Top rated 15in laptops: August 2011
- — 01 September, 2011 09:48
While thin-and-light computing may be getting more mainstream, especially with the success of laptops such as the MacBook Air, the most popular laptop size in Australia is still 15.6 inches. We've gathered ten of our top rated 15.6in models in this round-up, which represent some of the best value mainstream models you can get in this market segment.
Most of these laptops are under $1000, yet they still provide excellent performance and features -- the Sony VAIO CB Series and Dell XPS 15z even have a Full HD screen. The ones that cost well over $1000 generally do so because they have a high-end CPU and decent discrete graphics, and can be used for gaming -- the HP Pavilion dv6 is one such notebook.
About our ratings: A star rating is awarded to a product in quarter increments from one star to five stars. The higher the star rating, the better the notebook. Notebooks are evaluated on performance, features, build quality, ease of use, battery life and value for money.
7 / 10
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MSI GE620
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Dell XPS 15z (P12F)
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HP Pavilion dv6-6027tx
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Sony VAIO CB Series (VPCCB15FG)
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MSI CR640
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Acer Aspire 5750G (AS5750G-2414G50Mnkk)
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Apple Macbook Pro (15in, early 2011)
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Toshiba Satellite P750 (PSAY3A-02T001)
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Dell Inspiron 15R N5110
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Samsung RF511-S03AU
If you were considering a Macbook Pro recently but held off to see what the model refresh would bring, you might be disappointed. There aren't many innovative updates in the new Macbook Pro -- Thunderbolt is the only one worth writing home about, in our opinion -- but the extra processing power and graphics grunt are welcome. Apple's latest Macbook Pro improves on an already competent design but doesn't stand out significantly from competitors like Sony and Alienware.
- Review Date:
- Reviewer:
- Manufacturer:
- 3rd March, 2011
- Campbell Simpson
- Apple
- Rating:
- Price:
- $ 2,499.00
- Pros:
- Thunderbolt is theoretically an excellent connection standard
- The extra processing power is noticeable
- Cons:
- There aren't many other changes to write about
- We can't do anything with Thunderbolt at the moment
