I had the Z71V for about a week and have since returned it, but thought I'd put up my overall impressions (even though I am a noob to these boards!). I'm not a gamer, so this review will be from more of a graphic designer/general use perspective.
SPECS
15.4” WSXGA Screen
Intel® Pentium® M processor 740 2MB Cache 1.73GHz 533FSB
Hitachi 40GB/8MB 5400RPM
1GB DDR2-4200
Combo 8x DVD/24x10x24 CDRW
Intel 802.11 a/b/g wireless card
PROs
1. Ordering from the ISTNC website was quick and simple. Click click click and done.
2. Build quality was rock solid, very sturdy. Plastic, but high quality and very well constructed.
3. I’m not a gamer or into benchmarking/overclocking/undervolting, and my old Sony is so many light years behind the current landscape that an abacus would be an improvement, but this thing was SUPER fast! Booted up in about 30 seconds, no lag when working in Photoshop, overall just a total wow factor.
4. My first experience with wireless was quite the love affair! Setup was a breeze and no issues whatsoever with connectivity.
5. Sexy is as sexy does, but I personally was very happy with the look and feel of the design.
6. Miscellaneous tidbits - The power brick is tiny! Very compact. Really liked the scroll function of the touchpad. LOVED that the touchpad automatically disabled when I plugged an external mouse in. Also liked that there was a touchpad disable hot button. Not much to report on the ALS, Power5Gear, weight or battery life, but there are several reviews here that go into detail on those features.
SO-SOs
1. The keyboard was solid all around EXCEPT for the top two rows (numbers and F keys). Noticeable flex there. Not a huge issue though, as I don’t use those keys as often. It was a bit odd to have the CTRL and FN keys in switched positions (FN key on the outside left, CTRL next to it), but something I could have gotten used to.
2. The fans stayed on all the time. They were MUCH quieter compared to my ancient Sony-sounds-like-a-vacuum-cleaner, but unlike some reviewers have written, mine were not silent to the point where I had to put my ear to the notebook to tell if they were on. I could definitely hear them, but they were fairly quiet so while not ideal it was not a dealbreaker. If anything, I was just worried that something was wrong! The rather louder whirr of the gpu fan kicked in here and there while working in Photoshop, but only for a second or two at a time.
3. With the volume on mute, I didn’t hear any clicking of the hard drive. However, I could hear the hard drive “thinking” – whenever the green hard drive light flashed, a scratchy little tune played in tandem with it. Again referring to my Sony, the fan is so loud on that thing that it drowns out everything else, so the scratching sound may be normal.
NOs
1. There was a high-pitched whine that may have been coming from either the fans or the hard drive, it was hard to distinguish the exact source.
2. Darkness was evident on the right side of the screen, as others have reported. The viewing angles both horizontally and vertically were, I felt, pretty disappointing.
AND…THE DEALBREAKER
1. The “sparkly” factor of the screen I found to be a dealbreaker. On certain websites, such as this forum with the black background, the sparkliness was not that noticeable, and I’m sure in games you can't even tell. I sat with it for about a week, thinking maybe it was something I just needed to get used to. Unfortunately, I couldn't. Just being on the Internet, the grainy background was annoying. But it was working with images and files in graphic design programs where it unfortunately proved to be too much of an interference for me.
Please keep in mind that the “sparkly” factor of the screen is totally, completely subjective. There are others here who work in design programs for whom this has not proven an issue. And from what I’ve been told, this is an aspect inherent to some degree in all WSXGA LCDs, not something that is specific to the Z71V. However, for me personally, this alone was a dealbreaker. So, the Z71V has now been sent back to ISTNC.
SPEAKING OF ISTNC...
I must mention that the service I've gotten from ISTNC, Rick in particular, has been absolutely fantastic. I’ve asked him a zillion questions via live chat before I ordered, have asked him a zillion questions via email since, and his responses have always been quick, detailed, knowledgeable, professional, and helpful. Never once has he made me feel like I’m bothering him – quite the opposite. I’m exchanging the Z71V for the M6BNe with slightly different specs (which was my original choice before the Z71V came on the scene) and all I had to do was ship the Z71V back. No restocking charges AND they’re even shipping the new one to me on their dime. I’ve been so impressed with the great service I’ve gotten from Rick and ISTNC, I feel like saying that line from Miracle on 34th Street – “I’m coming here for everything but toilet paper and bananas!”
Edited to correct my comment under "Nos", #2. Meant darkness, not leakage.
SPECS
15.4” WSXGA Screen
Intel® Pentium® M processor 740 2MB Cache 1.73GHz 533FSB
Hitachi 40GB/8MB 5400RPM
1GB DDR2-4200
Combo 8x DVD/24x10x24 CDRW
Intel 802.11 a/b/g wireless card
PROs
1. Ordering from the ISTNC website was quick and simple. Click click click and done.
2. Build quality was rock solid, very sturdy. Plastic, but high quality and very well constructed.
3. I’m not a gamer or into benchmarking/overclocking/undervolting, and my old Sony is so many light years behind the current landscape that an abacus would be an improvement, but this thing was SUPER fast! Booted up in about 30 seconds, no lag when working in Photoshop, overall just a total wow factor.
4. My first experience with wireless was quite the love affair! Setup was a breeze and no issues whatsoever with connectivity.
5. Sexy is as sexy does, but I personally was very happy with the look and feel of the design.
6. Miscellaneous tidbits - The power brick is tiny! Very compact. Really liked the scroll function of the touchpad. LOVED that the touchpad automatically disabled when I plugged an external mouse in. Also liked that there was a touchpad disable hot button. Not much to report on the ALS, Power5Gear, weight or battery life, but there are several reviews here that go into detail on those features.
SO-SOs
1. The keyboard was solid all around EXCEPT for the top two rows (numbers and F keys). Noticeable flex there. Not a huge issue though, as I don’t use those keys as often. It was a bit odd to have the CTRL and FN keys in switched positions (FN key on the outside left, CTRL next to it), but something I could have gotten used to.
2. The fans stayed on all the time. They were MUCH quieter compared to my ancient Sony-sounds-like-a-vacuum-cleaner, but unlike some reviewers have written, mine were not silent to the point where I had to put my ear to the notebook to tell if they were on. I could definitely hear them, but they were fairly quiet so while not ideal it was not a dealbreaker. If anything, I was just worried that something was wrong! The rather louder whirr of the gpu fan kicked in here and there while working in Photoshop, but only for a second or two at a time.
3. With the volume on mute, I didn’t hear any clicking of the hard drive. However, I could hear the hard drive “thinking” – whenever the green hard drive light flashed, a scratchy little tune played in tandem with it. Again referring to my Sony, the fan is so loud on that thing that it drowns out everything else, so the scratching sound may be normal.
NOs
1. There was a high-pitched whine that may have been coming from either the fans or the hard drive, it was hard to distinguish the exact source.
2. Darkness was evident on the right side of the screen, as others have reported. The viewing angles both horizontally and vertically were, I felt, pretty disappointing.
AND…THE DEALBREAKER
1. The “sparkly” factor of the screen I found to be a dealbreaker. On certain websites, such as this forum with the black background, the sparkliness was not that noticeable, and I’m sure in games you can't even tell. I sat with it for about a week, thinking maybe it was something I just needed to get used to. Unfortunately, I couldn't. Just being on the Internet, the grainy background was annoying. But it was working with images and files in graphic design programs where it unfortunately proved to be too much of an interference for me.
Please keep in mind that the “sparkly” factor of the screen is totally, completely subjective. There are others here who work in design programs for whom this has not proven an issue. And from what I’ve been told, this is an aspect inherent to some degree in all WSXGA LCDs, not something that is specific to the Z71V. However, for me personally, this alone was a dealbreaker. So, the Z71V has now been sent back to ISTNC.
SPEAKING OF ISTNC...
I must mention that the service I've gotten from ISTNC, Rick in particular, has been absolutely fantastic. I’ve asked him a zillion questions via live chat before I ordered, have asked him a zillion questions via email since, and his responses have always been quick, detailed, knowledgeable, professional, and helpful. Never once has he made me feel like I’m bothering him – quite the opposite. I’m exchanging the Z71V for the M6BNe with slightly different specs (which was my original choice before the Z71V came on the scene) and all I had to do was ship the Z71V back. No restocking charges AND they’re even shipping the new one to me on their dime. I’ve been so impressed with the great service I’ve gotten from Rick and ISTNC, I feel like saying that line from Miracle on 34th Street – “I’m coming here for everything but toilet paper and bananas!”
Edited to correct my comment under "Nos", #2. Meant darkness, not leakage.
