First off, I have to say it has been a pleasure working with this machine since I pulled it from its packaging yesterday. The packaging itself was pretty straightforward, solid box, laptop in ESD-proof plastic and heavy form braces. They mushed my backpack in the same box, putting the manuals, reinstall CD, lightscribe CD sample, and manuals in the backpack. My two AC adapters were in another box, yet I have yet to find the remote I ordered (would have swore I ordered it--- downside to the Costco order is not seeing the exact details).
The battery was shipped not installed and had to be located and inserted. No big deal. Label said it wasn't charged, but it was. Still did the initial boot on AC power.
And viola! Big, bright beautiful screen. My biggest concern was light leakage, and at first I thought I saw a lot. Turns out it was just my white tee-short highly reflected on the screen. Big phew and a LOL. There is LL, about quarter to half inch across the bottom but very confined (unlike my E1705 that covered half the screen). Lower left and right corners of the screen has a little shading, which I am assuming is a literal dark spot the lamps aren't illumninating. I saw the exact same pattern in CompUSA when I first saw the machine so I was expecting it, and it really isn't a big deal to me.
Screen: A+
I am still finishing up a reinstall of XP and all my associated software, but I have to say this machine is a real screamer. And I mean fast, especially in the hard drive arena. One of the drivers I reinstalled is the "Intel Matrix Storage Manager", which looks like real SATA drivers and I noticed an immediate performance increase from the its addition. DVD-HD transfers are very fast, all HD access is very fast. Can't stress enough how this can make a big difference in Windows performance. Not sure I have yet to fully peg the CPU. Definately one of the fastest machines I've ever worked on... and its a laptop!
Performance: A
Can't give a game play word yet as I have yet to finish loading everything up before the big defrag. Initial 3DMark05 was 3532. All Windows-related graphical drawing was very fast and impressive.
Graphics: TBD
A lot of people talk about build quality, which is a very subjective element. When it comes down to it, nearly all laptops are made of plastic, will creak, moan, and groan depending on what you do or don't do to it.
My impression of this laptops build quality is high. Installing the 2G of memory felt like I had to work a bit to get inside; the memory door was very sturdy and the innerds gave no way.
Unit has a very "solid" feel to it. No noticable keyboard flex, but I am a light typer. Speaking of which, no keyboard issues to date.
All inputs and connectors are on the side of the machine, which is a little odd at first. Two sets of two USB ports on either side, power, even the external monitor connector is on the side. That's because the battery pack is in the back, so the only available connector back there is for the modem which will likely never be used.
Build and feel: A
Overall, I am very pleased with the machine. Drivers are installing predictably. Had to grab the improved Intel wireless drivers, but that is a personal preference more than a requirement. Also grabbed a nice utility to help me undervolt the cpu and monitor the temperature: Notebook Hardware Control. CPU temp has not changed much from 48*C and I don't hear the fans. Seems a little warm to me, but don't have direct control over the fans.
Overall: A
The battery was shipped not installed and had to be located and inserted. No big deal. Label said it wasn't charged, but it was. Still did the initial boot on AC power.
And viola! Big, bright beautiful screen. My biggest concern was light leakage, and at first I thought I saw a lot. Turns out it was just my white tee-short highly reflected on the screen. Big phew and a LOL. There is LL, about quarter to half inch across the bottom but very confined (unlike my E1705 that covered half the screen). Lower left and right corners of the screen has a little shading, which I am assuming is a literal dark spot the lamps aren't illumninating. I saw the exact same pattern in CompUSA when I first saw the machine so I was expecting it, and it really isn't a big deal to me.
Screen: A+
I am still finishing up a reinstall of XP and all my associated software, but I have to say this machine is a real screamer. And I mean fast, especially in the hard drive arena. One of the drivers I reinstalled is the "Intel Matrix Storage Manager", which looks like real SATA drivers and I noticed an immediate performance increase from the its addition. DVD-HD transfers are very fast, all HD access is very fast. Can't stress enough how this can make a big difference in Windows performance. Not sure I have yet to fully peg the CPU. Definately one of the fastest machines I've ever worked on... and its a laptop!
Performance: A
Can't give a game play word yet as I have yet to finish loading everything up before the big defrag. Initial 3DMark05 was 3532. All Windows-related graphical drawing was very fast and impressive.
Graphics: TBD
A lot of people talk about build quality, which is a very subjective element. When it comes down to it, nearly all laptops are made of plastic, will creak, moan, and groan depending on what you do or don't do to it.
My impression of this laptops build quality is high. Installing the 2G of memory felt like I had to work a bit to get inside; the memory door was very sturdy and the innerds gave no way.
Unit has a very "solid" feel to it. No noticable keyboard flex, but I am a light typer. Speaking of which, no keyboard issues to date.
All inputs and connectors are on the side of the machine, which is a little odd at first. Two sets of two USB ports on either side, power, even the external monitor connector is on the side. That's because the battery pack is in the back, so the only available connector back there is for the modem which will likely never be used.
Build and feel: A
Overall, I am very pleased with the machine. Drivers are installing predictably. Had to grab the improved Intel wireless drivers, but that is a personal preference more than a requirement. Also grabbed a nice utility to help me undervolt the cpu and monitor the temperature: Notebook Hardware Control. CPU temp has not changed much from 48*C and I don't hear the fans. Seems a little warm to me, but don't have direct control over the fans.
Overall: A
