Packard Bell EasyNote LJ65 Review
Hi, Habr.
After a few long break, lay out the first and trial review.
Any wishes and advice are accepted. We are looking forward to your comments on it, it would be nice to know that the review is superfluous, that they undeservedly paid attention to, what to focus on in the future. However, comments and your opinions are always welcome.
')
Not so long ago, namely from the beginning of spring, we started working on laptops Packard Bell. We decided to meet them ourselves and introduce others.
Like some other American companies, Packard Bell has been leading its history from distant times, since 1926. The producer of radio receivers and home appliances during the IBM PC boom turned into a major vendor among desktop computers and later laptops. Despite the low prices and the lack of unique developments, the company's products enjoyed the fame of reliable and high-quality samples. After a lot of financial turmoil, Packard Bell, along with its former competitor in the US market (Gateway), came into the possession of Taiwan multi-brand giant Acer Inc. From that moment began the gradual promotion of the updated brand on the European market. By the way, Acer promotes in Russia - notebooks of eMachines and Packard Bell trademarks, in different fashion categories. If the first one plays in the league of cheap working machines, then today's guest EasyNote LJ65 is at least more aristocratic at first glance.
The more interesting it will be to get to know him better.
“We live in a world full of colors!” - says the slogan of the official Packard Bell advertising campaign, which began recently. Its main idea is the transition from gloomy violet tones, which previously prevailed in the design of notebooks of the brand and external angularity to bright colors and smoother lines.
It did not affect the box - the white cardboard package carries a plain pattern. The laptop is in an antistatic package, a package of brochures in a separate box. The set of accessories is small: a power supply unit with a cable, a battery and two manuals - a diagram with pictures for the first run and a slightly more detailed book describing the functions of computer devices.
There are no recovery disks, you can create them using the Packard Bell Recovery Management utility at any time (or restore the operating system from a hidden partition, as is commonly practiced on all modern laptops). In general, there is nothing special here.
Specifications of the laptop in question are shown in the table below:
It is necessary to pay attention to the obvious gaming orientation of the configuration - nVidia GeForce GT 240M is one of the fastest mobile video cards. Against its background, a powerful processor and a large amount of RAM look harmonious.
From a distance, the case can easily be confused with a briefcase made of leather, for example, a crocodile. The texture of lacquered plastic on the top cover and a metal strip with an engraved brand name only reinforce this implicit similarity. As on any other polished surface, fingerprints will have to be constantly washed - a standard cloth could be very useful.
Despite the large area of ​​the hull, the front side is empty. The cover of the case is not equipped with latches, it opens easily - but it is inconvenient to hold the wide laptop on weight in one hand (the center of gravity is shifted to the front).
On the right, there are two USB 2.0 ports, a TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633C DVD burner and a power button, which is quite original on the screen hinge end. The button, of course, lights up when working - along with the other LEDs, you can find the included laptop in a dark room even with the top cover closed. The distance between the USB ports is not quite enough to accommodate two wide devices, although you can stick a USB mouse and a flash card at the same time without problems.
The rear is also empty, as on the front face - even the battery compartment is moved to the bottom plane.
The left side is most saturated with ports: right at the hinge end is the Kensington Lock. Next - a power cable jack, a LAN (RJ-45) network card output, VGA and HDMI video outputs, as well as acoustics line jacks and two more USB 2.0 ports. Completing the picture of a universal card reader under a plug on the bevel of the base.
It is noteworthy that the video outputs are reasonably spaced apart from each other (after all, the plugs of their cables are wide enough), as well as two USB 2.0 ports (on either side of the audio connectors). Of course, it would be most convenient to bring the video outputs to the back side, but the case dimensions make it possible to get by with a more traditional layout.
The battery is mounted in the niche vertically with two latches. It is reliable and convenient, but significantly increases the thickness of the base. However, it is difficult to worry about reducing the thickness in a computer of this class - a large cooling system for the nVidia GT 240M graphics card and Intel Core 2 Duo (T6600) Penryn sets its dimensions.
Metal radiator and wide cooler open to any view. Their sizes, by the way, allow us to achieve better cooling - the larger the fan diameter, the lower its rotational speed (and therefore noise). When working with the Packard Bell LJ 65 this is constantly confirmed - during testing, the fan did not make any sounds that can be considered interference. Vibrations are all the more absent - if they were, the massive body would easily extinguish them.
The holes, of course, need not be closed during operation - that is, it is better to place the laptop on a flat, smooth surface.
The widescreen display produced by the Chinese company AUO has a visible area of ​​38 x 21 cm (17.3 inches) with an aspect ratio of 16: 9. The working resolution is 1600 x 900 pixels, this is enough to accommodate a series of two sheets in MS Word or (which is more in demand in a multimedia computer) for easy viewing of films in theatrical format. Yes, the screen is glossy, but the bright LED backlight allows in most cases to compensate for the inconvenience of reflecting your own face or stray light on the display.
Built-in speakers from Creative Labs Inc. are under the polished panel above the keyboard. Holes for them are made in the form of decorative slits. It is in these holes that dust will accumulate during active use, and you will need to think about cleaning the gaps regularly. The operation of the Realtek ALC272 sound chip comes as no surprise, while the audio output supports the S / PDIF and Dolby Digital digital formats, which suggests that using external speakers with a digital input will bring more pleasure.
An unnamed full-time utility manages the work of the same simple 0.3 megapixel webcam.
In addition to changing the resolution and shooting "photos", there is nothing superfluous in its interface.
The main keyboard looks very solid - this is due to the strict shape of the wide keys, and their polished brilliance. The digital block is compressed vertically, its Enter is moved down - despite the fact that the width of the base is enough. This inconvenience, however, does not cause any.
Above is the touchpad service keys. A good and almost obligatory addition to the multimedia device is located on the lacquered plane of the base. If for some reason enemy spies want to see which of the service keys the laptop owner most often clicks on, they will easily determine this by the density of the prints around. It is good that the panel is not highlighted with a relief or engraving, so you can wipe it with one movement.
The Synaptics touchpad, in turn, is slightly recessed relative to the base. A single swing key is made of laminated plastic with brand engraving. It is pressed easily and quite clearly.
Wireless communication is provided by the built-in Wi-Fi a / b / g adapter (Intel Wi-Fi Link 1000 BG), while testing it showed a confident signal reception and transmission.
All utilities got the laptop from the platform Acer Extensa - including the operating system recovery program. However, third-party software also encounters something new - in particular, the full Russian version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0, a very good graphical editor, is preinstalled on the computer.
Data security is provided by Norton Online Backup and Internet Security firewall. Assistance in recording discs as well as in system diagnostics can be obtained from the Nero 9 Essentials package. The rest of the software has repeatedly been reviewed in the reviews of laptops from Acer, up to the client to the portal with casual online games.
For an objective and comprehensive assessment of the performance of the Packard Bell EasyNote LJ 65, we used the following tests:
Everest - complete system information capture and comprehensive testing, including hard disk
PCMark04 - a test designed to measure computer performance when working with office and other similar applications;
PCMark05 - general test, test processor, memory and hard disk;
3DMark05 - overall performance test in 3D games;
Battery Eater - test for the battery life of the laptop in read mode.
The measurement results can be found by clicking on the corresponding mini-pictures.
The results of a comparative analysis of the tests of the considered notebook and a similar model from another manufacturer (Acer Aspire 7738G-664G32Mi) are summarized in the general table below.
The same platform of both laptops (Intel Cantiga PM45 Montevina) is the reason for the coincidence of the main nodes, including the central processor, the dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, with an operating frequency of 2.2 GHz (11 x 200). The large cache of the first level and high frequency provide excellent performance. It is logical that benchmarks estimate the speed of the CPU of these machines exactly the same, and this estimate is high.
Hitachi disk drive (model HTS545032B9A300 - 320 GB, 5400 RPM, SATA-II) - good capacity with not the fastest interface and access speed in various modes.
The chipset solves two RAM slots, each of which supports modules up to 2 GB DDR3-1066 SDRAM. Thus, in this model, the maximum amount of memory is preset. The manufacturer of this pair - Samsung, module code M471B5673EH1-CF8, operate in synchronous mode.
Very low operating temperatures of the nodes are achieved by the effective operation of the cooling system. Many classmates of these laptops, built on a similar platform with the same processor, in pursuit of a decrease in the thickness of the case, sometimes sacrifice active cooling. Often it goes sideways for them - but in this case, as we see from the stress test, everything is in order.
The test results of synthetic benchmarks are summarized in the general table:
Testing the configuration in general and the nVidia GeForce GT 240M video chip (1024 MB) shows the high performance of both laptops in modern 3D games and three-dimensional applications. The video chip built on the 40nm process technology supports such technologies as GeForce Boost, HybridPower, CUDA and PhysX, with mandatory and full compatibility with DirectX 10.1
The conclusion from the tests results in itself - technically, these are two absolutely identical laptops with similar characteristics, about the same cost and different image purpose.
Battery life test:
Packard Bell laptops, and this model LJ 65 in particular, is an excellent move by Acer to increase the diversity in its multimedia notebook lineup. Having relied on the proven configuration and solid bright design, the manufacturer put on sale models that will be in demand by fans of classic forms and well-known reliability. Although under the plastic of the laptop case the same “hardware” as that of the working models of Acer is apparently a gentleman who knows his own worth.
Pros:
• high performance and a wide range of expansion ports;
• widescreen 17-inch display;
• attractive classic design;
• high-quality ventilation system.
Minuses:
• polished touch panel
ps IMHO, on the background of the fact that it is all the same Acer and the models in this niche and price category is not so much, it turns out that you should not discard Packard Bell as a manufacturer. We have long been advised to choose not only for the filling and manufacturer, but also for their own aesthetic reasons. In this case, Acer quite clearly demonstrates this principle. Different kinds of prejudices against one or another brand should gradually remain in the past. Perhaps it is time to evaluate the quality not of the product itself, but of the company's post-sales service. And look for reviews on this topic, and not about: - is this product good or not?
Although you can always wait a month or two, and most likely the laptop (s) of the desired manufacturer will appear in the right niche.
pps How interesting is it to find out what annoys people in a particular manufacturer? :)
In principle, it should be quite realistic to collect such data :)
After a few long break, lay out the first and trial review.
Any wishes and advice are accepted. We are looking forward to your comments on it, it would be nice to know that the review is superfluous, that they undeservedly paid attention to, what to focus on in the future. However, comments and your opinions are always welcome.
')
Not so long ago, namely from the beginning of spring, we started working on laptops Packard Bell. We decided to meet them ourselves and introduce others.
Putting on an evening tuxedo.
Like some other American companies, Packard Bell has been leading its history from distant times, since 1926. The producer of radio receivers and home appliances during the IBM PC boom turned into a major vendor among desktop computers and later laptops. Despite the low prices and the lack of unique developments, the company's products enjoyed the fame of reliable and high-quality samples. After a lot of financial turmoil, Packard Bell, along with its former competitor in the US market (Gateway), came into the possession of Taiwan multi-brand giant Acer Inc. From that moment began the gradual promotion of the updated brand on the European market. By the way, Acer promotes in Russia - notebooks of eMachines and Packard Bell trademarks, in different fashion categories. If the first one plays in the league of cheap working machines, then today's guest EasyNote LJ65 is at least more aristocratic at first glance.
The more interesting it will be to get to know him better.
Specifications and equipment
It did not affect the box - the white cardboard package carries a plain pattern. The laptop is in an antistatic package, a package of brochures in a separate box. The set of accessories is small: a power supply unit with a cable, a battery and two manuals - a diagram with pictures for the first run and a slightly more detailed book describing the functions of computer devices.
There are no recovery disks, you can create them using the Packard Bell Recovery Management utility at any time (or restore the operating system from a hidden partition, as is commonly practiced on all modern laptops). In general, there is nothing special here.
Specifications of the laptop in question are shown in the table below:
| CPU: | Intel Core 2 Duo 2200 MHz Penryn (T6600) |
| Bus: | 800 MHz 2 Mb L2 Cache |
| RAM: | 4096 MB DDR3-1066 MHz |
| Screen: | 17.3 "LED Mirror (Glare) |
| Resolution: | (1600x900) WXGA ++ |
| Video card: | nVidia GeForce GT 240M, 1024 + 1790 MB |
| Sound card: | Intel High-Definition Audio |
| HDD: | 320 GB (5400 rpm), SATA |
| Drive unit: | DVD ± RW (DL) |
| Connection: | lan 10/100/1000 |
| Wireless connection: | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g) |
| Ports: | 4xUSB, Kensington security, Line out (S / PDIF support), HDMI, Mic-in, VGA |
| Expansion Slots: | Card Reader (SD / MMC / MS / Pro / xD) |
| Additional devices: | Camera (0.3) |
| Input Devices: | Kl-ra Windows Touch Tablet Touch Pad |
| Battery: | Li-Ion 4400 mAh (up to 3 hours) |
| Weight: | 3.4 kg |
| Colour: | The black |
| Keyboard color: | The black |
| Body (L x W x H): | 412x280x38 mm |
| Software: | MS Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
| Warranty: | 1 year manufacturer’s warranty |
It is necessary to pay attention to the obvious gaming orientation of the configuration - nVidia GeForce GT 240M is one of the fastest mobile video cards. Against its background, a powerful processor and a large amount of RAM look harmonious.
Exterior, design, ergonomics.
From a distance, the case can easily be confused with a briefcase made of leather, for example, a crocodile. The texture of lacquered plastic on the top cover and a metal strip with an engraved brand name only reinforce this implicit similarity. As on any other polished surface, fingerprints will have to be constantly washed - a standard cloth could be very useful.
Despite the large area of ​​the hull, the front side is empty. The cover of the case is not equipped with latches, it opens easily - but it is inconvenient to hold the wide laptop on weight in one hand (the center of gravity is shifted to the front).
On the right, there are two USB 2.0 ports, a TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633C DVD burner and a power button, which is quite original on the screen hinge end. The button, of course, lights up when working - along with the other LEDs, you can find the included laptop in a dark room even with the top cover closed. The distance between the USB ports is not quite enough to accommodate two wide devices, although you can stick a USB mouse and a flash card at the same time without problems.
The rear is also empty, as on the front face - even the battery compartment is moved to the bottom plane.
The left side is most saturated with ports: right at the hinge end is the Kensington Lock. Next - a power cable jack, a LAN (RJ-45) network card output, VGA and HDMI video outputs, as well as acoustics line jacks and two more USB 2.0 ports. Completing the picture of a universal card reader under a plug on the bevel of the base.
It is noteworthy that the video outputs are reasonably spaced apart from each other (after all, the plugs of their cables are wide enough), as well as two USB 2.0 ports (on either side of the audio connectors). Of course, it would be most convenient to bring the video outputs to the back side, but the case dimensions make it possible to get by with a more traditional layout.
The battery is mounted in the niche vertically with two latches. It is reliable and convenient, but significantly increases the thickness of the base. However, it is difficult to worry about reducing the thickness in a computer of this class - a large cooling system for the nVidia GT 240M graphics card and Intel Core 2 Duo (T6600) Penryn sets its dimensions.
Metal radiator and wide cooler open to any view. Their sizes, by the way, allow us to achieve better cooling - the larger the fan diameter, the lower its rotational speed (and therefore noise). When working with the Packard Bell LJ 65 this is constantly confirmed - during testing, the fan did not make any sounds that can be considered interference. Vibrations are all the more absent - if they were, the massive body would easily extinguish them.
The holes, of course, need not be closed during operation - that is, it is better to place the laptop on a flat, smooth surface.
Packard Bell EasyNote LJ65. Screen, Camera and Sound
The widescreen display produced by the Chinese company AUO has a visible area of ​​38 x 21 cm (17.3 inches) with an aspect ratio of 16: 9. The working resolution is 1600 x 900 pixels, this is enough to accommodate a series of two sheets in MS Word or (which is more in demand in a multimedia computer) for easy viewing of films in theatrical format. Yes, the screen is glossy, but the bright LED backlight allows in most cases to compensate for the inconvenience of reflecting your own face or stray light on the display.
Built-in speakers from Creative Labs Inc. are under the polished panel above the keyboard. Holes for them are made in the form of decorative slits. It is in these holes that dust will accumulate during active use, and you will need to think about cleaning the gaps regularly. The operation of the Realtek ALC272 sound chip comes as no surprise, while the audio output supports the S / PDIF and Dolby Digital digital formats, which suggests that using external speakers with a digital input will bring more pleasure.
An unnamed full-time utility manages the work of the same simple 0.3 megapixel webcam.
In addition to changing the resolution and shooting "photos", there is nothing superfluous in its interface.
Packard Bell EasyNote LJ65. Input Devices
The main keyboard looks very solid - this is due to the strict shape of the wide keys, and their polished brilliance. The digital block is compressed vertically, its Enter is moved down - despite the fact that the width of the base is enough. This inconvenience, however, does not cause any.
Above is the touchpad service keys. A good and almost obligatory addition to the multimedia device is located on the lacquered plane of the base. If for some reason enemy spies want to see which of the service keys the laptop owner most often clicks on, they will easily determine this by the density of the prints around. It is good that the panel is not highlighted with a relief or engraving, so you can wipe it with one movement.
The Synaptics touchpad, in turn, is slightly recessed relative to the base. A single swing key is made of laminated plastic with brand engraving. It is pressed easily and quite clearly.
Packard Bell EasyNote LJ65. Wireless connection
Wireless communication is provided by the built-in Wi-Fi a / b / g adapter (Intel Wi-Fi Link 1000 BG), while testing it showed a confident signal reception and transmission.
Software and general notes
All utilities got the laptop from the platform Acer Extensa - including the operating system recovery program. However, third-party software also encounters something new - in particular, the full Russian version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0, a very good graphical editor, is preinstalled on the computer.
Data security is provided by Norton Online Backup and Internet Security firewall. Assistance in recording discs as well as in system diagnostics can be obtained from the Nero 9 Essentials package. The rest of the software has repeatedly been reviewed in the reviews of laptops from Acer, up to the client to the portal with casual online games.
Benchmarks
For an objective and comprehensive assessment of the performance of the Packard Bell EasyNote LJ 65, we used the following tests:
Everest - complete system information capture and comprehensive testing, including hard disk
PCMark04 - a test designed to measure computer performance when working with office and other similar applications;
PCMark05 - general test, test processor, memory and hard disk;
3DMark05 - overall performance test in 3D games;
Battery Eater - test for the battery life of the laptop in read mode.
The measurement results can be found by clicking on the corresponding mini-pictures.
The results of a comparative analysis of the tests of the considered notebook and a similar model from another manufacturer (Acer Aspire 7738G-664G32Mi) are summarized in the general table below.
The same platform of both laptops (Intel Cantiga PM45 Montevina) is the reason for the coincidence of the main nodes, including the central processor, the dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, with an operating frequency of 2.2 GHz (11 x 200). The large cache of the first level and high frequency provide excellent performance. It is logical that benchmarks estimate the speed of the CPU of these machines exactly the same, and this estimate is high.
Hitachi disk drive (model HTS545032B9A300 - 320 GB, 5400 RPM, SATA-II) - good capacity with not the fastest interface and access speed in various modes.
The chipset solves two RAM slots, each of which supports modules up to 2 GB DDR3-1066 SDRAM. Thus, in this model, the maximum amount of memory is preset. The manufacturer of this pair - Samsung, module code M471B5673EH1-CF8, operate in synchronous mode.
Very low operating temperatures of the nodes are achieved by the effective operation of the cooling system. Many classmates of these laptops, built on a similar platform with the same processor, in pursuit of a decrease in the thickness of the case, sometimes sacrifice active cooling. Often it goes sideways for them - but in this case, as we see from the stress test, everything is in order.
The test results of synthetic benchmarks are summarized in the general table:
Testing the configuration in general and the nVidia GeForce GT 240M video chip (1024 MB) shows the high performance of both laptops in modern 3D games and three-dimensional applications. The video chip built on the 40nm process technology supports such technologies as GeForce Boost, HybridPower, CUDA and PhysX, with mandatory and full compatibility with DirectX 10.1
| Laptop model | PCMark Vantage General | PCMark Vantage Productivity | PCMark Vantage TN & Movies | 3D Mark 06 score |
| Packard Bell LJ 65 | 4175 | 3621 | 2641 | 6542 |
| Acer Aspire 7738G-664G32Mi | 4303 | 3636 | 2246 | 6557 |
The conclusion from the tests results in itself - technically, these are two absolutely identical laptops with similar characteristics, about the same cost and different image purpose.
Battery life test:
Conclusion
Packard Bell laptops, and this model LJ 65 in particular, is an excellent move by Acer to increase the diversity in its multimedia notebook lineup. Having relied on the proven configuration and solid bright design, the manufacturer put on sale models that will be in demand by fans of classic forms and well-known reliability. Although under the plastic of the laptop case the same “hardware” as that of the working models of Acer is apparently a gentleman who knows his own worth.
Pros:
• high performance and a wide range of expansion ports;
• widescreen 17-inch display;
• attractive classic design;
• high-quality ventilation system.
Minuses:
• polished touch panel
ps IMHO, on the background of the fact that it is all the same Acer and the models in this niche and price category is not so much, it turns out that you should not discard Packard Bell as a manufacturer. We have long been advised to choose not only for the filling and manufacturer, but also for their own aesthetic reasons. In this case, Acer quite clearly demonstrates this principle. Different kinds of prejudices against one or another brand should gradually remain in the past. Perhaps it is time to evaluate the quality not of the product itself, but of the company's post-sales service. And look for reviews on this topic, and not about: - is this product good or not?
Although you can always wait a month or two, and most likely the laptop (s) of the desired manufacturer will appear in the right niche.
pps How interesting is it to find out what annoys people in a particular manufacturer? :)
In principle, it should be quite realistic to collect such data :)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/87322/
All Articles