High-end Notebooks

Dell Vostro 3700

The all big desktop-replacement notebook, Dell Vostro 3700

comes with a vivid 17.3 inch anti-glare, anti-gloss screen (important in typical

business environments) which is the largest when compared to the rest of the

professional notebooks. Besides, the dedicated numeric-pad and a 4" x 2"

touchpad fits well into the spill-resistant keypad to compensate the increased

width of the deck. Vostro however weighs heavy at 3.6 kgs which makes it a bit

difficult to lug around with. The sturdy notebook is available with Intel i3,

i5, i7 Dual Core Processors and i7 Quad Core Processor, and 1GB Nvidia Geforce

GT330M graphics card. The notebook comes second only to Apple Mac Book Pro13 in

this segment when it comes to performance. And in features, it comes with an

HDMI out, a USB/eSATA combo and 4 USB 2.0 ports besides the usual array of I/Os.

The free-fall-sensor hard drive protects your data against system drops. The

security feature includes a fingerprint reader and a cable lock chassis security

slot.

Verdict: It scores high on performance and has the

best features.

Apple Mac Book Pro 13

The lightest amongst high end segment notebooks, MacBook

Pro 13 appears to be a shrunk version of the MacBook Pro 15 and comes with a

similar unibody design with the backlit Apple logo on the top lid. The button

less multi-touch glass track-pad is responsive and sensitive, and zooming in and

out of images is just one feature amongst many that can be done with various

multi-finger gestures.The other noticeable feature that has been added to the

MacBook is the SD card slot and FireWire 800 port, which is useful while working

with a larger amount of data like multimedia files.

The Macbook Pro is powered by Intel Core2Duo P8800

processor clocking at 2.53GHz, 250GB hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics

card. Beyond doubt, the MacBook clearly outshines the rivals in the segment in

overall performance and the battery back-up is the best as well.

Verdict: With few key upgrades on features and

optimization on software, Apple has improved MacBook 13 to pose a stiffer

competition in the high end segment of notebooks.

Asus U35J

The Asus U35J pedigrees from the Superior Mobility Asus

U-series family and comes with brushed aluminium cover lid that opens to a

chiclet keypad inside. The notebook comes with just a 0.3 MP camera which is

significantly less than the 2MP that is on offer by most high end notebooks.

The Altec Lansing speakers and the SRS Surround though

offer a significant sound experience. So it provides an exhilarating multimedia

experience, providing perfect balance between personal and professional usage.

The U35 sports an Intel Core i3 M370 processor, 2GB RAM and

an Intel HD Graphics card as compared to Intel Core i5 M540, 3GB RAM in the Asus

N53J but scores almost the same in performance. But what is striking is that

Asus U35J consumes least power amongst the high end notebook competitors, even

though it provides good enough performance.

Verdict: Asus U35J being significantly lighter,

balances features, performance and cost very well. Overall, a good package worth

considering.

Asus N53J

This sturdy silver-black dual tone notebook fits in well

for the multimedia-enthusiastic professionals and comes as a strong contender in

the high-end segment. Besides the design, the N53J boasts the latest high speed

USB 3.0 port (in addition to the 2 USB 2.0 ports), which adds to its appeal.

Powered by Intel Core i5 M540 , the notebook comes with a massive 640 GB hard

disk and scores fairly in performance.

The 15.6" HD screen gives fair viewing angles, which makes

watching videos and presentations a treat for a group together. The speaker

grill is placed on top of the deck between the hinges above the Fn keys and

provides an enthralling audio experience. The 2MP web camera comes with an

exceptional On-Off button. However, it still misses the Blu-ray disc feature

which is otherwise available in international variants.

The battery back-up is approximately 2-1/2 hours which is

quite the same as that of the Asus U series. Overall, the notebook is

competitively priced considering the 2 years warranty it offers and packs a

fresh design with futuristic features.

Verdict: Overall, the notebook is competitively

priced considering the 2 years warranty it offers and packs a fresh design with

futuristic features.

*PWO Score is the weighted average score based on price,

warranty and OS.