Well, I knew it would come to this and sadly, after four weeks, my relationship with the G71V is about to end. I have a new found respect for the folks who write reviews day-in and day-out as this has been an interesting journey to ensure that every aspect of a potentially large investment is covered to ensure the reader makes a wise and informed buying decision.
So in this final Blog, I will summarise my findings and present a final verdict. Let’s get cracking . . .
Design – while some may say the G71V is gaudy and brash and not going to win any style awards, I think it stands out. Black with red trim, blue LEDs and more blinking lights than your standard Christmas tree, this machine demands to be taken notice of and when I have used it out and about or with friends, it has drawn a lot of approving looks.
Features – the G71V doesn’t fall short here, boasting an array of high end components. Intel Quad core CPU, 4GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, 512MB graphics card, 17” 1080p HD screen with built-in 2MP webcam and a Blu-ray drive as well as 4 Altec Lansing speakers and a sub woofer … not much left on my features wish-list. If anything, my one minor disappointment is that the laptop does not support the latest nVidia graphics card.
Performance – apart from one game (Crysis), the G71V handled all games with aplomb and barely raised a sweat when it came to running standard applications such as an Office suite, Photoshop or any other resource hungry programs. If anything, some of the games wouldn’t run in the native resolution of 1920 x 1200, but that is a minor niggle, and something that can be solved with a faster graphics card or dual cards. Battery life was pretty poor, but then as the laptop is designed mainly for high performance, it shouldn’t come as a great surprise.
Environmentally, the G71V is extremely quiet and most of the time you wouldn’t even know it’s on. Heating is a non-issue and I have spent many an hour with it on my lap without branding myself or setting fire to me.
Final Verdict: The G71V is a seriously quick machine, and runs Vista at pace, as well as all the applications I had installed. The quad-core CPU will kick sand on other laptops, and quite a few desktop PCs as well. It is a complete desktop replacement and doesn’t cost the earth if you are looking for performance and mobility, and is a multimedia powerhouse to boot! Would I buy one? Without a doubt – I have used it extensively every day, played games on it, done work on it, used it for entertainment and even used it to work out the meaning of life … but I forgot to write the answer down. Now, if I could only claim a G71V on expenses!
