Alright, this will be a short review but hopefully it'll add something to prospective buyers.
Background:
I'm a law student who will be using this laptop daily for notetaking and during the exam period for typing exams. I use dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software when I can. Also, I enjoy a good game every now and then. During travel I use my computer as a DVD player. So what I was looking for is a good all-around machine, one that had power yet was as portable as possible.
Other machines I considered were the M3 from, Toshiba, the Dell 9300, and the Acer 8103. I at first decided on the M3 and even placed the order. Upon doing some further research I discovered that the M3's 6600 "TE" was a severely crippled 6600. Considering the price and the fact that the laptop wasn't widescreen (I often need to have multiple documents side by side) I ended up cancelling the order. As for the Dell 9300, the advice of numerous people at my law school with Dells convinced me that they lacked the reliability that I required. Also, I had some previous bad experience with Dell that confirmed that they were not a good choice if reliability was a paramount concern. Furthermore, the 9300 was larger than the z71v, and I liked the idea of a laptop that could be easily disassembled. As for the Acer, it was much like the Z71v, but I heard of some QC issues with them, and they ran hot which raised more reliability issues. Acer support sounded terrible. The cost was also higher and the lack of customization made the laptop even more expensive. I also briefly considered an Apple Powerbook but for oh so many reasons quickly decided against it.
The purchasing experience:
I purchased the z71v from geared2play.com. The purchase was a very positive experience. Because my old laptop (an Emachines M6805) had a fan issue that prevented me from using it on exams I needed a new laptop quickly. Due to an unavoidable memory issue the system was slightly delayed, but after explaining my situation Geared2play upgraded shipping to overnight free. Plus, they were very willing to advise me on my purchase.
Here's the system I ordered:
1.86Ghz 533 Proc.
7200rpm 60GB Drive
WSXGA+ screen
1GB 1 stick of DDR2 ram
128MB 6600
a/b/g wireless card
2 year warranty
$1726 (I'm recalling all this from memory)
Initial opinion:
I'm not going to bother with pictures or benchmarks, since this area has been thoroughly covered in other reviews. So, I'll just get to the point. The performance is great, I like the keyboard. Of course, with its specs good performance is to be expected. The only game I've played is Counter-Strike Source, which plays great. Performance is much better than the M6805, though it has double the RAM (which is also faster), a faster drive, and an arguably better processor. The laptop is better looking than the photos give it credit for. While the case is made of plastic there's minimal flex anywhere and it appears superbly built. The laptop is very quiet and runs very cool. But of course, you all already knew this from other reviews.
So lets look at the issues that people are complaining about, mainly the screen. First, the sparkles. If I didn't read about them on this board I really wouldn't have noticed. The contrast is great, and the high resolution produces a great result. Much better than the WXGA screen on the M6805. Also, no dead or stuck pixels. I had 3 on the M6805 and they drove me nuts. As for light leakage, I guess if you're in a dark room with the windows black screen saver on you can see some. Otherwise, you'll never notice. My only complaint is that in the bottom right hand corner its darker than the rest of the screen. Its probably a .5"x.5" area. Its no big deal for me but I can see how it would bug some people. I guess screens are a very subjective area and what will bug one person will be fine for the next. But I'm satisfied.
The final verdict:
No regrets and I'd buy it again. I'd prefer something with a better looking case, one possibly made out of magnesium or aluminum. But given the price I didn't expect to have it all. The fact is that as we get to dual core, 64 bit, etc. I figured that we were on the horizon of some big changes in computing. As a result, it made no sense for me to spend a massive amount on a system when I'll likely want a new one in 3 years.
If there are any questions, feel free to ask.
Background:
I'm a law student who will be using this laptop daily for notetaking and during the exam period for typing exams. I use dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software when I can. Also, I enjoy a good game every now and then. During travel I use my computer as a DVD player. So what I was looking for is a good all-around machine, one that had power yet was as portable as possible.
Other machines I considered were the M3 from, Toshiba, the Dell 9300, and the Acer 8103. I at first decided on the M3 and even placed the order. Upon doing some further research I discovered that the M3's 6600 "TE" was a severely crippled 6600. Considering the price and the fact that the laptop wasn't widescreen (I often need to have multiple documents side by side) I ended up cancelling the order. As for the Dell 9300, the advice of numerous people at my law school with Dells convinced me that they lacked the reliability that I required. Also, I had some previous bad experience with Dell that confirmed that they were not a good choice if reliability was a paramount concern. Furthermore, the 9300 was larger than the z71v, and I liked the idea of a laptop that could be easily disassembled. As for the Acer, it was much like the Z71v, but I heard of some QC issues with them, and they ran hot which raised more reliability issues. Acer support sounded terrible. The cost was also higher and the lack of customization made the laptop even more expensive. I also briefly considered an Apple Powerbook but for oh so many reasons quickly decided against it.
The purchasing experience:
I purchased the z71v from geared2play.com. The purchase was a very positive experience. Because my old laptop (an Emachines M6805) had a fan issue that prevented me from using it on exams I needed a new laptop quickly. Due to an unavoidable memory issue the system was slightly delayed, but after explaining my situation Geared2play upgraded shipping to overnight free. Plus, they were very willing to advise me on my purchase.
Here's the system I ordered:
1.86Ghz 533 Proc.
7200rpm 60GB Drive
WSXGA+ screen
1GB 1 stick of DDR2 ram
128MB 6600
a/b/g wireless card
2 year warranty
$1726 (I'm recalling all this from memory)
Initial opinion:
I'm not going to bother with pictures or benchmarks, since this area has been thoroughly covered in other reviews. So, I'll just get to the point. The performance is great, I like the keyboard. Of course, with its specs good performance is to be expected. The only game I've played is Counter-Strike Source, which plays great. Performance is much better than the M6805, though it has double the RAM (which is also faster), a faster drive, and an arguably better processor. The laptop is better looking than the photos give it credit for. While the case is made of plastic there's minimal flex anywhere and it appears superbly built. The laptop is very quiet and runs very cool. But of course, you all already knew this from other reviews.
So lets look at the issues that people are complaining about, mainly the screen. First, the sparkles. If I didn't read about them on this board I really wouldn't have noticed. The contrast is great, and the high resolution produces a great result. Much better than the WXGA screen on the M6805. Also, no dead or stuck pixels. I had 3 on the M6805 and they drove me nuts. As for light leakage, I guess if you're in a dark room with the windows black screen saver on you can see some. Otherwise, you'll never notice. My only complaint is that in the bottom right hand corner its darker than the rest of the screen. Its probably a .5"x.5" area. Its no big deal for me but I can see how it would bug some people. I guess screens are a very subjective area and what will bug one person will be fine for the next. But I'm satisfied.
The final verdict:
No regrets and I'd buy it again. I'd prefer something with a better looking case, one possibly made out of magnesium or aluminum. But given the price I didn't expect to have it all. The fact is that as we get to dual core, 64 bit, etc. I figured that we were on the horizon of some big changes in computing. As a result, it made no sense for me to spend a massive amount on a system when I'll likely want a new one in 3 years.
If there are any questions, feel free to ask.
