Like DanGordon, I just received my 5660 and am EXTREMELY pleased.
I just want to make a few points that should dispell some of the misinformation or rather misleading statements made by lots of people.
The hard drive is NOT loud. In fact, I can't even hear it. I don't know what people are complaining about regarding clicking. I don't hear anything at all. I have the GAX Toshiba 5,400 drive and there is no clicking, clanking or anything. I CANNOT HEAR THE DRIVE. I was under the impression it would be unbearably noisy like the drives on my two Toshiba satellites, but thankfully it turned out that the hard disk is virtually silent!
This unit's fans are NOT loud. I am quite surprised to find that it is actually the QUIETEST notebook I have ever used. And that includes IBM, Gateway, Dell and Toshiba. The power adapter's fan is, however, noticeable. I suggest you put it as far away from you as possible. If its under your desk, i'm sure most of the noise will dissipate.
The laptop is visually attractive. Okay, so this is subjective, but it is MUCH nicer looking in real life than in the photos. In most photos it looks like a dull grey. It is in fact a very modern combination of silver and metallic grey. It is NOT dull in color. I will definitely NOT paint this any other color. And I would not prefer any of Alienware's colors as I had stated before.
Performance: WOW!! Right out of the box, I installed the included drivers (chipset, ATI and Audio drivers) and then ran 3DMark 2001 and got a whopping score of 7096 WITHOUT any tuning. I can't wait to tune this baby and see where I can take it.
Screen: ZERO dead pixels. Extremely bright. I had to actually tone it down all the way. This is very good in the long term because over time laptops screens dim slowly. So two years from now I can increase the brightness and it will be like having a brand new screen. Clarity, resolution etc.. are all tops. Only thing the Dell Ultrasharp is better in is viewing angle, but why would anyone be looking at his screen from an offset angle????
Heat: Yes, the laptop gets warm. Is it excessive heat? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Toshibas and Sony's get MUCH hotter!! Maybe extended use with a demanding game or photoshop project will get it to run hotter than I have experienced, but so far this is not hot at all! In fact, I am typing this with the laptop on my lap with only a FEDEX envelope seperating it from my jeans. I can't feel the heat. I have to put my hand to the side of the exhaust fans to feel it. And given that its snowing in Montreal as I type this, the heat is actually a benefit now.
Keyboard: Great. It has a great tactile feel. I can't type as fast as I can on my Toshiba, but I find that I'm not hitting wrong keys. The key placement and feel is top notch.
Chassis: Very very solid. The outer casing of the 5660 is close to but not at the strength of the Dells (the plastic quality I mean) but the chassis inside seems more solid than anything I've ever owned. And I guess that's what matters.
Overall, I am extremely pleased and quite pleasantly surprised with this laptop. I did not expect the 5660 to be so aesthetic looking, so powerful out of the box and so quiet. It is definitely an underrated machine. Given its feature set and high value, I think anyone buying a Dell/Gateway/Toshiba with this knowledge is crazy.
badluckboy
PS - I will add more thoughts after I put this laptop through my usual strenuous tests.
I just want to make a few points that should dispell some of the misinformation or rather misleading statements made by lots of people.
The hard drive is NOT loud. In fact, I can't even hear it. I don't know what people are complaining about regarding clicking. I don't hear anything at all. I have the GAX Toshiba 5,400 drive and there is no clicking, clanking or anything. I CANNOT HEAR THE DRIVE. I was under the impression it would be unbearably noisy like the drives on my two Toshiba satellites, but thankfully it turned out that the hard disk is virtually silent!
This unit's fans are NOT loud. I am quite surprised to find that it is actually the QUIETEST notebook I have ever used. And that includes IBM, Gateway, Dell and Toshiba. The power adapter's fan is, however, noticeable. I suggest you put it as far away from you as possible. If its under your desk, i'm sure most of the noise will dissipate.
The laptop is visually attractive. Okay, so this is subjective, but it is MUCH nicer looking in real life than in the photos. In most photos it looks like a dull grey. It is in fact a very modern combination of silver and metallic grey. It is NOT dull in color. I will definitely NOT paint this any other color. And I would not prefer any of Alienware's colors as I had stated before.
Performance: WOW!! Right out of the box, I installed the included drivers (chipset, ATI and Audio drivers) and then ran 3DMark 2001 and got a whopping score of 7096 WITHOUT any tuning. I can't wait to tune this baby and see where I can take it.
Screen: ZERO dead pixels. Extremely bright. I had to actually tone it down all the way. This is very good in the long term because over time laptops screens dim slowly. So two years from now I can increase the brightness and it will be like having a brand new screen. Clarity, resolution etc.. are all tops. Only thing the Dell Ultrasharp is better in is viewing angle, but why would anyone be looking at his screen from an offset angle????
Heat: Yes, the laptop gets warm. Is it excessive heat? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Toshibas and Sony's get MUCH hotter!! Maybe extended use with a demanding game or photoshop project will get it to run hotter than I have experienced, but so far this is not hot at all! In fact, I am typing this with the laptop on my lap with only a FEDEX envelope seperating it from my jeans. I can't feel the heat. I have to put my hand to the side of the exhaust fans to feel it. And given that its snowing in Montreal as I type this, the heat is actually a benefit now.
Keyboard: Great. It has a great tactile feel. I can't type as fast as I can on my Toshiba, but I find that I'm not hitting wrong keys. The key placement and feel is top notch.
Chassis: Very very solid. The outer casing of the 5660 is close to but not at the strength of the Dells (the plastic quality I mean) but the chassis inside seems more solid than anything I've ever owned. And I guess that's what matters.
Overall, I am extremely pleased and quite pleasantly surprised with this laptop. I did not expect the 5660 to be so aesthetic looking, so powerful out of the box and so quiet. It is definitely an underrated machine. Given its feature set and high value, I think anyone buying a Dell/Gateway/Toshiba with this knowledge is crazy.
badluckboy
PS - I will add more thoughts after I put this laptop through my usual strenuous tests.
