I had this laptop for nearly three weeks, and I think it's great!
Abstract:
Pros:
- Lightweight
- With a clean and discreet
- Robust, most surfaces are made of metal (only the edge, hinges, and bottom panels are some plastic). You can easily get out of the corner with one hand.
- Battery life is good (+ 7.5 hours with mixed use). Moreover, not "increase the battery" on the back!
- The battery is removable
- Trackpad and has a configurable controller (Control Panel> Hardware and Sound> Mouse> Device Settings> Settings ...)
- Value, saves enough money for a SSD compared to a system of competition as a MacBook Pro (see below)
Pros:
- The screen is not very large. (Not bad, though - right in the narrow vertical viewing angle).
- The color black means you may be tempted to clean the keyboard / trackpad a bit obsessive.
- Industrial Odor opening in the early days of the property (now defunct)
- When closed, the lid depresses slightly when pressure is applied to half. I suggest keep your ticket includes the cover fabric keyboard scratch protection. (Note that the stripes on the keyboard are also present in other notebooks, including Apple Macbooks robust, so I'm not taking all the points).
General:
I am giving this laptop five stars because it represents a great value. I paid $ 835 for the system, and replaced the hard drive with an Intel X25-M SSD 120 GB ($ 175). The total cost of my system, therefore, was $ 1010, which puts him in the territory of entry level Macbook.
(Note that the SSD is very easy to install - unscrew two panels in the back, change the disc and clean install the operating system).
Why SSD? With the SSD arena Bridge processor, performance is excellent - the onset is rapid (15 seconds from button to the login screen, and 8 seconds from start to load the desktop). Programs launched quickly, and the closure is very fast. I would say the value system with the hard drive is a little unbalanced (processor is too fast for the 5400 RPM drive), but at least it comes with plenty of space and does not cost much. With this configuration, the boot program launch and slower, and you're stuck with bloatware, but the computer still works reasonably fast.
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Comparisons with other systems:
Compared with air, the R835 (SSD installed) provides:
- More storage space (120 GB SSD 64 GB on my R835 for $ 999 vs 11 "model MBA)
--- With SSD, similar start times (23 seconds vs R835. 15 / 2 * * Hotel Rates 02/06/2011 to MBA) and power-on hours (both about 2 seconds)
A better processor memory (i5-2410M against a Core 2 Duo) and many more -
- Long battery life of the removable battery +
- A DVD drive, USB 3.0, eSATA, VGA (no need to carry an adapter)
- 0.9 or 0.3 kg of weight (up to 11 "and 13" models MBA, respectively).
- About 0.25 thick "more
Compared to the MacBook Pro (13 "base model), we obtain:
- $ 190 in savings (on the R835 with SSD) or $ 365 savings (shares HDD)
- With the exchange of SSD, you get performance gains compared to the MB. With standard hard drive, you get twice the storage (640 vs. 320, both of 5400 RPM).
- Removable
- Metal construction quality similar (MacBook Pro feels a bit more difficult, but weighs 40% more)
- 1.3 kg in weight reduction (!)
Compared with the plastic MacBook (13 "$ 999 model), we obtain:
- Construction quality metal
- A SSD (for the total cost of the same), or $ 165 in savings of space + 390GB hard drive
- Better processor (two generations ahead) and RAM (4 GB x 2 GB).
- 1.5 pounds of weight savings (!)
So I saw no reason to go with the MacBook when I could get superior performance and save money, weight and battery life with the flexibility R835.
Compared with PC systems to others - is thinner and slightly less expensive than the Lenovo X220 (but not as robust and the battery life a little shorter), and is much cheaper and has a better processor (but has a screen bottom) of the Sony Z series
In summary, the R835 has its expensive competitors seriously consider Apple (or sub-functions, depending on how you look) and costs less than its competitors PC.
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My evaluation unit:
I liked the design - it is very difficult (with its metal construction) and lightweight (3.2 pounds). It does not feel as "heavy" as the Macbook Air, but it is strong enough and light enough for you to lift one end with one hand. On the other hand, certainly breaks a limit to the thinness, which certainly looks good *. The CD / DVD is a big "but wait, there's more" magic trick!
(The design I like because it is pleasantly different from the design of the MacBook. In my Economics class, furtive glances and elegant compared to the sea of shiny apples. It's funny how "Think Different", must now be applied to a PC Instead of a Mac ...)
As noted above, the performance is good, especially with an SSD installed. The weakest point is the integrated graphics, while not completely pathetic, I was able to play without choppiness Portal as well.
The battery life is excellent - I have 7.5 hours of mixed use (web browsing, spreadsheets, including one hour of steam running). I believe you get about 4-5 minutes used per cent (according to Windows, the battery icon), or 400-500 minutes total.
There are some minor inconveniences. For one thing, the screen is very normal, because the vertical viewing angle is not good. Moreover, a drawback to the body color is black to obsessively clean every speck of dust. The unit had a clearly industrial smell when we first arrived, but now is gone. In addition, the lid a bit depressed, I suspect that is needed for the keyboard, leaving scratches on the screen (this also happens with MacBooks, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of design, so I think it is acceptable). To counter this, I use the cloth between the screen and the keyboard when the transport unit at all.
Despite these minor drawbacks, the system comes from high quality global and recommend it to anyone looking for a well built laptop, fast and highly portable. I strongly recommend replacing the SSD hard drive with a stock balance of performance, especially given the relatively low price (for this weight class) leaves a bit of money to buy an SSD.
EDIT (05/16/2011): PCMark Vantage score for my system are here: 3dmark.com/pcmv/444144. You can compare with other systems i5-2410M here: 3dmark.com/search ResultType cpuModelId = 18 and = 1208
EDIT (06/02/2011): I visited the Apple store today. The 11-inch MBA starts in about 50 seconds (do not know what happened so long), while the Core i7 MacBook Pro ($ 1500) started in about 35 seconds (not had the opportunity to experience the MBP i5). If I remember correctly, the R835 pattern took about 60 seconds to boot. Again, the start time of my environment is 23 seconds.
