We have been hearing about AMD's new Fusion line of processors for what would seem like ages, so I dove eagerly into testing the very first Fusion-powered laptop computer to cross my doorstep--the HP Pavilion dm1z (often called the "dm1"). It is based on the highest-performing member with the new Brazos platform from AMD, the E-350 CPU. At an extremely reasonable starting value of $450, this eleven.6-inch laptop computer straddles the line among finances ultraportable laptop and netbook.
HP obviously defines the Pavilion dm1 as an ultraportable laptop, and firm reps have reiterated to me many instances that it's not for being deemed a part of its netbook lineup, whose versions carry the brand HP Mini. Okay...however it blows the doorways off almost each other netbook we have reviewed, and its price tag is inside the same ballpark as (and in some cases reduced than) those of many top quality netbooks. Judged inside the ultraportable group, nevertheless, it seems to be puny, as more-expensive laptops equipped with Intel's ultra-low-voltage CPUs operate circles close to it. Consequently, the ultimate overall performance score (a weighted mixture of all our benchmarks and the system's battery daily life) is a measly 59. And this score knocks the system's all round score down to three stars. If we had evaluated the method being a netbook, its favorable efficiency in opposition to other netbooks would have boosted its efficiency score to 84 and its general score to 4 stars. Even now, if HP's advertising and marketing division insists that this isn't a netbook, we will not likely insist that it can be.
The dm1z earned a mark of fifty five on our WorldBench 6 assessments. Most Atom-based netbooks (such as the HP MIni 5103, which we reviewed last drop) can't do greater than WorldBench six score of 35 to forty. Though AMD's previous processors have had issues with battery daily life, the Pavilion dm1z ran for any creditable six several hours, forty minutes within our battery rundown test. That figure isn't going to reflect idle time, either: Our test alternates amongst playing full-screen video and doing simulated typing to drain a laptop's battery.
The integrated Radeon High definition 6310M graphics performs quite well, offering complete DirectX 11 compatibility and outperforming the integrated graphics on Intel's Atom CPUs by a issue of three or maybe more. I could play Torchlight with all its settings cranked up, and Left 4 Dead two ran astonishingly effectively. Admittedly, I needed to minimize the settings on more-processor-intensive titles like Get in touch with of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to help keep factors operating easily, but this little $450 laptop's capability to play this sort of games in any way is impressive. The fan acquired a bit loud for the duration of gaming periods, nonetheless it by no means spun at maximum velocity once we employed the Pavilion dm1z for other jobs. Test clips of 1080p Net video clip played without having jitters and looked fantastic. I even attempted the $130 external USB Blu-ray drive choice, and high-def Blu-ray movies looked sleek, sharp, and flawless. The system alone lacks an optical generate.
For that $450 entry price tag, HP's 11.6-inch not-a-netbook delivers quite a bit. The program resembles other Pavilion dm-series laptops, having a pretty smooth profile when closed, a subtly intended black lid, as well as a cover above the bottom that gives it a clear, easy appear. It really is rather easy to carry about, measuring 1.4 inches thick at its bulkiest portion and tapering down to about one inch thick, and it weighs only three.four pounds. The building feels moderately sturdy for such an inexpensive machine. The entry cost covers 3GB of RAM, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), and a 320GB 7200-rpm tough drive. The built-in Altec Lansing speakers sounded a lot far better than we'd expected from so small and cheap a method.
The laptop's dimensions are large adequate to accommodate HP's "island Chiclet"-style keyboard with full-size keys which have a nice gap amongst them, and no wasted bezel room across the keyboard around the deck. I discovered the keyboard very easy to form on. In contrast, the multitouch trackpad is about the modest side and provides middle-of-the-road monitoring efficiency. You obtain three USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI video clip outputs, an SD/MMC memory card reader, plus a single mixture headphone/mic jack. The gigabit ethernet jack hides behind a seemingly needless (and flimsy-feeling) small door on the right facet. The show is quite good for a laptop of this class and cost. The 1366 by 768 resolution is simply proper for that 11.6-inch size, and however off-axis viewing was predictably constrained, shades looked vivid, vibrant, and exact. Although restricted to video clip capture at 640 by 480, the integrated Webcam worked effectively in a variety of lighting problems.
My first impression of AMD's new Fusion processors is very good. The 1 with this program is modest, cool, and power-efficient adequate to enable a $450 machine to provide surprisingly robust overall performance: The Pavilion dm1z, in its base configuration, is lightweight, beautiful, and simple to function on, and it offers much better CPU, graphics, and video overall performance than similarly priced Atom-based netbooks. The 3-star rating of the Pavilion dm1z may possibly lead you to feel it is run-of-the-mill. It's not--except when measured versus more-expensive and more-capable laptops. What HP has created right here isn't really an inexpensive, mediocre ultraportable laptop computer, but a killer netbook that chips away at compromises that netbook owners have needed to put up with for also long.
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