Ultra High-end and Gaming Laptops

HP Elitebook 8540w

There are two variants of Elitebook 8540w: one with Intel

core i5 and other with Intel Core i7. The one we received in this shootout came

with Intel core i7 M720@2.67GHz. When it comes to look and feel, this one was

amongst the most professional looking notebooks with aluminum finish and a

sturdy feel. One feature that is not so common these days and is present in this

notebook is the presence of light (NightLight) next to webcam for working in low

light conditions. The 8540w comes with spill-resistant keyboard with numeric

keypad and drain, plus sports a pointer stick. The presence of USB 3.0 is

another important addition to 8540w, which means this notebook can leverage USB

3.0 option present in latest USB based devices. Similar to Fujitsu Lifebook S710

this too is loaded with many security features like integrated smart card

reader, fingerprint scanner, TPM chip etc. When we add up price, performance,

and feature results, the 8540w comes out to be winner with best performance and

price when compared with other two notebooks in this category.

Verdict: A great performer at the least price with with some top-notch

features.

Apple MacBook Pro 15

This notebook comes with a unibody design which means it

has been carved out of a single block of aluminum that in turn is responsible

for sturdiness of this device. Other eye catching external features include LED

backlighting which not only improves battery life but also is brighter than LCD

used in most other notebboks. Illuminant keyboard for working in dim light and

multi touch track pad are few of the standard design features we associate with

Mac series of notebooks. When compared with its predecessor, new MacBook Pro 15

comes with Intel Core i5 processor and has both integrated and discrete

graphics. One interesting feature to enhance performance and battery life of

this notebook is the ability to automatically switch between integrated Intel's

HD graphics and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT330M graphics. However, when compared

on price/performance/feature front with other two notebooks in ultra high end

category MacBook Pro15 lags behind. But there is a huge brand value associated

with Apple products which is a major factor for buying it, especially in this

category.

Verdict: A smartly designed performer at the given

price.

Fujitsu S710

Though priced more than 90k, it is as good looking as the

other two in this category, but all the money you pay is for its performance.

When we drilled deep and tried to find out what were factors that made S710

perform so high, it was the presence of the latest Intel core i7 M620@2.67GHz

processor coupled with SSD HDD and all necessary connectivity options like eSATA.

The build material of S710 comprises of aluminum and plastic, though keypad is

nothing special to work with. Other feature that makes this notebook a bit

different from others is a modular optical drive and an IBM Thinkpad like

trackpoint. If you are concerned about security of your data, then S710 is

loaded with lots of security features, like Computrace enabled BIOS for tracking

your notebook in case of theft or loss, fingerprint reader, integrated smart

card slot, and TPM module. When compared against other two notebooks in this

segment, S710 scores highest in features while performance is comparable with

the winner of this group i.e Elitebook 8540w. However, at this price tag,

discrete graphics is one option that we think should have been included.

Verdict: Competitively priced with necessary

features and good performance.

Asus G51J

In the first quarter of this

year Acer launched its 3D laptop in India (Acer Aspire 5738DG reviewed in March

2010) keeping in mind worldwide interest in 3D products. The Asus G51J is also a

3D notebook though the major difference in Asus G51J is that we need to use

NVIDIA 3D vision kit (included) while Acer had built in 3D capability. This also

means that while carrying around G51J is cumbersome given its weight is already

at 4.2 Kg, you can use NVIDIA 3D vision with other 120 Hz display units. As this

machine is targeted at gamers, G51J comes with a designer lid integrated with

interactive lights and illuminated chicklet keyboard that would let you work

even in dark. On performance front this one has the best graphical performance

when compared with all the other notebooks we received thanks to NVIDIA GeForce

GTX260M discrete graphics and Core i7 processor, but battery backup as expected

with most of the gaming machines, was very low. Overall, a high priced desktop

replacement targeted towards gamers.

Verdict: The notebook is well-balanced on both price

and performance.

Dell Alienware M11x

Alienware is the premium gaming notebook segment of Dell,

and the feature that stands out in this unit is its size. The first look at this

notebook would make you wonder if someone has shrunk its predecessor

(M15x/M17x). This one too like M15x/M17x comes with LED light effects, colors of

which can be changed to suit your mood, or just set to auto change using the

software. The silver finish of the M11x is not glossy, which makes it easier to

keep clean for a longer duration. Other design feature that cannot be missed is

the presence of air vents on the rear left side; this is quite useful since the

gaming sessions dissipate a lot of heat. This notebook seems to be built for

people who want to enjoy high end games while on the move, and to achieve this

very thing there is balancing done by using low power consuming processor. The

unit that we received for review came with ultra voltage processor Intel CPU

U7300@1.3GHz  to enhance power backup; in fact this unit was able to give a

power backup of about 4 hours at peak performance which is huge considering it

to be a gaming notebook.

Verdict: A true performer which also stylish.

Fujitsu T900

This was the only tablet that we received and that is why

this is also the most expensive of the lot. External design features that stand

out in this unit include: a lock to secure position of screen when in tablet

mode along with all the necessary buttons near screen for easy access while in

tablet mode.

Other feature that stands out in this unit is an ambient

light sensor that lets you work even in dim light as it adjusts brightness of

LED display according to surrounding light and a multi-touch screen that gives

the capability to operate on the touch-screen with more than one finger at the

same time.

There were lots of features present in T900 that were

common to other Fujitsu unit we received in this issue i.e. modular optical

drive and security features like Computrace enabled BIOS for tracking your

notebook in case of theft or loss, fingerprint reader, integrated smart card

slot, and a TPM module. The test results showing the performance of T900 were

not as impressive as the notebooks.

Verdict: A feature rich performer that comes at a

decent cost.

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