First impressions: Dell Studio 17 PC

When Windows 7 was released on October 22, many computer models were discontinued and replaced by new ones equipped with the new operating system. We’re now testing a sizable group of desktops, laptops, and netbooks for inclusion in our upcoming computer Ratings (available to subscribers only).

For now, we can report findings for some models that are still being tested, starting with the Dell Studio 17, a 17-inch laptop.

The Dell Studio 17 retails at Best Buy for $780. With a Core 2 Duo processor and 4GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive, performance was very good. It should be able to handle just about any task, although we don’t recommend it for 3D gaming. Battery life was better than average for a 17-inch laptop, at 4.25 hours. At 7.2 lbs., it’s not very heavy for its size.

You’d expect a generous keyboard on a 17-inch laptop, and that’s what you get. But there’s some give when you type, resulting in a squishy feel. The touchpad is large and easy to maneuver on, and it supports multitouch technology so you can use hand gestures to scroll and zoom, among other things.

Extra Extra: Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide is on sale

(Click to enlarge.)

It may be a tad early to start your holiday shopping, but there’s a good chance you’ve at least been thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a big-ticket gift—like a new TV or home theater—in mind for a while now, but are putting off the purchase till November or December. If it’s sales you’re waiting for, you probably know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. On the other hand, you might just a teeny bit leery of throwing so much cash at something you know very little about. Which is better: a plasma or LCD TV? Should you upgrade to a Blu-ray player or stick with standard-def DVDs?

If you find yourself in need of expert advice, consider the newest edition of the Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information on everything from televisions and computers to smart phones, GPS units, and much more. For each product, the Consumer Reports editors walk you through the basics, explaining what’s available, which features matter, brand profiles, and offering tried-and-true shopping tips.

In addition to product information, the guide offers advice on how to shop smarter, including:

• Netting the best deals online, and protecting yourself when you shop on the Web


• When to repair and when to replace a broken item


• How to haggle effectively


• Finding the best electronics retailer based on our comprehensive annual survey


• How to save—and what to be wary of—with refurbished or open-box products on store shelves


• Where to get free office software, free computer security programs, and more useful freeware

In the CR Test Labs: Sony Vaio with Windows 7 looking good

[LOGO: Courtesy of Microsoft]

With Windows 7’s release just a week away, here’s an advance look at how some of the new Windows 7 laptops and desktops perform. We’re testing several press samples that we purchased from manufacturers.

First up is Sony’s VAIO VGN-NW270F/T, a 15.5-inch laptop with 4GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. It replaces the Vista-based VAIO VGN-NW125J/T that we tested, which was similarly equipped. One notable difference: The Windows 7 model uses a slightly faster 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, compared to the 2.1GHz processor used in the older VAIO.

Here’s what we found:

Very good performance. As with the Vista-based VGN-NW125J/T, performance on the Windows 7 system was very good. In fact, the new model scored about 10% higher in our application benchmark. It also performed marginally better in our gaming benchmark, but you can still expect choppy motion in 3D games. Start-up was slightly faster at 63 seconds (compared to 74 seconds); shutdown took an average of 15 seconds on both the Vista and Windows 7 laptops. On both systems, standby time was about 4 seconds and resume was about 3 seconds.

Battery life. The NW270F/T had about 3 hours in our tests. That’s 30 minutes less than on the Vista model, but on par with many other 15-inch laptops we’ve tested.

More features. The VGN-NW270F/T adds a Blu-ray drive, a nice extra for those looking to use their laptop for entertainment.

We’ll be posting full Ratings of Windows 7 computers next month, plus more first looks over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. You can find our current laptop Ratings and recommendations here. —Donna Tapellini

A new security freebie from Microsoft

You’ve got one less excuse for leaving your computer unprotected against viruses and spyware: Microsoft recently added its new software package, Security Essentials, to the list of free antivirus tools available for download online.

We gave Security Essentials a preliminary test run on several PCs here in our labs. The program installed in less than a minute on the typical PCs we tried, appears to use relatively few system resources, and has reasonable default settings. It’s compatible with Windows XP or later.

The user interface is deceptively simple, which is a good thing. The program automatically updates itself, and performs a quick scan every Sunday night by default, though you can change that and other settings.

If you have antivirus software already, there's no need to change. If you decide to make the switch to Security Essentials, be sure to uninstall your old antivirus program first. Security Essentials disables Windows Defender if it finds it, since they duplicate anti-spyware tasks, and since running two real-time anti-spyware programs can lead to problems.

New computer Ratings: Less-costly laptops and desktop bargains

We’ve just finished testing a slew of new computers, from netbooks to laptops to desktops. In our latest Ratings of computers, you’ll find 17 new laptops, 13 new desktops, and three new netbooks. (A ConsumerReports.org subscription is required to access all Ratings.) Altogether, you can get the lowdown on 102 computers.

Now all you need to do is decide what kind you want.

Netbooks are great for a lightweight second computer with long battery life.  You’ll have to weigh the importance of ergonomics, price, and battery life. We haven’t yet found a netbook that excels for ergonomics, price, and battery life although one new netbook came close.

Travelers looking for a solid 13-inch lightweight laptop no longer have to break the bank. The price of Apple’s White MacBook recently dropped to $1,000, and there are several very good 13-inch Windows laptops costing even less. Fourteen- to 16-inch laptops really hit the sweet spot in terms of price. If you’re looking for a heftier (in terms of weight and power) desktop replacement, take a look at a 17-inch laptop. They’re getting more robust, with some featuring quad-core processors that were formerly found only in desktops.

Desktops are among the best bargains you can get in computers these days. You’ll pay less than $800 for a system loaded with features and powerful enough even for 3D gaming. Even all-in-ones, which have generally cost more because manufacturers must squeeze most components into the display, offer increasingly good value. —Donna Tapellini

In the CR Test Labs: 22 new laptops

Much to the dismay of kids across the country, it’s time to start back-to-school shopping. Could be that a new laptop will cheer them up a bit. We’re testing a new batch in our labs, and the results will be out soon. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peek at what we’re looking at.

Acer. Acer’s got the least expensive laptop we’re testing in this batch. A 14.4 15.6-inch model, the Acer AS5516-5474 is priced at $300. The Aspire AS5536-5883, $480, has a 15.6-inch display, 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and uses a dual-core AMD Athlon as its processor.

Apple. The 17-inch MacBook Pro’s been updated with a 2.8GHz processor and 500GB hard drive. With 4GB of memory, it costs $2,500.

Asus. We’ll check out Asus’ claims of 5-hour, 50-minute battery life in this 15.6-inch laptop (the UX50V-RX05) with an Intel Core 2 Solo processor. For $750, you get a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of memory, and 512MB of video memory.

Compaq. A budget ($400) 15.6-inch system from Compaq, the Presario CQ60-417DX, runs on an Intel Celeron processor and includes 3GB of memory but a relatively small 160Gb hard drive.

Dell. We’re taking a look at laptops from Dell that represent both mainstream systems and home-entertainment computers. Prices range from $430 for the 15.6-inch Inspiron 15 with a Pentium dual-core processor to $750 for the 14-inch Inspiron 14 with a Core 2 Duo processor. In between sits the Studio 14z, a $650 14-inch laptop with a Pentium dual-core.

Netbook? Laptop? What's the difference?

We've been writing about “netbooks” for a while now, and you might be wondering if that's just another term for a laptop. Yes and no. They're both portable computers, but they're by no means interchangeable.

In a nutshell, netbooks are smaller, lighter, and cheaper, and they're designed for occasional use rather than as a full-fledged computer. Here's how these kissing cousins compare:

How Netbooks and Laptops Stack Up

	Netbooks	Laptops
Price range	$300 to $450	$400 to $2,800
Weight	2 to 3 pounds	3 to 8 pounds
Battery life	2.25 to 9 hours	2.25 to 7 hours
Hard drive size	8 to 160 GB	160 to 320 or more GB
Screen size	9 to 12 inches	12 to 18 inches

The most important thing to remember is that netbooks are much less powerful than laptops, and in most cases you wouldn't want a netbook to serve as your primary computer. Ergonomics is another consideration. If you’re planning to do a lot of typing, the smaller keyboards on most netbooks might be a nuisance.

That said, a netbook is a good option if you need a system you can easily carry around, so you can log onto the Internet whenever you want (whether over free Wi-Fi or your own wireless network, or via a paid data plan).

You can see what we thought about specific models in our latest Ratings of laptops and netbooks (both available to subscribers). For more help in deciding which portable computer is right for you, watch our free Laptop Buying Guide video and check out our Computer Buying Guide for more computer shopping tips. —Donna Tapellini

New laptops, desktops, and netbooks for $400 or less

Got $400? That’s all it takes to get one of several computers we recommend in our latest Ratings of laptops, desktops, and netbooks (available to subscribers).

There are lots of bargains out there right now as manufacturers recently released a slew of new models, and prices are dropping on the old ones to make way for the latest stock. You can still find some great systems among those “older” models.

For example, we recommend a Toshiba laptop that costs just $380. For that, you get a 15-inch model with a 250GB hard drive and 3.5 hours of battery life. We also recommend a Compaq desktop that’s just $350, and would make a good basic system for routine computer use. If your space is limited, there’s a $400 Acer computer that’s compact, but full of features.

If you’re in the market for a smaller laptop or an all-in-one system, there are plenty of bargains to be had. For example, although all-in-one desktops are generally more costly than other desktops, we recommend a $780 Dell all-in-one. Thirteen-inch laptops have always cost more than their larger counterparts, but $900 is no longer an uncommon price for a slim-and-light system like those we recommend from HP and Apple.

Speaking of Apple, the company last month dropped prices on most of its systems. For example, prices on both the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro dropped by $300, and those models have been upgraded, so you get a better computer for less money.

And of course, if you’re in the market for a secondary system for easy toting and Web surfing, take a look at our Ratings of netbooks, where you’ll find our recommendation for an Acer system that has 9 hours of battery life. —Donna Tapellini

Ratings: Laptops, Desktops, and Netbooks

If you're in the market for a computer (desktop or portable), check out our latest Ratings of desktop computers, laptops and netbooks. We've got recommendations for 13 laptops, three netbooks, and 12 desktops. (Ratings and Recommendations are available to subscibers.)

Both major commercial operating systems are slated for a change this fall. Apple plans to release its OS X upgrade, Snow Leopard, in September. Current Leopard users will be able to upgrade for $29. There will also be also a five-license family version for $49.

Snow Leopard will use 6GB less hard drive space than the previous version, the company said.

Microsoft will release the new Windows 7 on October 22. The company says it's still working on upgrade programs with computer manufacturers and retailers. If you're on the fence about when to buy a new PC, it might be worth holding off until we learn more about upgrade options. —Donna Tapellini

New Mac OS X, Snow Leopard, announced

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. [Photo: adamjackson1984/Flickr]

Mac OS X is getting a facelift, Apple Computer announced today during the keynote for its Worldwide Developers Conference. Called Snow Leopard, the 64-bit OS will be available as an upgrade to Mac OS X Leopard users starting in September for $29. There will also be also a five-license family version for $49.

Snow Leopard will use 6GB less hard drive space than the previous version, the company said.

Apple also debuted new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops today during the keynote for its Worldwide Developers Conference. Both will use the same battery currently built into the 17-inch version. Apple claims the battery will last 7 hours; in our tests of the 17-inch MacBook, we got 6.5 hours of battery life.

Both will also have an SD slot instead of an ExpressCard slot, and illuminated keyboards. The company says it improved the LED backlit displays. Options for the 15-inch version include up to a 500GB hard drive or 256GB solid-state drive. Prices range from $1,700 for a model with a 250GB hard drive to $2,300 for one with a 500GB drive . The 13-inch MacBook Pro (yes, the 13-inch laptop is now also part of the Pro line) will cost $1,200 to $1,500 with a 120GB to 250GB hard drive and 2 to 4GB of RAM.