Top 5 Desktop Replacements

In recent years, the trend for computing has been gradually moving from Desktop PCs to mobile machines. Mobile computing has seen a boost in both speeds and performance with the arrival of dual-core technology. At the same time, storage prices have been falling rapidly and mobile graphics are getting increasingly more powerful. All these facts combined together have lead to the emergence of a new breed of laptops called D.R or Desktop Replacements. As the name denotes, desktop replacements are heavy-duty laptops with powerful processors, big screens and oodles of storage space. Most of them ship with a minimum of 1 GB system memory with 2 GB becoming commonplace

In this roundup, we pick the five top choices available in the desktop replacement range.

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Dell Inspiron 9400
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Dell over the last few years has earned itself an envious reputation for making fantastic high-end laptops. The Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop is one such affair, which has been designed to be a desktop replacement. It has a terrific 17-inch screen which has a native HD capable resolution of 1,920 X1200 (WUXGA) and is powered by a dual-core processor—the T2500 (clock speed of 2 GHZ). Graphics is handled by the Geforce 7900 GS Go system, which is currently the most powerful graphical subsystem available on the mobile platform. Sound is taken care of by an internal 2.1 with an integrated subwoofer. In terms of expansion options, Dell has spared no effort. The Inspiron 9400 offers FireWire, S-Video out and 4 USB 2.0 ports. Storage is handled ably by a fast 7200 100 GB HDD.

Prices for this exceptional product start at Rs. 78,000.

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HP Pavilion DV9010TX**

We have just finished reviewing this laptop and come away impressed. The HP DV9010TX picks up from the HP DV8216TX, which was arguably one of the most powerful laptop in its time. The new updated model, takes it a step further by moving to the Core2Duo platform and adding more RAM. The new system runs on a powerful T5600 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which runs at a clock speed of 1.83 GHz, packs in 2 GB of system memory and retains the 160 GB of space (80x2 GB). The graphical core has been updated to the newer Nvidia Go 7600 graphics chipset. It offers the same connectivity options as before. Four USB 2.0 slots, 1 Firewire, S-Video, HDMI and VGA-out are present. The optical drive remains the same but is good enough for current situations. It is dual-layer capable and a much-needed part of this laptop.

Prices for this laptop start at Rs. 95,000. The review is due to appear shortly. This laptop is now available at Croma the new digital lifestyle store at Juhu
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Dell XPS M1710

Dell makes a return to our roundup with its refresh of the Core2Duo platform. We have already featured the Core Duo version of this laptop in an earlier round up. The new refresh changes the CPU to the fastest Core2duo chip available the 7600 (clock speed of 2.33 GHz). It retains its powerful graphical subsystem and continues to be powered by the 7900 GTX 512 MB card. The laptop’s 17 Inch LCD panel also remains the same and retains its HD-ready resolution of 1900x1200 (WUXGA). The storage space has been upgraded from 80 GB to 100 GB and system memory doubled from 1 GB to 2 GB. In terms of connectivity, the laptop is fully equipped with six USB 2.0 slots, VGA and DVI outputs, a 4-in1 memory card reader and Firewire. An interesting upgrade to the Wi-Fi connectivity is the upgrade to 802.11n, which until date remains a technology that has not been yet ratified by the IEEE.

This powerful laptop will set you back by Rs. 1,45,000.

Toshiba Qosmio G35 AV600

Toshiba makes some of the most powerful machines in the mobile computing space. The Qosmio G35 is built on Intel’s latest mobile platform the “Merom” or the Core2Duo. It features a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (T7200), an HD-Ready 17 inch display panel (1920