Monday, January 19, 2015

Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Review

Convertible notebooks are all the rage these days, providing users with multiple forms of portability,
which is very nifty, especially when you want to use the same device for both work and play. The only downside is, more often than not, these devices cost quite a bit of money. Dell however appears to have a solution that allows users to have one of these convertibles at a price that does not break the wallet, with the Dell Inspiron 11 3000. Despite being clad in a polycarbonate chassis, the Inspiron 11 3000 is one sturdy notebook. It looks and feels sturdy, which is something of a rarity these days, even
amongst devices that are priced higher than this one.



Powered by a 2.4GHz Intel Pentium processor, with 4GB of RAM and 500GBs of storage space. As far as connectivity is concerned, the Inspiron 11 3000 is equipped with three USB ports, two of which are USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, one HDMI port and one SD card reader. As an added extra, it also has Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities, allowing users to connect to Bluetooth-capable devices. At first glance, the Inspiron 11 3000 looks like your ordinary notebook, but the 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution display can be folded all the way back to turn the notebook device into a tablet.

The keyboard is disabled so that it does not interfere with the operating system while it’s in full touch screen mode. As far as performance goes, the Inspiron 11 3000 does a well enough job dealing with tasks such as word processing, programming and such. Web browsing is a relative breeze as well, although one downside is that you may need to wait a bit for programs and software to start up. Once they’re up and running however, the usage experience is quite smooth, with the notebook even capable of playing 1080p videos with not much issues.



Two things that impressed us about the Inspiron 11 3000 is that its display has a very vibrant colours, even when viewed from various angles. The other thing is the battery life, which lasts for the better part of seven hours, which is amazing in its own right. You no longer have to worry about leaving the charging brick behind if you have this thing fully charged.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an inexpensive ultraconvertible, the Dell Inspiron 11 3000 is your best bet at getting one. It also comes in an i3 variant if you need something that packs a bit more power.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

ASUS ROG G56JR vs MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro

ASUS ROG G56JR

VS

MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro




Up till now, much emphasis has been placed on consoles and handhelds. In fact, the PC side of gaming has been left unattended. Not so for this PC.com Super One-2-One Showdown as it has set up two very big gaming notebook brands, featuring two very large gamer-type gaming systems, against each other. On one corner, there is the ASUS Republic of Gamer (ROG) G56JR. Its contender is none other than the MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro. Only one will prevail!

Design

Let’s begin with the ROG G56. The entire notebook comes in the trademark jet black that ASUS is known for and customary ASUS logo on the lid that is stenciled in red. Opened up, a large 15.6in screen as well as the keyboard red illuminated backlit keyboard show themselves to impress all. Along the sides of this ROG entry are a couple of USB ports, a HDMI port for external monitors, a Blu-ray drive, as well as huge, red accentuated vents for cooling purposes. Next up, the GT70 Dominator Pro.

Much like its rival, this MSI entry comes in black as well but has the MSI logo
emblazoned on the lid. Within, the first thing users will come across is the huge 17.3in screen and multi-hued backlit SteelSeries keyboard. As for the sides, the usual assorted helpings of USBs and ports, expansion drives, and vents are obvious for all to see. The only key difference between the two are the black hues used for the chassis, the silver grills of the speakers found on the MSI GT70 2PE, and the subtle accents that both brands use on their units.

Performance 

The hardware that is located underneath the hood of both gaming notebooks is where things start to deviate. The ASUS ROG G56JR comes with a 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 4700 HQ Processor and 12GB of DDR3 RAM (expandable to 16GB). For graphics and storage, it packs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M and a 1TB 5400 RPM HDD - both sufficient for all power users.

In comparison, the MSI GT70 2PE sports improved specs as this monster puts together a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 4810 MQ CPU, which can be overclocked to 3.8GHz, with 16GB RAM (upgradable to 32GB) and an
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M. File management has a 128GB SSD and 1TB Hard Drive combo powering it all.

Experience

When it comes to usability, there are some similarities between the MSI GT70 2PE and the ASUS ROG G56JR. First of all, these things are huge. Secondly, they’re heavy. This is a desktop replacement, so one should not be expected to carry these things around like its Ultrabook  counterparts.

Weight and size aside, both are able to perform extremely well when it comes to gaming as they ae capable of delivering extreme graphics performance - perfect for high intensity gaming sessions. However, with its superior hardware, the MSI GT70 2PE obviously edges out the ASUS ROG G56 by a mile. It helps that MSI went the extra mile for gamers as well by pairing with renowned e-Sports hardware and app vendors to improve the overall user experience for gaming.

Winner: MSI GT70 2PE Dominator Pro

While both are great choices if as a gaming notebook, only one can be chosen as the best of the best. Hands down, the title has to go to MSI due to its superior hardware. It helps that MSI has thrown in its lot for gaming, giving its entry that upswing needed to outperform ASUS ROG. This goes to show that, even in gaming, it’s all about the entire package.

MSI GS70 2QE Stealth Pro Red Edition Review

Gaming notebook. These words mean two things to me. One - a price tag so hefty, I’d be fasting for months trying to get it only to have it be outclassed within a year. Two - it could also function as a grill. So when I first received the GS70 Stealth Pro Red Edition, I was considering getting some steaks to cook on the back of the thing once I’m done with it. Onwards to the meat!



Velvet Sentiment

Upon taking the notebook out of the bag, the very first thing I noticed is that it comes in a vivid red colour. Well, that’s to be expected of a gaming system that bears the name Pro Red Edition. What I had not been expecting is its ultra-thin chassis. Usually, gaming notebooks are bulky pieces of hardware that are as heavy as two bricks. This is not the case with this red beast, which is surprisingly light.

The Tri-colour Gateway

Opening up the lid reveals a SteelSeries keyboard and a huge 17in Full HD screen. Wow! When I hit the power switch, the keyboard burst into a three-colour illumination sequence. Double wow! These colours can be personalised within the SteelSeries ENGINE app and you can even make it pulse or strobe according to the sound. Can I say triple wow?




Feel The Power

Cool bells and whistles aside, a gaming notebook needs to be packing some serious hardware to live up to its billing. In that regard, the GS70 Stealth Pro Red Edition is impressive. Sporting an Intel Core i7-4710HQ chip, 16GB of DDR3L 1600MHz RAM, and the Maxwell-based NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (a huge, HUGE upgrade from the original GS70 Stealth Pro), this thing can run all games at Ultra settings. Notably, and as expected, the fan plays up the word ‘stealth’ as it runs on the quiet side at all times. The only time you’ll ever hear it whirl is during intensive use, but even then it isn’t annoyingly loud either. The best bit: it manages to keep the GS70 Red from  being uncomfortably hot, making this gaming wonder lap-safe - a plus for me. 

No BBQs Here Tonight

The GS70 Stealth Red is pretty much what I want in a gaming notebook. It performs incredibly well, doesn’t require a bodybuilder’s physique to carry it, and won’t encourage me to fry eggs on it as well. Overall, it is a really fine powerhouse that I would have no qualms owning.

Specs
Dimensions (HxWxD) 418.5 x 287 x 21.8 mm
Weight 2.66 kg
Processor 4th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor
Memory DDR3L (Up to 1600 MHz, max 16GB)
Storage Up to 768GB Super RAID 2 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm
Operating System Windows 8.1
Display 17in HD (1920x1080), Anti-glare
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GDDR5 6GB/3GB
Webcam FHD type (30fps@1080p)
Card Reader SD4.0 (XC/HC)
Network Killer DoubleShot Pro Gigabit LAN, Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac, Bluetooth 4.0
I/O 1x HDMI 1.4b, 4x USB 3.0, 1x Mic-In, 1x Headphone-Out, 1x Line-In
Keyboard Steelseries
Benchmarks
pcMark 8 Home 3130
pcMark 8 creative 3212
pcMark 8 Office 3383
3DMark Fire Strike 6491
3DMark Fire Strike extreme 3307
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra 1629
3DMark Sky Diver 17810
3DMark cloud Gate 20339

Verdict
An impressive piece of technology that would please any gamer.