Finally, I was looking for my first laptop. All most all of my friends and colleagues had their own brand for quit some time leaving me way behind in this competition. I was too happy with my six year old desktop which never let me down during this period. But lately some how I started to feel that its right time to get upgraded. Also It was 'April' time and thats the time when IT people get their yearly bonus and appraisal. So I started my search in Feb by reading on line reviews and consulting my friends. HP and Sony are too costly for the same configuration among the rest. So these were easily voted out. Never wanted to go for Acer and Lenovo can't say why.
After much of brain storming I finalized two brands - Dell and HCL. Dell is already the most trusted brand in India specifically between IT guys. Even I was convinced with its performance and thought of going for Studio 14 model. But one thing lacked in dell - good looks. Also there were some complaints about its heating problem and sound quality in the reviews on its own website. This made me to look further into HCL brand. Also I was more inclined towards HCL due to the fact that it is an Indian company.
Now HCL is not so popular as compared to Dell, reason may be whatever. But still when I searched online reviews about its products then never found any hard comment against any of the products. I noted down two of its laptops which fell into my category, both financially and configuration wise - T3904 and Z3909. Main difference between the two are:-
OS - T3904 comes with Linux while other comes with Vista.
Cache - T3904 is loaded with 3 MB cache while counterpart is with 2 MB cache.
FSB - T3904 has 1024 MHz while Z3909 has 800 MHz.
Price - T3904 is Rs 41990 and Z3909 is Rs 42740.
I visited HCL store in Khar Road, Mumbai to have a look at the both models. Look wise both are same. Its just the configuration and price that differs. Also it is ways ahead of Dell in terms of look (this is my opinion anyway). In no time I decided that this is the laptop I want to purchase. The store guy promised to deliver the product within 7-8 days at my home. And to my surprise the delivery was on time altough I had to follow up 1-2 times. After the delivery an engineer from HCL comes who signs warranty card for the laptop and also prepares the laptop for first time use. This was also on time without any delay.
Total payment for this model is around is Rs 43680(including VAT).
Now lets have a look at the specification of this laptop.
Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processsor P7350 (others are giving 5800 or 6400 within this price range)
3 MB L2 Cache, 2.0GHz, 1066 MHz FSB (others are giving 2 MB L2 cache and 800 MHz FSB at this price)
Ubuntu 8.10 ( Yes, no vista or XP in this model)
Intel Wireless lan 5100 AGN
4 GB DDR2 RAM (Others are giving around 3GB ram)
320 GB Hard Disk Drive
DVD Dual Layar Super Multi Drive
Integrated 2.0 M Video Camera with Dual Internal MIC,
14.1” Wide Screen TFT-LCD WXGA (1280X800)
Integrated Bluetooth v2.0 & 4 in 1 Card Reader
IM Print Design Notebook (This is unique and quite impressive)
86 Keys Keyboard
Li-ion Battery (6 cells) Approx. 4 Hrs 20 min in idle state
10/100 mbps Ethernet on Board, 56K Modem
Audio: Realtek ALC 268 24-bit DAC/20-bit ADC, High Definition Audio controller
Video: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M-HD - Inbuilt
Excellent Thermals
Palm Rest Surfaces at below Ambient + 6 C
Temperature difference between the palm rests +/- 10C
ACPI 2.0 Power Management with Intel Speed Step technology Support
Ports: 3 USB,1 e-Sata, 1* Express Card , 1*External MIC Input, 1*External Audio Out
HCL SONIC EAR-GEAR
MicroFibre LCD Protector
One Year Warranty
Weight: 2.5 kg
After using this laptop for nearly two months all I can say that it is an excellent machine which gives good performance and well within a good price range. Every friend of mine was impressed with its look and performance. I would recommend every one to go for this laptop as it is worth every penny spent.
Pros:-
1. Beautiful imprint design
2. Good performance
3. Good price range
4. Timely response from HCL store
5. All most every functionality is provided.
Cons:-
Not really much but you can say that battery life is not as promised. It gives around 2-2.5 hrs of backup. But as far as I know other laptops are also more or less same on this parameter. Other drawback can be of OS which Linux instead of XP/Vista. Rest it is a damn good machine. Go for it!!!
