Thin and Strong with Lenovo ThinkPad X100e

Business owners rejoice! The first affordable ThinkPad ultraportable laptop has arrived. The ThinkPad X100e is an 11-inch notebook packed with a low-voltage AMD processor, powerful ATI integrated graphics, and one of the best keyboards we've tested on an ultraportable laptop. Is this the ideal companion for road warriors? Take a look at our review to find out.

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Specifications:

• 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo Single-Core MV-40 Mobile Processor
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 (667MHz)
• Windows 7 Professional 32bit
• 11.6" WXGA HD anti-glare LED Backlit display (1366x768)
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• ATI Radeon 3200 Graphics
• 802.11b/g/n, Gigabit LAN
• 4-in-1 card reader and 0.3-megapixel webcam
• 6-Cell Li-ion battery
• Dimensions: (W x L x H) 11.1" x 8.2" x 0.6"/1.2"
• Weight: 3.3 pounds (with 6-cell battery)
• Price as configured: $569.00

Build and Design
If there is a single laptop brand name that is synonymous with business it has to be ThinkPad. Extremely solid build quality, excellent keyboards, precision TrackPoints (that red dot in the middle of the keyboard) and fantastic warranty support have been the cornerstones of the ThinkPad legacy going all the way back to the days when IBM still owned the brand. The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e continues this tradition with one of the best built ultraportable notebooks we've seen in our office.

With a starting weight around three pounds and a simple black industrial design, the designers of the ThinkPad X100e attempted to deliver the ThinkPad heritage at an extremely affordable price. Lenovo admits that their customers have demanded a "ThinkPad netbook" for several years now, but the ThinkPad engineers debated whether it was possible to deliver a durable, reliable, business-class laptop at "netbook" prices.

The solution? Don't call it a netbook. That might sound funny, but it's no joke. Lenovo engineers started from the ground up with the goal of creating an "affordable ultraportable notebook" at a netbook price. In ThinkPad terms, engineers had to deliver a product that was built for business in terms of durability, usability, connectivity, serviceability, and warranty coverage ... all while keeping this laptop as inexpensive as possible. Businesses still demand the best, but in this economy they now also demand it for less money.

At first glance, the exterior of the ThinkPad X100e shares many of the same design features as the rest of the current ThinkPad lineup. Indeed, the 11-inch X100e borrows much of its looks from the 12-inch ThinkPad X200 business notebook. The simple plastic rectangular screen lid on our review unit features a "midnight black" color scheme and, just like the new ThinkPad Edge series, the X100e is also available in "heatwave red" in case your workplace needs a splash of color.

Those customers familiar with the famous ThinkPad keyboards will probably notice the new layout of the ThinkPad X100e's keyboard. The new "Chiclet" keyboard is a radical shift from the traditional ThinkPad keyboards and is again similar to what you'll find on the ThinkPad Edge series of notebooks. That said, this is still a ThinkPad keyboard in every way that matters. Lenovo uses a new keycap design that prevents the caps from popping off like they would on cheaper keyboards. The key spacing and support structure underneath the keyboard help deliver a fantastic tactile feel an prevent typing errors despite the small footprint of the keyboard.

Screen and Speakers
The 11.6" LED-backlit screen on the X100e is similar to the 1366x768 display used on most ultraportable budget notebooks. The biggest single advantage of this screen over ultraportables like the Alienware M11x or the Dell Inspiron 11z is the fact that this screen features a matte surface. Unlike the glossy displays on consumer notebooks, the matte screen on the X100e doesn't reflect sunlight or strong indoor lights, making it easier to read what is on the screen in any environment. Horizontal viewing angles are good out to at least 60 degrees to either side before you start to notice color distortion. Vertical viewing angles are below average as the display becomes over exposed or colors begin inverting after moving the screen 15 degrees forward or back.

Speaker quality is average as the maximum volume output is loud enough to fill a large meeting room with clear sound. There is a little distortion at the maximum volume setting and bass output is minimal, but the speakers deliver good enough quality for a good video conference or webcast. That said, the speaker location on the bottom of the notebook means sound is directed down and away from you rather than up toward your ears. If you plan on using the X100e like a "laptop" rather than using it on a desk then the speakers might be muffled on your lap.

Keyboard and Touchpad
As previously mentioned, the new "Chiclet" keyboard on the X100e is a radical shift from the traditional ThinkPad keyboards. Despite the change, this keyboard maintains the same level of quality that business users expect when they hear the ThinkPad name. Lenovo uses a new keycap design that prevents the caps from popping off like they would on cheaper keyboards. One of the main benefits of choosing a Chiclet-style keyboard is that it allows for more space in between the keys on an ultraportable laptop. This means fewer typos compared to netbooks with cramped keys. The individual keys on the X100e have a springy, responsive action and each key has a curved surface similar to the traditional ThinkPad keyboard. Typing noise is minimal, with no loud "click clack" noises while typing. The palmrests are a little small for average adult male hands but they support the wrists without causing additional stress points while typing.

It's hard to complain about this keyboard since it is genuinely fantastic, but if there is one flaw to the X100e's keyboard it is the lack of backlighting. We're starting to see more and more laptops with backlit keyboards and business travelers would likely appreciate the ability to see their keyboards on dimly-lit airplanes.

The Synaptics touchpad and TrackPoint provide a fantastic pair of control points for moving your cursor in various applications. If you regularly use the larger touchpads found on MacBooks and desktop-replacement notebook PCs, you might consider the tiny touchpad on the X100e to be a little cramped. However, compared to the touchpads on most netbooks, the X100e delivers a great touchpad surface with a nice pair of touchpad buttons. The TrackPoint buttons include the traditional middle button found on most ThinkPads. Overall, the touchpad and TrackPoint were both a joy to use, with a fast response time and no discernable lag. Sensitivity was excellent and no adjustment was needed out of the box. This particular touchpad has some multitouch capabilities, including pinch-to-zoom and pivot-rotation. I didn't have any problems with the smooth touchpad texture even after weeks of use. The touchpad buttons seem to have a slightly shallow clicking depth compared to other ThinkPads, but they still provide a deeper press than most netbook touchpad buttons.

Ports and Features
Port selection is good enough to get the job done while on the road. In fact, the port layout on the X100e looks almost identical to what you'll find on most consumer netbooks. Unfortunately, most ultraportable notebooks with Intel-based low-voltage processors now also feature either HDMI or DisplayPort. In addition, since the X100e is aimed at business professionals we would have liked to see either an eSATA port or a USB 3.0 port for extremely fast data transfers.

Front: Indicator lights

Rear: AC power jack, battery, and VGA out

Left: Heat vent, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, and combo audio jack

Right: 4-in-1 card slot, one USB 2.0 port, and Kensington Lock slot

Performance and Benchmarks
When we first tested the AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor inside the HP Pavilion dv2 more than a year ago we were reasonably impressed by the performance. While this single-core processor was an excellent choice in 2009 it is starting to show its age in 2010. The Athlon Neo certainly performs better than a single-core Intel Atom processor, but for roughly the same price you can buy a netbook equipped with a dual-core Atom or Intel CULV processor that delivers faster multitasking and quicker application switching.

In terms of day-to-day activities like working with Microsoft Office or browsing the web it's fair to say that most business users won't notice much (if any) performance difference between the ThinkPad X100e and an Intel Atom-based netbook. HD video playback for both 720P and 1080P content was flawless, and unlike Intel-based netbooks, the ATI Radeon 3200 graphics are powerful enough to handle video without stressing the processor. This means you can run Office and a video player at the same time without as much lag.

Indeed, if you compare the X100e against a typical netbook with a single-core Intel Atom processor and Intel integrated graphics then the X100e is an obvious winner. Unfortunately, the performance of the X100e looks less impressive compared to dual-core Atom netbooks and netbooks with Nvidia ION now on the market.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Noise levels were average during normal daily use. The default fan speed is always on at a low setting, pushing hot air away from the CPU and out of the notebook. The fan doesn't get much louder even if you stress the system with a game or video encoding. Unfortunately, the quiet fan means you get higher than normal case temperatures when the notebook is left on for more than 30 minutes. The external case temperatures on the X100e are quite a bit higher than similar-sized netbooks and ultraportable notebooks on the bottom surfaces. The bottom of the X100e nearly reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit after 40 minutes of moderate use (one wPrime test, watching several YouTube videos, and typing a text document). This makes the X100e less "lap friendly" than business netbooks like the HP Mini 5102. You'll probably want to keep it on an airline tray table or a hotel desk when working on the road. All temperatures shown below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit.

Battery Life
Although the AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor offers as much (or more) performance than the Intel Atom in day-to-day tasks, the AMD processor simply didn't deliver as much in the way of battery life. In our battery test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 set to the "balanced" profile the system managed 3 hours and 41 minutes before shutdown. This is more than enough battery life for business travelers who are only crossing a few time zones during a flight, but if you need "all day" battery life you aren't going to find it here.

Granted, it wasn't too long ago that we used to praise any notebook that delivered more than three hours of battery life. Unfortunately, the ThinkPad X100e competes against netbooks and ultraportables that get six or more hours of battery life on a single charge. Three and a half hours might be "acceptable" to most business professionals, but it isn't as impressive as the competition.

Conclusion
The ThinkPad X100e is an extremely well-designed business ultraportable that will no doubt meet the needs of most business travelers who are looking for a small, ThinkPad-quality laptop at a low price. That said, this configuration of the X100e falls short in two key areas: processor performance and battery life.

Lenovo should have avoided using last year's single-core AMD processor and stuck with the latest generation of low-voltage dual-core processors from AMD. Lenovo will begin shipping the X100e with the dual-core AMD Turion Neo processors soon, and the higher performance and better battery life of the new processors will make the X100e a far more compelling option.

As it currently stands, the ThinkPad X100e is a surprisingly solid little netbook (Yes, I called it a netbook. Sorry, Lenovo.) that would have been perfect if it delivered just a little more in terms of performance and battery life. This configuration falls just a little short of earning our Editor's Choice Award, but we still think it will be a popular choice for a number of business buyers.

Pros:

• Great keyboard
• Good integrated graphics performance
• Solid build quality at a low price

Cons:

• Weak processor (as configured)
• Average battery life
• Keyboard not backlit

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Review Toshiba Satellite T135D

The Toshiba Satellite T135 series is a popular 13-inch thin-and-light notebook available in a variety of configurations. We previously reviewed the T135 with Intel inside, but what about the T135D with the latest AMD dual-core processors and ATI graphics? Does the AMD-based T135D offer more than the Intel-based T135 for $100 less? We took a closer look to find out.

Toshiba Satellite T135 (T135D-S1324) Specifications:

• 1.6GHz AMD Turion Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor L625
• 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 x 2GB)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
• 13.3" WXGA HD TruBrite LED Backlit display (1366x768)
• 320GB 5400RPM Toshiba SATA Hard Drive
• ATI Radeon 3200 Graphics
• 802.11b/g/n, 10/100 LAN
• 6-in-1 card reader
• 6-Cell Li-ion 61WH battery, 65W Power Supply
• Dimensions: (W x L x H) 12.7" x 8.78" x 0.87"/1.35"
• Weight: 3lbs 12.9oz (with 6-cell battery)
• Price as configured: $599.99

Build and Design
The Toshiba Satellite T135-series notebooks are stylish ultraportables that look like previous 13-inch Toshiba notebooks, but in a much thinner and lighter chassis. Toshiba keeps the profile only a fraction of an inch thicker than the USB ports on the side of the notebook, though this is done in large part by cutting out things like an ExpressCard slot and optical drive. For the average user this notebook has all the advantages of a standard computer--a high resolution display, a full-size keyboard and a dual-core processor--but none of the bulk. The black color scheme on our T135D looks nice, although the red exterior of the Intel-based T135 was a nice change of pace. Toshiba offers multiple color schemes for this notebook, so if you don't think black is beautiful then there are other options available for you to purchase.

Build quality for both the Intel and AMD versions of the T135-series notebooks is very nice despite the very thin chassis. In fact, the exterior of the T135D is identical to the exerior of the T135 except for the AMD sticker on the palmrest. Unlike some of the thin-and-light notebooks we've reviewed from other companies, flex and plastic squeaks are kept to a minimum on the T135D, and a metal plate over the hard drive helps keep the vital components safe. The screen cover feels durable as well, although it the screen lid does suffer from some minor flex next to the hinges. In any case, the glossy exterior of the T135D should hold up to typical use and abuse inside a school backpack or an office briefcase. The glossy finish on the body withstands most scratches, but you'll need to constantly clean off fingerprints and smudges if you want to keep your laptop looking new. The imprinted pattern on the lid and palmrests does a good job of hiding small fingerprints, but sooner or later you will need to find a microfiber cloth.

If you're interested in upgrading the internal components on your T135D you'll be happy to learn that the system memory and hard drive are easy to locate beneath a pair of cover plates on the bottom of the notebook. Unfortunately, Toshiba has once again decided to secure the hard drive bay with Torx screws rather than standard Phillips head screws. This means that you'll need to use a set of precision screwdriver bits with Torx adapters if you want to remove the hard drive. This isn't a major problem, but it is something of an inconvenience for do-it-yourself PC owners. The cover panel for the memory slots uses standard Phillips screws, so that will be an easier upgrade. No warranty void if removed stickers were found anywhere, so it should be safe to swap out basic components without risking your warranty coverage.

Screen and Speakers
The 13.3" LED-backlit screen on the T135D appears to be identical to the display panel used on the T135. Colors appear overly saturated (not always a bad thing, but a matter of personal preference) and the contrast ratio looks below average with fairly light black levels. Horizontal viewing angles are good out to at least 45 degrees to either side before you start to notice color distortion. Vertical viewing angles are below average as the display becomes over exposed or colors begin inverting after moving the screen 15 degrees forward or back. Overall screen brightness is good enough for indoor usage under bright office lights or in the shade outdoors. The glossy screen makes reflections something of a problem if you try to use the screen outdoors under direct sunlight.

Speaker quality is below average as the maximum volume output isn't loud enough to fill a large meeting room withn clear sound. The maximum volume setting on this notebook sounds more like what we expect when we set multimedia notebooks to 50 percent volume. Part of the problem is the speaker location on the bottom front edge of the notebook ... which means sound is directed down and away from you rather than up toward your ears. The other issue is the small size of the speaker drivers themselves. Toshiba simply didn't put impressive speakers into this notebook. If this is your only PC for listening to your music library then I suggest purchasing a good set of headphones.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Once again, the full-size keyboard on the T135D is identical to the T135 and we don't have much new information to share with you. The keyboard is comfortable for typing and offers excellent support even under very strong typing pressure. The palmrests are just about perfect for average adult male hands as they support the wrists without causing additional stress points while typing. The individual keys have a springy, responsive action and each key has a flat surface similar to a Chiclet-style keyboard without the additional space between each key. Typing noise is minimal, with no loud "click clack" noises while typing. Consumers who are thinking about buying this notebook for typing long documents or notes during class should have no problems with this keyboard

The Synaptics touchpad was once again a slight disappointment in that it had a very slow refresh rate. Replacing the drivers with the latest ones offered on the Synaptics website didn't improve this issue, so our best guess is that the slow refresh issue has something to do with the touchpad surface/hardware itself. That said, when we uninstalled the drivers the touchpad felt a bit more responsive, so this may indeed be a bug in the Synaptics drivers. We still recommend using the Synaptics drivers since they allow you to use those helpful touchpad features like scrolling or correcting the position of your touchpad/scroll zones. Regardless of the slow refresh issue on the touchpad, the touchpad surface itself is a joy to use. Most of our lab testers agreed that you can easily glide your fingertip across the touchpad surface. The touchpad buttons are made of a reflective silver plastic and don't offer much in the way of comfort. The individual key press is rather shallow and you have to press the left and right buttons along the outside edge ... since the touchpad buttons don't always work if you press near the middle.

Ports and Features
Port selection is fairly good when compared to ultraportable notebooks, but we're starting to get worried about the lack of either an ExpressCard slot or eSATA port on 13-inch and larger notebooks. USB is fine for smaller notebooks, but larger notebooks need to offer a few more options in terms of ports. The T135D includes three USB ports, VGA and HDMI-out, LAN, audio jacks, and a Kensington Lock slot. Expansion slots include just the 6-in-1 SDHC-compatible card reader.

Front: Indicator lights

Rear: Battery

Left: Kensington Lock slot, VGA, HDMI, one USB

Right: 6-in-1 card slot, audio jacks, two USB, LAN, AC power

Performance and Benchmarks
We found the Intel SU4100 CULV processor and Intel integrated graphics in the T135 to offer reasonable performance, but we were particularly excited to see how the T135D would perform with an AMD dual-core processor and ATI integrated graphics. The short answer is that the 1.6GHz AMD Turion Neo X2 processor performs a little faster than the Intel offering, and the ATI graphics clearly perform better when it comes to basic gaming such as World of Warcraft or older first-person shooter games.

In terms of day-to-day activities it's fair to say that most consumers won't notice much (if any) performance difference between the T135 and T135D. That fact alone probably means most consumers should consider the AMD-based T135D since it's $100 cheaper than the Intel-based T135. However, we did stumble onto some issues in terms of battery life (more on that later in the review). HD video playback for both 720P and 1080P content was flawless, but unlike the Intel CULV solution, the T135D with AMD processor and ATI graphics didn't stress the CPU as much when playing HD video. The only test that we ran in our lab that suggested the AMD processorm might not perform as well or better than the Intel processor was the PCMark05 synthetic benchmark, but we've found that this benchmark doesn't always reflect real-world experience. Bottom line, the AMD-based T135D should offer every bit as much performance as the Intel-based T135 ... for $100 less.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Noise levels were great for normal daily use. The default fan speed is always on at a low setting, pushing hot air away from the CPU and out of the notebook. The fan doesn't get much louder even if you stress the system with a game or video encoding. Unfortunately, the quiet fan means you get higher than normal case temperatures when the notebook is left on for more than 30 minutes. The external case temperatures on the T135D are roughly 10+ degrees hotter than what we saw on the T135 next to the CPU and the RAM. This makes the T135D less "lap friendly" than the T135 and you'll probably want to keep it on an airline tray table or a hotel desk when working on the road. All temperatures shown below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit.

Battery Life
Although the AMD-based T135D offered as much (or more) performance than the Intel-based T135 in day-to-day tasks, the AMD processor simply didn't deliver as much in the way of battery life. In our battery test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 set to the "balanced" profile the system managed 5 hours and 48 minutes before shutdown. This is more than enough battery life for most consumers who just need a laptop for a few hours of web browsing at a coffee shop, but it is obviously less than the 8 hours and 18 minutes of battery life we saw with the Intel-based Satellite T135.

Granted, it wasn't too long ago that we used to praise any notebook that delivered more than 3 hours of battery life. However, 5+ hours just isn't quite as impressive in a world with notebooks and netbooks that can run for 8 or more hour on one battery charge.

Conclusion
At the end of the day Toshiba left consumers with an interesting pair of options for a thin-and-light notebook with a 13-inch display. The Intel-based Satellite T135 offers good performance, a nice notebook design, and great battery life for $700. On the other hand, the AMD-based T135D delivers better performance with day-to-day tasks and an identical design for only $600. Sure, you "only" get five and a half hours of battery life with the T135D and there's a hot spot next to the RAM and CPU, but $100 goes a long way when you're trying to save money.

The Toshiba Satellite T135D is a solid notebook that offers a lot for a modest price. It's not perfect, but if you can learn to live with its flaws then you can save $100.

Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Great price
• Good keyboard

Cons:

• Exterior gets hot
• Average battery life
• Glossy plastics

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support
Upgrade Capabilities
Usability
Design
Performance
Features
* Ratings averaged to produce final score

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Notebook Review Spec : HP Pavilion dv6z Review

BY: JerryJ, NotebookReview.com Editor

The newest 16-inch notebook from HP promises to deliver great performance at a low price and might be very popular in 2009. The HP Pavilion dv6z features the latest AMD dual-core processors, your choice of integrated or discrete graphics, and all the ports and features you need. At a starting price of just $599.99 it might just be the most competitive desktop replacement notebook on the market. Keep reading to find out if this notebook is as impressive as it sounds.

Our HP Pavilion dv6 (dv6z) has the following specifications:

• Processor: 2.1GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-64 dual core processor
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4530 512MB
• Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium with SP 1 (32-bit)
• Screen: 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display (1366x768)
• Memory: 3GB DDR2 (up to 8GB configurable)
• Storage: 250GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Optical Drive: Lightscibe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Wireless and Communications: 802.11b/g WLAN with Bluetooth
• Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion (10.8V, 47Wh)
• Dimensions: 14.9" (W) x 10.2" (D) x 1.4" (min H)/1.7" (max H)
• Weight: 6.36lbs
• Warranty: 1-year
• Price as configured: $774.99

Build and Design
The dv6z has a glossy, modern design that is essentially a larger version of the dv4 and dv5 series notebooks. The display cover has the durable plastic "Espresso Black" Imprint finish which holds up quite well to minor abrasion without scratching. The body of the notebook is smooth with rounded edges, making it extremely comfortable in your hand while carrying it around. The screen also sports a latchless design, making it easy to open the notebook with one hand. Pressing firmly onto the back of the screen cover will produce some ripples on the screen ... but you must apply significant pressure to cause this. Overall, the design is very attractive, but the glossy plastics are very prone to collecting fingerprints.

Build quality is above average with solid plastic used throughout the notebook, which helps reduce flex and protect components. The palmrests have good support and only flex under strong pressure from your hands. Under normal activity it feels rock solid. The keyboard is the same, with just a little flex around the "F" key when heavy pressure is applied.

As mentioned above, our dv6z features the "Espresso Black" Imprint Finish which looks like a glossy black plastic with a silver bubble pattern on the lid and left palmrest. The Imprint Finish on the dv6z isn't as subtle as the pattern on the HP Pavilion dv2. I suspect many average consumers will find the bubble pattern on the lid a little too "splashy" for a workplace environment, but it still looks very attractive and I'm sure it will be popular among younger shoppers.

The bottom of the dv6z is pretty simple with several heat vents located in strategic positions to help keep the laptop cool. The two access panels on the bottom of the notebook make it easy to upgrade RAM, replace the hard disk drive, or access the wireless card. This arrangement makes it simple for the novice user to make upgrades, but more serious users will have to remove the entire base of the chassis in order to access the rest of the motherboard.

Display
The 16” display is above average in terms of overall viewing quality, but resolution is only average. Sure, the 1366x768 resolution provides more horizontal screen space than the 1280x800 resolution common to 14-inch and smaller notebooks, but we would have liked to see the option for a 1920x1080 screen. When manufacturers stick with lower resolutions on larger panels pixels become more apparent and screen real estate seems unusually limited. Overall the panel looks good with excellent color saturation and contrast levels thanks in part to the glossy surface.

Screen brightness is fine for viewing in a bright office environment ... even at lower brightness settings. Outdoor viewing wasn't as impressive, but the screen is still visible outdoors if you can find some shade. Vertical viewing angles are normal, having a narrow viewing sweet spot before color starts to wash out or invert. Horizontal viewing angles are much better and staying true even at extreme angles.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The full-size keyboard with number pad on the dv6z takes advantage of all of the space provided by the wide 16” chassis. In previous years the keyboards on 15-inch and 17-inch HP notebooks suffered from at least some flex under typing pressure. Thankfully, the keyboard on the dv6z is remarkably firm and quite comfortable to type on. The only area that suffered from flex was around the "F" key, but we had to apply significant pressure for the flex to become visible. Individual key action is smooth with a light audible click when pressed. The glossy key texture is prone to picking up fingerprint smudges (like everything else on the notebook) but it's a minor annoyance.

HP includes a moderately-sized Synaptics touchpad on the dv6z which feels very responsive with little lag. The entire touchpad surface is made of a high gloss plastic, and can sometimes be hard to use depending on how dry or oily your fingertip happens to be. The surface needs to collect some of your finger's natural oils to allow for easy movement on the touchpad. While the reflective touchpad surface looks cool HP probably would have been better off using the same type of textured touchpad surface used on the HP Pavilion tx2500 and TouchSmart tx2. The touchpad buttons are in a great location and are easy to control with your thumb. The buttons provide mild feedback with a shallow movement that gives an audible click when pressed.

Ports and Features
Port selection on the dv6z is better than average, and there seems to be a good balance of ports on the left and right sides of the notebook. Then right side includes the optical drive, two USB ports, spaces for the optional TV tuner and modem, as well as a security lock slot and the power jack. The left side of the notebook contains the VGA port, docking station connector, Ethernet, HDMI, eSATA/USB combo port, USB port, FireWire, ExpressCard, and media card reader. The remaining ports include audio jacks for headphones and a microphone on the front of the notebook next to the IR receiver for the remote control.

Performance
HP offers the new Pavilion dv6z with a range of AMD processors, including Athlon X2 dual-core processors and the Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processors. You can also configure the dv6z with your choice of integrated or discrete graphics. Since the dv6z can be customized based on your needs, we decided to configure our review unit with the low-priced AMD Athlon X2 QL-64 processor and the mid-grade ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 discrete graphics card.

The 2.1GHz AMD processor might be the entry-level option, but it provided perfectly adequate performance in all of our tests. The wPrime synthetic benchmark showed the 2.1GHz QL-64 processor is just a little slower than a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, but the PCMark05 synthetic benchmark wasn't quite as impressed by the processor's performance. Bottom line, this value-priced AMD processor is perfectly capable of providing all the performance average computer users need.

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 graphics with 512MB of dedicated RAM performed reasonably well and had no problem playing 1080p video files over HDMI to a HDTV. Gaming performance was good, but certainly not as impressive as what you're likely to find in gaming notebooks priced at more than $1,000. Still, considering the budget price of just $775 for this configuration, we were more than impressed with how the dv6z preformed.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
Sony VAIO FW (Core 2 Duo T9400 @ 2.53GHz)	30.373 seconds
Dell Studio 17 (Core 2 Duo T9300 @ 2.50GHz)	31.574 seconds
Dell Studio XPS 16 (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.40GHz)	31.827 seconds
ASUS F50SV-A2 (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.40GHz)	31.857 seconds
HP Pavilion dv6z (AMD Athlon X2 QL-64 @ 2.10GHz)	38.519 seconds

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Dell Studio XPS 16 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 512MB)	6,303 PCMarks
ASUS F50SV-A2 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, Nvidia GeForce GT 120M 1GB)	6,005 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FW (2.53GHz Intel T9400, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470)	6,002 PCMarks
Dell Studio 17 (2.50GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650)	5,982 PCmarks
HP Pavilion dv6z (2.10GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-64, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 512MB)	4,119 PCMarks

3DMark06 graphics comparison against notebooks @ 1280 x 800 resolution (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
ASUS F50SV-A2 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, Nvidia GeForce GT 120M 1GB)	5,152 3DMarks
Dell Studio XPS 16 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 512MB)	4,855 3DMarks
HP Pavilion dv6z (2.10GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-64, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 512MB)	3,254 3DMarks
Dell Studio 17 (2.50GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650)	2,974 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FW (2.53GHz Intel T9400, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470)	2,598 3DMarks

HDTune for the built-in hard drive:

Speakers
The performance of the Altec Lansing branded speakers is well above average with strong highs and midrange with adequate bass. Peak volume levels are very good and capable of filling a small room with sound. Still, headphones or external stereo speakers are ideal for audiophiles. The speakers are mounted above the keyboard and direct sound up and toward the user for a great listening experience.

Battery
Battery life is limited by the AMD Athlon series processor (35W TDP) in this configuration and the ATI Radeon discrete graphics ... both of which consume a large chunk of power. With Windows Vista power management set to the "power saver" mode, screen brightness set to 50%, and wireless turned on, the dv6z lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes with the 6-cell battery. On the "high performance" power setting, with screen brightness turned up to 100% the battery life dropped to 1 hour and 36 minutes.

While this is "acceptable" battery life for a desktop replacement with discrete graphics, we would have liked to see at least three hours of battery life in the "power saver" mode with the standard battery.

Heat and Noise
The Pavilion dv6z does a reasonable job keeping heat under control, but there are still some hot spots to watch out for when using this notebook on your lap. The system fan and heatsinks in the notebook do a great job managing heat when the system is under load but the bottom corner near the heat exhaust can get uncomfortably hot ... as we discovered when we ran multiple benchmarks back to back. Below are images with "average" temperature readings listed in degrees Fahrenheit ... the notebook can get cooler or hotter depending on use.

Noise was likewise a mixed blessing on the dv6z. The fan moved a significant amount of hot air and the fan noise was reasonably quiet at idle. However, when the system was under stress the fan became as loud as a quiet hair dryer. Of course, the manufacturer of the cooling fan in your notebook might be different and the dv6z should produce less heat if you configure it with the integrated graphics card, so your mileage (or decibels) may vary.

Conclusion

If you're currently shopping for a full-featured desktop replacement notebook at a reasonable price then the HP Pavilion dv6z deserves your consideration. The HP Pavilion dv6z came extremely close to winning an Editor's Choice Award because of the solid build quality, great port layout, fantastic range of configuration options, and low price. However, the limited battery life, limited screen options, and hot spots on the bottom of the notebook prevented it from earning top honors. If you can live with the flaws I just mentioned, then the HP Pavilion dv6z makes an excellent choice for a desktop replacement notebook.

Pros:

• Good value
• Excellent selection of ports
• Nice design and build quality
• Good speakers

Cons:

• Average battery life
• Low screen resolution for a 16-inch screen
• Heat exhaust can be extremely hot on the bottom

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