MysteryE Blog

I got another review to share. But this time is a little different. I can’t post the full review, since it will against the NotebookReview.com copyright. They only allow me to post the summarize of the post. But that will be more than enough, since you can visit their forum/site to see more detailed review, right?

Alright, this time we’ll have a Sony Vaio FW. The reviewer is Kevin O’Brien from Notebook Review.

VAIO FW (vgn-fw198u) specifications:

* Screen: Sony XBRITE-HiColor 16.4″ 1600 x 900 display, glossy
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache)
* Operating System:Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 (32-bit)
* Memory: 4GB RAM (only 3GB usable)
* Storage: 320GB HDD (5400rpm)
* Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW / BD-R DL
* Wireless: Intel 5100 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR
* Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 w/ 256MB
* Built-in web camera
* Battery: 4400mAh Li-Ion Battery
* Dimensions: 15.12″ x 1.14″-1.45″ x 10.27″ (38.4cm x 2.9-3.7cm x 26.1cm)
* Weight: 6.83 lbs (3.1kg)
* Retail Price: $2,149

Pros

• Great design
• Solid build quality
• Extra-Widecreen (neat for movies and more perceived screen real estate)
• Comfortable keyboard once you get used to it

Cons

• Battery life with smaller battery is poor
• LCD backlight unevenness
• Speakers sound rather anemic

Now, let’s begin the summarize of the review.

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Finally! I got a permission to post a review about Toshiba Qosmio X305! Since the very first time Toshiba announced this notebook, it already catch my attention! A very cool laptop! I got a permission from the reviewer himself, Perry Longinott, to share his review in my blog (thanks a lot, it’s very kind of you! ). Actually, I got the review from Notebook Review forum, but he also has posted the review in his own site, Notebook Critic. Alright, let’s see what this gaming machine can do!

Gaming notebooks have been around for a few years now and getting a good one has been easy assuming you have heaping piles of cash. For those of us on a budget, we were stuck with mid range GPUs and big compromises in the visual settings of our games until Gateway’s FX line came out last winter. Brainwashed sheepish press will tell you that PC gaming is dead, but there must still be a few of us PC Gamers left because Gateway had a hit on its hands and soon most of its rivals followed suit by marketing gaming as a selling feature of notebooks. Today we’ll be looking at Toshiba’s Qosmio X305/300 gaming notebook.

It’s easy to say a notebook has game and the throw some vague slides on a company website (cough Apple) but the nice thing about this segment is that imposters and poseurs are quickly uncovered. Your notebook can either play a game as the developer intended (at or near max settings) or it cannot. Sure, you can suffer through some games with all the visual settings dialled-down on mainstream notebooks but that isn’t what this segment is about. These notebooks are extreme machines – sharks with freaking laser beams!

First the vital statistics – this model is very close to the X305-Q705 (detailed descriptions further down):

• MSRP of $1,499.99 ($1,699.99 CDN)
  
• Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2 GHz CPU with 25 Watt TDP
  
• NVIDIA GeForce 9700m GTS 512 MB
  
• 17″ Display With 1440 x 900 Resolution
  
• 320 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
  
• 4 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 System Memory
  
• Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
  
• 4.1 speakers with Dolby Home Theatre
  

Starting with the Satellite P30 series a few years ago, Toshiba has been easing themselves into the gaming notebook segment. Last year’s X200/205 was armed with dual GPUs in SLI and was a pretty big hit. The X305 has big shoes to fill in order to make the right impression – so Toshiba started by ramping up the looks.

It won’t be confused for a ThinkPad

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This time we have a special review! It’s a new Macbook Pro from Apple! The reviewer is Mike Spitalieri from Notebook Review! I already had his permission to post it here, so held up your breath, and see his review below!

New Macbook Pro 2008

Apple’s metallic professional-grade notebooks, beginning with the PowerBook G4 and later the MacBook Pro, have become somewhat iconic over the years given their fairly consistent design aesthetic.  On October 14, however, Apple unveiled an entirely redesigned lineup of aluminum notebooks with a brand new MacBook Pro at the top.  In addition to the new unibody chassis, the late 2008 MacBook Pro sports an Nvidia chipset with upgraded discrete GPU, a glass buttonless trackpad and a greener manufacturing process.

Our notebook includes the following specs:

* Mac OS X v10.5.5 Leopard and Windows XP SP3 (Boot Camp)
* Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz (3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz frontside bus)
* 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
* 250GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive
* 15.4″ glossy widescreen LED backlit display (1440 x 900)
* Integrated Nvidia 9400 graphics (256MB of shared memory) and Discrete Nvidia 9600M GT (256MB of shared memory)
* iSight webcam
* AirPort Extreme WiFi (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
* Mini Display port, 2 x USB 2.0 port (480Mbps), Audio out, mic, ExpressCard, FireWire 800
* Dimensions : 0.95 x 14.35 x 9.82 inches (H x W x D)
* Weight: 5.5 lbs
* Integrated 50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
* 85W MagSafe power adapter with cable management system (6.5oz)
* Price: $1,999 ($1,899 with education discount)

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Now we have another Acer Aspire review, the Acer Aspire 8930G! The reviewer is qaz333 from Notebook Review. I already had his permission to post his review here, so here we go!

Acer Aspire 8930G

The 8930 is the successor to the Acer Aspire 8920, one of the first 18.4in laptops to hit the market. True to its “Gemstone Blue” name, the laptop offers Blu-Ray, Bluetooth, a Blue/Black holographic lid and Blue lights all over the notebook. With a 16:9 screen (Something becoming more and more common), a Blu-Ray Drive and a HMDI port, this laptop is perfect for multimedia enthusiasts. The design has basically remained the same from the 8920 but the internal components have been changed. The Acer 8930 brings Intel Centrino 2 support, DDR3 RAM and other new features. The laptop is purely a Desktop Replacement, although the 4KG weight is bearable for some trips.

I ordered my laptop from bestdeal4u.com.au
The specifications:

[AS8930G-944G64Bn]
18.4″ WUXGA+FULL-HD 1920×1080p *CSV-Glossy* Wide-Screen
Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53GHz - 1066MHz-FSB
4GB/4096MB DDR3
640GB HDD Set: 2x 320GB @ 5400RPM
BD BluRay Combo Drive with DVD-Burner D/L DVD+|-R/W
Built-In Hybrid HD Digital TV-Tuner & Remote
NVIDIA GeForce Go 9700M GT (512MB - DDR3)
Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit

Reasons for Buying:
I wanted a true desktop replacement (larger than 17in), that could double as a media centre. I also bought this notebook for its power, not to mention its very good gaming performance. The 8930 has everything I want in a notebook and more.

Where and How Purchased:
As I said earlier, I purchased this notebook from Bestdeal4u.com.au. It was a very good deal in my opinion, far cheaper than any other Australian (or even European vendor) vendor I could find, selling it for only $2795. Their support was decent, with the reps answering all of my questions.

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Alright! This time we have a review from Garandhero from laptopvideo2go forum! He owns the Sager 5792, so this is a user review.

Sager 5792

Overview and Introduction to Sager Notebooks:
Sager isn’t that well known a company but has been around over 20 years, selling High End “Gaming Laptops”. They are official resellers of the Clevo brand notebooks. The Sager 5792 is no exception to the High End laptop scene, and is without a doubt intended as a Desktop Replacement system. Sager has a reputation for innovation, incorporating the latest technologies into their system, and as proof were one of the first to offer the High Performance 8800M GTX Graphics card, and recently the new Penryn processors.

Specifications:
Sager 5792
Vista Home Premium (64bit)
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
200GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
GeForce 8800M GTX with 512MB DDR3
17″ WSXGA+ (1680×1050)
Built-in 8ch Azalia Sound System (with 8 external speakers output
without External decoder)
Intel® 4965AGN 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN
Bluetooth V2.0
Built-in 2.0M Digital Video Camera
Integrated Fingerprint Reader
1 Lithium-Ion Battery (8 Cell)

Inputs and Outputs
1 DVI Port
4 USB 2.0 Ports
4 multi-function Audio Jacks
1 16c550 Compatible Serial Port
1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)
1 RJ-11 Modem
1 IEEE-1394a Fire Wire
1 S-Video TV-Out
1 TV-in Port (Requires optional TV-Tuner Module)
Kensington Lock
1 Express Card 34 / 54 Slot

Photos (BIG 56k beware)
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/G…ro/DSC00408.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/G…ro/DSC00407.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/G…ro/DSC00406.jpg

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Apple has launched their new Macbook and Macbook Pro!

Now they are thinner, yet more robust, thanks to the new technology. The case is made from a brick of aluminium, but it is lighter! What I like from this new Macbook is the touchpad/trackpad. It is made from glass, and buttonless! All trackpad area is a button itself and now has multi-touch function. Check the video for more details and you can see by yourself. More good news, Apple has improved the graphic for the new Macbook, with nVidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics, so it can play even better 3D games! The Pro itself has 2 graphics, one is just like the regular Macbook; GF 9400M, and the second one is a discrete graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT! Other things are improved battery life, using DDR3 memory instead of DDR2, backlit keyboard, magnetic latch, and some other things that you should have see it by yourself.

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