Lifestyle » 

Super-size me

Published: 29/10/2009 - Filed under: Archive » 2009 » November 2009 » Lifestyle » Features » Features » Lifestyle » Features » Lifestyle » Technology »

• Print
• Send

The power now found in larger laptops may mean curtains for desktop PCs, says Mark Prigg

For a lot of people, it seems smaller is now better, judging by the ever-decreasing size of laptops and the huge success of the netbook market, where screen size and performance are sacrificed for portability. But big advances have also been made at the other end of the market, for desktop replacement options.

As processors have got faster, their power consumption has also improved, to the extent that it’s now possible to cram a fast processor, 17-inch high-definition screen and full-sized keyboard into a laptop. What this gives you is all the power of a desktop machine but with the flexibility of a laptop.

However, do be warned that many of these machines fall into the “luggable” rather than portable category. You won’t want to be using a laptop with a 17-inch screen on public transport too often, and you’ll certainly struggle in an economy airline seat, as well as annoy whoever is sitting next to you. But for real desktop performance, these over-sized laptops are hard to beat – and could very well be the last nail in the coffin for the desktop PC.

At 3kg plus, they are big, and bear in mind that battery life is an issue with these machines – get more than three hours of use on a full charge and you’ll be doing well. But for the boost in performance, this lack of real portability is a trade-off that’s worth making. If you need the extra power, or regularly do presentations on your laptop, then the big-screen alternatives could be the answer for you.

Sony Vaio AW £1,400; sonystyle.co.uk

Sony has earned a reputation for producing good-looking laptops, and while obviously inspired by Apple, the latest high-end Vaio is its most aesthetically pleasing machine yet. The black exterior is smooth, and the off-centre trackpad is large and well placed.

The 18.4-inch screen is probably the best I’ve seen on any laptop. It’s incredibly sharp, particularly if you feed in the right high-definition footage – Blu-ray footage, for example, looks pristine. The display is also a true widescreen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, making this a must-have machine for film buffs.

To take advantage of this, Sony has included a Blu-ray player, and there’s also a full complement of ports, including an HDMI slot so you can plug it in to a high-definition TV to watch movies. The large screen also gives a lot of room for the keyboard, and this is reflected in the full-size unit with excellent keys, which have a great feel for touch typists.

Performance is screamingly fast – definitely up to top-end video and audio editing, and way more than you’ll need to crunch even the biggest spreadsheet. Build quality is also excellent, with the laptop having a solid, well-built feel rivalled only by Apple’s Macbook Pro (see below).

This is a great all-round machine with a razor-sharp screen that sets it apart for anyone who needs to wow clients with presentations – just be warned that you’ll need to hone your Powerpoint skills to do it justice.

Pros Amazing screen

Cons The very modern design might not be to everyone’s taste

Samsung R710 £699; samsung.com/uk

Samsung’s distinction as a supplier of consumer laptops is finally applying to the business market as well, and while this is primarily a consumer machine, it can double as a real office powerhouse as well.

The R710’s look is unique, with a bright red “lip” on the front of the machine that fades to black. It’s effective, and the unit does look great, but it might be a little over the top for some.

The performance is impressive both in terms of graphics and day-to-day number crunching. It is fast enough for almost every duty, and will last about two hours on a full charge – not bad for a machine of this size and power. At 3.1kg, chances are you’ll only be lugging it between PowerPoint-equipped offices anyway – it’s certainly not a machine you can use on your lap for any real length of time.

The 17-inch screen is impressive, and the inclusion of a Blu-ray player makes it great for home entertainment as well. One problem is the keypad, which, given the vast size of the machine, seems a little on the small side. However, overall, this is a reasonable all-rounder. It doesn’t really excel in any one area but does everything pretty well.

Pros Great price and performance

Cons Poor trackpad

Toshiba Qosmio G50 £1,511; toshiba.co.uk

Toshiba has aimed 100 per cent for the consumer market with the appallingly named Qosmio G50. And its designers have opted for incredibly shiny black coatings and rounded corners. Toshiba has also managed to shoehorn in an 18.4-inch screen – a pretty amazing feat for any laptop, and bigger than a lot of office desktop screens.

Multimedia has been taken seriously, and the internal speakers, designed by Harman Kardon, are the best on test here – their sound is comparable with decent external speakers. There’s also a remote for controlling media playback.

One glaring omission is the lack of a Blu-ray drive, which no doubt stems from Toshiba’s affiliation with HD-DVD (the Betamax of the next-generation DVD war). However, we would expect new products to boast Blu-ray, now that Toshiba has finally caved in and backed the format.

This is an excellent multimedia machine, but the rather bland performance and lack of Blu-ray blot its copybook, despite the huge screen.

Pros Great performance, big screen

Cons No Blu-ray drive

Acer Aspire 8930 £599; acer.co.uk

Acer has taken the desktop replacement concept to the extremes of what is portable, and the Aspire 8930 is huge, cramming in a high-resolution, 18.4-inch widescreen. It’s truly impressive, and with a full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, you can sit back and enjoy Blu-ray movies in all their glory – and they really do look amazing.

The keyboard is great, and the machine is very well built, although the design is definitely aimed more at the consumer than the business market. That’s not to say it’s gaudy – just a little on the shiny side for a particularly conservative boardroom.

Battery life isn’t brilliant, at just under three hours, but these are computers that are designed to be plugged in most of the time anyway. It’s a big, hulking laptop weighing 4.1kg, but one that is definitely worth a look for anyone who wants the power of a desktop and doesn’t want to break the bank getting it.

Pros Big screen, great for multimedia

Cons Huge size

Dell Vostro 1720 £599; dell.co.uk

Dell is known for its solid, dependable laptops, and the Vostro is no exception. The 17-inch screen and full-sized keyboard mean this is a viable desktop replacement, and the performance also gives you the scope to do pretty much anything a desktop machine can.

The model we tested, with 4GB of RAM, was more than fast enough for most tasks, although Dell’s Precision range (see below) offers more power for those who need to edit video or perform complex modelling. However, for the average business traveller, the Vostro will provide more than enough power.

The keyboard is great, and there’s even space for a trackpad, as well as a full set of media buttons above the keyboard allowing you to control music and video. There’s a fingerprint scanner, and data on the hard drive can be encrypted. It also has a Blu-ray drive which, combined with the 17-inch screen, creates an excellent combination for movie buffs.

Build quality is excellent, and the Dell Vostro 1720 feels like a machine that could take travelling regularly in its stride. It weighs 3.1kg, which is reasonable for a machine with a screen of its proportions, although does put it into the “luggable” category, as with most of the units here. The verdict? A great power laptop for those on a budget.

Pros Great value, good screen

Cons Poor graphics performance

Dell Precision M6400 £1,499; dell.co.uk

Aimed squarely at the highest end of the market, where crunching large audio or video files is an everyday occurrence, the Dell Precision M6400 offers all the power of a desktop in a portable machine (although, at 3.9kg, “luggable” is probably a more accurate term).

The Dell boasts an incredibly good 17-inch screen, and a blazingly fast Intel Core 2 Duo Quad-Core Extreme Edition processor. It’s big and solid, and the full-sized keyboard and trackpad reflect this – they feel almost bombproof in their build quality. The trackpad also has a neat feature with buttons illuminated behind it, which, for anyone who uses a lot of media files, can save valuable time.

However, you should consider upgrading the rather paltry 2GB of memory supplied as standard – I’d recommend at least 4GB, given the power of the processor. Being Dell, customising the laptop is easy, and there are a huge number of processor and memory options to choose from on its website.

In all honestly, the power of the Dell will be wasted on most business applications – it is really aimed at filmmakers, architects and engineers, who need as much power as they can get. For even the heaviest spreadsheet crunching, it’s probably overkill. But for those who need the ultimate in performance, Dell has produced a machine that, for the first time, means you can undertake the most processor-intensive tasks wherever you are. This is a true desktop replacement.

Pros Incredible power and performance

Cons Luggable rather than portable

Apple Macbook Pro £1,849; apple.com/uk

I looked at the 17-inch model, which is at the top of the range, and the attention to detail and quality of Apple’s legendary obsession with design really shows. The body of the Macbook Pro, for instance, is a single piece of aluminium milled with a process Apple developed itself. This, apparently, means the laptop is lighter and more durable than most others on the market, and it certainly rings true – the build quality is unlike any other machine you’ll find, with every button, keypad and port exactly where you’d expect to find it.

The trackpad is responsive, and it’s worth investigating the shortcuts at your disposal by using more than one finger on it – for example, a pinching motion will allow you to zoom in and out on pictures.

Everything from the keyboard layout to the screen is superb, but that’s not to say this is the perfect machine. As with all Macs, check with your IT department first as there is a pretty good chance not all of the software you’ll need can run on it. Still, it is possible (and, in fact, very easy) to get Windows running on this machine as well, with the option of which to use at start-up. It’s a great compromise if your IT department doesn’t want you to go down the Mac route.

The Pro is slick, fast and easy to use. Still, Macs are rather like Marmite, and if you’ve not tried one before, it’s well worth doing so before deciding – some PC users can’t make the switch easily. But for anyone interested in a high-powered desktop replacement, the 17-inch Macbook Pro has to be on the shortlist.

Pros Great looks and performance

Cons Expensive

Sony Vaio FW £659; sonystyle.co.uk

Sony’s FW Series Vaios are primarily aimed at the entertainment market, with 16.4-inch screens and Blu-ray drives. But don’t let that put you off, as these are some of the most stylish PCs around.

A magnesium chassis makes the FW a relatively light machine, at 3.2kg. The keyboard is good, although there’s no numerical keypad for spreadsheet users. There are some neat media control buttons for getting around your music and video files easily, along with an HDMI port for plugging into your TV to watch Blu-ray films or presentations on the big screen.

The unit is definitely at the lower end of the performance scale, and graphics are particularly poor. But at £659, that is to be expected, and Sony recommends the AW Series (see below) for power-hungry users.

This is an extremely stylish product that is recommended if you don’t need the ultimate in performance. The slightly smaller screen makes it more portable than some of the other laptops tested here, and is also incredibly high quality, so the chances are you won’t notice the modest dimensions too much.

Pros Great looks and screen

Cons Not so powerful

Laptop bags

One of the problems with larger laptops is heaving them around – whereas “normal” laptops can simply be put in a standard bag, it is worth investing in a bigger, sturdier one for these monsters.

Knomo’s Cholet is available in sizes big enough for a 17-inch laptop, and is a stylish solution for women, as it looks just like a conventional handbag, if one that is a little on the large side. The 17-inch version costs £185. Knomo also makes a range of other bags for both men and women. Visit knomo.com

Another option is to buy a laptop sleeve and simply pack the laptop in your luggage. John Lewis sells a decent range, with an 18.4-inch “skin” costing £19.50. It’s neoprene so stretches to fit, and has a built-in carry handle. It won’t offer as much protection as a dedicated bag, but it’s perfect for short journeys or for extra protection in your suitcase. Visit johnlewis.com

At the other extreme, Crumpler’s brilliant Bored Room IT Trolley is another good option, particularly if you have a lot of extra kit to carry around. It’s a smaller version of the luggage trolley, but designed for laptops, and is complete with wheels and an extendable handle. At £229, it’s not cheap, but will last a long time. Visit crumpler.co.uk

Read more about...

• Technology

Bookmark with:

ADD A COMMENT »