If you prize performance over portability and need a big screen, a desktop replacement laptop could work for you. Mark Prigg checks out the latest models
While the ultra-light size-zero laptops on the market might be prettier, if you are looking for something with a bit more bulk, consider a desktop replacement. Boasting screen sizes of up to 20 inches, they have even inspired a new term, “luggable”. (Try picking one up and you’ll know why.)
These aren’t machines you’ll want to carry around all day, but what they offer is the screen size and performance of your desktop machine. Typically, the most travelling they’ll do is being put in the back of a cab going between home and the office. But for many, this lack of portability is far outweighed by having a large screen to work on.
ASUS NX90
£2,500 | uk.asus.com
Blurring the line between desktop and laptop, the NX90 boasts a whopping 18.5-inch screen, a Bang and Olufsen audio system and a hugely stylish flip-down keyboard.
It’s a monster of a machine, and yet also one of the best looking here. The fold-out design is smooth, slick and in fact means it doesn’t look like a laptop at all, with the speakers on the screen extending out beyond the keyboard.
However, this isn’t all about appearance – under the hood there’s a powerful processor, and this is one of the few laptops you can easily play games on. The keyboard is very well thought-out and feels solid. Just to make it feel even more like a desktop, the mouse is on the right-hand side of the keyboard rather than in front, which does make typing easier once you get used to it. There’s also a Blu-ray drive.
For minimalists or the extremely style conscious, this could be the ultimate laptop – if you can stomach the price.
PROS Huge screen, unique design
CONS Expensive
HP PAVILION DV8
£999 | hp.com
The first thing that hits you about the DV8 is its size. Weighing 4kg and with an 18.5-inch screen, it’s huge – the real embodiment of the term “luggable” – so you really wouldn’t want to carry this monster around all day. The dimensions also mean you’ll mainly be using it on a desk, but just in case, there’s more than 170 minutes of battery life.
This is a computer perfectly suited to multimedia, and with a screen bigger than a lot of living room TVs, it’s a great way to watch films. The display is full HD resolution and there’s a built-in Blu-ray drive so you can watch the latest blockbusters in amazing quality.
The DV8 is also a very powerful machine, able to cope easily with games and video-editing applications. As well as having glossy looks, the full-size keyboard is really comfortable, and there’s also an HDMI out-port so you can plug it into a TV.
Overall, this is a great all-rounder for those looking for a home and office desktop replacement. It’s just as proficient at crunching spreadsheets as playing films, and the Blu-ray drive means you’ll never get bored on long trips. It may have some rather horrible graphics all over it, but if size matters, this could be the machine for you.
PROS Massive screen, Blu-ray drive
CONS Heavy, consumer design
SONY VPCEC3S0E/WI
£899 | sony.co.uk
Boasting a broad 17.3-inch screen, Sony’s matte white laptop is part of its new E series of computers, and is a good, stylish all-rounder. Featuring the latest Intel Core i5 processor, this Vaio is extremely quick, and there’s also a neat one-touch web feature that is handy for the odd bit of instant surfing or searching. It’s basic, but works pretty well.
The screen is superb and graphics capabilities are surprisingly good, although be warned that there’s no Blu-ray drive so film buffs may want to look elsewhere. Build quality is exceptional and the keyboard and trackpad both feel solid.
Unsurprisingly, for such a big machine, battery life isn’t brilliant at 2.5 hours – however, with this kind of machine you’ll always be near a power point, and weighing 3.3kg, this isn’t really a computer to balance on your knees while you’re out and about anyway.
To sum up, this is a great option for both the home and the office. Performance is good and, while the matte white finish might put a few buyers off, it makes a nice change from the dark grey or aluminium tones every other manufacturer seems to go for.
PROS Affordable, big screen
CONS Looks could be an issue
DELL PRECISION M6500
£1,761 | dell.com
For serious portable power, Dell’s M6500 range is tough to beat. Aimed at video editors, architects and designers, it’s a real powerhouse, and there are two even faster versions available – the speediest costing an eye-watering £3,876.
It’s a functional, boxy machine weighing 3.8kg, and certainly isn’t going to take on Apple or Sony in the style stakes. But this isn’t a computer that cares about how it looks – it’s all about performance. And Dell really delivers. This is, without doubt, comparable with all but the most high-end desktop machines, and is superb for those who regularly use processor-sapping design or video-editing software.
The M6500 is very well thought-out, and the luxury of a 17-inch display means you also have room for a full backlit keyboard and solidly constructed trackpad. It’s definitely in the “luggable” camp, but if power is your number-one priority, this is among the fastest laptops you’ll find.
PROS Raw power
CONS Takes the Volvo approach to looks
TOSHIBA SATELLITE A660-18N
£800 | toshiba.co.uk
With a relatively small screen of 16 inches, the Toshiba weighs a positively svelte 2.6kg, making it one of the few laptops here you can actually carry around.
While, admittedly, carrying it upstairs is still about as far as you’d go, this is still a decent portable that is reasonably good in every area. The build quality is excellent and it feels like a solid, well put-together machine. The widescreen display is impressive for the price, and as a multimedia unit for combining work and entertainment, it’s great value.
It’s also very fast, although not quite as speedy as the Sony (see previous page). However, it will fly through most tasks with ease. There’s also a built-in DVD rewriter for creating your own movies. While not excelling in any one area, as a middle-of-the-road, good-value power machine, it’s definitely worth a look.
PROS Decent all-round performance
CONS Poor 130-minute battery life
APPLE MACBOOK PRO 17-INCH
£1,899 | apple.com/uk
Apple’s top-of-the-line Macbook has just received a welcome speed boost with the addition of new processors, and the 17-inch version is arguably the best-looking laptop on the planet (although the Asus NX90 is pretty attractive too).
The Macbook Pro uses a single piece of aluminium for its shell, and it feels incredibly solid, although at 3kg that’s to be expected. Apple claims it has up to nine hours of battery life, and I found that to be pretty accurate, although a lot depends on what you are doing, of course.
The boosted processor and graphics card in this latest version really show – it is a screamingly fast machine that is perfect for video editing, Photoshop and high-definition films. The touchpad is also impressive – you can use multiple fingers to swipe, zoom and perform commands.
As with all Apple products, there are caveats – you need to check with your IT department that it is compatible with your company’s system, and also find out if your favourite software has a Mac version. However, for those people working in the creative industries, where this is the machine of choice, it really is a no-brainer.
The 17-inch Macbook Pro is a fantastic, stylish all-round computer. In the corporate world it may still raise the odd eyebrow, but the combination of performance and style it offers means this is a machine increasingly being seen in boardrooms.
PROS Fast and stylish
CONS Pricey
ALIENWARE M17X
£1,599 | dell.com
Alienware has long had a reputation for producing blazingly quick machines, and the M17x is no exception. Boasting a superb 17-inch screen, it is lightning fast and, crucially, having two separate high-powered graphics cards crammed in means it is also competent when it comes to imagery – important for a machine with a gaming background.
Weighing 5.5kg, it features a two-megapixel webcam and a digital microphone. Battery life is something of an issue – running at full power, you won’t get much more than an hour out of it, although there are lots of energy-saving options to boost this to nearer an hour and a half.
However, the major downfall of the Alienware M17x is its looks. If you’re sharing it with your kids, it may well be a hit, but if you’re planning on taking it to board meetings, it probably won’t be so well received. It’s bright and gaudy with illuminated red or blue lights all over it, so does somewhat resemble a Christmas tree. You can even programme parts of the keyboard to pulsate in time to music – great for those long Powerpoint presentations.
Thankfully, all the effects can be turned off, which leaves you with an impressively fast machine perfectly suited for video editing – or for those of you with game-obsessed kids.
PROS Powerful, great screen
CONS Not smart enough for meetings
