GROUP TEST: High-speed laptops

Asus N73SV

B&O speakers and a stunning 17in display make this a worthy media option

While most of us can but lust after Bang & Olufsen’s audio kit, this ASUS brings that dream closer to reality. The N73SV is a gargantuan desktop replacement, equipped with a 17.3in Full HD display and a set of the firm’s ICEpower speakers.

From the outset it impresses, and its 3.59kg chassis feels every inch the luxurious powerhouse. There isn’t the slightest give, and the brushed-aluminium lid feels wonderfully solid. The design is stunning, too: the light metal lid gives way to an understated interior that plays matte greys against a dark metal sheen.

Once the ASUS’ display lights up, you’ll be transfixed. Where lesser laptops struggle to do justice to the spectacle of James Cameron’s Avatar in HD, the N73SV puts in a jaw-dropping performance. Colours occasionally veer towards oversaturation, but the 1084:1 contrast ratio delivers images that look almost three-dimensional. Blacks look truly black, and whites sear the eyes at the panel’s maximum brightness of 314cd/m2.

The aesthetic appeal is almost matched by its speakers. That Bang & Olufsen accreditation has clearly worked wonders, and while they don’t quite reach the heights of Dell’s superlative XPS 15, the sound is on another level to most here.

Asus hasn’t skimped on performance either, and with a quad-core processor and 6GB of RAM, the N73SV racked up 0.81 in our benchmarks. Nvidia’s Optimus steps in to marshal the Intel and Nvidia chipsets, and although the Nvidia GeForce GT 540M chipset can’t quite handle Crysis at Full HD, an average of 34fps in our Medium test proves there’s ample power.

Despite all this praise, the N73SV is flawed. The keyboard’s layout and large, square keys aren’t cramped, but the base gives an unpleasant bounce while typing. It’s bearable, but it’s a major disappointment on an otherwise superbly built laptop. The final, larger complaint regards the Asus’ poor battery life. With a mere 3hrs 11mins in light use, this monster is best left shackled to a mains socket.

It stops short of absolute perfection, then, but that’s unlikely to dissuade those in the market for a desk-bound gargantuan.

Dell XPS 15

A tad expensive, but Dell’s mighty XPS 15 is a long-lasting all-round entertainer

Dell’s XPS logo has adorned some fine laptops over the years, and its current XPS 15 is no exception. Visually, it isn’t the most distinctive addition to the range. A sea of silver and

grey stretches around its thick-set curves, and a huge nine-cell battery juts out of the underside, propping up the laptop’s rear.

Instead, the XPS 15 has it where it counts. The backlit keyboard feels great to type on, and the wide-gamut display pampers your eyes with a Full HD resolution and eye- popping visuals. If anything, it’s too vibrant; the wide gamut panel regularly veers into oversaturation.

Pop a Blu-ray movie into the XPS 15’s drive and any qualms about its colour reproduction rapidly evaporate. The sheer detail and depth of the images on offer are something to behold, and the JBL-branded speakers make their mark. Using Waves’ Maxx Audio technology – a cut-down version of the Waves sound-enhancing tools more often found in music studios – music and movies sound full and clear, reaching startling volumes for mere laptop speakers.

If there’s a price to pay for the Dell’s entertainment credentials, then it’s a small one. It uses the Core i7- 2630QM CPU that seems to be the manufacturer’s darling and only differs from the top end performers in the GPU department. In everyday

use you won’t notice the difference. The 7200rpm hard disk keeps things feeling snappy, even under multitasking duress, and when Nvidia’s Optimus allows the GeForce GT 540M

to take over from Intel’s integrated graphics, there’s enough power to plough through our Medium Crysis benchmark at a perfectly respectable 34fps.

The final string to the XPS 15’s bow is its stunning reserves of stamina. The huge battery adds significantly to the overall weight – the XPS 15 weighs 3.02kg – but its 

herculean 7hrs 28mins of light-use battery life comes as ample recompense; perfect for the occasional jaunt into the garden.

Blending power, panache and a generous range of features, the XPS 15 has been a regular fixture on the A-List with good reason. If you can afford the price of admission, it puts on a spectacular show.

HP Pavilion dv6

The Pavilion’s brushed-metal makeover results in a solid, attractive all-rounder

HP’s Pavilion range has always been the plastic, slightly tubby cousin to the luxurious Envy, but that’s all set to change. After a quick trip to the panel beaters, the Pavilion dv6 has a new metal-clad look just in time for HP’s re- evaluation of its entire laptop business.

It isn’t a ground-up transformation, but the dv6 looks and feels all the better for some attention. The dark brushed metal lid is punctuated only by the glowing HP logo in the corner, and while the strip of light around the touchpad looks great, it isn’t only for show: it indicates when the touchpad is active.

Dr Dre’s Beats audio technology has made its way into the dv6, too. With four speakers dotted around the chassis – two above the keyboard, two along the front edge – the dv6 makes a fair racket. It’s significantly better than your average laptop, but nowhere near as full or crisp as the JBL/Waves duo on Dell’s XPS 15, with distortion buzzing in at maximum volume.

Beyond the visual changes, HP has made another subtle yet nonetheless important tweak to the design. Previously, the touchpad

buttons were integrated into the pad itself, and were unresponsive and fiddly. Now, you’ll find discreet and pleasingly clicky left and right buttons taking their place. The keyboard remains as good as ever, with its square matte- finish keys gripping the finger nicely, and providing a spacious layout and positive feel.

The dv6 also puts in a solid all-round performance. There’s no lack of speed for desktop applications – the Core i5 processor has a spritely turn of pace when the occasion demands – and AMD’s Radeon HD 6770M graphics lag a little behind the Nvidia chipsets in some rivals, but still manages a playable 33fps in the medium detail Crysis tests.

The 15.6in display is a solid performer, too. Contrast is good – we measured it at 249:1 – and images and movies look crisp.

There’s only one issue holding back the dv6, though, and it’s that the price puts it head-to- head with this month’s Labs Winner. It might trump the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 in some areas – it forgoes Blu-ray in favour of twin USB 3 ports, for example – but, ultimately, the Lenovo scrapes ahead. This doesn’t make the dv6 a poor choice at all; it’s still one of the best product lines out there.