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Other Most Expensive and Feature-Rich Notebooks

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

Acer Ferrari 3000



This feature rich laptop in red color is the only notebook with an AMD processor in the shootout. It has a DVD Writer supporting both +/- writing formats, Bluetooth, multi-card reader and 802.11g wireless-LAN support. It was second only to the Compaq in features, because of its 60 GB HDD compared to the 80 GB HDD of Compaq. It gave the best score in business productivity apps, and the scores were also fine in the remaining tests, though not as one would expect considering that its powered by an Ati Radeon 9200 graphics card with dedicated 128 MB of DDR RAM. This might be because the notebook heats up and causes performance degradation. The card and processor also impact its battery, which lasts for only an hour and 20

mins.

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ACI Ultima



The biggest of all the Windows-based notebooks, this is more of a desktop replacement. It is also the only one, except the Apple Powerbook, with a 17” screen. It is among the toppers in all performance benchmarks and scores almost the maximum in MCCW 2003 at 36.5, lower only to the Samsung. This is because it houses an Intel P4 3.06 Ghz desktop processor instead of a mobile one, and the ATI mobility Radeon 9000 having dedicated 64 MB RAM. But, since the desktop processor contributes to higher battery consumption, it scored the lowest there at an hour and 15 min. And this is why it has not come out tops in performance. This notebook is the only one that comes with the num-pad. At 3.5 kg, this was the heaviest of the lot. It has all the legacy connectivity options like serial, parallel, and PS/2 ports. Plus it has a memory card reader, S-Video, Infrared, and

FireWire.

Hyundai Mlife MB05



Here’s another affordable notebook. The first thing that strikes about it is its fantastic black shining looks. When you open it, you’ll notice that there’s enough space to rest your palms while tying. Contrast to its overall looks, the touch pad looks a bit tacky and gives a plasticy feel. This Centrino laptop has a 1.4 GHz Intel P M processor, comes with 256 MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, and even has a DVD combo drive thrown in. Connectivity options, besides the usual, include three USB ports, one FireWire, two PCMCIA, SPDIF Out, and a memory card reader. 

On the performance part, the laptop did extremely well in battery backup. It gave three hours 16 mins backup, which was the highest after the Toshiba Portege. This notebook is good for running regular productivity apps, and average in graphics and gaming. Overall it gains points in price but looses a few in features and performance.

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Millennium Legend



This is one of the cheapest 14” notebooks in this category. Though the notebook claims to be a Centrino, we did not find the integrated Wi-Fi mini PCI upon opening the notebook, thus be careful if you plan to buy it and make sure it’s there. The notebook is powered by a 1.3 Ghz P M, and comes with 256 MB RAM, 20GB HDD, and an Intel Graphics Controller with 64MB shared. 

Among the other interesting features, the notebook has a DVD combo drive, three USB ports, one FireWire, and PCMCIA slot, besides the regular PS/2, S-Video, Analog Video, integrated LAN and Modem, Line In/Out, and

Mic. 

On the performance front, the notebook was a little below average. Battery backup was good though, and amongst the highest at 3 hours and 8 minutes.

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Samsung X10



This is elder brother of Samsung X05, and looks the same as well, but is of course more powerful, feature rich, and of course, expensive. Starting with features, the most eye catching is its fingerprint scanning module, which is just below the touchpad. It is as thin and lightweight as the X05, is also based on Centrino, meaning a 1.6 GHz P M processor and Wi-Fi. Add to that 512MB RAM, 40GB HDD, DVD combo and Nvidia GeForce 440 GO with 64MB dedicated video RAM and you have a really mean machine. These help it get the maximum score in the MCCW 2003 benchmark, while begin amongst the toppers in the remaining ones. Battery backup is also fine at 2 hours and 20 mins. Like the X05, this one also tends to heat up a little in a small area on the bottom. 

The notebook is filled with connectivity options. These include two USB, one FireWire, one PCMCIA, a memory card reader, S-Video, IrDA, Bluetooth. These are not including the regular ones like integrated LAN and modem, audio line in/out, etc. 

Overall a good laptop given the features and performance.

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Toshiba Portégé



Starting with the French name to its looks, size and weight it oozes oomph and class. The laptop is based on Intel Centrino technology, and therefore has a 1 GHz P M processor along with WiFi of course. 

The notebook races ahead from the rest in battery backup. That’s because this was the only laptop to have an extended battery pack bundled in, which helped it give a whooping 4.5 hrs of backup time. This however, was the only edge it got in performance. It in fact scored the lowest in BW 2002 and CCW at 20 and 22.5, respectively. All good things come at price, and this is no different. This ultra lightness comes at a price of a larger display, a CD-ROM drive and the number of connectivity ports. With only 2 USB ports available, your extensibility options are also limited. The other extensibility option comes in the form of a SD card slot. 

Priced at about Rs 1.6 lakh, it is one of the most expensive of the lot. But the main highlight of this laptop is its small size, WiFi capability, and the extended battery pack.

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WIPRO Little Genius CP



The most attractive thing about this laptop is its price, the cheapest laptop in this category. It also looks exactly similar to the Zenith laptop. A Centrino, it’s powered by a 1.4 GHz Intel P M processor, 256MB RAM, 20GB HDD and an Intel Graphics controller with 64 MB shared memory. It has ample connectivity options, which include three USB ports, one FireWire, one PCMCIA, and IrDA, besides regular ones like parallel, analog video, integrated LAN/ Modem, and audio line in/out. 

Like the Zenith, this one also has an inbuilt jukebox, Plus, most ports on this laptop are on its either side and up front, making it very convenient to access. The notebook gives average performance, which is fine for running regular office apps. Its battery backup is pretty good at two hours and thirty-nine minutes. Overall an average performer, but at an attractive price.

Zenith Wi-Fi 5x 



This looks the same as its younger brother, the Zenith 4x, in looks. Its higher cost can be attributed to its larger screen size of 15 inches, and extra connectivity options such as a multi-memory card reader, IrDA capability, S-Video output, a FireWire and 3 USB ports. Plus of course it’s a Centrino, so there’s Wi-Fi capability. All these features are complemented by decent performance and a good 2 hours and 47 mins of battery backup. Remaining performance scores are also decent.

If you are a music freak, you can make use of the inbuilt jukebox, using which you can play music on it without even switching it on. Once you do switch it on, the buttons don’t become useless. They can be configured to open any program you please. Plus, most of the ports on the laptop are on the either side and up front, making them conveniently accessible. So if you’re looking for a laptop that’s fairly feature rich, gives decent performance, and is below a lac, then check this one out.

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