Top 10 laptops in 2007
But the real story must surely be in the UMPC sector. The first generation did not fare well as they cost as much as a budget notebook with significantly slower performance. The Kohjinsha SA1 was the first to break the S$1,000 (US$803.47) barrier and made this category viable. The Asus Eee PC was even more aggressive. Despite going for under S$600 (US$482.08), it was a full-fledged computing machine in an exceptionally portable form factor. Even the newcomer, Packard Bell, launched the EasyNote XS20 at the last SITEX show. Gigabyte, known for making mainboards, came up with the Gigabyte U60 which is a surprisingly competent system.
On the other end of the scale, the Dell XPS M1730 made headlines with its dual graphics card setup. Though such systems have been around in the US, such high-end gaming machines were denied to Asian consumers until now. Its blazing performance and feature-rich package earned it the coveted Editors' Choice award. It's smaller sibling, the XPS M1530, also recieved the same honor due to its good looks and gaming capabilities.
Our top 10 charts take into account not only readership figures, but also how the various portables performed in the retail market. As such, several popular models like the Asus Eee PC did not make it to the charts as it was only launched late in the year. Nonetheless, our research shows that Asian consumers stuck to their value-for-money philosphy. Most of the most popular models go for around the S$2,000 (US$1,606.94) mark. Without further ado, lets look at the most popular laptops in 2007.
Click here for a feature comparison table.
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1. | Compaq Presario V3000 series (Core Duo T2400 Processor 1.83Hz, 512MB RAM)
CNET Asia rating: 6.9 out of 10 The good: Strong set of specs for the price; solid performance and battery life; bright 14.1-inch display; includes most of the ports and connections home users need.
The bad: Putting pressure on the case above the optical disc drive results in a buzzing noise.
The bottom line: The HP Compaq Presario V3000 delivers a strong set of components--plus a choice between AMD and Intel processors--and a decent set of basic features for a competitive price.
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2. | HP Pavilion dv2500 (Core 2 Duo T7300 processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM)
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good: Strong set of specs for price; performance almost matches that of more expensive laptops; attractive 14.1-inch display; dual headphone jacks and fingerprint reader; includes most of the ports and connections home users need.
The bad: Average battery life with the standard six-cell battery; opting for an HDMI port means sacrificing a USB port.
The bottom line: The HP Pavilion dv2500 delivers an eye-catching case, a strong set of features, and solid performance at a lower price than competing systems. We recommend it for home or school use.
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3. | Acer Aspire 5583WXMi (Core 2 Duo T5500 Processor 1.66GHz, 512MB RAM)
Outlook
With a starting price of S$1,698 (US$1,364.29), Acer is offering an inexpensive Windows Vista-ready system on the Core 2 Duo processor. It is also a pleasant surprise to see an entry-level discrete graphics card and a full suite of connectivity options living in this Aspire.
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4. | Acer Aspire 5610AWLMi (Core Solo Processor T1350 1.86GHz, 512MB RAM)
Outlook
For a laptop at under S$1,400 (US$1,124.86), this Aspire certainly offers a competent feature set. It has a DVD writer, memory card reader and runs on Intel's Core Solo platform. Granted it would have been nicer if it was a dual-core machine, but the basic user would probably not feel the difference.
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5. | HP Compaq Business Notebook nx6320 (Core Duo T2500 Processor 2.0GHz, 512MB RAM)
Outlook
It may not be the prettiest model on the market, but the HP nx6320 knows what it does best and goes for it. It has fingerprint sensor, TPM security chip and harddisk protection to ensure that private data stays confidential. The unassuming chassis is laminated with a scratch-resistant coating to prevent disfiguring scars from everyday use. Coupled with its reasonable price and options to use either Intel Core Duo or AMD Turion X2 processors, the nx6320 definitely gives the competition a run for their money.
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Click here for a feature comparison table.
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6. | Acer Aspire 5052AWXMi (AMD Turion 64 Processor 2.2GHz, 512MB RAM)
Outlook
Don't look down on this machine just because it is not a Centrino system. Though it costs less than S$1,300 (US$1,044.51), this notebook has a blazing-fast 2.2GHz Turion processor with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 which, in some reports, perform better than Intel's integrated graphics solution. It even comes with the new Windows Vista Basic Edition operating system.
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7. | Lenovo 3000 N200 (Core 2 Duo T7300 Processor 2.0GHz; 1GB RAM)
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good: Inexpensive; strong productivity and multitasking performance; great battery life; comfortable keyboard; robust system management and help utility.
The bad: Somewhat thick; small touchpad; lousy speakers; few dedicated multimedia controls; poor gaming performance.
The bottom line: The business-friendly Lenovo 3000 N200 offers strong performance, great battery life and, best of all, a competitive price.
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8. | HP Pavilion dv9100 (Core 2 Duo T7400 processor 2.16GHz; 2GB RAM)
 CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10 The good: Competitively priced; HDMI output; excellent graphics performance; remote control; integrated Webcam; dual hard drive bays.
The bad: Non-swappable optical drive bay; no TV tuner; no Windows XP Media Center Edition option.
The bottom line: It may not be much of a productivity performer, but plug in an external TV tuner and the HP Pavilion dv9100 would more than satisfy your entertainment and gaming needs.
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9. | Lenovo Y410 (Core 2 Duo T7100 processor 1.8GHz; 1GB RAM)
First take
After buying over IBM's PC department, Lenovo expanded its range of notebooks to reflect the needs of those who do not require the premium support of the ThinkPad series. The Lenovo 3000 C, N and V series are portables targeting small and medium business (SMB) users, while the Lenovo Y range is aimed at the consumer market. For a portable entertainment notebook, the Y410 is certainly attractive at a starting price of S$1,599 (US$1,284.75), one which only models like Acer Aspire 4710 and Dell Inspiron 1420 with far fewer features can compete.
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10. | Acer Aspire 5920G (Core 2 Duo T7300 Processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM)
CNET Asia rating: 6.8 out of 10 The good: High-end specifications; excellent performance; brilliant screen.
The bad: Grey coloring; misplaced USB port; overall design.
The bottom line: The Aspire 5920 is a candidate for the ugliest laptop of the year. It's smeared in enough grey to put British skies to shame, and has had some absolutely awful design touches. But the rest of the laptop is a very good one. It's fast, feature-packed and is excellent value for money.
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About the author
Tracking laptop and PC trends since 2005, Darius Chang may have been knee deep in bits and bytes but is certainly not a binary person. Under that big and soft exterior holds a marshmallow core which dotes on his god-daughters and nephew. Suspected of ADD, his interests span disparate fields such as sustainability studies, diving, sports, politics, etc. A true jack of all trades, but master of one (maybe two).
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