegant design; gorgeous<br />
screen; impressive feature<br />
set<br />
top feels<br />
extremely<br />
sturdy. An expansive<br />
keyboard and average-size<br />
touch pad provide plenty of<br />
CONS Slow 3D-graphics<br />
performance; below-average<br />
support<br />
room for typing and navigating<br />
documents with comfort.<br />
SPECS 2.13GHz Pentium M<br />
770; 1GB DDR2; 100GB hard<br />
drive; double-layer DVD±RW<br />
Connectivity includes one<br />
FireWire port, four USB 2.0<br />
ports, and built-in Wi-Fi<br />
drive; 17-inch TFT; Windows XP 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth<br />
Media Center Edition 2005 wireless networking.<br />
Asustek <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Our test system paired a<br />
888-678-3688<br />
2.13GHz Pentium M 770<br />
usa.asus.com<br />
processor with 1GB of fast<br />
List Price $2,599<br />
533MHz DDR2 RAM, and<br />
Averatec 3715-EH1<br />
Affordable portable is no powerhouse<br />
THE $949.99 Averatec 3715-EH1’s light weight and low<br />
price can’t completely make up for its slow perfor-<br />
mance and short battery life.<br />
Our test model carried a 1.8GHz AMD Sempron<br />
3000+ processor, 512MB of slow 333MHz memo-<br />
ry, a 12.1-inch 1,024x768 (XGA) display,<br />
and an integrated Via S3G graphics<br />
chipset that takes 32MB from main memory.<br />
Averatec also includes a DVD±RW burner and a big (if<br />
slow) 4,200rpm 80GB hard drive.<br />
Weighing 4.1 pounds (4.8 pounds with AC adapter) and<br />
measuring 1.3x10.8x8.8 inches, the notebook is demurely<br />
EDITORS’ RATING<br />
0 BETTER >> 10<br />
PROS Inexpensive; compact<br />
design; DVD burner<br />
CONS Slow mobile performance;<br />
short battery life<br />
SPECS 1.8GHz Sempron<br />
3000+; 512MB DDR; 80GB hard<br />
drive; DVD±RW; 12.1-inch TFT;<br />
Windows XP Home Edition<br />
Averatec, 877-841-7423<br />
www.averatec.com<br />
5.3<br />
Direct Price $949.99<br />
32 <strong>February</strong> <strong>2006</strong> computershopper.com<br />
compact. Its keyboard is wide<br />
enough for comfort, however.<br />
Along with built-in 802.11b/g<br />
Wi-Fi, connections include a<br />
FireWire port, three USB 2.0<br />
ports, and a four-format<br />
flash-memory slot.<br />
The 3715-EH1 scored a low<br />
146 on BAPCo MobileMark<br />
2005. Battery life also disappointed—just<br />
2 hours and 30<br />
minutes. Averatec supplies a<br />
standard one-year warranty<br />
with 24/7 toll-free tech support.<br />
—Stephanie Bruzzese<br />
came with a large<br />
100GB hard drive and<br />
a slot-loading doublelayer<br />
DVD burner. The<br />
system’s crisp 17-inch<br />
wide-screen display is<br />
great for video, delivering<br />
rich colors, smooth<br />
playback, and excellent offaxis<br />
viewing. Driving the screen<br />
was a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon<br />
x700 3D-graphics chip, which is robust, if not the fastest solution<br />
available. Running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005,<br />
the laptop also came with a wireless mouse, a remote control,<br />
a USB radio-frequency antenna for catching TV broadcasts, and<br />
a dongle for connecting cable and satellite boxes.<br />
The W2V scored a strong 163 on BAPCo SYSmark 2004. The<br />
machine isn’t great for gaming, however, posting a slow 20.9<br />
frames per second on our Doom 3 test.<br />
Asus provides a standard one-year warranty for the W2V,<br />
but you’ll have to pay to ship the laptop back to a repair depot.<br />
Also, phone support—available during limited hours through<br />
the week—is not toll-free. —Asa Somers<br />
Sony VAIO FJ170/B<br />
Swift lightweight has a sharp screen<br />
SONY’S reasonably priced<br />
VAIO FJ170/B satisfies with its EDITORS’ RATING 6.4<br />
strong performance and goodenough<br />
battery life.<br />
Our $1,499 test model came<br />
configured with a 1.73GHz Pentium<br />
M 740 processor, a mammoth<br />
100GB hard drive, a dou-<br />
0 BETTER >> 10<br />
PROS Lightweight case; fine<br />
performance; sharp wide-aspect<br />
display<br />
CONS Heavy AC adapter<br />
ble-layer DVD burner, and<br />
SPECS 1.73GHz Pentium M<br />
512MB of DDR2 RAM. The 14.1inch,<br />
1,280x800 wide-screen<br />
display made colors pop.<br />
740; 512MB DDR2; 100GB hard<br />
drive; double-layer DVD±RW;<br />
14.1-inch TFT; Windows XP<br />
Home Edition<br />
We like the laptop’s attractive,<br />
light case, which meas-<br />
Sony Electronics, 877-865-7669<br />
www.sonystyle.com<br />
ures 1.3x13.4x10 inches and<br />
weighs 5.3 pounds. (The heavy<br />
Direct Price $1,499<br />
AC adapter,however, adds another pound.) The wide keyboard is<br />
comfortable, as are the touch pad’s mouse buttons. Connections<br />
include a four-pin FireWire port, three USB 2.0 ports, built-in<br />
802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, and a Memory Stick slot.<br />
The FJ170/B scored a high 203 on<br />
our BAPCo MobileMark 2005 benchmark<br />
test, and an adequate battery life<br />
of 3 hours and 48 minutes.<br />
Sony covers the notebook with a standard<br />
one-year warranty that includes<br />
toll-free, 24/7 phone support. —S.B.
Change language