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HP Envy 17 Review: Power Plus Beauty

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online on February 17, 2012 · 5 comments

There are number of laptops in the market featuring windows based operating system and offering high end features backed by powerful processors and memory modules. It is stated that HP Envy 17 fits into the category of desktop replacement. Let us find more about the product and its pros and cons.

Technical Specifications

HP Envy 17 comes with Inter Core i7 processor and 4 GB RAM. It is fitted with 500 GB Hard Disk with a speed of 7,20o rpm and contains Intel PM 55 Express Chipset. Radeon HD 5850 Graphics card is available to facilitate crystal clear viewing of photos and videos along-with games.

HP Envy 17

The laptop comes with factory installed Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System. Video connectivity is enhanced through VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort. Laptop can be connected through headphone/microphone jacks and stereo speakers.

The data can be transferred through USB 3.0 and SD Card Reader which makes most of your peripherals powered on. There is no room for expansion slot.

Connectivity

You can establish connectivity through Ethernet, Bluetooth and wireless (802.11 Wi-Fi standards). Envy 17 comes with KleerNet transmitter that has the capability to transfer audio signals through wireless. It has the capability to transmit signals to any other KleerNet receiver much in the lines Bluetooth data transfer.

It is also possible to receive audio signals through USB dongle to a notebook that is not equipped with KleerNet. After going through the setup procedure which can be completed in less than 5 minutes, you may even enjoy video chats through the wireless network.

The laptop supports both optical driver and Blu-ray player. It is fitted with a webcam featuring 1280 x 800 p camera that lets you capture still images and videos. The chiclet keyboard is kept intact with Envy 14 and a dedicated keypad is available.

Desktop Replacement

Coming to the size, the laptop width is 16.4 x 10.8 inches. Height is 1.3 to 1.5 inches. The screen size is 17.3 inches. The system weighs 7.2 pounds without adapter card and 8.8 pounds with adapter card. The laptop best fits into desktop replacement category. Envy 17 is closer to MacBook Pro looks. MacBook Pro is slimmer than Envy 17.

Backlit keyboard and clickpad on Envy 17 resemble MacBook Pro. The chassis of HP Envy 17 is built with a mix of aluminum and magnesium that promises durability.

The laptop is pre-installed with a number of utilities and support functionalities. You can run various built-in diagnostics including HP CoolSense Technology, Connection Manager and Support Assistant.

Pros

Like the Envy 14, the overall look and feel factors are satisfactory.
With a big sized screen and dedicated graphics card, you can enjoy high quality videos.
With a total of 4 USB ports, the connectivity is enhanced including USB 3.0
Inclusion of 5-in-1 card reader and Blu-ray player are versatile.
Improvised keyboard with backlight on and off facility.
The processor and RAM capacity can be enhanced.
The laptop can handle voluminous processing by being able to handle simultaneous run of applications such as Photoshop, blu-ray player and games.
Comes with top-notch audio solution. Ability to transfer audio and video is unique and convenient.
Comes with decent battery backup

Cons

Even though Envy 17 satisfies in looks, the laptop is sturdy and one can better manage it under a single roof rather than moving it from one place to another place because of its heaviness. With similar features, MacBook Pro looks prospective in this matter.
The product is in upper range of laptop prices.
It is reported that the laptop generates much heat than earlier versions. The heat is more intense beneath the ‘G’ and ‘H’ keys on the keypad.
Lack of automatic graphics switching

Conclusion

Though HP Envy 17 has drawbacks in terms of lack of certain features, the price for the given hardware setup looks convincing. With a dedicated button for audio control, you can experience excellent beats.

Further, it is possible to connect and access audio and video files through wireless. The system loads fast and you can enjoy videos, graphics and animations with crystal clear quality. In addition to software utilities, HP Envy 17 comes with Adobe software and attractive company warranty.

Envy 17 is well built with decency in design and looks sturdy to withstand wear and tear. In terms of looks and feels, HP Envy 17 is closer to Apple’s MacBook Pro. With the introduction of Envy 17 customers have better options from HP with decent performance.

Asus G74SX-A2 Review: Gaming Laptop

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online on February 3, 2012 · 4 comments

Taiwan based electronic products manufacturing major, ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated produces various competitive products which are supplied under the brand name, Asus.

The range of products includes desktops, laptops, tablets, servers, mobiles and motherboards, optical drives and graphics cards. It has introduced many flavors of laptops over the past many years and has good reputation in gaming segment. The new Asus G74SX-A2 is really a powerhouse that includes game friendly components to support the cause.

Asus G74SX-A2

Tech Spec of Asus G74SX-A2

The laptop comes with 2 GHz i7 processor and DDR3 of 16GB. Obviously the laptop can carry out tons of volumes of processing in a fraction of a second making you never wait for the next screenshot. 750 GB hard-disk, 160 GB solid state drive (SSD) and NVidia graphics card augments the speed. It is loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit).

The 17.3” laptop weights 11.9 pounds including the AC adapter weight. Over the years Asus has got reputation for presenting elegant gaming laptops. Even though the new laptop comes with a very high configuration, the price looks high for the range.

Big gaming laptops are quite common now-a-days. One contrasting difference between Asus G74SX-A2 and the versions launched in the year 2011 are Asus G74SX-A2 comes with 2 GHz Core i7-2630QM (Sandy bridge architecture) and other laptops comes with only i7 quad core processors.

G74SX-A2 can beat out all earlier laptops in all ways including multitasking, High Definition video and delivery of power.

Power Consumption

Coming to the price equations in terms of power consumption per year, Asus G74SX-A2 consumes more than Dell XPS 17 3D or Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78.

On battery backup terms, Asus G74SX-A2 gives backup of a minimum of 2 hours 27 minutes with heavy gaming activity. This backup is comparatively higher than Origin EON17 which gives only 2 hours 19 minutes and Dell XPS 17 3D gives back up of 3 hours and six minutes.

Asus G74SX-A2 is Rated High

Asus G74SX-A2 is rated as excellent by experts. The performance of the laptop is very good as it comes with solid state drive. As per some technical experts, the design is cool and the laptop can be used comfortably for long hours.

The laptop also carries a backlit keyboard that appears in multi-color. As Asus offers different configurations in G74 series, it should be appealing for different segment of customers. If you are able to figure out your choice of configuration at optimum level, you will be able to save few dollars.

Even though the model that comes at $2000 is too expensive, $1500 version can be looked as a viable option by not diminishing performance drastically.

Laptop used for gaming should contain high end processor, very high memory, dedicated graphics card and fast cooling systems. Asus G74 series contains all these high end features luring you capture a configuration of your choice.

With suitable warranty support and a strong reputation level of Asus, you can comfortably go for your gaming experience through these new series of laptops.

Cons : Not Easy to Carry

It is criticized that 17.3” screen size is generally employed for desktop replacements. As the size is heavy it is not so easy to carry from one place to another place. On the other hand, the visibility is high including the text that appears on the screen.

Another disadvantage of Asus G74SX is that the graphics card consumes lot of power although you can enjoy gaming in a better way including 3 dimensional capabilities.

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Review

by Jane | Tech Buzz Online on January 22, 2012 · 6 comments

Dell XPS 13 – an ultrabook with many unique features is being launched by Dell. Dell, the most trusted brand has a large variety of computers to cater both consumer and enterprise segment.

Interestingly, the current model is targeted to attract both business and consumer users. Dell comes up with this innovative idea as most of the business users prefer to use the same laptop both for their business needs and personal needs.

In this scenario, most of the time, the personal preferences will have upper hand in decision making process when it is time to purchase new laptops for an IT department in an enterprise. Keeping this logic in view, Dell has targeted the ultra thin ultrabook to cater both consumer and business line.

Dell XPS 13 Design & Specs.

Dell XPS 13 is available in i3, i5 and i7 processors. It comes with an installed memory of 4 GB of DDR3, HD 3000 Intel Graphics Card, 128/256 Solid State Drive and with a display of 13.3” that allows you enjoy high definition videos.

Dell XPS 13

You can choose any of the Windows 7 OS versions from Premium to Ultimate. The wireless transfer is enabled with Intel Smart Connect Technology that abides 802.11 standards besides supporting Bluetooth 3.0. You can have better control on full sized keyword with back lighting.

Glass button touchpad makes your interaction easy with the ultrabook. With 47WHr battery power you can enjoy backup for up to 8 hours of continuous performance. With just 1.4 kg of weight, the ultrabook offers one year limited hardware warranty.

Even though [easyazon-link asin="B002ACL3YS" locale="us"]Dell XPS 13[/easyazon-link] has some design elements present in XPS 14z and XPS 15z, the laptop offers unique features and makes an attractive choice for both consumer and business users.

Dell XPS 13 comes with very thin features of the order of 6 t0 18 mm thick and width of 316 mm and depth of 205 mm. Even though the processor is powered with Intel Sandy Bridge at the time of launch, it may offer Ivy Bridge in the coming months.

By the way, if you want to save on the skin and external design of your Dell XPS 13, you can avail discounts as that of discount code for skinit and hp.com promo codes.

Competition & Price Of Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 boots very fast. XPS 13 is fully equipped to compete with Asus Zenbook UX31 and MacBook Air. In order to attract IT professionals, the ultrabook will include features like TPM, corporate images, corporate BIOS, asset tagging, etc.

Dell’s XPS 13 marketing strategy can be compared with HP’s strategy with Folio 13. The product is likely to hit the market by the end of February. XPS 13 is more compact than earlier ultrabooks.

It is expected that XPS 13 will be priced a bit higher than HP’s [easyazon-link asin="B006OEL86Q" locale="us"]Folio 13[/easyazon-link] or [easyazon-link asin="B006YL1AMG" locale="us"]Toshiba Portege Z835[/easyazon-link]. Coming to the connectivity, the ultrabook supports USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 and offers mini display port along-with headset jack.

However, it is not provided with a slot to read [easyazon-link asin="B0009RGLSE" locale="us"]SD Cards[/easyazon-link]. This may not be a drawback as another brand Lenovo IdeaPad U300s was able to sail with cute design, comfortable keypad and high performance processor.

For consumer segment, Dell is going to offer compensation in form of extended support and warranty. Along-with one year of premium support on hardware and software of [easyazon-link asin="B002ACL3YS" locale="us"]Dell XPS 13[/easyazon-link], consumers will get resolutions at a fast pace. They may also reach Dell Support Team through voice, chat and email support.

This post is proudly sponsored by hp.com promo codes and discount code for skinit. Be sure to avail discounts provided by hp.com and skinit on the design and accessories of your Dell XPW 13.