Review: GIGABYTE W551N

Blessed with a Dual core Intel, this one is a fresh performer. Fast, efficient mobility is what this product promises. Lets explore more.


Design


The laptop is simple by looks, but packs a solid punch in the performance and features tab. A Widescreen of 15.4” WXGA color TFT. 2 MICs are integrated on the screen at both sides. A superb view-angle is provided due to its widescreen technology. The keyboard is the standard laptop set, with key-size being average, but a bit cramped. The touchpad below the keyboard is just fantastic, having a super smooth feel, and good scrolling system. Moreover, the touchpad is a little deep embedded which removes the risk of accidental touch while typing. On top left side of keyboard, are the Power, quick access keys for Email, Browser, WiFi/Bluetooth, Volume control. Above these buttons are the LEDs which show power, HDD status, and Caps, Num lock.


The front of the laptop has 3 audio ports, headphones, line-in, MIC. Also, IEEE 1394 port, SD card reader, PCMCI Card slot, 4 USB 2.0 ports are provided. Bluetooth and WiFi are provided for instant connectivity. A VGA out, S-video port is also provided for enabling display on external screens.


Performance


The Intel Dual core processor T2300 is the brain of this notebook. Coupled with the 945 chipset, it gives a good performance but nothing as compared to the best ones currently available. 512 MB RAM is provided which is upgradeable to 2Gb in case the need arises. 80GB HDD @ 5400 rpm makes the disk system good enough, and a 8x DVD RW dual layer is enough to satisfy your data backing needs. Graphics department is handled by Nvidia 7300, which is an average performer, if not more.


The product achieved a score of 1859 3D Marks05 and 3395 PCMarks 05, which is an average score. The presence of a good processor was the reason for this rating. Most games of the current generation can be run at medium-high settings, and running most business applications is a breeze.


Conclusion


The battery life of the Notebook is quite good too, mainly because of the efficient processor that has been included. Its a decent buy at the price at which it retails at, but there are better performers out there, some which are competitively priced. A bit heavy in weight, this one has nothing in it which can make you drool, neither the looks, nor the performance.


Pros

+ 15.4” crystal clear widescreen
+ Good build

Cons

- Recurring heating problem
- Bottom in the looks department


Value For Money

Our Rating

Review: GIGABYTE U60

Gigabyte will release the U60 this month at CeBit. U60 is Gigabyte’s 1st UMPC. This freaky gadget features a practical built-in QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard slides out of the main body.

A 6.5-inch (800×600) display dons the role of a screen. The screen looks crisp and clear. It sounds more practical for a UMPC. Connectivity wire free through Wi-Fi is a good feature. It boasts a 30GB hard drive, 2 USB ports and a memory card reader with SD and MMC Slots Provided. The U60 will be mastered around the C7-M mobile processor.

It carries a built in camera, that enable the snap on the move functions. DVB-T Module pack & GPS Module pack can be availed as an optional spec. U60 carries a finger touch screen, Graphics is brilliantly handled through the VIA unichrome pro with the clock speed revving up to 1000Mhz.

The Gigabyte UMPC U60 is loaded with hand writing recognition under Window XP OS. U60 stares at businesspersons for instant access to email, web-conferencing, wi-fi and GPS navigation system, which are, incorporated with the traditional Smart Phones and PDA. U60 is aimed at phasing out the SMART PHONE/PDA era. Battery life of 2.4 -3.4 hrs just beefs up the Gigabyte. U60 with decent performance and weighing at just 720 grams, its just the kind of tool a gadget freak would love to hang out with. Overall a decent performer compressed to the palm.

Review: GIGABYTE N512

The laptop market is heating up and it seems like every one wants a portion of the action. Not to be outdone, Taiwan based Gigabyte has introduced several new laptops to their existing broad range of products. The N512 laptop features a powerful Intel Pentium M 1.7GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 graphics adapter. Let’s see the company’s first launch this fiscal.

Design

N512 shown on Gigabyte’s website do not do it honesty; In fact shows the system look thicker and blander in facade than it really is. This just isn’t the case. With the exemption to the back of the system where the battery is located, the whole system is dressed in a shiny silver paint giving it a very expensive look. And with the system barely being about an inch tall it looks like it may perhaps be made by Apple from a distance. Of course the Apple PowerBooks come with a genuine magnesium case and a wide-screen display but Gigabyte does a good job duplicating the styling.

Performance

Powering the N512 is Intel’s latest Dothan based Pentium M CPU running at 1.7GHz and Intel’s Centrino chipset. N512 comes with 512MB of DDR memory you can choose to upgrade the system for a sum of 2GB of RAM – more than most notebooks. Gigabyte chose to conduit the Intel integrated graphics chip in favor of ATI’s Mobility Radeon 9600 graphics adapter which we think is an elegant decision.

The N512 also comes loaded with 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire port, a PC Card and MMC/SD media card slot and a DVD/CD-ROM combo drive. 2 things we were very happy to see on this system is the dazzling 15-inch SXGA+ TFT display with a max resolution of 1400x1500, and the integrated 802.11b/g WiFi.

The disappointed was to see no DVD writers or gigabit Ethernet as an option though. The N512 comes with only a few software programs which is what we like. Included are Power DVD, Easy CD Creator, Xpress Recovery and Norton Antivirus.

The touchpad and scroll buttons labor very well and we did not have any issues with how they performed. The keyboard arrangement and key size is also pretty nice, not too large nor small and the keys give a pleasant click feel when they are being used which is comparable to the way an IBM ThinkPad keyboard feels. There are only 2 hot buttons on the system with one going to the evade e-mail program and the other to the help section of Windows. Some cool little things we institute are audio controls as the secondary function on the F keys.

Overall

Gigabyte has done a astonishing job giving the user all they need to get going. They incorporate an attractive laptop bag as well as a diminutive wireless laptop mouse. The instruction manual is easy to read and they provide a warranty that appears to rival the competition, even though the tech support phone number is not toll-free. If you are willing to smash the cast and try a system from a company not known for its notebooks, the N512 is definitely a system worth checking out.

Pros

+ Very fast;
+ System memory is upgradeable to 2GB;
+ Very reliable

Cons

- Does not have a widescreen display;
- DVD writer or Gigabit Ethernet is not an option