Despite its angled, sleek appearance, the Studio XPS 1340 is surprisingly hefty, weighing 5.1 pounds. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is a half pound lighter, while the older, heavier Lucite MacBook weighs the same as the Studio XPS 1340. Even with a big nine-cell battery, the 13-inch HP Pavilion dv3-2155mx weighs 5 pounds, and the 14-inch Dell Studio S1440-022B weighs only 4.7 pounds (but ditches the optical drive to save weight). One final note about the design: the Dell Studio XPS X1340-024B runs hot. After 15 or so minutes of typical use (Windows apps and Firefox, mind you, not gaming), the left side of the laptop begins to cook your thigh. A relatively quiet fan spins to cool the GPU, but it would seem to be overmatched. The laptop seized up several times during our review process, and it's worth noting that a few online customer reviews of the X1340 also reported heat issues and instability problems.
Dell is on the leading edge of laptop connection collections. HDMI is becoming more common in laptops, but those offering a DisplayPort connection are still in the minority. Surprisingly, a VGA port makes the cut here, though it was left off of the similar Studio S1440. FireWire is slowly fading from popularity, but a four-pin FireWire port shows up here, along with an eSATA port (which doubles as the second USB 2.0 port) for faster data transfer times to an external drive.The X1340 costs $100 to $170 more than many of the other mainstream retail laptops with which it shares shelf space, but some of the added cost goes toward a more powerful CPU. The system uses Intel's 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600, which is clocked faster than the 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T6500 chip found in competing models. Compared with the T6500, the P8600 also operates on a faster frontside bus (1,066MHz to 800MHz) and has more L2 cache (3MB to 2MB). The X1340 also uses fast 1,066MHz DDR3 memory and a 7,200rpm hard drive; you'll typically find 800MHz DDR2 memory and a 5,4000rpm drive in laptops at or just below this price.
The Studio XPS X1340 features an integrated graphics chip, the Nvidia GeForce 9400M, which is the same GPU used in the MacBook. It posted 25 frames per second in Unreal Tournament III at 1,280x800 pixels, which is respectable for an integrated graphics solution that must borrow resources from main system memory (in this case, it borrows up to 256MB of the system's fast DDR3 memory). Dial back the resolution and detail settings a bit, and you'll get playable frame rates.The X1340 ran for a disappointing 2 hours 21 minutes on CNET Labs' video playback battery drain test, which is far less than the 3-plus hours we'd expect from a 13-inch laptop on this test. The HP Pavilion dv3-2155mx offers more than double the battery life, and while it uses a larger, extended-cell battery, it still manages to weigh less than the X1340.
It won't be the lightest laptop on campus this fall, and it may not fit into every knapsack or laptop bag, but if you're willing and able to tote around a little extra weight, the Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T holds great appeal for its big, cinematic display and roomy keyboard. The software bundle is a winner, too, with a full version of Microsoft Office and 12 months of Norton Internet Security. (Make sure you get the discs at purchase; on our test system, only the trials of Office and Norton were preinstalled and no CDs were in the box. We've heard various customers report similar occurrences.)Sadly, Sony equips the Vaio NW125 with a standard six-cell battery, which delivers less than 3 hours running time on a single charge. Given the size of the laptop, there would appear to be room for an extended-cell battery. Two 14-inch laptops, the Dell Studio S1440-022B and the Toshiba Satellite E105-S1602, each manage to squeeze in a longer-running eight-cell battery that still sits flush with the system.
We greatly prefer the Vaio NW125 to the similarly sized but single-core that's also on store shelves this summer. Not only does the Sony offer superior performance, thanks to its Intel Core 2 Duo processor, but we like its overall design better. In the end, a laptop with an extra-wide 15.5-inch display isn't the best choice for everyone, but the Vaio VGN-NW125J/T brings enough to the table to justify the added heft for many mainstream laptop users.Sony is arguably second only to Apple in terms of the emphasis it places on laptop design, so the Vaio NW125's unique look shouldn't come as a surprise. The plastic chassis is, according to Sony, a "walnut brown" and is textured. The grooved pattern looks like a fine wood grain, almost bamboo-like in appearance. The textured plastic covers the lid as well as the keyboard deck.
The touch pad, too, is textured, but in its case, it's a grid of raised dots. The feel is an acquired taste. For the first hour we had the NW125, the touch pad felt too rough, as if we were moving the cursor by dragging a finger over a piece of sandpaper. After a short time, we began to like the feel it provides--the polar opposite of the overly glossy touch pads found on HP Pavilions--and found it to be very responsive. The touch pad also features wide vertical and horizontal scroll regions along its right and bottom edges, respectively. The mouse buttons border on being clacky, but they're far from egregious offenders in this regard.The keyboard is stellar. Where Asus crams in a separate number pad on its 15.6-inch UX50V laptop, Sony wisely leaves it off on the Vaio NW125. As a result, the keyboard is centered beneath the display and feels very roomy. The Chiclet-style keys don't offer the supple feel of the Dell Studio S1440, but they offer good travel with nary a key shortened. Despite its obvious entertainment appeal, the Vaio NW125 doesn't feature a strip of media control keys; you'll need to use the F keys to pause, fast forward, rewind, and control the volume. In addition to the power button, only three other buttons reside above the keyboard: a mute button, a handy Web button opens your default browser, and a third that turns the display off and on.
The 15.5-inch screen features a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1,366x768-pixel native resolution, making it a perfect fit for HD video (although it's not a full 1080p display). The screen has a glossy coating to spiff up the appearance of movies and photos, and while it does help make colors pop and movement look smoother, it might be the least-glossy glossy screen we've seen, so glare and reflections are not a problem. Also not a problem: the integrated speakers, which reach a respectable level and max volume.
You'll find a useful assortment of ports and connections on the NW125. HDMI is featured, for outputting video to an HDTV, as is VGA for connecting to older computer monitors. FireWire (i.Link in Sony's parlance) makes the cut, joining a trio of USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA port.As a member of Best Buy's Next Class program, the Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T (a configuration exclusive to the retail store) goes beyond just software trials and actually offers a useful software bundle. Or so claims Best Buy on its Web site. Next Class systems we recently reviewed--the Dell Studio S1440-022B and the HP Pavilion dv4-1465dx--included CDs (with activation codes) of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and Norton Internet Security 2009. Our Vaio NS125 test system included neither. We would have chalked this up to us receiving an early production system, but multiple customer comments on Best Buy's Web site report missing CDs. Be sure to look in the box for both Office and Norton CDs should you decide to purchase the Vaio NW125J/T.
On CNET Labs application benchmarks, the NW125 kept pace with other systems that feature the same configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor, 4GB of memory, a 5,400rpm hard drive, and integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics. It provides more than enough muscle for general mainstream use, including heavy multitasking, and should be able to handle any nongaming task you throw at it.The Vaio NW125 uses a standard six-cell battery and lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes on CNET Labs' demanding battery drain test. In anecdotal testing, with the laptop running under typical usage scenario, we didn't surpass the 3-hour mark. That's fairly disappointing, when you consider smaller laptops at or near the NW125's price use extended-cell batteries, which greatly lengthen the time you can spend away from a wall outlet.The HP Pavilion dv3-2155mx packs a small 13.3-inch screen with a movie- and HD-friendly 16:9 aspect ratio and a big, nine-cell battery. Weighing an even 5 pounds, it's a highly portable laptop, but thanks to its extended-cell battery, it's not much lighter (and in one case, heavier) than larger 14-inch models. The long-running battery will get you through a double feature, and watching movies ought to be a priority if you're thinking about pulling the trigger on the Pavilion dv3-2155mx.
The dragon-and-floral imprint finish will also need to appeal to you; the Pavilion dv3-2155mx is a fixed configuration retail model with one and only one chassis option. There aren't any deal-breakers to be found on this $729 thin-and-light laptop--depending on your opinions of dragons--but the $749 Dell Studio S1440-022B offers a larger display and a lighter weight (but no DVD burner), while the $799 Toshiba Satellite E105-S1602 is only a hair heavier and features a 14-inch display, backlit keys, and a two-year warranty.HP Pavilion laptops stand out from the mainstream pack by offering a bit of flair with their imprint finishes. The Pavilion dv3-2155mx is no different, with a dragon-and-floral print running vertically through its indigo-blue chassis. The dragons can be found on the lid and also run across the wrist rest and touch pad. There isn't much contrast between the bluish-silver dragon print and background color, so if you're scared off by the thought of dragons populating your laptop, check it out in person before drawing a conclusion. Still, the overall effect is more "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" than Dungeons & Dragons.
Like the 14-inch Pavilion dv4-1465dx, the Pavilion dv3-2155mx features an extended-cell battery that protrudes from the bottom of the system. The dv3-2155mx has a trimmer battery, a nine-cell unit as opposed to the huge 12-cell battery that weighs down the dv4-1465dx. The nine-cell battery juts out of the bottom of the laptop by 0.75 inch, and its rounded shape makes a convenient handle when carrying about the laptop with the lid closed. However, the battery doesn't run the whole length (only about three-quarters) of the laptop, so when the laptop is resting on your thighs, it lists to the right. The battery also creates a ridge that's uncomfortable when on your lap; the weight-bearing ridge begins to dig into your thigh after a time. When seated at a desk or table, though, the battery provides a comfortable angle for typing.
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