Desktop Replacements to Die For
- PCW Rating: 81 Very Good
- Rank: #1 on PC World's Top 10 Power Laptops chart (October 2007)
- Recent low price online: $2330
Apple MacBook ProWhat we love: You can run Windows or the Mac OS on this machine--the best of both worlds. Even better, the MacBook Pro is the fastest Windows notebook we've ever tested. And it's a Mac.
Our $2949 test unit--equipped with a 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo T7700 chip, 4GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and nVidia's new high-end GeForce 8600M GT graphics card--set performance records.
In our Windows Vista Home Premium tests, the MacBook Pro earned a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 88, which is Superior. In our game tests, the MacBook Pro achieved a ridiculously speedy frame rate of 141 frames per second in Far Cry. So, did we mention it's fast?
Other nice touches are a backlit keyboard, a slot-fed DVD drive, two FireWire ports, and a beautiful 17-inch screen. At 6.6 pounds, it's the lightest 17-inch notebook around, and it's only 1 inch thick.
What we don't love: There are no memory card slots on this laptop, and it has no built-in cellular broadband option. Battery life in our tests was just so-so at 2 hours, 45 minutes. The machine comes with a slot for ExpressCard/34 instead of the more versatile ExpressCard/54. And some users complain that the MacBook Pro gets hot quickly during use.
* See the full test and specs report for the Apple MacBook Pro.
- PCW Rating: 80 Very Good
- Rank: #2 on PC World's Top 10 Power Laptops chart (October 2007)
- Recent low price online: $3904
HP Pavilion HDXWhat we love: HP's Pavilion HDX has one of the biggest laptop screens ever: 20.1 inches (supporting up to 1680 by 1050 resolution). You could put this laptop in your driveway, pop in a DVD movie, and single-handedly resurrect the drive-in movie theater. This thing is huge, people.
Gamers will go nuts. Besides its supersized screen, our test unit came with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Ultimate; Intel's best mobile processor, the 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo T7700; 4GB of RAM; and a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics processor. In our tests, the machine earned a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 86, which translates into a word score of Very Good. In our game tests, Far Cry registered a frame rate of 131.54 fps--a bit less than the MacBook Pro but not too shabby.
The keyboard includes a dedicated number pad and is as comfortable to use as a typical desktop PC keyboard. You also get HP's QuickPlay media controls for CDs and DVDs.
Audiophiles will appreciate the Pavilion HDX's four built-in Altec Lansing speakers, boosted by an HP triple-bass-reflex subwoofer. A rear audio-out port accommodates additional external speakers for surround sound. Our test unit came loaded with two 100GB hard drives and an eSATA port for connecting a fast external hard drive.
What we don't love: The HDX's 2-hour, 22-minute battery life isn't dreadful for such a mammoth desktop replacement, but it's skimpy by average notebook standards. The computer weighs 15.5 pounds--about the same as a pair of newborn twin. As for price, our test unit cost $3000 as delivered (to continue the baby metaphor), and it's not difficult to send the price past $4000 if you add all the extra goodies you might want.
* See the full test and specs report for the HP Pavilion HDX.
- PCW Rating: 80 Very Good
- Rank: #5 on PC World's Top 10 Power Laptops chart (October 2007)
- Recent low price online: $849
Dell Inspiron 1720 comes in a variety of colorsWhat we love: After years of giving us Pilgrim-friendly black and gray laptops, Dell now offers buyers of the Dell Inspiron 1720 a choice of eight colors, including Flamingo Pink, Spring Green, Alpine White, and Espresso Brown. (Perhaps future models will come in Chartreuse Surprise?)
Our $2409 test unit came nicely equipped with five USB ports; an ExpressCard/54 slot; a memory card slot; a full-size keyboard with a dedicated number pad; one-button access to DVDs, music, photo slide shows, and videos; and great stereo sound. Dual hard drives are an extra-cost option.
Turning this laptop into a high-def entertainment system is easy. Options include a Blu-ray Disc drive ($388, down from $660 earlier) and a full 1080p HD screen (for an additional $146). (By the way, the Inspiron 1720 comes with a 17-inch wide screen in all cases.) For $194 more, you can bump up the graphics processor to a 256MB NVidia GeForce 8600M GT (which delivers the level of performance required for the Blu-Ray Disc).
With a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 75, the Inspiron 1720 finished in the top 10 percent of notebooks we have tested recently, and it's a good gaming machine. On Far Cry, it managed a respectable frame rate of 116.79 fps.
The Dell's battery life of 3 hours, 33 minutes was about average for a machine in this category.
What we don't love: With a starting weight of 8.7 pounds, the Inspiron 1720 is too heavy for frequent travel. And the average price of $2534 (as of mid-September) is a bit expensive.
* See the full test and specs report for the Dell Inspiron 1720.
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