LG R1 Express (Core 2 Duo T5600 Processor 1.83GHz, 512MB RAM)

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Performance And Battery Life
Our S$2,299 (US$1,654.79) review unit held a Core 2 Duo T5600 processor running at 1.83GHz with 512MB of memory and a 100GB harddisk. Though the first wave of notebooks from the Korean manufacturer were priced between midrange and premium, the LG R1 is one of the most affordable Core 2 Duo units with a discrete graphics card, the 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 video chipset. The MobileMark 2005 benchmark, which rates the unit's performance based on a series of productivity tools, gave a rather lackluster score of 204, falling behind the HP Pavilion dv2000 and Compaq Presario V3000 which are based on the older Core Duo chip.

BAPCo MobileMark2005 performance rating (longer bars indicate faster performance)

LG R1 Express
(Core 2 Duo processor 1.83GHz; 512MB RAM; 667MHz FSB)

204

HP Pavilion dv2000
(Core Duo processor 1.83GHz; 1GB RAM; 667MHz FSB)

217

Compaq Presario V3000
(Core Duo processor 1.83GHz; 512MB RAM; 667MHz FSB)

211

Gaming is not a forte on this system as its graphics card managed to eke out a score of only 805 on the 3DMark06 test. This is to be expected for notebooks with displays under 15.4 inches (the LG R1 display is 14.1 inches), as a higher-end graphics card requires too much power and heat dissipation to be placed in a portable chassis. The HP Pavilion dv2000, too, has the option to include the same discrete graphics chip (though the unit we reviewed held an integrated video card). The LG R1 Expressshould be adequate for older titles, but more recent FPS games are a no-go.

Battery life was reasonable on this system with an uptime of 3 hours 30 minutes. It beat the 3 hours 9 minutes of the HP Pavilion dv2000, though the Compaq system made a much better showing.

BAPCo MobileMark2002 battery life in minutes (longer bars indicate longer battery life)

LG R1 Express
(Core 2 Duo processor 1.83GHz; 14.1-inch screen)

210

HP Pavilion dv2000
(Core Duo processor 1.83GHz; 14.1-inch screen)

189

Compaq Presario V3000
(Core Duo processor 1.83GHz; 14.1-inch screen)

254

Service And Support
LG notebooks come with a one-year international warranty. For an additional S$269, the coverage can be extended for an additional two years of local support. The company also offers an interest-free loan of 36 months for all laptop purchases through its authorized retailers. On its support Web site, you can download user manuals and device drivers. However, there is no knowledge database or comprehensive FAQ for self-diagnosis. There is also no telephone technical support and only a hotline number is given for basic enquiries. In case of hardware failure, the unit should be brought to a service center for repair. It is unfortunate that the number of service centers, of which there's only one location in Singapore, is found lacking. Overall, there is much room for improvement when it comes to LG's technical support.

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