Lenovo ThinkPad T430s review

A thinner and lighter version of Lenovo's popular ThinkPad T430 business notebook, the 14-inch ThinkPad T430s provides equal doses of power, portability and usability. With its light-weight chassis, industry-leading keyboard, high-res screen and more than 8 hours of battery life, this $1,145 business system ($779 to start) is well worth the price for anyone who cares about productivity.

Specifications Lenovo ThinkPad T430s

CPU	2.6-GHz Intel Core i5-3320M
Operating System	MS Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
RAM	16GB
RAM Upgradable to	4GB
Hard Drive Size	500GB
Hard Drive Speed	7,200rpm
Hard Drive Type	SATA Hard Drive
Display Size	14
Native Resolution	1600x900
Optical Drive	DVD+/-RW DL
Optical Drive Speed
Graphics Card	Nvidia NVS 5200M
Video Memory	1GB
Wi-Fi	802.11 a/g/n
Wi-Fi Model	Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0
Mobile Broadband
Touchpad Size	3 x 1.75 inches
Ports (excluding USB)	DisplayPort; Ethernet; USB 3.0; VGA
USB Ports	3
Warranty/Support	One year standard parts and labor
Size	13.50 x 9.05 x 0.83 - 1.02 inches
Weight	4 pounds / 4.4 pounds with bay battery

Design

Click to EnlargeNo surprises here. The T430s has the same black ThinkPad aesthetic as its predecessors. While some will find this design boring, we like this classy and understated look. The soft-touch carbon-fiber reinforced plastic lid and smooth magnesium alloy bottom feel luxurious to the touch and resist fingerprints. The classic design theme continues on the all-black deck and bezel, with only the red TrackPoint and small red stripes on the TrackPoint buttons providing a splash of color.

At just 4 pounds (4.4 pounds with bay battery) and 13.50 x 9.05 x 0.83 - 1.02 inches, the ThinkPad T430s is significantly thinner and lighter than the ThinkPad T430 (13.8 x 9.13 x 1.18 inches, 4.8 pounds / 5.2 pounds with 9-cell battery) and the Dell Latitude E6430 (13.9 x 9.5 x 1.3 inches, 5.2 pounds). When we tried picking up both notebooks, the 0.8-pound difference between the larger T430 and the T430s seemed particularly great. We would much prefer to travel with the T430s.

Keyboard

Click to EnlargeLike the T430 and W530, the ThinkPad T430s's island-style, spill-resistant keyboard provides the best typing experience you can get on a notebook. The keys provide extremely strong tactile feedback and an audible clack that reminded us of the pleasant sound on IBM's old Model M keyboards. Because of the excellent feedback and key spacing, we managed a 92 word-per-minute score on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, which matched our all-time best.

Click to EnlargeThe optional backlight provided bright illumination even at the lower of its two settings. However, the glossy keys, which are necessary for the backlight, seemed slippery in comparison to the matte keys we've used on recent ThinkPads (like the T430), which came without the backlight option. Because of this slight slipperiness, we got a higher-than-normal 2 percent error rate. If you can live with the overhead light that comes standard, we recommend choosing the non-backlit, matte keys that are easier to grip.

Touchpad and TrackPoint

Click to EnlargeLike all other ThinkPads, the T430s offers two pointing devices: a TrackPoint pointing stick and a standard touchpad. We prefer the TrackPoint because it offers the most accurate way to navigate around the desktop and lets you move the pointer without lifting your hands off the home row.

Users who don't like pointing sticks will appreciate the comfort and accuracy of the 3 x 1.75-inch touchpad. In our testing, the pad's textured surface provided just the right amount of friction as we navigated around the desktop without a hint of jerkiness. We also appreciated the two discrete mouse buttons that offered firm feedback.

The pad also supports multitouch gestures, including pinch-to-zoom, rotate, three-finger flick and three finger press to launch an app of your choice. While all of these gestures worked for us, we found ourselves having to repeat the pinch and rotate gestures to make them work.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe 1600 x 900-pixel, 14-inch matte display on the T430s offers sharp, bright images and wide viewing angles. When we watched a 1080p Quicktime trailer for "The Man with the Iron Fist," the edges of objects were crisp and images barely washed out at even 90 degrees to the left or right. However, colors such as the red in curtains and walls appeared dull and pale.

At 249 lux on our light meter, the T430s's screen is about 20 percent brighter than the thin-and-light notebook category average and double the brightness of the ThinkPad T430 (with 1366 x 768 screen). The Dell Latitude E6430 comes close at 237 lux.

Audio

Click to EnlargeThe T430s's dual speakers - located on either side of the keyboard - offer sound that's accurate, but a bit hollow. When we played the bass- heavy "Forget Me Nots," the guitar-centric "Shout at the Devil" and the synth-laden "Summertine Madness," audio was accurate but flat. Still, we were able to hear a separation of sound between instruments as guitar twangs emanated from one speaker and drum beats from the other.

Even at maximum volume, the music was loud enough only for a small space. The bundled Dolby Home Theater v. 4 audio software has profiles for music, movies and games, along with an equalizer and volume leveler. Disabling the software, which is on by default, made music sound completely hollow.

Heat

The ThinkPad T430s stayed pleasantly cool throughout our testing. After streaming a video for 15 minutes, the keyboard measured a cool 85 degrees, the touchpad clocked in at a chilly 77 degrees and the underside hit a reasonable 90 degrees Fahrenheit. We consider temperatures below 95 degrees comfortable and those under 90 degrees imperceptible.

Ports and Webcam

Click to EnlargeThe ThinkPad T430s has a solid selection of ports, but most of them are on the back where it's a little harder to reach them. The back side contains a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port that can charge devices while sleeping, a mini DisplayPort, a VGA-out and an Ethernet port. Considering that many notebooks are ditching VGA and some Ultrabooks such as Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon eschew the all-important Ethernet port, we appreciated having these options on the T430s.

Click to EnlargeThe left side contains a single USB 3.0 port, a headphone / mic jack and a 5-in-1 card reader. The right side houses the optical drive, which can be replaced with an Ultrabay battery.

The 1.3-MP webcam captured sharp, bright images even in low light. When we shot pictures of our face both under the fluorescent lights of our newsroom and the shadowy corner of an unlit conference room, the camera captured bright, colorful images of our features.

Performance

Click to EnlargeConfigured with 2.6-GHz Core i5-3320M CPU, an Nvidia NVS 5200M discrete graphics chip with 1GB of VRAM and Optimus graphics switching, 500GB 7,200-rpm hard drive, and 4GB of RAM, our review configuration of the ThinkPad T430s provided solid performance that's good enough for any productivity task and even some light gaming.

On PCMark 7, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall system speed, the T430s scored a solid 2,460, slightly less than the 2,555 thin-and-light notebook category average. On Geekbench, another measure of total PC performance, the T430s scored 5,529, just slightly above the 5,425 category average.

The 7,200-rpm, 500GB hard drive booted Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) in a speedy 34 seconds, much faster than the 52-second category average and quite strong for a notebook without an SSD. On our file transfer test, where we duplicate a 4.97GB folder of multimedia files, the drive took a reasonable 2 minutes and 25 seconds. That's a rate of 35.1 MBps, slightly higher than the 33.7 Mbps category average, but far slower than systems configured with SSDs such as our review configuration of the Dell Latitude E6430. That notebook copied files at a rate of 169.6 MBps.

Its Intel 3rd Generation Core i5 CPU enabled the ThinkPad T430s to transcode an HD video to iPod Touch format in just 18 seconds using Cyberlink Media Espresso. That time is much faster than the 59-second category average, but slower than the 15 seconds turned in by the Dell Latitude E6430 and its 2.9-GHz Core i7-3420M CPU.

The T430s completed the LAPTOP Spreadsheet Macro Test, which matches 20,000 names with their addresses, in a strong 4 minutes and 26 seconds. That showing is considerably better than the 6 minute and 5 second category average, but a little slower than the Core i7-powered Dell Latitude E6430's time of 4:11.

Graphics

Click to EnlargeThe ThinkPad T430s's optional Nvidia NVS 5200M graphics chip gives it enough oomph to play some mid-range games, watch HD videos and perform graphics-oriented productivity tasks. On 3DMark 11, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall graphics prowess, the T430s returned a strong score of 1,105, significantly better than the 763 category average.

When we played "World of Warcraft," the ThinkPad T430s managed a strong frame rate of 97 fps on autodetect settings. When we turned the effects up, that rate dropped to a still-strong 44 fps.

However, the much more graphically intense "Batman: Arkham City" was barely playable at low settings, managing just 25 fps. At high settings, the ThinkPad T430s provided only a slide show-like 10 fps.

Battery Life

Click to EnlargeWith its optional bay battery attached, the ThinkPad T430s lasted a strong 8 hours and 45 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over Wi-Fi. That time is a few hours less than the ThinkPad T430's mark of 13 hours and 25 minutes and the Dell Latitude E6430's time of 10 hours and 37 minutes. However, both of those notebooks weigh significantly more and, on the configurations we tested, came with large 9-cell batteries that jut out of their backsides.

However, without the bay battery, the T430s managed a more pedestrian time of 5:09, more than an hour less than the 6:33 thin-and-light notebook category average. Because of the 3.5-hour improvement in battery life, we highly recommend the bay battery, even though it adds $130 to the system's price and 0.4 pounds to its weight.

Configurations

Our configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad T430s carries a street price of $1,130. For that, you get the 2.6-GHz Intel Core i5-3320M CPU, Nvidia NVS 5200 discrete graphics, a 500 GB 7,200 rpm hard drive, a 1600 x 900 screen, 4GB of RAM, and the bay battery. However, the T430s starts at just $789 and comes with a 2.5-GHz Core i5-3310M CPU, a 1366 x 768 screen, a 320GB hard drive, and the same Nvidia graphics chip as our unit, but no bay battery and no backlit keyboard.

If you buy the ThinkPad T430s from Lenovo.com, you can configure your system to order with your choice of CPU, screen resolution, storage device, backlit or not backlit keyboard, discrete or integrated graphics, and more. Whatever you choose, we highly recommend the 1600 x 900 screen upgrade ($50) and the bay battery ($130).

Software, Security and Warranty

Click to EnlargeThe ThinkPad T430s comes preloaded with Lenovo's standard set of ThinkVantage utilities, including Power Manager, Airbag Protection that stops the hard drive if you drop the notebook, Password Manager and Enhanced Backup and Restore.

Lenovo's Web conferencing utility is particularly useful because it not only controls the webcam, but also allows you to configure the dual-array microphone for single or multiple voices and keyboard noise suppression.

Lenovo also includes its SimpleTap UI, which provides a simple but attractive, tile-based environment filled with three screens of mini-apps that launch popular websites like Facebook and Wikipedia. Though this is an attractive-looking shell, it doesn't serve much purpose on a device without a touch screen.

ThinkPad T430's fingerprint reader allows users to power on the notebook and log into Windows with just a single swipe. In our testing, configuring the reader was fast and easy. We simply launched the ThinkVantage Fingerprint software, entered our Windows password and then chose to enroll one of our fingers.

After swiping a few times to register our right index finger, we powered down the computer and confirmed that the fingerprint reader remained on, with a flashing green light directly below it. The first time we swiped our finger, the system immediately recognized it and booted us right to the desktop without requiring further input.

Lenovo bundles the ThinkPad T430s with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor. As with other ThinkPads, Lenovo offers warranty upgrades, the ability to extend your warranty to four years or get on-site service.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeWith its high-res screen, speedy processor options, discrete graphics and best-in-class keyboard, Lenovo's ThinkPad T430s is a superb business notebook. Users who want longer battery life should consider the ThinkPad T430, which weighs 0.8 pounds more but lasts 13 hours on a charge. Those who want the ultimate in business portability should consider the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which weighs just 3 pounds but has fewer ports and lacks discrete graphics. However, if you want a thin-and-light business laptop that provides an optimal balance between mobility and heavy-duty productivity, the ThinkPad T430s is your best option.

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Alleged iPad Mini cases reveal spot for rear camera

Apple's purported iPad Mini could offer a rear camera if the latest scuttbut is on the money.

Alleged Chinese cases for the much-rumored 7-inch tablet posted by Giz-China.com show a plastic clip on the rear cover, a sign that the iPad Mini could provide a rear-facing camera but one without an LED flash. On the front would be a Facetime camera at the top center of the screen, just like on the 9.7-inch iPad.

The cases also seemingly reveal a thinner bezel than the one on the larger iPad. The volume control would rest on the right side, while the headphone jack and rotation/mute toggle switch would move to the left. Another tidbit from Giz-China.com says the speaker would be positioned Apple iPhone 4S - 32GB - black (Verizon Wireless)on the bottom of the tablet rather than on the back.

A mockup of one of the cases also reveals a smaller dock connector. Recent reports suggest that Apple will shrink the size of the dock connector for its next-generation devices to a smaller version using as few as 8 pins.

As always, these rumors should be swallowed with a grain of salt.

At this point, we don't even know for sure whether Apple will unveil a 7-inch iPad. But we could have our answer this fall. Reports say the new iPad could take the stage either at a September 12 event or at its own separate event in October.

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Tablet adoption could give flip phones new lease on life

Commentary Here's a list of people who tell me they want a simple phone: my retired parents who have easy access to a computer and two clunky laptops at home, my nonagenarian grandmother, and the tech-savvy CNET reader who just thanked me for my review of the Samsung t159, a $20 T-Mobile flip phone.

It may sound hard to believe, but basic phones like the t159 and others are poised to see a small uptick among an unexpected demographic. I'm receiving more and more e-mails from CNET readers interested in supplementing their investment in a Wi-Fi-only tablet with a cheap hunk of hardware adept at making calls and little else.

As tablets take off, there's a growing number of people who are interested in a tablet's larger screen, but who don't feel the need to duplicate their apps and tools on two separate devices.

For this set, there are a few practical options to save money and cut back on machinery.

The shift from small-screen phones that compute to larger-screen devices that also make calls is behind products like Samsung and LG's supersize smartphones, which hope to straddle the best of both phone and tablet worlds. Samsung and LG, and perhaps HTC soon, designed extra-large screen phones to nudge on-the-fence consumers toward an all-in-one device. (Of course, they'd love for committed tablet buyers to purchase their slates as well.)

The pickle of motivating customers to pay for two devices is also helping to drive AT&T and Verizon's new shared data plans. Both of the top two U.S. carriers charge a device access fee for data use on smartphones, tablets, feature phones, and hot spots. Beyond that, it won't matter whether you use your phone or tablet to tap data; the two act as one and the same.

Then there's the third route for budget-conscious buyers of personal electronics, using a larger tablet over Wi-Fi for e-mail, entertainment, photography (the horror!), and work, and tucking the inexpensive flip phone into the pocket or purse for routine or emergency calls.

Of course, some people may increasingly pull away from pocketable phones altogether and opt for a 4G or 3G tablet through a carrier and answer calls by way of a Bluetooth headset instead.

It's too soon to say where the trend is headed, but I'll guess that heavy tablet users today will find a waning allegiance to their smartphones tomorrow, and could trade in their do-everything handsets for a much cheaper and more limited model as their contracts end.

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Full steam ahead for 4G in the UK

Hardware makers, get your UK-tailored 4G LTE devices ready: it's just around the corner.

British phone and tablet fans are late getting to the 4G party — it's undeniable. While the UK was one of the first countries in Europe to get going on 3G, it will be one of the last to allocate spectrum to operators for its successor.

Everything Everywhere is now able to start selling 4G services. Are the delays to the spectrum auction process finally over? Image credit: Everything Everywhere

But that is set to change, now that Ofcom has opened the door to operators using the 1800MHz band for 4G services. The move paves the way for the UK to get 4G versions of existing mobile devices, such as Apple's iPad or the Samsung Galaxy range — something people in other countries are already enjoying.

This week, UK telecoms regulator Ofcom gave permission for Everything Everywhere to begin reusing its existing 1800MHz spectrum for 4G services. In quick succession, Everything Everywhere (EE) — the parent of T-Mobile and Orange — announced it is selling portions of that band to rival Three, allowing it too to start planning a 4G launch.

This means that 4G services are likely to start arriving in the UK from at least one of these two operators by the end of the year. But on top of this, the moves should put an end to legal squabbling among operators that was stalling the rollout of super-fast mobile broadband, according to minister Jeremy Hunt.

No more delays?

While EE is the only company that can today start working towards offering 4G services, it doesn't make much sense for rival operators to lodge any further objections to the auction itself.

Other operators (Vodafone, O2) involved in the auction process undoubtedly want to get it moving as fast as possible, as they have a vested interest in playing catch up to Everything Everywhere. Further threats of litigation would make their rival's head-start only longer.

However, a disappointed Vodafone has argued that Everything Everywhere itself now has a reason to further delay the auction process, given its head start.

While as a logical proposition that may be true, it takes a particularly cynical view to reach that conclusion, and the basis for such a challenge from Everything Everywhere remains a mystery.

Three, the UK's smallest major operator, has been fairly outspoken about the lack of spectrum equality in the past. But it too now has a reason — its new 1800MHz band blocks — to stop complaining and start working towards its 4G launch.

Three may not be able to use its two 15MHz blocks of 1800MHz spectrum for 4G services until Everything Everywhere's traffic stops running across it in September 2013. However, there is a chance that the operator could allow Three to use the spectrum for 4G before that point.

Heading off objections

This could also help if Everything Everywhere sees objections filed to Ofcom's decision. If the challenge is that allowing one network to roll out services excludes millions of UK consumers, this can be countered by pointing out that it does make 4G available to 27 million.

It doesn't make much sense for rival operators to lodge any further objections to the auction itself

Complainants could also argue that the move gives the T-Mobile and Orange parent an unfair advantage and creates an uncompetitive landscape. If that does become a barrier, then Everything Everywhere can now turn around and allow Three to start offering 4G services, creating some competition for customers.

While Ofcom's decision was never going to please everyone, the regulators have been quite canny in effectively creating a situation in which no single operator benefits from further delays to the spectrum auction.

The arrival of 4G LTE in the UK has been a long-drawn-out affair, but that looks like it's now coming to an end.

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Logitech Washable Keyboard K310

We all know food, drink and technology don't mix, yet dusty and crumb-filled keyboards are rampant in households and offices across the world. To help out on the housekeeping front, Logitech today unveiled a new PC keyboard -- the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 -- that could spell the end of the dirty QWERTY.

 

The K310, which Logitech says can tolerate anything from "a light dusting to a rinse in the kitchen sink," can be washed multiple times and can be submerged in up to 11 inches of water, and then left out to dry.

The keyboard has drainage holes at the back, and the characters are laser-printed and have a UV coating to prevent fading caused by water damage.

"We've all experienced that moment of distraction -- followed by panic, when a cup of coffee or a soda spills all over your keyboard," said Sophie Le Guen, senior director of mice and keyboards at Logitech, in a statement. "Because life and its messes will happen, regardless of how careful you are, Logitech designed the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 to look and function like new, even over time."

The keyboard is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

It is expected to be available across the United States this month with a suggested retail price tag of $39.99. The keyboard will get its European launch in October.

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Lenovo ThinkCentre M92

It's hard not to notice the direction computing is going, both in the enterprise and at home. Notebooks are getting thinner and lighter, tablets are taking off, and on desktops Mini-ITX is becoming less of a niche form factor and more of a legitimate, mainstream option. As CPU and GPU power consumption is gradually brought in line and more features are integrated directly into the chipset, we simply have less of a need for big desktops capable of dissipating mountains of heat and supporting multiple expansion cards.

Part and parcel with this, we've had a chance to check out two small form factor systems from Puget Systems and a completely fanless kiosk-style system from Logic Supply, and today we have on hand from Lenovo their ThinkCentre M92 Tiny. Ours is the entry-level configuration, and Lenovo packs a healthy amount of flexibility into a small chassis along with a couple of wrinkles of their own. Did they get the balance right with the M92, though, or were the wrong compromises made?

Optical drives are becoming less and less relevant, and that's made abundantly clear just by the removable "cage" that ships mounted to the M92 Tiny. To actually use the DVD writer you need to connect a small external USB cable, but the entire brace is easy enough to remove. That said, the brace also adds VESA mounts to the M92, making it potentially ideal for kiosk duty (much like Logic Supply's LGX AG150), and the system runs below the noise floor of my sound meter even under load. There's a lot to like about the design, but I feel like there are some real omissions here, too.

Lenovo ThinkCentre M92 Tiny Specifications
Chassis	Lenovo Custom
Processor	Intel Core i5-3470T (2x2.9GHz + HTT, 22nm, Turbo to 3.6GHz, 3MB L3, 35W)
Motherboard	Custom Q77
Memory	1x4GB Samsung DDR3-1600
Graphics	Intel HD 2500 Graphics (650-1100MHz, 6 EUs)
Hard Drive(s)	Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB 5400-RPM SATA 3Gbps HDD
Optical Drive(s)	Removable DVD+/-RW Drive
Power Supply	65W External PSU
Networking	Intel 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet
Audio	Realtek ALC662 Headphone and mic jacks
Front Side	2x USB 3.0 Headphone and mic jacks
Top	-
Back Side	AC adaptor DisplayPort 2x USB 3.0 VGA Ethernet jack USB 2.0
Operating System	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
Extras	Removable VESA/ODD cage
Warranty	3-year
Pricing	Starting at $699

The M92 is a capable machine, but the Intel Core i5-3470T strikes me as being a very unusual choice. This is a dual core Ivy Bridge processor with a 35-watt TDP, and it's presently the only Ivy Bridge dual core desktop processor available. It's certainly capable enough, but it's basically an i7-3520M with a worse IGP and less L3 cache. I feel like Lenovo should've opted for a mobile CPU; the i5-3470T is definitely a money saver, but at a $699 starting price for what are really pretty skint system specs, I'd almost rather see an Intel Core i7-3612QM.

Those skint specs extend to just 4GB of DDR3, a slow 5400-RPM mechanical hard drive, and no wireless connectivity of any kind. These can all be upgraded, mind you, but you'll have to pay for each one. The system itself is next to impossible to actually dismantle, too, so you're stuck ordering these upgrades when you order the system. When we're starting at $699 we should have at least wireless ethernet and Bluetooth standard, especially given just how small and portable the M92 really is.

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new iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17

The overarching recommendations we've had for big gaming notebooks these days have been pretty simple: ASUS G7x series if you're on a budget, Alienware M17x if you're not. Clevo and MSI are alternatives, but really gamers have been best served by one of these two lines, and it's been that way for some time now. I originally brought in iBuyPower's Valkyrie CZ-17 because it's an ODM notebook that's been rebranded by a boutique that's gradually growing almost too big to be considered a boutique anymore, and worth at least a little attention.

As it turns out, the CZ-17 is worth more than a little attention. Sourcing a notebook from MSI instead of Clevo is actually a good start to differentiating your brand from other boutiques, but the real surprise is just how strong of a competitor this gaming notebook is. For the first time in some time, the old Alienware design is starting to really lose its lustre.

While it's not much to look at, the CZ-17 has a little more verve and style than Clevo's notebooks. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M feels warmed over (it's just a rebranded GTX 580M) but still a powerful GPU, while even an entry level Ivy Bridge quad core is going to feel plenty fast. Yet the underlying hardware isn't the whole story with notebooks, and the CZ-17 has to be tested to truly be appreciated. There are some surprises here.

iBuyPower Valkyrie CZ-17 Specifications
Processor	Intel Core i7-3610QM (4x2.3GHz + HTT, Turbo to 3.3GHz, 22nm, 6MB L3, 45W)
Chipset	Intel HM77
Memory	2x4GB G.Skill DDR3-1333 (Maximum 32GB)
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M 4GB GDDR5 (384 CUDA cores, 632MHz/1265MHz/3GHz core/shaders/memory clocks, 256-bit memory bus) Intel HD 4000 Graphics (16 EUs, up to 1.1GHz)
Display	17.3" LED Matte 16:9 1080p Chi Mei N173HGE-L11
Hard Drive(s)	Seagate Momentus 7200.5 750GB 7200-RPM SATA 3Gbps HDD (one open 2.5" bay)
Optical Drive	BD-ROM/DVD+-RW Combo Drive
Networking	Killer Networks e2200 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Intel Centrino 2230 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0
Audio	Realtek ALC892 HD audio Four speakers Mic, headphone, line-in, and line-out jacks
Battery	9-cell, 87Wh
Front Side	Speaker grills
Right Side	2x USB 2.0 Optical drive
Left Side	Vent 3x USB 3.0 SD card reader Mic, headphone, line-in, and line-out jacks
Back Side	Kensington lock AC adapter Ethernet D-SUB eSATA HDMI Vent
Operating System	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit SP1
Dimensions	16.9" x 11.3" x 2.2" 429.3mm x 287mm x 55.9mm
Weight	6.9 lbs 3.1kg
Extras	Webcam USB 3.0 Card reader THX TruStudio PRO audio Backlit keyboard
Warranty	1-year limited and lifetime phone support
Pricing	$1,459

Just about everything but the GPU is fairly entry level for a gaming notebook, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since this is about the lowest price I've ever seen a GTX 580M/675M at. The Intel Core i7-3610QM is Intel's bottom rung quad core processor, but still able to turbo up to an impressive 3.1GHz on all four cores, 3.2GHz on two cores, and 3.3GHz on a single core. This is more than enough processing power for most tasks.

Even if the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M existed essentially as a stopgap for NVIDIA to release the GTX 680M (review impending), it's still a very formidable GPU. The 675M is a rebranded GTX 580M, but ours is running at very slightly higher clocks than spec; 632MHz instead of 620MHz on the core clock, resulting in a corresponding 1265MHz on the CUDA cores instead of 1240MHz. It's not really a noticeable difference, but remember the 580M was basically last generation's top of the line mobile GPU and it still has a lot of fight left in it.

As I mentioned, though, the rest of the system is less exciting. The lack of any SSD is going to cripple the base CZ-17 in our PCMark tests and certainly doesn't help it feel more responsive, while the 8GB of DDR3-1333 is standard if unexceptional. Users looking to upgrade RAM will have to remove the keyboard to do so or replace the existing DIMMs with 8GB sticks. At least iBuyPower includes a blu-ray combo drive standard, and the Killer Networks e2200 gigabit ethernet (complete with connection management software) is a nice touch.

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