 |
Printed On: | September 7, 2008, 6:34 am |
| Category: | Mobile Computing | |
| Type: | Reviews | |
| Posted By: | floppy | |
| Date Posted: | July 11, 2008, 6:56 am |
 |
The Duo in perspective
The E300 in gloss black finish
�We've seen prices of ultra portable notebooks slump over the past months, and many of us have jumped onto the ultra portable bandwagon. The most significant price drops can be noted in the 13.3" category, where the weight of such notebooks hover around the 2KG mark. We have seen a surge
LG is a relatively new player in the portable computing market with product entries a couple of years back since the dawn of the Intel Core Duo Processors, and they have done well with many innovations. Recently, LG sent us a couple of their latest 13.3" laptops for evaluation, the LG P300 and the E300. Aesthetically pleasing and yet sporting some impressive specifications, the guys in our labs were cowering over this pair, and the majority of them has some pretty good things to say about this pair of notebooks. In this review, we'll bring you on a short tour of the pair. Before we continue, a brief comparison of specifications.
| � |
LG P300
|
LG E300
|
| Processor |
Intel� Core�2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz)
|
Intel� Core�2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz)
|
| Operating System |
Windows Vista� Business Edition
|
Windows Vista� Home Premium
|
| Chipset |
Mobile Intel� 965PM EXPRESS, 1GB Turbo Memory (Robson Technology)
|
AMD Radeon 690M Mobile
|
| Memory |
3GB DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
|
2GB DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
|
| LCD |
13.3inch WXGA Glare w/ LED back light (1280x800),*Fine Bright Technology
|
13.3 inch WXGA+(1280x800),*Fine Bright Technology
|
| Graphic |
NVIDIA� GeForce� 8600M GS (256MB) with Turbo Cache
|
ATI Express 1250 (Up to 896MB)
|
| HDD |
2 5 0GB 5,400rpm (SATA)
|
200GB 5,400rpm (SATA)
|
| ODD |
External DVD Super Multi Dual Layer
|
DVD Super Multi Dual Layer (DVD-R/RW, +R/RW, RAM)
|
| Wireless |
Intel� Pro/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection w/Triple Hexa-band Antenna
|
Atheros AR5007EG 802.11b/g
|
| Modem |
�
|
56kbps Modem
|
| LAN |
Gigabit Ethernet
|
10/100MB Ethernet
|
| Bluetooth |
*Yes (Bluetooth v2.0+EDR)
�
|
|
| Security |
HDD Security
|
|
| Webcam |
*Yes (1.3 Mega Pixel)
|
|
| Keyboard |
86 Keys
|
84 Keys
|
| Pointing Device |
Touchpad with Scroll Function
|
|
| Multimedia Card |
5-in-1 (XD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro)
|
|
| PC card slot |
ExpressCard/34
|
|
| Audio |
SRS WOW HD, SRS TruSurround XT, 24bit High Definition, Internal Mic
|
24bit High Definition
|
| Input/Ouput Port |
3xUSB , RJ45 , VGA, HDMI, HP-out, Mic-in, Smart Link
|
3*USB, VGA, HDMI, RJ45, Mic-in, Headphone, DC In
|
| Battery |
6Cell(Li-Ion)
|
|
| AC Adapter |
65W
|
|
| Pre-installed Software |
Battery Miser, On Screen Display, LG Magnifier, LG Smart Cam, LG Intelligent Update, LG Smart Indicator, LG Smart Partition, LG Smart Link
|
Battery Miser, On Screen Display, LG Magnifier,LG SmartCam, LG Intelligent Update, LG Fan Mode Tile, LG Touchpad Tile, LG Smart Indicator
|
| CD/DVD Titles |
CyberLink Power2Go, Recovery Center, LG Intelligent Update (Norton Anti-Virus, Drivers, Applications, Easy Manual and Easy trouble shooting Guide)
|
|
| Dimensions (WxDxH) |
315 x 236.5 x 21.2, 25.8~32.1 mm
|
309 x 228.5 x 35.3~37.1 mm
|
| Weight |
1.6Kg
|
2.04Kg(1.89Kg with weight saver) |
Notice something peculiar? Yes, we've got an Intel processor sitting on top of an AMD chipset on the E300. Throughout our tests, the notebook was stable throughout, so there is absolutely no issues on incompatibility between the archrivals in the industry. =)
|
P300 - Streamlined for style
The P300 is LG's flagship portable road warrior. At 1.6Kg and 2cm thick, the P300 is absolutely streamlined with its 13.3" LED screen. Equipped with the Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 Processor with 6MB of L2 cache along with 3GB of DDR-II memory, you can be sure that this laptop will provide you with the power that you require while on the go. Interested in some occasional gaming? The Nvidia Geforce 8600GS M found onboard will provide you with sufficient power for your FPS gaming at medium settings.
The P300 in its splendour.
and here you flip it open..
Audio in/out jacks, volume control, USB, HDMI, VGA, RJ 45 jack and power adaptor jack found on the right
2 USB and an expresscard 3/4 slot found on the left
Keyboard comes in a matching silver
The P300 doesn't comes with any optical drive built in but comes bundled with an external slim DVD-RW drive that doesn't require an additional power supply to operate.
|
Exploring Further
6 cell 5200mAh battery for a >4 hour battery life, thanks to the LED-backlight screen.
Upgradeability at a glance. to replace the hard drive, you'll need to pop the whole hood, which might prove to be slightly troublesome.
Two slots supporting up to DDR-II 800 memory
|
E300 - Budget Portability
The E300 is another 13.3 inch laptop by LG. Almost twice as thick as the P300, the E300 comes equipped with a normal WXGA LCD screen with similar features and a built-in DVDRW drive. As mentioned in the introduction, the Intel T8300 processor that comes with the E300 sits on a motherboard based on AMD's 690M Mobile chipset, an unique combination that you do not see often.
With lids closed. The E300 comes in a nice gloss black, which also means that it's a fingerprint magnet.
Lift up the lid
The optical drive on the left
All the other ports except audio jacks on the right...
and the audio jacks on the front towards the right.
The E300 comes equipped with an Enhanced-Response(ER) Keyboard which works very nicely with minimal flexing. The key geist of the technology lies in the response of the scissor key, which jumps up accordingly to how much presure you apply on it. An illustration as below.
|
Taking a further look
a 6 cell battery is provided with the E300, albeit with a smaller capacity compared to the P300. The battery promises a >3 hour battery life at mid LCD brightness and reduced CPU speed while on the go.
Ram and hard drive upgrade is pretty easy on the E300 as compared to its slimmer brother. You'll just need to pop two covers below the laptop to swap the hard drive and add additional RAM.
|
Software features & Conclusion
The LG Laptops comes with a similar battery maintenance program as the Lenovo Thinkpad notebooks, ensuring that your battery stays alive as long as possible.
Profiling for maximum battery power
A very nice Windows Vista Widget that stays in your Vista Sidebar to enable quick functions adjustments
LG has an intelligent update systems that automatically update their latest software packages to the latest versions in the background while you're online.
On the whole, the duo we recieved from LG boasts maximum usability and left us very pleased, with good CPU and graphics perfomance for the price you pay. The E300 is able to churn out a score of 2,000~ on Futuremark's 3DMark 06 suite and the P300 is able to score 3,000~ points with its Geforce 8600 discreet solution. Both of the laptop comes with a single stick of 2GB DDR-667 RAM, and by sticking another stick of 2GB memory in, performance in Windows Vista will be boosted significantly with dual channel memory configuration activated, providing you with additional memory bandwidth.
Definitely recommended by VR-Zone if you're taking a plunge into the mobile computing foray!
LG E300
LG P300
|