Acer TravelMate 270 Battery
Review Acer Aspire V5-471G Notebook and battery life
Acer's V5 series consists of several thin and cheap notebooks of the usual form factors (10 to 15.6-inch). Acer targets price-conscious customers interested in ultrabooks. The Aspire V5-471G-53314G50, is a 14-inch device which will be put through all the tests to determine its worthiness as the right pick for the consumer. Acer TravelMate 292ELMi Battery We have already scrutinized the very cheap V5-431 (Celeron 887, HD Graphics) and two 15.6-inch models of the same series, the Aspire V5-531 (Pentium 967, HD Graphics) and the Aspire V5-571G (Core i5-3317U, GeForce GT 620M).
We compare the review sample to Lenovo's IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and Samsung's Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G).
Case
The Aspire V5-471G is completely made from matte silver plastic, which unfortunately leaves the impression of the device being cheap. Acer TravelMate 292EXC Battery The surface if the case is not textured. The IdeaPad and the Samsung are also completely made out of plastic parts. With a height of 23 mm, the Aspire only marginally exceeds the ultrabook specification (max. 21 mm) and is still very portable.
There are some places on the body of the laptop where the different components are not seated properly. The touchpad and the keyboard bezel do not sit flush with each other. Acer TravelMate 292EXCi Battery The base unit is reasonably robust and gives slightly when pressure is applied. But, the palm rests are significantly more rigid. If the base unit is picked up at its front corners, it can hardly be twisted. Even some thicker and heavier notebooks perform worse here. In contrast, the lid can be twisted much more. The hinges hold the lid securely in place, but it tends to teeter. It is possible to open the lid with one hand. Acer TravelMate 292LC Battery
Communication
The WLAN module is from Atheros (AR5WBW222) and supports standards 802.11 b/g/n. The reception performance is very good. The WiFi control of Windows displays full reception quality in close proximity as well as two floors below the router. The Gigbabit Ethernet chip (RTL8168/8111) of the V5-471G is made by Realtek. In addition, the laptop features Bluetooth 4.0. Acer TravelMate 292LCi Battery A web cam is incorporated in the display bezel, but it does not create really convincing images. They are a little bit blurry and pixelated.
Accessories
As usual these days, Acer and many OEMs hardly include any accessories. Apart from a quick start poster, a quick start guide and the warranty information, only a breakout cable, which adds a VGA and a Gigabit-Ethernet interface are available in the package. There are no other connection options available on the laptop. Acer TravelMate 292LM Battery
Operating System and Recovery 
The Aspire comes pre-installed with Windows 8 (64 Bit). But, an installation DVD is not included. If you want to replace Windows 8 with Windows 7, you can download drivers for Windows 7 from Acer's web site.
Thanks to a recovery partition, it is easy to restore the laptop to the state at delivery. Acer TravelMate 292LMi Battery Unfortunately, it is not possible to launch the recovery by pressing a key combination after powerering on, but only when Windows has booted up. Therefore, the user should create a recovery DVD, which allows launching the recovery in case Windows does no longer boot. The web site "Intowindows.com" provides an English guide on how to create such a DVD.
Maintenance
Acer TravelMate 293ELC Battery On the underside of the notebook, there is a small maintenance hatch and behind it, there are the two RAM slots. One of them is occupied by a 4 GB module. The notebook supports up to 8 GB of RAM. An additional 4 GB RAM module currently costs about 15 to 20 Euros (~$20 to $27). If you want to replace the hard drive or clean the fan, you have to remove the underside of the case. However, we did not try this at the time of the review. Acer TravelMate 293ELCi Battery
Warranty
Acer provides a 24 month bring-in warranty for the V5-471G. In case of a defect, the customer has to send the device to Acer. The IdeaPad and the Samsung have similar warranties. The warranty of the Acer can be extended to three years for about 70 to 80 Euro (~$95 to $110), but the warranty extension must be bought and activated within 365 days after the purchase of the notebook. Acer TravelMate 293ELM Battery
Performance
Our test sample delivers more than enough performance for most users. Text processing, video telephony, internet browsing and videos are not a big challenge for the device. Thanks to its GeForce GPU, it can also play a few 3D games. If the 14-inch display is too small for you, you could consider the nearly identically equipped 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571G. Acer TravelMate 293ELMi Battery
The V5-471 series is a different model. If you do not need a GeForce GPU, you can choose a model without it ("G" will be missing from the model id). In addition, Acer also offer models with touchscreen ("P" in the model name: V5-471P). Our test device is priced at about 600 Euros (~$810), and the other models of the series cost between 500 and 700 Euros (~$675 to $950). Acer TravelMate 293LCi Battery
Processor
Acer use an Intel Core i5-3317U dual core CPU from the Ivy Bridge family in the V5-471G with a base clock of 1.7 GHz. Thanks to Turbo Boost, the clock rate can be increased to 2.4 GHz (both cores) and 2.6 GHz (for a single core). The built-in Core i5 is a ULV CPU, which operates at an especially low voltage level. As a result, its power consumption is lower. Acer TravelMate 293LMi Battery
In the Cinebench tests, the processor is able to utilize the Turbo Boost functionality without any losses in performance. The results are on par with other notebooks with the Core i5-3317U like the IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000). The Samsung (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) and the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) are notably outperformed as the AMD CPUs are slower than the Core i5. Acer TravelMate 29X Battery Thanks to its GeForce GPU, the Aspire also wins the GL tests.
System Performance
The system works smoothly without any delays and the PCMark 7 benchmark confirms our experience with the hardware. The IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) cannot keep up with the Aspire, as their AMD APUs are slower than the CPU/GPU combination of our test sample. Despite having the same CPU and a slower GPU, the IdeaPad U410 (Core i5-3317U, GeForce 610M) delivers a better result as it is equipped with a faster hard drive supported by an SSD cache. The IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000) performs better too.
Graphics cards
The Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and the GeForce GT 620M GPU are responsible for the graphics performance. Both graphics solutions support DirectX 11. The Intel GPU is used for everyday applications, while the GeForce GPU is used for demanding tasks like 3D games. The GT 620M GPU is one of the entry level GPUs from Nvidia with clocks at 630 MHz. Its Turbo is not activated (no increase of the clock rate to 715 MHz), in order not to overtax the cooling system.
The 3DMark results are as expected. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, the Aspire is significantly faster than the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) in all graphics tests.
Gaming Performance
Thanks to the GeForce GPU, the Aspire is also gaming capable. Current 3D games can be run at low to medium quality and native resolution (1366 x 768 pixels). Even demanding titles like Hitman: Absolution run without stuttering at the lowest settings. Several games also run smoothly at higher quality like the Fifa series. However, if you focus on gaming, you should select a notebook with more powerful graphics, like the Geforce GT 650M and something faster. Comparable notebooks often use only the HD Graphics 4000 GPU. These can only run most games smoothly at lowest resolution and low quality. Some games will also run at medium quality.
System noise 
The slim case houses decent performance components. Therefore, the notebook requires a powerful cooling system whose design isn't capable of keeping the system noise down. We already measure between 32.5 and 36.9 dB in the idle state. The IdeaPad S405 (30.3 to 31.3 dB) and the Samsung Series 5 (29.8 to 32.1 dB) are significantly quieter. Under medium (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark), it gets really loud with noise levels of 44 dB and 44.9 dB. The Samsung (39.8 dB and 42,3 dB) works quieter than the Aspire. and the IdeaPad (31.3 dB. and 31.5 dB) also works whisper quiet under load.
While idle, the device gets only moderately warmer with temperatures between 27.7 and 36 degrees Celsius. This is on par with the Samsung, but the IdeaPad remains somewhat cooler.
During the stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark), which is not a realistic scenario, the V5-471G gets significantly warmer with temperatures between 27.6 and 49.6 degrees Celsius. Again, the Series 5 notebook reaches similar temperatures, but some parts get even warmer (52.2 degrees Celsius). Only the Lenovo stays relatively cool under full load.
In our stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark run for at least one hour), the CPU only runs at full speed (2.4 GHz) for about 5 minutes before it slows down to 1.3 GHz (throttling) on the mains. When the stress test is run on battery power, the CPU always clocks at 1.3 GHz. In contrast, the GPU continuously runs at maximum speed (630 MHz) in the stress test regardless of the power source. We ran 3DMark 06 immediately after the stress test and the result did not differ from the cold notebook's. The CPU temperature levels off at about 70 degrees Celsius on mains.
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the V5-471G are on the underside. "Dolby Advanced Audio" and "Virtual Surround Sound" promise decent sound, which is not available on many devices in this category. It is thin and a little bit tiny instead. Speech is clearly audible. In changing the settings with the pre-installed Dolby Advanced Audio software, you could improve the sound. As an alternative, you can simply connect external speakers or headphones.
Power consumption
While idle, the V5-471G profits from its frugal ULV processor. We measure a power consumption between 7.3 and 11.7 Watts. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung (7.7 to 14.5 Watt) and the IdeaPad (7.2 to 12 Watt) demand a similar amount of energy as they are equipped with frugal AMD APUs. As soon as the GeForce GPU is active, the power consumption of the Acer increases significantly. We recorded 54.2 Watts under medium load (3DMark 06) and 52.1 Watts under full load (Prime95 and Furmark). The value is lower under full load, as the CPU throttles to 1.3 GHz. The Series 5 (38.1 Watt and 41,8 Watt) and the IdeaPad (26.9 Watt and 25.7 Watt) demand significantly less power under load.
Battery Life
In the idle mode, the Aspire is able to produce runtimes of 5:36 h, which is on par with the IdeaPad's (5:37 h). The Samsung (6:59 h) runs significantly longer. The idle runtime is recorded by means of the BatteryEater Reader's tests with minimum display brightness, active energy-saving profile and disabled wireless modules. The V5-471G runs for about 1:01 h in the load test. The S405 (1:21 h) and the Samsung (1:32 h) are able to keep operating for a longer time. To check the battery life under load, we used the BatteryEater Classic test with maximum display brightness, high performance profile and enabled wireless modules.
With a single charge, the Wi-Fi test runs for about 2:26 h. The Aspire cannot keep up with its competitors here (S405: 2:55 h, Series 5: 4:19 h). During the Wi-Fi test, web pages are automatically loaded in 40-second intervals with active energy saving profile and a display brightness of about 150 cd/m². The DVD test ends after 2:44 h. Unfortunately, we do not have any comparison results from the competitors here. The DVD test is run with the energy saving profile (or higher if the DVD does not play smoothly), maximum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules.
It is not surprising that the Samsung delivers the longest battery runtimes. It is equipped with the biggest battery (Samsung: 45 Wh, Acer: 37 Wh, Lenovo: 32 Wh).
The Aspire V5-471G delivers decent system performance which suffices for most users. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, it can also run some current 3D games to an extent. But, there are also disadvantages; short battery life (caused by a small battery) and the ever present system noise. In addition, the display has low contrast and narrow viewing angles. However, if you are looking for cheap, gaming capable notebook, there are not many alternatives.
If you prefer a matte display and long battery life, you should consider Samsung's Series 5 535U3C. The IdeaPad S405 is a decent notebook for those looking for a very quiet and frugal notebook.
Published Date:
16/05/2013
Modified Date:
16/05/2013
Acer TravelMate 270 Battery
Review Acer Aspire V5-471G Notebook and battery life
Acer's V5 series consists of several thin and cheap notebooks of the usual form factors (10 to 15.6-inch). Acer targets price-conscious customers interested in ultrabooks. The Aspire V5-471G-53314G50, is a 14-inch device which will be put through all the tests to determine its worthiness as the right pick for the consumer. Acer TravelMate 292ELMi Battery We have already scrutinized the very cheap V5-431 (Celeron 887, HD Graphics) and two 15.6-inch models of the same series, the Aspire V5-531 (Pentium 967, HD Graphics) and the Aspire V5-571G (Core i5-3317U, GeForce GT 620M).
We compare the review sample to Lenovo's IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and Samsung's Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G).
Case
The Aspire V5-471G is completely made from matte silver plastic, which unfortunately leaves the impression of the device being cheap. Acer TravelMate 292EXC Battery The surface if the case is not textured. The IdeaPad and the Samsung are also completely made out of plastic parts. With a height of 23 mm, the Aspire only marginally exceeds the ultrabook specification (max. 21 mm) and is still very portable.
There are some places on the body of the laptop where the different components are not seated properly. The touchpad and the keyboard bezel do not sit flush with each other. Acer TravelMate 292EXCi Battery The base unit is reasonably robust and gives slightly when pressure is applied. But, the palm rests are significantly more rigid. If the base unit is picked up at its front corners, it can hardly be twisted. Even some thicker and heavier notebooks perform worse here. In contrast, the lid can be twisted much more. The hinges hold the lid securely in place, but it tends to teeter. It is possible to open the lid with one hand. Acer TravelMate 292LC Battery
Communication
The WLAN module is from Atheros (AR5WBW222) and supports standards 802.11 b/g/n. The reception performance is very good. The WiFi control of Windows displays full reception quality in close proximity as well as two floors below the router. The Gigbabit Ethernet chip (RTL8168/8111) of the V5-471G is made by Realtek. In addition, the laptop features Bluetooth 4.0. Acer TravelMate 292LCi Battery A web cam is incorporated in the display bezel, but it does not create really convincing images. They are a little bit blurry and pixelated.
Accessories
As usual these days, Acer and many OEMs hardly include any accessories. Apart from a quick start poster, a quick start guide and the warranty information, only a breakout cable, which adds a VGA and a Gigabit-Ethernet interface are available in the package. There are no other connection options available on the laptop. Acer TravelMate 292LM Battery
Operating System and Recovery
The Aspire comes pre-installed with Windows 8 (64 Bit). But, an installation DVD is not included. If you want to replace Windows 8 with Windows 7, you can download drivers for Windows 7 from Acer's web site.
Thanks to a recovery partition, it is easy to restore the laptop to the state at delivery. Acer TravelMate 292LMi Battery Unfortunately, it is not possible to launch the recovery by pressing a key combination after powerering on, but only when Windows has booted up. Therefore, the user should create a recovery DVD, which allows launching the recovery in case Windows does no longer boot. The web site "Intowindows.com" provides an English guide on how to create such a DVD.
Maintenance
Acer TravelMate 293ELC Battery On the underside of the notebook, there is a small maintenance hatch and behind it, there are the two RAM slots. One of them is occupied by a 4 GB module. The notebook supports up to 8 GB of RAM. An additional 4 GB RAM module currently costs about 15 to 20 Euros (~$20 to $27). If you want to replace the hard drive or clean the fan, you have to remove the underside of the case. However, we did not try this at the time of the review. Acer TravelMate 293ELCi Battery
Warranty
Acer provides a 24 month bring-in warranty for the V5-471G. In case of a defect, the customer has to send the device to Acer. The IdeaPad and the Samsung have similar warranties. The warranty of the Acer can be extended to three years for about 70 to 80 Euro (~$95 to $110), but the warranty extension must be bought and activated within 365 days after the purchase of the notebook. Acer TravelMate 293ELM Battery
Performance
Our test sample delivers more than enough performance for most users. Text processing, video telephony, internet browsing and videos are not a big challenge for the device. Thanks to its GeForce GPU, it can also play a few 3D games. If the 14-inch display is too small for you, you could consider the nearly identically equipped 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571G. Acer TravelMate 293ELMi Battery
The V5-471 series is a different model. If you do not need a GeForce GPU, you can choose a model without it ("G" will be missing from the model id). In addition, Acer also offer models with touchscreen ("P" in the model name: V5-471P). Our test device is priced at about 600 Euros (~$810), and the other models of the series cost between 500 and 700 Euros (~$675 to $950). Acer TravelMate 293LCi Battery
Processor
Acer use an Intel Core i5-3317U dual core CPU from the Ivy Bridge family in the V5-471G with a base clock of 1.7 GHz. Thanks to Turbo Boost, the clock rate can be increased to 2.4 GHz (both cores) and 2.6 GHz (for a single core). The built-in Core i5 is a ULV CPU, which operates at an especially low voltage level. As a result, its power consumption is lower. Acer TravelMate 293LMi Battery
In the Cinebench tests, the processor is able to utilize the Turbo Boost functionality without any losses in performance. The results are on par with other notebooks with the Core i5-3317U like the IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000). The Samsung (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) and the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) are notably outperformed as the AMD CPUs are slower than the Core i5. Acer TravelMate 29X Battery Thanks to its GeForce GPU, the Aspire also wins the GL tests.
System Performance
The system works smoothly without any delays and the PCMark 7 benchmark confirms our experience with the hardware. The IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) cannot keep up with the Aspire, as their AMD APUs are slower than the CPU/GPU combination of our test sample. Despite having the same CPU and a slower GPU, the IdeaPad U410 (Core i5-3317U, GeForce 610M) delivers a better result as it is equipped with a faster hard drive supported by an SSD cache. The IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000) performs better too.
Graphics cards
The Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and the GeForce GT 620M GPU are responsible for the graphics performance. Both graphics solutions support DirectX 11. The Intel GPU is used for everyday applications, while the GeForce GPU is used for demanding tasks like 3D games. The GT 620M GPU is one of the entry level GPUs from Nvidia with clocks at 630 MHz. Its Turbo is not activated (no increase of the clock rate to 715 MHz), in order not to overtax the cooling system.
The 3DMark results are as expected. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, the Aspire is significantly faster than the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) in all graphics tests.
Gaming Performance
Thanks to the GeForce GPU, the Aspire is also gaming capable. Current 3D games can be run at low to medium quality and native resolution (1366 x 768 pixels). Even demanding titles like Hitman: Absolution run without stuttering at the lowest settings. Several games also run smoothly at higher quality like the Fifa series. However, if you focus on gaming, you should select a notebook with more powerful graphics, like the Geforce GT 650M and something faster. Comparable notebooks often use only the HD Graphics 4000 GPU. These can only run most games smoothly at lowest resolution and low quality. Some games will also run at medium quality.
System noise
The slim case houses decent performance components. Therefore, the notebook requires a powerful cooling system whose design isn't capable of keeping the system noise down. We already measure between 32.5 and 36.9 dB in the idle state. The IdeaPad S405 (30.3 to 31.3 dB) and the Samsung Series 5 (29.8 to 32.1 dB) are significantly quieter. Under medium (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark), it gets really loud with noise levels of 44 dB and 44.9 dB. The Samsung (39.8 dB and 42,3 dB) works quieter than the Aspire. and the IdeaPad (31.3 dB. and 31.5 dB) also works whisper quiet under load.
While idle, the device gets only moderately warmer with temperatures between 27.7 and 36 degrees Celsius. This is on par with the Samsung, but the IdeaPad remains somewhat cooler.
During the stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark), which is not a realistic scenario, the V5-471G gets significantly warmer with temperatures between 27.6 and 49.6 degrees Celsius. Again, the Series 5 notebook reaches similar temperatures, but some parts get even warmer (52.2 degrees Celsius). Only the Lenovo stays relatively cool under full load.
In our stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark run for at least one hour), the CPU only runs at full speed (2.4 GHz) for about 5 minutes before it slows down to 1.3 GHz (throttling) on the mains. When the stress test is run on battery power, the CPU always clocks at 1.3 GHz. In contrast, the GPU continuously runs at maximum speed (630 MHz) in the stress test regardless of the power source. We ran 3DMark 06 immediately after the stress test and the result did not differ from the cold notebook's. The CPU temperature levels off at about 70 degrees Celsius on mains.
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the V5-471G are on the underside. "Dolby Advanced Audio" and "Virtual Surround Sound" promise decent sound, which is not available on many devices in this category. It is thin and a little bit tiny instead. Speech is clearly audible. In changing the settings with the pre-installed Dolby Advanced Audio software, you could improve the sound. As an alternative, you can simply connect external speakers or headphones.
Power consumption
While idle, the V5-471G profits from its frugal ULV processor. We measure a power consumption between 7.3 and 11.7 Watts. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung (7.7 to 14.5 Watt) and the IdeaPad (7.2 to 12 Watt) demand a similar amount of energy as they are equipped with frugal AMD APUs. As soon as the GeForce GPU is active, the power consumption of the Acer increases significantly. We recorded 54.2 Watts under medium load (3DMark 06) and 52.1 Watts under full load (Prime95 and Furmark). The value is lower under full load, as the CPU throttles to 1.3 GHz. The Series 5 (38.1 Watt and 41,8 Watt) and the IdeaPad (26.9 Watt and 25.7 Watt) demand significantly less power under load.
Battery Life
In the idle mode, the Aspire is able to produce runtimes of 5:36 h, which is on par with the IdeaPad's (5:37 h). The Samsung (6:59 h) runs significantly longer. The idle runtime is recorded by means of the BatteryEater Reader's tests with minimum display brightness, active energy-saving profile and disabled wireless modules. The V5-471G runs for about 1:01 h in the load test. The S405 (1:21 h) and the Samsung (1:32 h) are able to keep operating for a longer time. To check the battery life under load, we used the BatteryEater Classic test with maximum display brightness, high performance profile and enabled wireless modules.
With a single charge, the Wi-Fi test runs for about 2:26 h. The Aspire cannot keep up with its competitors here (S405: 2:55 h, Series 5: 4:19 h). During the Wi-Fi test, web pages are automatically loaded in 40-second intervals with active energy saving profile and a display brightness of about 150 cd/m². The DVD test ends after 2:44 h. Unfortunately, we do not have any comparison results from the competitors here. The DVD test is run with the energy saving profile (or higher if the DVD does not play smoothly), maximum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules.
It is not surprising that the Samsung delivers the longest battery runtimes. It is equipped with the biggest battery (Samsung: 45 Wh, Acer: 37 Wh, Lenovo: 32 Wh).
The Aspire V5-471G delivers decent system performance which suffices for most users. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, it can also run some current 3D games to an extent. But, there are also disadvantages; short battery life (caused by a small battery) and the ever present system noise. In addition, the display has low contrast and narrow viewing angles. However, if you are looking for cheap, gaming capable notebook, there are not many alternatives.
If you prefer a matte display and long battery life, you should consider Samsung's Series 5 535U3C. The IdeaPad S405 is a decent notebook for those looking for a very quiet and frugal notebook.
Published Date:
16/05/2013
Modified Date:
16/05/2013
Acer TravelMate 270 Battery
Review Acer Aspire V5-471G Notebook and battery life
Acer's V5 series consists of several thin and cheap notebooks of the usual form factors (10 to 15.6-inch). Acer targets price-conscious customers interested in ultrabooks. The Aspire V5-471G-53314G50, is a 14-inch device which will be put through all the tests to determine its worthiness as the right pick for the consumer. Acer TravelMate 292ELMi Battery We have already scrutinized the very cheap V5-431 (Celeron 887, HD Graphics) and two 15.6-inch models of the same series, the Aspire V5-531 (Pentium 967, HD Graphics) and the Aspire V5-571G (Core i5-3317U, GeForce GT 620M).
We compare the review sample to Lenovo's IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and Samsung's Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G).
Case
The Aspire V5-471G is completely made from matte silver plastic, which unfortunately leaves the impression of the device being cheap. Acer TravelMate 292EXC Battery The surface if the case is not textured. The IdeaPad and the Samsung are also completely made out of plastic parts. With a height of 23 mm, the Aspire only marginally exceeds the ultrabook specification (max. 21 mm) and is still very portable.
There are some places on the body of the laptop where the different components are not seated properly. The touchpad and the keyboard bezel do not sit flush with each other. Acer TravelMate 292EXCi Battery The base unit is reasonably robust and gives slightly when pressure is applied. But, the palm rests are significantly more rigid. If the base unit is picked up at its front corners, it can hardly be twisted. Even some thicker and heavier notebooks perform worse here. In contrast, the lid can be twisted much more. The hinges hold the lid securely in place, but it tends to teeter. It is possible to open the lid with one hand. Acer TravelMate 292LC Battery
Communication
The WLAN module is from Atheros (AR5WBW222) and supports standards 802.11 b/g/n. The reception performance is very good. The WiFi control of Windows displays full reception quality in close proximity as well as two floors below the router. The Gigbabit Ethernet chip (RTL8168/8111) of the V5-471G is made by Realtek. In addition, the laptop features Bluetooth 4.0. Acer TravelMate 292LCi Battery A web cam is incorporated in the display bezel, but it does not create really convincing images. They are a little bit blurry and pixelated.
Accessories
As usual these days, Acer and many OEMs hardly include any accessories. Apart from a quick start poster, a quick start guide and the warranty information, only a breakout cable, which adds a VGA and a Gigabit-Ethernet interface are available in the package. There are no other connection options available on the laptop. Acer TravelMate 292LM Battery
Operating System and Recovery
The Aspire comes pre-installed with Windows 8 (64 Bit). But, an installation DVD is not included. If you want to replace Windows 8 with Windows 7, you can download drivers for Windows 7 from Acer's web site.
Thanks to a recovery partition, it is easy to restore the laptop to the state at delivery. Acer TravelMate 292LMi Battery Unfortunately, it is not possible to launch the recovery by pressing a key combination after powerering on, but only when Windows has booted up. Therefore, the user should create a recovery DVD, which allows launching the recovery in case Windows does no longer boot. The web site "Intowindows.com" provides an English guide on how to create such a DVD.
Maintenance
Acer TravelMate 293ELC Battery On the underside of the notebook, there is a small maintenance hatch and behind it, there are the two RAM slots. One of them is occupied by a 4 GB module. The notebook supports up to 8 GB of RAM. An additional 4 GB RAM module currently costs about 15 to 20 Euros (~$20 to $27). If you want to replace the hard drive or clean the fan, you have to remove the underside of the case. However, we did not try this at the time of the review. Acer TravelMate 293ELCi Battery
Warranty
Acer provides a 24 month bring-in warranty for the V5-471G. In case of a defect, the customer has to send the device to Acer. The IdeaPad and the Samsung have similar warranties. The warranty of the Acer can be extended to three years for about 70 to 80 Euro (~$95 to $110), but the warranty extension must be bought and activated within 365 days after the purchase of the notebook. Acer TravelMate 293ELM Battery
Performance
Our test sample delivers more than enough performance for most users. Text processing, video telephony, internet browsing and videos are not a big challenge for the device. Thanks to its GeForce GPU, it can also play a few 3D games. If the 14-inch display is too small for you, you could consider the nearly identically equipped 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571G. Acer TravelMate 293ELMi Battery
The V5-471 series is a different model. If you do not need a GeForce GPU, you can choose a model without it ("G" will be missing from the model id). In addition, Acer also offer models with touchscreen ("P" in the model name: V5-471P). Our test device is priced at about 600 Euros (~$810), and the other models of the series cost between 500 and 700 Euros (~$675 to $950). Acer TravelMate 293LCi Battery
Processor
Acer use an Intel Core i5-3317U dual core CPU from the Ivy Bridge family in the V5-471G with a base clock of 1.7 GHz. Thanks to Turbo Boost, the clock rate can be increased to 2.4 GHz (both cores) and 2.6 GHz (for a single core). The built-in Core i5 is a ULV CPU, which operates at an especially low voltage level. As a result, its power consumption is lower. Acer TravelMate 293LMi Battery
In the Cinebench tests, the processor is able to utilize the Turbo Boost functionality without any losses in performance. The results are on par with other notebooks with the Core i5-3317U like the IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000). The Samsung (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) and the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) are notably outperformed as the AMD CPUs are slower than the Core i5. Acer TravelMate 29X Battery Thanks to its GeForce GPU, the Aspire also wins the GL tests.
System Performance
The system works smoothly without any delays and the PCMark 7 benchmark confirms our experience with the hardware. The IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) cannot keep up with the Aspire, as their AMD APUs are slower than the CPU/GPU combination of our test sample. Despite having the same CPU and a slower GPU, the IdeaPad U410 (Core i5-3317U, GeForce 610M) delivers a better result as it is equipped with a faster hard drive supported by an SSD cache. The IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000) performs better too.
Graphics cards
The Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and the GeForce GT 620M GPU are responsible for the graphics performance. Both graphics solutions support DirectX 11. The Intel GPU is used for everyday applications, while the GeForce GPU is used for demanding tasks like 3D games. The GT 620M GPU is one of the entry level GPUs from Nvidia with clocks at 630 MHz. Its Turbo is not activated (no increase of the clock rate to 715 MHz), in order not to overtax the cooling system.
The 3DMark results are as expected. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, the Aspire is significantly faster than the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) in all graphics tests.
Gaming Performance
Thanks to the GeForce GPU, the Aspire is also gaming capable. Current 3D games can be run at low to medium quality and native resolution (1366 x 768 pixels). Even demanding titles like Hitman: Absolution run without stuttering at the lowest settings. Several games also run smoothly at higher quality like the Fifa series. However, if you focus on gaming, you should select a notebook with more powerful graphics, like the Geforce GT 650M and something faster. Comparable notebooks often use only the HD Graphics 4000 GPU. These can only run most games smoothly at lowest resolution and low quality. Some games will also run at medium quality.
System noise
The slim case houses decent performance components. Therefore, the notebook requires a powerful cooling system whose design isn't capable of keeping the system noise down. We already measure between 32.5 and 36.9 dB in the idle state. The IdeaPad S405 (30.3 to 31.3 dB) and the Samsung Series 5 (29.8 to 32.1 dB) are significantly quieter. Under medium (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark), it gets really loud with noise levels of 44 dB and 44.9 dB. The Samsung (39.8 dB and 42,3 dB) works quieter than the Aspire. and the IdeaPad (31.3 dB. and 31.5 dB) also works whisper quiet under load.
While idle, the device gets only moderately warmer with temperatures between 27.7 and 36 degrees Celsius. This is on par with the Samsung, but the IdeaPad remains somewhat cooler.
During the stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark), which is not a realistic scenario, the V5-471G gets significantly warmer with temperatures between 27.6 and 49.6 degrees Celsius. Again, the Series 5 notebook reaches similar temperatures, but some parts get even warmer (52.2 degrees Celsius). Only the Lenovo stays relatively cool under full load.
In our stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark run for at least one hour), the CPU only runs at full speed (2.4 GHz) for about 5 minutes before it slows down to 1.3 GHz (throttling) on the mains. When the stress test is run on battery power, the CPU always clocks at 1.3 GHz. In contrast, the GPU continuously runs at maximum speed (630 MHz) in the stress test regardless of the power source. We ran 3DMark 06 immediately after the stress test and the result did not differ from the cold notebook's. The CPU temperature levels off at about 70 degrees Celsius on mains.
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the V5-471G are on the underside. "Dolby Advanced Audio" and "Virtual Surround Sound" promise decent sound, which is not available on many devices in this category. It is thin and a little bit tiny instead. Speech is clearly audible. In changing the settings with the pre-installed Dolby Advanced Audio software, you could improve the sound. As an alternative, you can simply connect external speakers or headphones.
Power consumption
While idle, the V5-471G profits from its frugal ULV processor. We measure a power consumption between 7.3 and 11.7 Watts. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung (7.7 to 14.5 Watt) and the IdeaPad (7.2 to 12 Watt) demand a similar amount of energy as they are equipped with frugal AMD APUs. As soon as the GeForce GPU is active, the power consumption of the Acer increases significantly. We recorded 54.2 Watts under medium load (3DMark 06) and 52.1 Watts under full load (Prime95 and Furmark). The value is lower under full load, as the CPU throttles to 1.3 GHz. The Series 5 (38.1 Watt and 41,8 Watt) and the IdeaPad (26.9 Watt and 25.7 Watt) demand significantly less power under load.
Battery Life
In the idle mode, the Aspire is able to produce runtimes of 5:36 h, which is on par with the IdeaPad's (5:37 h). The Samsung (6:59 h) runs significantly longer. The idle runtime is recorded by means of the BatteryEater Reader's tests with minimum display brightness, active energy-saving profile and disabled wireless modules. The V5-471G runs for about 1:01 h in the load test. The S405 (1:21 h) and the Samsung (1:32 h) are able to keep operating for a longer time. To check the battery life under load, we used the BatteryEater Classic test with maximum display brightness, high performance profile and enabled wireless modules.
With a single charge, the Wi-Fi test runs for about 2:26 h. The Aspire cannot keep up with its competitors here (S405: 2:55 h, Series 5: 4:19 h). During the Wi-Fi test, web pages are automatically loaded in 40-second intervals with active energy saving profile and a display brightness of about 150 cd/m². The DVD test ends after 2:44 h. Unfortunately, we do not have any comparison results from the competitors here. The DVD test is run with the energy saving profile (or higher if the DVD does not play smoothly), maximum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules.
It is not surprising that the Samsung delivers the longest battery runtimes. It is equipped with the biggest battery (Samsung: 45 Wh, Acer: 37 Wh, Lenovo: 32 Wh).
The Aspire V5-471G delivers decent system performance which suffices for most users. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, it can also run some current 3D games to an extent. But, there are also disadvantages; short battery life (caused by a small battery) and the ever present system noise. In addition, the display has low contrast and narrow viewing angles. However, if you are looking for cheap, gaming capable notebook, there are not many alternatives.
If you prefer a matte display and long battery life, you should consider Samsung's Series 5 535U3C. The IdeaPad S405 is a decent notebook for those looking for a very quiet and frugal notebook.
Published Date:
16/05/2013
Modified Date:
16/05/2013
Acer TravelMate 270 Battery
Review Acer Aspire V5-471G Notebook and battery life
Acer's V5 series consists of several thin and cheap notebooks of the usual form factors (10 to 15.6-inch). Acer targets price-conscious customers interested in ultrabooks. The Aspire V5-471G-53314G50, is a 14-inch device which will be put through all the tests to determine its worthiness as the right pick for the consumer. Acer TravelMate 292ELMi Battery We have already scrutinized the very cheap V5-431 (Celeron 887, HD Graphics) and two 15.6-inch models of the same series, the Aspire V5-531 (Pentium 967, HD Graphics) and the Aspire V5-571G (Core i5-3317U, GeForce GT 620M).
We compare the review sample to Lenovo's IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and Samsung's Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G).
Case
The Aspire V5-471G is completely made from matte silver plastic, which unfortunately leaves the impression of the device being cheap. Acer TravelMate 292EXC Battery The surface if the case is not textured. The IdeaPad and the Samsung are also completely made out of plastic parts. With a height of 23 mm, the Aspire only marginally exceeds the ultrabook specification (max. 21 mm) and is still very portable.
There are some places on the body of the laptop where the different components are not seated properly. The touchpad and the keyboard bezel do not sit flush with each other. Acer TravelMate 292EXCi Battery The base unit is reasonably robust and gives slightly when pressure is applied. But, the palm rests are significantly more rigid. If the base unit is picked up at its front corners, it can hardly be twisted. Even some thicker and heavier notebooks perform worse here. In contrast, the lid can be twisted much more. The hinges hold the lid securely in place, but it tends to teeter. It is possible to open the lid with one hand. Acer TravelMate 292LC Battery
Communication
The WLAN module is from Atheros (AR5WBW222) and supports standards 802.11 b/g/n. The reception performance is very good. The WiFi control of Windows displays full reception quality in close proximity as well as two floors below the router. The Gigbabit Ethernet chip (RTL8168/8111) of the V5-471G is made by Realtek. In addition, the laptop features Bluetooth 4.0. Acer TravelMate 292LCi Battery A web cam is incorporated in the display bezel, but it does not create really convincing images. They are a little bit blurry and pixelated.
Accessories
As usual these days, Acer and many OEMs hardly include any accessories. Apart from a quick start poster, a quick start guide and the warranty information, only a breakout cable, which adds a VGA and a Gigabit-Ethernet interface are available in the package. There are no other connection options available on the laptop. Acer TravelMate 292LM Battery
Operating System and Recovery
The Aspire comes pre-installed with Windows 8 (64 Bit). But, an installation DVD is not included. If you want to replace Windows 8 with Windows 7, you can download drivers for Windows 7 from Acer's web site.
Thanks to a recovery partition, it is easy to restore the laptop to the state at delivery. Acer TravelMate 292LMi Battery Unfortunately, it is not possible to launch the recovery by pressing a key combination after powerering on, but only when Windows has booted up. Therefore, the user should create a recovery DVD, which allows launching the recovery in case Windows does no longer boot. The web site "Intowindows.com" provides an English guide on how to create such a DVD.
Maintenance
Acer TravelMate 293ELC Battery On the underside of the notebook, there is a small maintenance hatch and behind it, there are the two RAM slots. One of them is occupied by a 4 GB module. The notebook supports up to 8 GB of RAM. An additional 4 GB RAM module currently costs about 15 to 20 Euros (~$20 to $27). If you want to replace the hard drive or clean the fan, you have to remove the underside of the case. However, we did not try this at the time of the review. Acer TravelMate 293ELCi Battery
Warranty
Acer provides a 24 month bring-in warranty for the V5-471G. In case of a defect, the customer has to send the device to Acer. The IdeaPad and the Samsung have similar warranties. The warranty of the Acer can be extended to three years for about 70 to 80 Euro (~$95 to $110), but the warranty extension must be bought and activated within 365 days after the purchase of the notebook. Acer TravelMate 293ELM Battery
Performance
Our test sample delivers more than enough performance for most users. Text processing, video telephony, internet browsing and videos are not a big challenge for the device. Thanks to its GeForce GPU, it can also play a few 3D games. If the 14-inch display is too small for you, you could consider the nearly identically equipped 15.6-inch Aspire V5-571G. Acer TravelMate 293ELMi Battery
The V5-471 series is a different model. If you do not need a GeForce GPU, you can choose a model without it ("G" will be missing from the model id). In addition, Acer also offer models with touchscreen ("P" in the model name: V5-471P). Our test device is priced at about 600 Euros (~$810), and the other models of the series cost between 500 and 700 Euros (~$675 to $950). Acer TravelMate 293LCi Battery
Processor
Acer use an Intel Core i5-3317U dual core CPU from the Ivy Bridge family in the V5-471G with a base clock of 1.7 GHz. Thanks to Turbo Boost, the clock rate can be increased to 2.4 GHz (both cores) and 2.6 GHz (for a single core). The built-in Core i5 is a ULV CPU, which operates at an especially low voltage level. As a result, its power consumption is lower. Acer TravelMate 293LMi Battery
In the Cinebench tests, the processor is able to utilize the Turbo Boost functionality without any losses in performance. The results are on par with other notebooks with the Core i5-3317U like the IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000). The Samsung (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) and the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) are notably outperformed as the AMD CPUs are slower than the Core i5. Acer TravelMate 29X Battery Thanks to its GeForce GPU, the Aspire also wins the GL tests.
System Performance
The system works smoothly without any delays and the PCMark 7 benchmark confirms our experience with the hardware. The IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 535U3C (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) cannot keep up with the Aspire, as their AMD APUs are slower than the CPU/GPU combination of our test sample. Despite having the same CPU and a slower GPU, the IdeaPad U410 (Core i5-3317U, GeForce 610M) delivers a better result as it is equipped with a faster hard drive supported by an SSD cache. The IdeaPad S400 (Core i5-3317U, HD Graphics 4000) performs better too.
Graphics cards
The Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU and the GeForce GT 620M GPU are responsible for the graphics performance. Both graphics solutions support DirectX 11. The Intel GPU is used for everyday applications, while the GeForce GPU is used for demanding tasks like 3D games. The GT 620M GPU is one of the entry level GPUs from Nvidia with clocks at 630 MHz. Its Turbo is not activated (no increase of the clock rate to 715 MHz), in order not to overtax the cooling system.
The 3DMark results are as expected. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, the Aspire is significantly faster than the IdeaPad S405 (AMD A8-4555M, Radeon HD 7600G) and the Samsung Series 5 (AMD A6-4455M, Radeon HD 7500G) in all graphics tests.
Gaming Performance
Thanks to the GeForce GPU, the Aspire is also gaming capable. Current 3D games can be run at low to medium quality and native resolution (1366 x 768 pixels). Even demanding titles like Hitman: Absolution run without stuttering at the lowest settings. Several games also run smoothly at higher quality like the Fifa series. However, if you focus on gaming, you should select a notebook with more powerful graphics, like the Geforce GT 650M and something faster. Comparable notebooks often use only the HD Graphics 4000 GPU. These can only run most games smoothly at lowest resolution and low quality. Some games will also run at medium quality.
System noise
The slim case houses decent performance components. Therefore, the notebook requires a powerful cooling system whose design isn't capable of keeping the system noise down. We already measure between 32.5 and 36.9 dB in the idle state. The IdeaPad S405 (30.3 to 31.3 dB) and the Samsung Series 5 (29.8 to 32.1 dB) are significantly quieter. Under medium (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark), it gets really loud with noise levels of 44 dB and 44.9 dB. The Samsung (39.8 dB and 42,3 dB) works quieter than the Aspire. and the IdeaPad (31.3 dB. and 31.5 dB) also works whisper quiet under load.
While idle, the device gets only moderately warmer with temperatures between 27.7 and 36 degrees Celsius. This is on par with the Samsung, but the IdeaPad remains somewhat cooler.
During the stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark), which is not a realistic scenario, the V5-471G gets significantly warmer with temperatures between 27.6 and 49.6 degrees Celsius. Again, the Series 5 notebook reaches similar temperatures, but some parts get even warmer (52.2 degrees Celsius). Only the Lenovo stays relatively cool under full load.
In our stress test (Prime 95 and Furmark run for at least one hour), the CPU only runs at full speed (2.4 GHz) for about 5 minutes before it slows down to 1.3 GHz (throttling) on the mains. When the stress test is run on battery power, the CPU always clocks at 1.3 GHz. In contrast, the GPU continuously runs at maximum speed (630 MHz) in the stress test regardless of the power source. We ran 3DMark 06 immediately after the stress test and the result did not differ from the cold notebook's. The CPU temperature levels off at about 70 degrees Celsius on mains.
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the V5-471G are on the underside. "Dolby Advanced Audio" and "Virtual Surround Sound" promise decent sound, which is not available on many devices in this category. It is thin and a little bit tiny instead. Speech is clearly audible. In changing the settings with the pre-installed Dolby Advanced Audio software, you could improve the sound. As an alternative, you can simply connect external speakers or headphones.
Power consumption
While idle, the V5-471G profits from its frugal ULV processor. We measure a power consumption between 7.3 and 11.7 Watts. Unsurprisingly, the Samsung (7.7 to 14.5 Watt) and the IdeaPad (7.2 to 12 Watt) demand a similar amount of energy as they are equipped with frugal AMD APUs. As soon as the GeForce GPU is active, the power consumption of the Acer increases significantly. We recorded 54.2 Watts under medium load (3DMark 06) and 52.1 Watts under full load (Prime95 and Furmark). The value is lower under full load, as the CPU throttles to 1.3 GHz. The Series 5 (38.1 Watt and 41,8 Watt) and the IdeaPad (26.9 Watt and 25.7 Watt) demand significantly less power under load.
Battery Life
In the idle mode, the Aspire is able to produce runtimes of 5:36 h, which is on par with the IdeaPad's (5:37 h). The Samsung (6:59 h) runs significantly longer. The idle runtime is recorded by means of the BatteryEater Reader's tests with minimum display brightness, active energy-saving profile and disabled wireless modules. The V5-471G runs for about 1:01 h in the load test. The S405 (1:21 h) and the Samsung (1:32 h) are able to keep operating for a longer time. To check the battery life under load, we used the BatteryEater Classic test with maximum display brightness, high performance profile and enabled wireless modules.
With a single charge, the Wi-Fi test runs for about 2:26 h. The Aspire cannot keep up with its competitors here (S405: 2:55 h, Series 5: 4:19 h). During the Wi-Fi test, web pages are automatically loaded in 40-second intervals with active energy saving profile and a display brightness of about 150 cd/m². The DVD test ends after 2:44 h. Unfortunately, we do not have any comparison results from the competitors here. The DVD test is run with the energy saving profile (or higher if the DVD does not play smoothly), maximum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules.
It is not surprising that the Samsung delivers the longest battery runtimes. It is equipped with the biggest battery (Samsung: 45 Wh, Acer: 37 Wh, Lenovo: 32 Wh).
The Aspire V5-471G delivers decent system performance which suffices for most users. Thanks to its GeForce GT 620M GPU, it can also run some current 3D games to an extent. But, there are also disadvantages; short battery life (caused by a small battery) and the ever present system noise. In addition, the display has low contrast and narrow viewing angles. However, if you are looking for cheap, gaming capable notebook, there are not many alternatives.
If you prefer a matte display and long battery life, you should consider Samsung's Series 5 535U3C. The IdeaPad S405 is a decent notebook for those looking for a very quiet and frugal notebook.
Published Date:
16/05/2013
Modified Date:
16/05/2013
ASUS K75 Charger
Review Asus VivoTab TF810C Convertible
IFA 2012 was the revival of convertibles. To this point subnotebooks with a classic swivel joint were niche products. For the most part these devices, like the convertible Lifebooks (e.g. Fujitsu T580, T900), Latitudes (Dell XT2) or ThinkPads (X220T) were attractive for the business user. ASUS F55U Charger There have been some Windows 7 consumer convertibles over the last couple of years, but the sales figures were never really high.
The most important consumer convertibles: Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t (N450), HP TouchSmart tm2 (Core 2 Duo), Dell Inspiron duo (N550), Gigabyte Booktop T1125N (Intel Core) and Asus Eee PC T91 MT (Z520). Reason for the small demand was the bad touch optimization of Windows 7 and a market that was heavily focused on notebooks. ASUS F55V Charger
The massive growth of Android and iOS based tablets and their big performance jumps in a very short period got the attention of Intel and Microsoft. The big players did not want to lose against Android in the long term but sell their own processors for tablets and smartphones. Windows 8 was also optimized to become a touch-OS and Intel made ultra-mobile X86-Atom CPUs (Clover Trail) for tablets and smartphones (Windows Phone). ASUS F55VD Charger
The VivoTab TF810C belongs to this "new" category. Atom Z2760 combined with real Windows 8 (no RT-version) and an attachable keyboard. Can the 11.6-inch device connect the typical Windows world and its proven applications with the mobile tablet world? Asus talks about transformed productivity and not only attaches a convenient keyboard but also a second battery. ASUS F55VDR Charger Do mobility and Windows productivity meet the requirements of the 900 Euros (~$1201) price tag?
Similar to HP and Acer, Asus decided to use the docking concept. But this is only one way to transform a tablet into a subnotebook. Flipping frame (Review Dell XPS 12 ConvertibleDell XPS 12), slider-mechanism (Sony Vaio Duo 11, Toshiba Satellite U920t), double-sided displays (Asus Taichi 21) and 360-degree hinges (Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga) are other solutions. ASUS F75 Charger
Advantage of the docking system: If you do not need the keyboard - or in this case the longer runtime - you do not have to carry a bulky and heavy case. The first look is reserved for the massive metallic joint of the 11.6-inch device. Two bars inside keep the tablet in place and a velvet insert avoids unpleasant abrasions. Moving the joint is very difficult without the cover as lever-arm, it is exceptionally firm. ASUS F75A Charger Accordingly opening the cover with one hand is not possible.
The slider on the left tablet side releases the locking mechanism mechanically. The connection has a very good tensile strength, without unlocking the tablet cannot be released. The joint cannot avoid teetering of the cover; it is too loose in the socket.
The opening angle of the cover is limited to around 130 degrees and the heavy base unit (weight of the second battery) avoids tipping backwards. ASUS F75A1 Charger Touch inputs encounter a usable fixated surface but the wobbling within the joint is disturbing. The Samsung ATIV Smart PC and HP Envy X2 have the same problem. Especially problematic for Samsung users: The opening angle is smaller, the device can tip due to the unfavorable center of gravity (no battery weight underneath the keyboard) and the display falls back onto the keyboard by itself (no fixation point). ASUS F75V adapter
We really like the stability and build quality of both components. The glass has good pressure resistance, only at the border surfaces pressure creates small pressure marks. The brushed aluminum finish of the back side of the tablet is pleasantly cool and avoids slipping of the hands. The ripped plastic stripes at the same place have the same purpose. ASUS F75VD Charger
The keyboard-dock leaves the same sturdy impression of the tablet body. It is made of brushed aluminum at the cover and rubberized plastic underneath. The base can only be slightly bent but not dented anywhere.
Communication
The WLAN module supports the draft-n standard and Bluetooth 4.0, which is pretty much standard repertoire for most Windows devices by now. ASUS F75VD1 Charger Based on our rough evaluation the transmitting power is convenient: With a distance of three meters the reception is excellent (Windows: 5 bars), upstairs (10 m) and outside the house (15 m, 3 bars) still good to low (40 m, 1 bar). The transmitting power of the router (Fritz!Box 7270) is always reduced to 50%. 
4G/UMTS is no option for the TF810C, Asus offers no according model. In return you get a GPS module for location. ASUS K45 Charger When you are on the road and use the internet connection of your smartphone via tethering certain applications can display your current position (Google Maps). Common navigation applications, even without internet connection, are also working. The sibling VivoTab Smart ME400C is also available with GPS but still lacks 4G capability. From the Atom competitors only the ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C is equipped with a UMTS. Acer should provide the Iconia W511 with 3G soon. ASUS K45A Charger
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a technology to connect external devices in a contactless way with the VivoTab. One example: Hold NFC capable headphones next to the tablet and they immediately start playing. A hardware installation is not necessary. A second contact results in a disconnect. Iconia W510 and Envy x2 11 also have NFC on board. ASUS K45D Charger
Accessories
The VivoTab is also available without the keyboard dock, the price is 800 Euros (~$1068) in this case. As accessory you get a stylus pen (Wacom, passive, without battery) with five replacement tips in a small box. In addition there is a USB 2.0 dongle for the docking port of the tablet and a cover that can also be used as a tablet stand. The keyboard dock does not fit into this cover. ASUS K45DE Charger
Invisible are compass, position sensor and gyroscope (gyrostabilizer, detects the position of the tablet) and an ambient light sensor. The latter acts too exaggerated in our opinion and often reduces the brightness too much. Via function key it can be deactivated very quickly, at least at the dock. The listed sensors are standard for modern tablets. ASUS K45DR Charger
Software
Here Asus restrains itself and does not waste much space of the very limited storage. Asus Web Storage, Asus@Vibe fun Center and a trial version of MS Office, which is all. From the 64 GB MMC storage 50 GB remains for Windows 8 and software after deduction of the recovery partition and the formatting loss. Windows needs 13 GB so around 37 GB remains for the user. ASUS K45N Charger
Performance
The System-on-Chip (SoC) Atom Z2760 (Clover Trail) is Intel's first X86 chip with integrated graphics (GMA 3650) for tablets as well as smartphones (e. g. ZTE Grand X). Due to the 32nm process the chip is more efficient than Atom CPUs in netbooks (e.g. N2600) and can keep up with the Nvidia Tegra (ARM) when it comes to runtime and efficiency. ASUS K45V Charger See our efficiency comparison ARM against x86 for more information.
The Clover Trail is available for smartphones as Atom Z2000 and Z2580. For tablets or convertibles the Z2760 is the only processor currently available. As an alternative you can get the VivoTab with a Tegra 3 in the VivoTab RT Convertible (Windows 8 RT). Like all Atom convertibles our review unit is equipped with 64 GB eMMC flash storage and 2 GB LPDDR2 RAM (onboard). ASUS K45VD Charger
The computing power of the Atom is not on the same level as ultrabooks or cheap notebooks. Even weak Celeron/Pentium processors are 80 to 113% faster at multi core tests. For the comparison we use ultrabook convertibles. With an i5-3317U & Co these subnotebooks are up to 390% faster.
The computing power is similar to the 2012 Atom generation but with reduced energy consumption. ASUS K45VG Charger The 2008 N270 (Diamond Ville; Eee PC 1002HA) is 50%, the 2012 N2600 (Cedarview; Aspire One D270) is 9% slower. The consumption under load (see stress test) was almost cut in half compared to netbooks from 2012. The tablet Atom can keep up with the currently fastest ARM chips, which is shown by the multi-platform benchmark Geekbench 2. The competitors from HP, Samsung and Acer are on the same level. ASUS K45VJ Charger
The system performance of the VivoTab, displayed by PCMark 7, leaves a better impression. Now the Atom device is only 10 - 17% behind weaker Pentium or Celeron notebooks (low voltage): The reason for this is the flash storage, which outclasses all mechanical hard drives of compared devices by around 40%. The picture below shows the PCMark 7 System Storage Score. ASUS K45VM Charger Systems with conventional hard drives cannot keep up and lose points. However, ultrabooks with real solid state drives are clearly ahead (+ 177 - 127%). The currently available netbook generation (Atom N2600, Aspire One D270 or also AMD C-60, Aspire One 725) is 35 to 46% behind the VivoTab.
Compared to latest SSD drives the performance of the eMMC chip is very low (see Vaio Duo 11 in the following diagram). HD-Tune and Crystal Disk Mark determine only 50 and 79 MB/sec for sequential reading, which is even less than the latest hard drives. The results for the 4K tests are better, here the eMMC is almost 100% faster compared to a typical hard drive with 5400 rpm. ASUS K45VS Charger
Graphics
The PowerVR SGX545 (IGP) is at the bottom end when compared against integrated solutions from AMD and Intel. It can surpass the old GMA 950 and 3150 (Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit), but cannot deliver the performance of the already slow Intel GMA (Sandy Bridge). The more we look at ultrabooks and HD 4000 the bigger the difference. The HD4000 in the Toshiba U920t Convertible is almost three times faster and delivers ten times the fps in FIFA 13. Compatible ASUS K55 Charger
The PowerVR does not support DirectX-10, only version 9. If older test games start at all, there were often graphic errors, for example with FIFA 13 and World in Conflict. In the end the GPU is used for video acceleration when the necessary player and codec are provided.
Temperature
The VivoTab TF810C does not need a fan, it has the same passive silent cooling solution as similar equipped tablets. This is the case for all Atom based competitors. Ultrabook convertibles (e. g. Vaio Duo 11) need active cooling. The 2012 Atom generation (Cedarview) also needed active cooling (at least the manufacturers always used it). The energy consumption and the created heat of Cedarview were considerably higher. ASUS K55A Charger
The produced heat has to be dissipated by the case surfaces. Here, the aluminum cover is an advantage. The VivoTab remains cool, especially if you use little computing performance. During idle we measure a maximum surface temperature of only 25 °C at the front and back. The keyboard dock remains at ambient temperature, it only contains the battery. ASUS K55D adapter
During load (stress test Furmark + Prime95) the VivoTab TF810C has a steady CPU clock of 1.8 GHz. Turbo boost is not available. The GPU clocks could not be determined with any tool. We suspect unfinished drivers. The result of the mandatory 3DMark 05 run after the stress test was identical to the plugged in test. By the way, the computing performance remains identical when the battery is used, the CB R11.5 test results (32 bit) were the same.ASUS K55DE Battery Replacement
The integrated speakers (back of the tablet, at the edge) deliver reasonable sound at adjusted or maximum volume. The volume is pretty high (no distortions). When you carry the tablet around both hands are exactly above the speakers, but the sound does not suffer in these situations because the fingers cannot cover 100% of them.
Low tones and bass are not very inspiring, they are just not present. The sound is more mid tone focused. We did not like the automatic volume adjustment of the sound driver, we could clearly determine adjustments. ASUS K55DR Charger For headphones there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack that was combined with the microphone. The tablet also has an integrated microphone, for example, voice commands can be used for web URLs or search words.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The energy consumption is between 1.6 - 4.2 Watts at idle and 5.8 Watts under medium workloads (3DMark2006). The very low consumption is comparable to ARM tablets (Vivo Tab RT TF600) or the X86-competition (Iconia W510 1.7-6.9 Watts at idle). ASUS K55N Charger The Samsung ATIV Smart PC (1.6-4.0) is more frugal although its display brightness is nearly identical.
Under high load the voltmeter only indicates 8.4 Watts. The W510 (9.7 Watts) is more power hungry; the rest of the competition is on the same level. Interesting: The TF600 with Tegra 3 and Windows RT needs even more power, 9.1 and 11 Watts respectively (medium, high; similar brightness). Intel Core devices like the Vaio Duo 11 with i5-3317U need 5 - 11 Watts at idle and 34 Watts under load. In return the performance is significantly higher compared to our Intel-Atom system. ASUS K55V Charger
The 10 Watts power supply unit is sufficient for the consumption. During continuous load and utilization of the PSU the following charging times could be longer.
Battery Runtime
Just recently the Envy X2 11 with its dual batteries delivered massive runtimes of 7:07 and 11:55 up to 20:34 hours (load/WLAN/idle). These runtimes can be beaten by our review unit. 33 hours (tablet+dock) is the result for the Reader-test, the consumption was minimized by turning off all wireless connections and the lowest brightness. ASUS K55VD Charger The runtime measurements became an ordeal because the limited energy settings of Windows 8 (there is just one energy profile!) caused the tablet to go into unintentional standby quite often. When we only used the tablet this could be avoided with the "Don't Sleep" tool, but it did not always work when the keyboard dock was attached. Due to these problems we did not get a correct result for the WLAN test even after several days of testing. ASUS K55VJ Charger
Based on our evaluation the most realistic runtime is determined by the "Movie 150 cd/m²" scenario. The tablet shows a low resolution AVI movie for almost 14 hours (830 minutes). With the docking station this value is increased to 18:20 hours (1,100 minutes). The worst scenario under load (only tablet, maximum brightness) is seven hours (425 minutes). ASUS K55VM Charger The Reader-test (idle) without docking battery stops after 10:41 hours (641 minutes). The docking station is no charging station; the tablet cannot be recharged with the second battery.
There is one disadvantage with two batteries: the pretty weak 10 Watts PSU needs 6:10 hours (both batteries) and 4:07 hours (only tablet battery) for a complete charge (device is turned on). The 2-cell tablet battery has a capacity of 30 Wh (lithium-polymer, 3,950 mAH). The battery beneath the keyboard provides 25 Wh (two cells). ASUS K55VS Charger 
The competition, also with dual batteries, cannot keep up with these runtimes: Asus VivoTab RT TF600 (16:10 hours/10:18; idle/WLAN), Iconia W510 (19:09/13:35), Samsung XE500T1C (single battery, 14:43/7:14).
Asus complements its Windows RT VivoTab TF600 (Tegra 3) with a device for traditional Windows fans, the VivoTab TF810C-1B026W including keyboard dock. ASUS K75 Charger But you really have to be a big fan; the extra charge of 350 Euros (~$467) is immense. For this price you get the X86-platform with real Windows 8. It is only 32 bit but it can run all familiar applications (no limitation to Windows RT apps).
At least in theory, similar to the HP Envy x2 11-g000eg, Acer Iconia W510 and Samsung ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C, the performance suffers from the weak Atom processor. ASUS K75A ChargerIf you want to use the TF810C as a desktop replacement on the go (multi-tasking, run apps simultaneously, save lots of data, casual games) you will reach the performance limits very quickly. This is the reason for the title "unbalanced": The TF810C is more expensive than some Intel-Core ultrabooks but computing speed and overall performance are almost similar to netbooks (Atom N2600 early 2012). ASUS K75D Charger
But the VivoTab TF810C has its advantages too. 33 hours idle runtime is unrivaled compared to other Cedarview-Atom devices. We can only estimate the WLAN runtime with an additional test: around 17 hours. These runtimes can be achieved with the additional battery in the keyboard dock. Other benefits are the keyboard, which is convenient for frequent writers and the robust, high quality aluminum finish of the base unit and tablet. ASUS K75DE Charger
The potential buyer might be surprised by the low HD resolution (1366x768 pixels), but Atom convertibles from the competition do not offer something better (Envy x2 11, Acer Iconia W510 and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C). If you want a higher resolution in the same or at least similar form factor (Windows 8) you have to choose an Intel Core based convertible, for example the Sony Vaio Duo 11 or Dell XPS 12. ASUS K75V Charger The S-IPS+ panel does not need to hide from the competition, it is very bright during battery use, has a very high contrast and wide viewing angles (best in class). The three listed competitors also have good displays but are not that perfect.
Similar (low) performance, identically good panels with the same resolution: Which Atom convertible is the best? With prices of around 900 Euros (~$1201) the Envy x2 11 and our VivoTab TF810C are the most expensive, yet they offer the best runtimes with the additional battery inside the keyboard docks. ASUS K75VD adapter Acer Iconia W510 (500 - 600 Euros, ~$667 - $801) and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C (under 800 Euros, ~$1068, without UMTS) are considerably less expensive. However, Samsung waives the second battery and with Acer the customer has to live with worse build quality and inconvenient input devices. In return, Acer integrated an additional battery and offers long runtimes. ASUS K75VJ Charger Asus does not want to scare off the customers and sells a technically identical VivoTab Smart ME400C for around 500 Euros (~$667, without dock).
Published Date:
14/05/2013
Modified Date:
14/05/2013
ASUS K75 Charger
Review Asus VivoTab TF810C Convertible
IFA 2012 was the revival of convertibles. To this point subnotebooks with a classic swivel joint were niche products. For the most part these devices, like the convertible Lifebooks (e.g. Fujitsu T580, T900), Latitudes (Dell XT2) or ThinkPads (X220T) were attractive for the business user. ASUS F55U Charger There have been some Windows 7 consumer convertibles over the last couple of years, but the sales figures were never really high.
The most important consumer convertibles: Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t (N450), HP TouchSmart tm2 (Core 2 Duo), Dell Inspiron duo (N550), Gigabyte Booktop T1125N (Intel Core) and Asus Eee PC T91 MT (Z520). Reason for the small demand was the bad touch optimization of Windows 7 and a market that was heavily focused on notebooks. ASUS F55V Charger
The massive growth of Android and iOS based tablets and their big performance jumps in a very short period got the attention of Intel and Microsoft. The big players did not want to lose against Android in the long term but sell their own processors for tablets and smartphones. Windows 8 was also optimized to become a touch-OS and Intel made ultra-mobile X86-Atom CPUs (Clover Trail) for tablets and smartphones (Windows Phone). ASUS F55VD Charger
The VivoTab TF810C belongs to this "new" category. Atom Z2760 combined with real Windows 8 (no RT-version) and an attachable keyboard. Can the 11.6-inch device connect the typical Windows world and its proven applications with the mobile tablet world? Asus talks about transformed productivity and not only attaches a convenient keyboard but also a second battery. ASUS F55VDR Charger Do mobility and Windows productivity meet the requirements of the 900 Euros (~$1201) price tag?
Similar to HP and Acer, Asus decided to use the docking concept. But this is only one way to transform a tablet into a subnotebook. Flipping frame (Review Dell XPS 12 ConvertibleDell XPS 12), slider-mechanism (Sony Vaio Duo 11, Toshiba Satellite U920t), double-sided displays (Asus Taichi 21) and 360-degree hinges (Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga) are other solutions. ASUS F75 Charger
Advantage of the docking system: If you do not need the keyboard - or in this case the longer runtime - you do not have to carry a bulky and heavy case. The first look is reserved for the massive metallic joint of the 11.6-inch device. Two bars inside keep the tablet in place and a velvet insert avoids unpleasant abrasions. Moving the joint is very difficult without the cover as lever-arm, it is exceptionally firm. ASUS F75A Charger Accordingly opening the cover with one hand is not possible.
The slider on the left tablet side releases the locking mechanism mechanically. The connection has a very good tensile strength, without unlocking the tablet cannot be released. The joint cannot avoid teetering of the cover; it is too loose in the socket.
The opening angle of the cover is limited to around 130 degrees and the heavy base unit (weight of the second battery) avoids tipping backwards. ASUS F75A1 Charger Touch inputs encounter a usable fixated surface but the wobbling within the joint is disturbing. The Samsung ATIV Smart PC and HP Envy X2 have the same problem. Especially problematic for Samsung users: The opening angle is smaller, the device can tip due to the unfavorable center of gravity (no battery weight underneath the keyboard) and the display falls back onto the keyboard by itself (no fixation point). ASUS F75V adapter
We really like the stability and build quality of both components. The glass has good pressure resistance, only at the border surfaces pressure creates small pressure marks. The brushed aluminum finish of the back side of the tablet is pleasantly cool and avoids slipping of the hands. The ripped plastic stripes at the same place have the same purpose. ASUS F75VD Charger
The keyboard-dock leaves the same sturdy impression of the tablet body. It is made of brushed aluminum at the cover and rubberized plastic underneath. The base can only be slightly bent but not dented anywhere.
Communication
The WLAN module supports the draft-n standard and Bluetooth 4.0, which is pretty much standard repertoire for most Windows devices by now. ASUS F75VD1 Charger Based on our rough evaluation the transmitting power is convenient: With a distance of three meters the reception is excellent (Windows: 5 bars), upstairs (10 m) and outside the house (15 m, 3 bars) still good to low (40 m, 1 bar). The transmitting power of the router (Fritz!Box 7270) is always reduced to 50%.
4G/UMTS is no option for the TF810C, Asus offers no according model. In return you get a GPS module for location. ASUS K45 Charger When you are on the road and use the internet connection of your smartphone via tethering certain applications can display your current position (Google Maps). Common navigation applications, even without internet connection, are also working. The sibling VivoTab Smart ME400C is also available with GPS but still lacks 4G capability. From the Atom competitors only the ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C is equipped with a UMTS. Acer should provide the Iconia W511 with 3G soon. ASUS K45A Charger
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a technology to connect external devices in a contactless way with the VivoTab. One example: Hold NFC capable headphones next to the tablet and they immediately start playing. A hardware installation is not necessary. A second contact results in a disconnect. Iconia W510 and Envy x2 11 also have NFC on board. ASUS K45D Charger
Accessories
The VivoTab is also available without the keyboard dock, the price is 800 Euros (~$1068) in this case. As accessory you get a stylus pen (Wacom, passive, without battery) with five replacement tips in a small box. In addition there is a USB 2.0 dongle for the docking port of the tablet and a cover that can also be used as a tablet stand. The keyboard dock does not fit into this cover. ASUS K45DE Charger
Invisible are compass, position sensor and gyroscope (gyrostabilizer, detects the position of the tablet) and an ambient light sensor. The latter acts too exaggerated in our opinion and often reduces the brightness too much. Via function key it can be deactivated very quickly, at least at the dock. The listed sensors are standard for modern tablets. ASUS K45DR Charger
Software
Here Asus restrains itself and does not waste much space of the very limited storage. Asus Web Storage, Asus@Vibe fun Center and a trial version of MS Office, which is all. From the 64 GB MMC storage 50 GB remains for Windows 8 and software after deduction of the recovery partition and the formatting loss. Windows needs 13 GB so around 37 GB remains for the user. ASUS K45N Charger
Performance
The System-on-Chip (SoC) Atom Z2760 (Clover Trail) is Intel's first X86 chip with integrated graphics (GMA 3650) for tablets as well as smartphones (e. g. ZTE Grand X). Due to the 32nm process the chip is more efficient than Atom CPUs in netbooks (e.g. N2600) and can keep up with the Nvidia Tegra (ARM) when it comes to runtime and efficiency. ASUS K45V Charger See our efficiency comparison ARM against x86 for more information.
The Clover Trail is available for smartphones as Atom Z2000 and Z2580. For tablets or convertibles the Z2760 is the only processor currently available. As an alternative you can get the VivoTab with a Tegra 3 in the VivoTab RT Convertible (Windows 8 RT). Like all Atom convertibles our review unit is equipped with 64 GB eMMC flash storage and 2 GB LPDDR2 RAM (onboard). ASUS K45VD Charger
The computing power of the Atom is not on the same level as ultrabooks or cheap notebooks. Even weak Celeron/Pentium processors are 80 to 113% faster at multi core tests. For the comparison we use ultrabook convertibles. With an i5-3317U & Co these subnotebooks are up to 390% faster.
The computing power is similar to the 2012 Atom generation but with reduced energy consumption. ASUS K45VG Charger The 2008 N270 (Diamond Ville; Eee PC 1002HA) is 50%, the 2012 N2600 (Cedarview; Aspire One D270) is 9% slower. The consumption under load (see stress test) was almost cut in half compared to netbooks from 2012. The tablet Atom can keep up with the currently fastest ARM chips, which is shown by the multi-platform benchmark Geekbench 2. The competitors from HP, Samsung and Acer are on the same level. ASUS K45VJ Charger
The system performance of the VivoTab, displayed by PCMark 7, leaves a better impression. Now the Atom device is only 10 - 17% behind weaker Pentium or Celeron notebooks (low voltage): The reason for this is the flash storage, which outclasses all mechanical hard drives of compared devices by around 40%. The picture below shows the PCMark 7 System Storage Score. ASUS K45VM Charger Systems with conventional hard drives cannot keep up and lose points. However, ultrabooks with real solid state drives are clearly ahead (+ 177 - 127%). The currently available netbook generation (Atom N2600, Aspire One D270 or also AMD C-60, Aspire One 725) is 35 to 46% behind the VivoTab.
Compared to latest SSD drives the performance of the eMMC chip is very low (see Vaio Duo 11 in the following diagram). HD-Tune and Crystal Disk Mark determine only 50 and 79 MB/sec for sequential reading, which is even less than the latest hard drives. The results for the 4K tests are better, here the eMMC is almost 100% faster compared to a typical hard drive with 5400 rpm. ASUS K45VS Charger
Graphics
The PowerVR SGX545 (IGP) is at the bottom end when compared against integrated solutions from AMD and Intel. It can surpass the old GMA 950 and 3150 (Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit), but cannot deliver the performance of the already slow Intel GMA (Sandy Bridge). The more we look at ultrabooks and HD 4000 the bigger the difference. The HD4000 in the Toshiba U920t Convertible is almost three times faster and delivers ten times the fps in FIFA 13. Compatible ASUS K55 Charger
The PowerVR does not support DirectX-10, only version 9. If older test games start at all, there were often graphic errors, for example with FIFA 13 and World in Conflict. In the end the GPU is used for video acceleration when the necessary player and codec are provided.
Temperature
The VivoTab TF810C does not need a fan, it has the same passive silent cooling solution as similar equipped tablets. This is the case for all Atom based competitors. Ultrabook convertibles (e. g. Vaio Duo 11) need active cooling. The 2012 Atom generation (Cedarview) also needed active cooling (at least the manufacturers always used it). The energy consumption and the created heat of Cedarview were considerably higher. ASUS K55A Charger
The produced heat has to be dissipated by the case surfaces. Here, the aluminum cover is an advantage. The VivoTab remains cool, especially if you use little computing performance. During idle we measure a maximum surface temperature of only 25 °C at the front and back. The keyboard dock remains at ambient temperature, it only contains the battery. ASUS K55D adapter
During load (stress test Furmark + Prime95) the VivoTab TF810C has a steady CPU clock of 1.8 GHz. Turbo boost is not available. The GPU clocks could not be determined with any tool. We suspect unfinished drivers. The result of the mandatory 3DMark 05 run after the stress test was identical to the plugged in test. By the way, the computing performance remains identical when the battery is used, the CB R11.5 test results (32 bit) were the same.ASUS K55DE Battery Replacement
The integrated speakers (back of the tablet, at the edge) deliver reasonable sound at adjusted or maximum volume. The volume is pretty high (no distortions). When you carry the tablet around both hands are exactly above the speakers, but the sound does not suffer in these situations because the fingers cannot cover 100% of them.
Low tones and bass are not very inspiring, they are just not present. The sound is more mid tone focused. We did not like the automatic volume adjustment of the sound driver, we could clearly determine adjustments. ASUS K55DR Charger For headphones there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack that was combined with the microphone. The tablet also has an integrated microphone, for example, voice commands can be used for web URLs or search words.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The energy consumption is between 1.6 - 4.2 Watts at idle and 5.8 Watts under medium workloads (3DMark2006). The very low consumption is comparable to ARM tablets (Vivo Tab RT TF600) or the X86-competition (Iconia W510 1.7-6.9 Watts at idle). ASUS K55N Charger The Samsung ATIV Smart PC (1.6-4.0) is more frugal although its display brightness is nearly identical.
Under high load the voltmeter only indicates 8.4 Watts. The W510 (9.7 Watts) is more power hungry; the rest of the competition is on the same level. Interesting: The TF600 with Tegra 3 and Windows RT needs even more power, 9.1 and 11 Watts respectively (medium, high; similar brightness). Intel Core devices like the Vaio Duo 11 with i5-3317U need 5 - 11 Watts at idle and 34 Watts under load. In return the performance is significantly higher compared to our Intel-Atom system. ASUS K55V Charger
The 10 Watts power supply unit is sufficient for the consumption. During continuous load and utilization of the PSU the following charging times could be longer.
Battery Runtime
Just recently the Envy X2 11 with its dual batteries delivered massive runtimes of 7:07 and 11:55 up to 20:34 hours (load/WLAN/idle). These runtimes can be beaten by our review unit. 33 hours (tablet+dock) is the result for the Reader-test, the consumption was minimized by turning off all wireless connections and the lowest brightness. ASUS K55VD Charger The runtime measurements became an ordeal because the limited energy settings of Windows 8 (there is just one energy profile!) caused the tablet to go into unintentional standby quite often. When we only used the tablet this could be avoided with the "Don't Sleep" tool, but it did not always work when the keyboard dock was attached. Due to these problems we did not get a correct result for the WLAN test even after several days of testing. ASUS K55VJ Charger
Based on our evaluation the most realistic runtime is determined by the "Movie 150 cd/m²" scenario. The tablet shows a low resolution AVI movie for almost 14 hours (830 minutes). With the docking station this value is increased to 18:20 hours (1,100 minutes). The worst scenario under load (only tablet, maximum brightness) is seven hours (425 minutes). ASUS K55VM Charger The Reader-test (idle) without docking battery stops after 10:41 hours (641 minutes). The docking station is no charging station; the tablet cannot be recharged with the second battery.
There is one disadvantage with two batteries: the pretty weak 10 Watts PSU needs 6:10 hours (both batteries) and 4:07 hours (only tablet battery) for a complete charge (device is turned on). The 2-cell tablet battery has a capacity of 30 Wh (lithium-polymer, 3,950 mAH). The battery beneath the keyboard provides 25 Wh (two cells). ASUS K55VS Charger
The competition, also with dual batteries, cannot keep up with these runtimes: Asus VivoTab RT TF600 (16:10 hours/10:18; idle/WLAN), Iconia W510 (19:09/13:35), Samsung XE500T1C (single battery, 14:43/7:14).
Asus complements its Windows RT VivoTab TF600 (Tegra 3) with a device for traditional Windows fans, the VivoTab TF810C-1B026W including keyboard dock. ASUS K75 Charger But you really have to be a big fan; the extra charge of 350 Euros (~$467) is immense. For this price you get the X86-platform with real Windows 8. It is only 32 bit but it can run all familiar applications (no limitation to Windows RT apps).
At least in theory, similar to the HP Envy x2 11-g000eg, Acer Iconia W510 and Samsung ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C, the performance suffers from the weak Atom processor. ASUS K75A ChargerIf you want to use the TF810C as a desktop replacement on the go (multi-tasking, run apps simultaneously, save lots of data, casual games) you will reach the performance limits very quickly. This is the reason for the title "unbalanced": The TF810C is more expensive than some Intel-Core ultrabooks but computing speed and overall performance are almost similar to netbooks (Atom N2600 early 2012). ASUS K75D Charger
But the VivoTab TF810C has its advantages too. 33 hours idle runtime is unrivaled compared to other Cedarview-Atom devices. We can only estimate the WLAN runtime with an additional test: around 17 hours. These runtimes can be achieved with the additional battery in the keyboard dock. Other benefits are the keyboard, which is convenient for frequent writers and the robust, high quality aluminum finish of the base unit and tablet. ASUS K75DE Charger
The potential buyer might be surprised by the low HD resolution (1366x768 pixels), but Atom convertibles from the competition do not offer something better (Envy x2 11, Acer Iconia W510 and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C). If you want a higher resolution in the same or at least similar form factor (Windows 8) you have to choose an Intel Core based convertible, for example the Sony Vaio Duo 11 or Dell XPS 12. ASUS K75V Charger The S-IPS+ panel does not need to hide from the competition, it is very bright during battery use, has a very high contrast and wide viewing angles (best in class). The three listed competitors also have good displays but are not that perfect.
Similar (low) performance, identically good panels with the same resolution: Which Atom convertible is the best? With prices of around 900 Euros (~$1201) the Envy x2 11 and our VivoTab TF810C are the most expensive, yet they offer the best runtimes with the additional battery inside the keyboard docks. ASUS K75VD adapter Acer Iconia W510 (500 - 600 Euros, ~$667 - $801) and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C (under 800 Euros, ~$1068, without UMTS) are considerably less expensive. However, Samsung waives the second battery and with Acer the customer has to live with worse build quality and inconvenient input devices. In return, Acer integrated an additional battery and offers long runtimes. ASUS K75VJ Charger Asus does not want to scare off the customers and sells a technically identical VivoTab Smart ME400C for around 500 Euros (~$667, without dock).
Published Date:
14/05/2013
Modified Date:
14/05/2013
ASUS K75 Charger
Review Asus VivoTab TF810C Convertible
IFA 2012 was the revival of convertibles. To this point subnotebooks with a classic swivel joint were niche products. For the most part these devices, like the convertible Lifebooks (e.g. Fujitsu T580, T900), Latitudes (Dell XT2) or ThinkPads (X220T) were attractive for the business user. ASUS F55U Charger There have been some Windows 7 consumer convertibles over the last couple of years, but the sales figures were never really high.
The most important consumer convertibles: Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t (N450), HP TouchSmart tm2 (Core 2 Duo), Dell Inspiron duo (N550), Gigabyte Booktop T1125N (Intel Core) and Asus Eee PC T91 MT (Z520). Reason for the small demand was the bad touch optimization of Windows 7 and a market that was heavily focused on notebooks. ASUS F55V Charger
The massive growth of Android and iOS based tablets and their big performance jumps in a very short period got the attention of Intel and Microsoft. The big players did not want to lose against Android in the long term but sell their own processors for tablets and smartphones. Windows 8 was also optimized to become a touch-OS and Intel made ultra-mobile X86-Atom CPUs (Clover Trail) for tablets and smartphones (Windows Phone). ASUS F55VD Charger
The VivoTab TF810C belongs to this "new" category. Atom Z2760 combined with real Windows 8 (no RT-version) and an attachable keyboard. Can the 11.6-inch device connect the typical Windows world and its proven applications with the mobile tablet world? Asus talks about transformed productivity and not only attaches a convenient keyboard but also a second battery. ASUS F55VDR Charger Do mobility and Windows productivity meet the requirements of the 900 Euros (~$1201) price tag?
Similar to HP and Acer, Asus decided to use the docking concept. But this is only one way to transform a tablet into a subnotebook. Flipping frame (Review Dell XPS 12 ConvertibleDell XPS 12), slider-mechanism (Sony Vaio Duo 11, Toshiba Satellite U920t), double-sided displays (Asus Taichi 21) and 360-degree hinges (Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga) are other solutions. ASUS F75 Charger
Advantage of the docking system: If you do not need the keyboard - or in this case the longer runtime - you do not have to carry a bulky and heavy case. The first look is reserved for the massive metallic joint of the 11.6-inch device. Two bars inside keep the tablet in place and a velvet insert avoids unpleasant abrasions. Moving the joint is very difficult without the cover as lever-arm, it is exceptionally firm. ASUS F75A Charger Accordingly opening the cover with one hand is not possible.
The slider on the left tablet side releases the locking mechanism mechanically. The connection has a very good tensile strength, without unlocking the tablet cannot be released. The joint cannot avoid teetering of the cover; it is too loose in the socket.
The opening angle of the cover is limited to around 130 degrees and the heavy base unit (weight of the second battery) avoids tipping backwards. ASUS F75A1 Charger Touch inputs encounter a usable fixated surface but the wobbling within the joint is disturbing. The Samsung ATIV Smart PC and HP Envy X2 have the same problem. Especially problematic for Samsung users: The opening angle is smaller, the device can tip due to the unfavorable center of gravity (no battery weight underneath the keyboard) and the display falls back onto the keyboard by itself (no fixation point). ASUS F75V adapter
We really like the stability and build quality of both components. The glass has good pressure resistance, only at the border surfaces pressure creates small pressure marks. The brushed aluminum finish of the back side of the tablet is pleasantly cool and avoids slipping of the hands. The ripped plastic stripes at the same place have the same purpose. ASUS F75VD Charger
The keyboard-dock leaves the same sturdy impression of the tablet body. It is made of brushed aluminum at the cover and rubberized plastic underneath. The base can only be slightly bent but not dented anywhere.
Communication
The WLAN module supports the draft-n standard and Bluetooth 4.0, which is pretty much standard repertoire for most Windows devices by now. ASUS F75VD1 Charger Based on our rough evaluation the transmitting power is convenient: With a distance of three meters the reception is excellent (Windows: 5 bars), upstairs (10 m) and outside the house (15 m, 3 bars) still good to low (40 m, 1 bar). The transmitting power of the router (Fritz!Box 7270) is always reduced to 50%.
4G/UMTS is no option for the TF810C, Asus offers no according model. In return you get a GPS module for location. ASUS K45 Charger When you are on the road and use the internet connection of your smartphone via tethering certain applications can display your current position (Google Maps). Common navigation applications, even without internet connection, are also working. The sibling VivoTab Smart ME400C is also available with GPS but still lacks 4G capability. From the Atom competitors only the ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C is equipped with a UMTS. Acer should provide the Iconia W511 with 3G soon. ASUS K45A Charger
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a technology to connect external devices in a contactless way with the VivoTab. One example: Hold NFC capable headphones next to the tablet and they immediately start playing. A hardware installation is not necessary. A second contact results in a disconnect. Iconia W510 and Envy x2 11 also have NFC on board. ASUS K45D Charger
Accessories
The VivoTab is also available without the keyboard dock, the price is 800 Euros (~$1068) in this case. As accessory you get a stylus pen (Wacom, passive, without battery) with five replacement tips in a small box. In addition there is a USB 2.0 dongle for the docking port of the tablet and a cover that can also be used as a tablet stand. The keyboard dock does not fit into this cover. ASUS K45DE Charger
Invisible are compass, position sensor and gyroscope (gyrostabilizer, detects the position of the tablet) and an ambient light sensor. The latter acts too exaggerated in our opinion and often reduces the brightness too much. Via function key it can be deactivated very quickly, at least at the dock. The listed sensors are standard for modern tablets. ASUS K45DR Charger
Software
Here Asus restrains itself and does not waste much space of the very limited storage. Asus Web Storage, Asus@Vibe fun Center and a trial version of MS Office, which is all. From the 64 GB MMC storage 50 GB remains for Windows 8 and software after deduction of the recovery partition and the formatting loss. Windows needs 13 GB so around 37 GB remains for the user. ASUS K45N Charger
Performance
The System-on-Chip (SoC) Atom Z2760 (Clover Trail) is Intel's first X86 chip with integrated graphics (GMA 3650) for tablets as well as smartphones (e. g. ZTE Grand X). Due to the 32nm process the chip is more efficient than Atom CPUs in netbooks (e.g. N2600) and can keep up with the Nvidia Tegra (ARM) when it comes to runtime and efficiency. ASUS K45V Charger See our efficiency comparison ARM against x86 for more information.
The Clover Trail is available for smartphones as Atom Z2000 and Z2580. For tablets or convertibles the Z2760 is the only processor currently available. As an alternative you can get the VivoTab with a Tegra 3 in the VivoTab RT Convertible (Windows 8 RT). Like all Atom convertibles our review unit is equipped with 64 GB eMMC flash storage and 2 GB LPDDR2 RAM (onboard). ASUS K45VD Charger
The computing power of the Atom is not on the same level as ultrabooks or cheap notebooks. Even weak Celeron/Pentium processors are 80 to 113% faster at multi core tests. For the comparison we use ultrabook convertibles. With an i5-3317U & Co these subnotebooks are up to 390% faster.
The computing power is similar to the 2012 Atom generation but with reduced energy consumption. ASUS K45VG Charger The 2008 N270 (Diamond Ville; Eee PC 1002HA) is 50%, the 2012 N2600 (Cedarview; Aspire One D270) is 9% slower. The consumption under load (see stress test) was almost cut in half compared to netbooks from 2012. The tablet Atom can keep up with the currently fastest ARM chips, which is shown by the multi-platform benchmark Geekbench 2. The competitors from HP, Samsung and Acer are on the same level. ASUS K45VJ Charger
The system performance of the VivoTab, displayed by PCMark 7, leaves a better impression. Now the Atom device is only 10 - 17% behind weaker Pentium or Celeron notebooks (low voltage): The reason for this is the flash storage, which outclasses all mechanical hard drives of compared devices by around 40%. The picture below shows the PCMark 7 System Storage Score. ASUS K45VM Charger Systems with conventional hard drives cannot keep up and lose points. However, ultrabooks with real solid state drives are clearly ahead (+ 177 - 127%). The currently available netbook generation (Atom N2600, Aspire One D270 or also AMD C-60, Aspire One 725) is 35 to 46% behind the VivoTab.
Compared to latest SSD drives the performance of the eMMC chip is very low (see Vaio Duo 11 in the following diagram). HD-Tune and Crystal Disk Mark determine only 50 and 79 MB/sec for sequential reading, which is even less than the latest hard drives. The results for the 4K tests are better, here the eMMC is almost 100% faster compared to a typical hard drive with 5400 rpm. ASUS K45VS Charger
Graphics
The PowerVR SGX545 (IGP) is at the bottom end when compared against integrated solutions from AMD and Intel. It can surpass the old GMA 950 and 3150 (Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit), but cannot deliver the performance of the already slow Intel GMA (Sandy Bridge). The more we look at ultrabooks and HD 4000 the bigger the difference. The HD4000 in the Toshiba U920t Convertible is almost three times faster and delivers ten times the fps in FIFA 13. Compatible ASUS K55 Charger
The PowerVR does not support DirectX-10, only version 9. If older test games start at all, there were often graphic errors, for example with FIFA 13 and World in Conflict. In the end the GPU is used for video acceleration when the necessary player and codec are provided.
Temperature
The VivoTab TF810C does not need a fan, it has the same passive silent cooling solution as similar equipped tablets. This is the case for all Atom based competitors. Ultrabook convertibles (e. g. Vaio Duo 11) need active cooling. The 2012 Atom generation (Cedarview) also needed active cooling (at least the manufacturers always used it). The energy consumption and the created heat of Cedarview were considerably higher. ASUS K55A Charger
The produced heat has to be dissipated by the case surfaces. Here, the aluminum cover is an advantage. The VivoTab remains cool, especially if you use little computing performance. During idle we measure a maximum surface temperature of only 25 °C at the front and back. The keyboard dock remains at ambient temperature, it only contains the battery. ASUS K55D adapter
During load (stress test Furmark + Prime95) the VivoTab TF810C has a steady CPU clock of 1.8 GHz. Turbo boost is not available. The GPU clocks could not be determined with any tool. We suspect unfinished drivers. The result of the mandatory 3DMark 05 run after the stress test was identical to the plugged in test. By the way, the computing performance remains identical when the battery is used, the CB R11.5 test results (32 bit) were the same.ASUS K55DE Battery Replacement
The integrated speakers (back of the tablet, at the edge) deliver reasonable sound at adjusted or maximum volume. The volume is pretty high (no distortions). When you carry the tablet around both hands are exactly above the speakers, but the sound does not suffer in these situations because the fingers cannot cover 100% of them.
Low tones and bass are not very inspiring, they are just not present. The sound is more mid tone focused. We did not like the automatic volume adjustment of the sound driver, we could clearly determine adjustments. ASUS K55DR Charger For headphones there is a standard 3.5 mm audio jack that was combined with the microphone. The tablet also has an integrated microphone, for example, voice commands can be used for web URLs or search words.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The energy consumption is between 1.6 - 4.2 Watts at idle and 5.8 Watts under medium workloads (3DMark2006). The very low consumption is comparable to ARM tablets (Vivo Tab RT TF600) or the X86-competition (Iconia W510 1.7-6.9 Watts at idle). ASUS K55N Charger The Samsung ATIV Smart PC (1.6-4.0) is more frugal although its display brightness is nearly identical.
Under high load the voltmeter only indicates 8.4 Watts. The W510 (9.7 Watts) is more power hungry; the rest of the competition is on the same level. Interesting: The TF600 with Tegra 3 and Windows RT needs even more power, 9.1 and 11 Watts respectively (medium, high; similar brightness). Intel Core devices like the Vaio Duo 11 with i5-3317U need 5 - 11 Watts at idle and 34 Watts under load. In return the performance is significantly higher compared to our Intel-Atom system. ASUS K55V Charger
The 10 Watts power supply unit is sufficient for the consumption. During continuous load and utilization of the PSU the following charging times could be longer.
Battery Runtime
Just recently the Envy X2 11 with its dual batteries delivered massive runtimes of 7:07 and 11:55 up to 20:34 hours (load/WLAN/idle). These runtimes can be beaten by our review unit. 33 hours (tablet+dock) is the result for the Reader-test, the consumption was minimized by turning off all wireless connections and the lowest brightness. ASUS K55VD Charger The runtime measurements became an ordeal because the limited energy settings of Windows 8 (there is just one energy profile!) caused the tablet to go into unintentional standby quite often. When we only used the tablet this could be avoided with the "Don't Sleep" tool, but it did not always work when the keyboard dock was attached. Due to these problems we did not get a correct result for the WLAN test even after several days of testing. ASUS K55VJ Charger
Based on our evaluation the most realistic runtime is determined by the "Movie 150 cd/m²" scenario. The tablet shows a low resolution AVI movie for almost 14 hours (830 minutes). With the docking station this value is increased to 18:20 hours (1,100 minutes). The worst scenario under load (only tablet, maximum brightness) is seven hours (425 minutes). ASUS K55VM Charger The Reader-test (idle) without docking battery stops after 10:41 hours (641 minutes). The docking station is no charging station; the tablet cannot be recharged with the second battery.
There is one disadvantage with two batteries: the pretty weak 10 Watts PSU needs 6:10 hours (both batteries) and 4:07 hours (only tablet battery) for a complete charge (device is turned on). The 2-cell tablet battery has a capacity of 30 Wh (lithium-polymer, 3,950 mAH). The battery beneath the keyboard provides 25 Wh (two cells). ASUS K55VS Charger
The competition, also with dual batteries, cannot keep up with these runtimes: Asus VivoTab RT TF600 (16:10 hours/10:18; idle/WLAN), Iconia W510 (19:09/13:35), Samsung XE500T1C (single battery, 14:43/7:14).
Asus complements its Windows RT VivoTab TF600 (Tegra 3) with a device for traditional Windows fans, the VivoTab TF810C-1B026W including keyboard dock. ASUS K75 Charger But you really have to be a big fan; the extra charge of 350 Euros (~$467) is immense. For this price you get the X86-platform with real Windows 8. It is only 32 bit but it can run all familiar applications (no limitation to Windows RT apps).
At least in theory, similar to the HP Envy x2 11-g000eg, Acer Iconia W510 and Samsung ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C, the performance suffers from the weak Atom processor. ASUS K75A ChargerIf you want to use the TF810C as a desktop replacement on the go (multi-tasking, run apps simultaneously, save lots of data, casual games) you will reach the performance limits very quickly. This is the reason for the title "unbalanced": The TF810C is more expensive than some Intel-Core ultrabooks but computing speed and overall performance are almost similar to netbooks (Atom N2600 early 2012). ASUS K75D Charger
But the VivoTab TF810C has its advantages too. 33 hours idle runtime is unrivaled compared to other Cedarview-Atom devices. We can only estimate the WLAN runtime with an additional test: around 17 hours. These runtimes can be achieved with the additional battery in the keyboard dock. Other benefits are the keyboard, which is convenient for frequent writers and the robust, high quality aluminum finish of the base unit and tablet. ASUS K75DE Charger
The potential buyer might be surprised by the low HD resolution (1366x768 pixels), but Atom convertibles from the competition do not offer something better (Envy x2 11, Acer Iconia W510 and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C). If you want a higher resolution in the same or at least similar form factor (Windows 8) you have to choose an Intel Core based convertible, for example the Sony Vaio Duo 11 or Dell XPS 12. ASUS K75V Charger The S-IPS+ panel does not need to hide from the competition, it is very bright during battery use, has a very high contrast and wide viewing angles (best in class). The three listed competitors also have good displays but are not that perfect.
Similar (low) performance, identically good panels with the same resolution: Which Atom convertible is the best? With prices of around 900 Euros (~$1201) the Envy x2 11 and our VivoTab TF810C are the most expensive, yet they offer the best runtimes with the additional battery inside the keyboard docks. ASUS K75VD adapter Acer Iconia W510 (500 - 600 Euros, ~$667 - $801) and ATIV Smart PC XE500T1C (under 800 Euros, ~$1068, without UMTS) are considerably less expensive. However, Samsung waives the second battery and with Acer the customer has to live with worse build quality and inconvenient input devices. In return, Acer integrated an additional battery and offers long runtimes. ASUS K75VJ Charger Asus does not want to scare off the customers and sells a technically identical VivoTab Smart ME400C for around 500 Euros (~$667, without dock).
Published Date:
14/05/2013
Modified Date:
14/05/2013
Asus A42-A2 Charger
Review Samsung Series 7 Chronos 770Z7E Notebook and battery life
Users looking for a high-performance yet not too bulky multimedia device should look at Samsung. With a price of over 1200 Euros (~$1566), the Series 7 Chronos 770Z7E is not exactly aimed at price-conscious buyers. However, the elegant casing and strong hardware make the laptop very attractive.
This review is based on the 770Z7E-S01DE entry-level model that is currently priced at approximately 1250 Euros (~$1631). Like its more expensive brother, it features a non-glare Full HD screen, DVD burner (only the S03DE sports a Blu-ray drive) and a quad-core from Intel's latest Ivy Bridge generation. Depending on the load, the Core i7-3635QM achieves between 2.4 and 3.4 GHz.
A cutting-edge DirectX 11.1 accelerator is also part of the bundle. The Radeon HD 8870M is based on AMD's energy-efficient GCN architecture and sports 2048 MB of GDDR5 video RAM. 8 GB of DDR3 RAM (1600 MHz) and a 1000 GB HDD (5400 rpm) are also decent. The manufacturer relies on Windows 8 64 bit as the operating system.
The nearly 300 Euros (~$391) more expensive 770Z7E-S02DE features a small 128 GB SSD instead of an HDD and runs on Windows 8 Professional Edition. The premium models S03DE (~1600 Euros, ~$2088) and S04DE (~1750 Euros, ~$2284) feature between 12 GB of DDR3 RAM and a large 256 GB SSD. The more expensive versions are throughout interesting since a solid state drive makes itself noticeable in practice and accessing the hard drive slot is only inconveniently possible.
The Chronos 770Z7E's exterior corresponds to the 700Z7C reviewed half a year ago. Besides the successful looks, it is the high-quality materials especially that make a great first impression.
The manufacturer not only uses brushed aluminum for the lid, but also for the display bezel and for the keyboard area. The casing's plain base, which also gleams in a silver-gray color, proves to be plastic. The laptop is quite resistant to smudge due to the lack of high-gloss components and dark colors. Fingerprints are no issue for the 770Z7E.
With a weight of three kilograms, the all-rounder belongs to the light 17-inch laptops. Asus' N76VZ (GeForce GT 650M) for example weighs 500 grams more. Further bonus points are given for its moderate size. Most contenders clearly surpass the height of 27 millimeters. For comparison, the aforementioned Asus N76VZ is almost one centimeter thicker.
The build makes a mixed impression. While the base unit is beyond reproach, the lid exhibits weaknesses. For example, the transition to the display bezel was uneven in our test device. Not only do the fingers notice this, but it can be seen from a slanted angle when the display light shines through it. The 770Z7E unfortunately just misses a very good workmanship rating due to this flaw.
The same is true for stability. Unlike the base unit that only yields noticeably in the center of the speaker's grille, the lid can be warped extremely using both hands (typical laptop issue). The very audible hinges are adjusted so that only one hand is needed for opening. As expected, vibrations cause the screen to rock slightly.
The casing gives an overall good but not outstanding presentation. The 17-incher is located in the upper third since most all-rounders make a cheaper impression.
Maintenance
At first glance, the maintenance options seem quite restricted. Only one DDR3 RAM slot is found underneath the small flap and is equipped with 4 GB in the 770Z7E-S01DE. The other 4 GB is unfortunately soldered to the motherboard.
The casing's entire bottom has to be removed to access the 17-incher's innards (e.g. the hard drive). Although just a simple Phillips screwdriver is needed, almost 10 screws are anything but convenient. Also, the battery is not outside the casing but adversely under the hood.
We find it a bit aggravating that the 17-incher follows the example of ultrabooks in this category. We would prefer a traditional maintenance cover that allows fast access to the fan, cooling system, hard drive and the (entire) working memory a lot more.
Keyboard
Samsung draws from all resources and installs a white backlit chiclet keyboard that is lowered a few millimeters. The keyboard will even satisfy prolific typists with its spacious wrist rest, pleasant typing feel owing to a good pressure point and stroke and decent noise.
The key size of averagely 15 x 15 millimeters does not give reason for complaint either. Only the arrow keys and the F row could have used a bit more height. Laptop typical special functions that are enabled via the FN key as usual have been cleverly lined up. The user will not only find the brightness and volume controls but also the keyboard's backlight as well as buttons for the Silent Mode, touchpad, wireless module and slot-in drive here.
The keyboard is completed by a four column number pad. Since Samsung largely sticks to the standard, most users will quickly accustom to the layout.
Touchpad
The generously sized Elan Smart-Pad of 107 x 77 millimeters supports two up to four finger gestures (scroll, zoom, rotate, etc.). The multi-touch technology was quite inconspicuous in practice and did not exhibit any major flaws. The various finger gestures are explained in a video via the touchpad software.
The mouse replacement also scored quite well in the other tests. Samsung ensures for a first-rate gliding capability with the sleek surface. The accuracy is also decent, although the input could be a bit more precise here and there.
The keys embedded directly in the touchpad (no transition to the "normal" surface) are certainly a matter of taste. Nevertheless, the majority of buyers will cope after a short familiarization period. In contrast to Lenovo's IdeaPad Y500, which features a similar model, the touchpad barely yields.
Unsurprisingly, the Chi Mei N173HGE-L11 screen, extremely popular among laptop manufacturers and which is also found in the Chronos 770Z7E, scores with a beautiful picture quality. Apart from the odd color and calibration weakness (see CalMan screenshot), which is barely if at all noticed by the average user and the weak illumination of ~80%, the screen does a good to very good job.
For example, the black value of 0.3 cd/m² is much better than that of a low-cost, mainstream screen, such as the recently reviewed Dell Inspiron 17R-5721. The advantage is that dark contents look more intense and not as grayish. A brightness of just below 250 cd/m² is also easily sufficient indoors. We would say that the biggest highlight is the high contrast of 900:1, which is unreachable for standard screens that are usually below 500:1. The interpolation capability also ranges above the average.
Processor
It is not least due to the modern 22 nm manufacturing that Intel's Ivy Bridge generation has become a synonym for high performance and reasonable power consumption. Samsung does not install a dual-core model but a potent quad-core despite the slim build.
With 1.4 billion transistors, 6 MB of L3 cache and a clock of 2.4 - 3.4 GHz, the Core i7-3635QM corresponds to the more known Core i7-3630QM model. Differences are only found in the graphics chips clock and feature list. While the HD Graphics 4000 in the Core i7-3635QM runs with up to 1200 MHz, it is "only" 1150 MHz in the Core i7-3630QM. The latter model also does not support VT-d virtualization technology.
The Chronos 700Z7C equipped with a GeForce GT 650M also featured the 2.3 - 3.3 GHz faster precursor Core i7-3615QM (also Ivy Bridge). The quad-core can process up to eight threads simultaneously via Hyper Threading, but does not bring any significant advantages in games. The automatic overclocking feature is dubbed Turbo Boost.
The CPU clock does not reveal any nasty surprises when only the processor is loaded. Approximately 3.3 GHz in single-core rendering and 3.2 GHz in multi-core rendering theoretically indicate a sufficiently sized cooling and power supply.
The verdict is no longer as good as soon as the Radeon HD 8870M joins in. According to the HWiNFO tool, one up to three cores throttled to 1.2 GHz for fractions of a second. Although at least one core remained above the default rate and Intel's Turbo Boost Monitor displayed 2.4 - 3.1 GHz, the fluctuating clock partly affects the benchmark scores. CPU-heavy 3D programs, such as Hitman: Absolution, Guild Wars 2, Far Cry 3 or Assassin's Creed III, are particularly susceptible for this.
This throttling can be related to the power supply (we measured just below 90 watts during full load), the CPU's temperature (according to HWMonitor a maximum of 95 °C in the stress test) or the manufacturer set this deliberately. A bug is apparently not responsible. Perhaps Samsung would be well-advised to install a dual-core CPU or a quad-core with 35 rather than 45 watt TDP, such as the Core i7-3612QM.
CPU Performance
The Core i7-3635QM behaves properly in the CPU-only benchmarks. We used Cinebench R11.5 as an example. With 6.47 points in the multi-core test, the processor places itself almost exactly between the 100 MHz slower Core i7-3610QM (6.2 points @ Toshiba Satellite P855-107) and the 200 MHz higher clocked Core i7-3720QM (6.84 points @ Fujitsu Celsius H720). A similar picture is seen in the single-core test. 1.39 points are 2% higher than the score of the Core i7-3610QM (1.36 points) and 5% lower than the Core i7-3720QM (1.47 points).
As mentioned in the intro, the Radeon HD 8870M chip is manufactured in a 28 nm process. Compared with the "old" Radeon HD 7870M, which is also based on the GCN architecture (Graphics Core Next), AMD increased the memory clock by 12.5% from 1000 to 1125 MHz (applies to the GDDR5 version).
However, the core clock has decreased by almost 10%. Rather than 800 MHz, it is only 725 MHz in the Radeon HD 8870M. Still, the 8000 range can make use of automatic overclocking. The core clocks with a maximum of 775 MHz in the Radeon HD 8870M, which adds up to a plus of 7%. The Shader Unit count (640 Unified Shaders) and the memory bus (128 bit) are identical in both cases. It is great that Samsung does not make any compromises and uses a big 2048 MB GDDR5 video memory.
The most important feature of the Radeon HD 8870M, next to DirectX 11.1 support, is its dynamic graphics switching dubbed Enduro. Programs are either assigned to the integrated or the dedicated graphics chip depending on their requirements. For example, while the web browser runs on the HD 4000, the Radeon HD 8870M accelerates games.
Regrettably, Enduro still cannot hold a candle to Nvidia's Optimus counterpart despite various optimizations. On the one hand, Optimus provides more visual displays and convenience features and on the other, the detection rate is much better. It can recurrently happen that a 3D application is rendered unnaturally slow because the AMD graphics card is not enabled. When this occurs, it is worthwhile to look in the Catalyst Control Center (see right screenshot).
It is possible to manually assign single programs to either the integrated (energy-saving) or the dedicated (high-performance) GPU in the menu "Switchable Graphics Application Settings". Those who are lazy will simply adjust the global preset ("Maximize Performance" starts 3D programs reliably with the Radeon HD 8870M).
GPU Performance
In a nutshell: The DirectX 11 performance of the Radeon HD 8870M is baffling. With 2986 points in 3DMark 11, AMD's graphics card even places itself above the GeForce GTX 670M from Nvidia's old Fermi generation (2703 points @ Asus G75VW-T1040V). Both GeForce GTX 660M (2369 points @ Schenker XMG A722) and GeForce GT 650M (2113 points @ Medion Akoya P6815) Kepler models fall behind by almost 20 and 30% respectively.
The differences are a bit lower in the Unigine Heaven 2.1 benchmark (1280x1024, high, default tessellation). While the Radeon HD 8870M achieves an average of 37.6 fps, the GeForce GTX 660M reaps in a 14% lower 32.5 fps. The GeForce GT 650M lags behind by over 20% with 29.1 fps. However, the Radeon HD 8870M cannot surpass the GeForce GTX 670M (39.0 fps). Generally true: The older and undemanding a benchmark is (DirectX 9, etc.), the better Nvidia's models look.
Samsung naturally uses a hard drive from its own production line. The 9.5 millimeter, slim SpinPoint M8 HN-M101MBB is a 1000 GB HDD that spins at 5400 rpm and offers 8 MB of cache. The benchmark results are more than decent for a 5400 rpm model.
HDTune recorded an access time of 19.2 ms and a transfer rate of approx. 84 MB/s for the hard drive. CrystalDiskMark stated 93 MB/s in sequential read and 88 MB/s in sequential write. The likewise 1000 GB and 5400 rpm Toshiba MQ01ABD100 managed somewhat higher rates (just over 100 MB/s in Nexoc M507II).
Users who do a lot of multitasking and despise unnecessary loading times should preferably choose a version with an SSD or install one. Solid state drives extremely speed up Windows routines.
System Performance
We ascertained the system performance with PCMark 7. The scores strangely deviated noticeably with every run. The total score settled to about 2900 points in two of five tests. Two other measurements settled to almost 3800 points. PCMark even once recorded 4400 points. We ultimately entered the average rate in the database.
With 3750 points, the Chronos 7707E is exactly on a par with Schenker's XMG A502 (Core i7-3610QM, GeForce GT 650M & 120 GB SSD) and Toshiba's Qosmio X870-119 (Core i7-3610QM, GeForce GTX 670M, 128 GB SSD).
As can be seen in the benchmark below the review, the gaming performance varies extremely. While the Radeon HD 8870M often places itself above the GeForce GTX 660M in DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 titles, such as Alan Wake, Max Payne 3, Sleeping Dogs, Anno 2070 or Battlefield 3 (at least in maximum settings), AMD's model is even defeated by the GeForce GT 650M in other cases. The graphics card seems to (still) have problems particularly with Unreal Engine 3 (Borderlands 2 & Dishonored).
The moderate results in a few games or settings are not only to be explained with CPU throttling, but also AMD's driver. Enduro laptops are known to speed up less than technically equal Optimus contenders when the graphics options are reduced. Artifacts in Assassin's Creed III (white lines and surfaces) also prove that the preinstalled driver was not up-to-date.
When compared with the Chronos 7707E, the Radeon HD 8870M settles in right behind the GeForce GTX 660M. The GeForce GT 650M was 10% slower and the GeForce GTX 670M was over 20% faster after our benchmarks. The Radeon HD 8870M should overtake the GeForce GTX 660M with the latest driver and a CPU that does not throttle. Regrettably, the 28 nm GPU cannot quite fulfill the high expectations that the scores in the synthetic benchmarks aroused.
Casual gamers who are satisfied with medium details, reduced resolution and/or disabled anti-aliasing when need be will have enough power though. Some games can even be played in the native resolution using very high details and anti-aliasing as a look at Dead Space 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, FIFA 13, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Diablo III and Mass Effect 3 show.
System Noise
The idle noise level comes very close to that of the Chronos 700Z7C. With an average of 31-32 dB, the 17-incher is only slightly audible, so agreeably quiet. Although the tested version never worked completely silently, the noise development is compelling.
The noise increased to a maximum of 40 dB in 3D mode, which is still absolutely tolerable. Almost 35 dB in DVD playback will unlikely annoy anyone either (all measurements were made at a distance of 15 centimeters). Even potent laptops, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Y580, One K73-2O or Schenker XMG A522, are frequently much louder.
We cannot make a general statement about the temperatures. While the casing just reached 27 °C in idle use, it heated up clearly during load. Our thermometer measured up to 50 °C on the top and up to 44 °C after one hour of our stress test using the tools Furmark and Prime.
That might sound like a lot but it is not that bad in practice. For one thing, the system will never be loaded to such an extent in routine use. For another, the wrist rest never surpasses 30 °C. The Chronos 700Z7C achieved identical rates in 3D use with an average of 39 °C on the top and 35°C on the bottom.
The components get a lot warmer. A maximum of 95 °C on the CPU and 87 °C on the GPU is relatively hot. The processor would perhaps exceed 100 °C without temporary throttling, if the CPUID Hardware Monitors recorded correctly.
Power Consumption
The energy-efficient hardware ensures moderate power consumption. 14 - 26 watts in idle mode does not give reason for complaint. However, the Chronos 700Z7C (Core i7-3615QM & GeForce GT 650) is a bit more efficient with 12 - 21 watts. A load consumption of 76 - 92 watts is also reasonable. Despite its weaker components, the 700Z7C consumes roughly the same amount of power with 74 - 95 watts. Laptops featuring Nvidia's GeForce GTX 660M devour between 5% (Schenker XMG A722) and 40% (Gigabyte P2542G) more power depending on the device.
The battery runtime is impressive. When the screen brightness was set to minimum and the system was barely loaded, the strong 80 Wh lithium polymer battery lasted for around 10 hours, which is a top rate.
Five hours of wireless internet browsing with a slightly reduced brightness is also impressive. DVD playback using maximum brightness was possible for approximately 2.75 hours. The all-rounder was only not as compelling in Battery Eater's Classic test. Like most contenders, the laptop was drained after one hour.
Tag: laptop battery ,charger,adapter,replacement battery for laptop asus
Published Date:
10/05/2013
Modified Date:
10/05/2013