The MSI X340 is an extremely slim (0.7" thin) and light (just under 3-lb) laptop that rivals the MacBook Air, but without the high price tag and it also runs Windows! Vista Home Premium 64-bit to be exact. I have an Lenovo U110, which is an amazing laptop all on its, but I found myself wanting a bigger screen, and the x340 is the perfect answer, its 13.4" LED-backlit LCD screen is bright and show good vivid color contrast. The keyboard is not as responsive as the Lenovo (which generally regarded as having the best keyboard in the industy), but nevertheless, it is a very respectable keyboard that show little flex during typing. The HDMI 1080p works perfectly on my Samsung LCD, which I used quite often not just to watch video, but also to simply use it as a large computer monitor along with my cordless Logitech keyboard and mouse. The HDMI also passes audio to my Samsung LCD TV speaker, not sure if it pass 5.1 digital surround signal since I don't have an HDMI AV receiver. This is just about the most perfect ultra-portable laptop, with its price, weight, large 13.4" screen. The only thing I can think of that would make this laptop perfect is an additional USB port (currently only 2) and the additional of a second/right mouse button, and perhaps a slightly more powerful battery. The standard 4-cell last a little over 3 hours of mixed use with Wifi on at all time with FTP upload, web browsing, document creation and screen brightness set at about 75%. I know some of you might also want to add DVD/blu-ray drive to the mix, but the resulting increase in price, size and weight will not justify the benefit. This is a wonderful laptop for those of us who want a small and light ultraportable with a large screen, but didn't want to spend more than $1000 for a new laptop.
The packaging and design of the X340 are beautiful, and contrary to some other reviewers, I do not find it to be too plasticy or the keyboard to have too much flex. I think Timothy Lam's review is spot on so I won't duplicate. The machine runs Vista 32 respectably right out of the box, but I immediately upgraded to Windows 7 32-bit without a hitch or DVD drive using a shareware program called Virtual Clone Drive. Projected battery life increased by about 20 minutes to 4:07, but I have not had it long enough to cite what you can realistically expect. If that is unacceptable there is supposed to be an optional 8 cell battery, or you should consider the X320 with Atom Z530 and 8 hour battery life for $600 (same size and great screen).
I think the screen size is ideal for an ultra-portable, and despite the screen being glossy, I noticed very little glare, especially compared to the HP 1000. Although the touchpad lacks 2 discreet buttons, I found it to be excellent, as are the speakers for a notebook. The light weight and ergonomics were perfect for chilling on the couch, and working or surfing. It really is a delight to use, and kind of intoxicating.
In summary, depending on your needs, there is virtually nothing to dislike about this computer and I think MSI has scored a big hit in this 13.4" ultra-portable category.
Buy MSI X320-037US 13.4-Inch Laptop - Black Now
The MSI X340 is an extremely slim (0.7" thin) and light (just under 3-lb) laptop that rivals the MacBook Air, but without the high price tag and the MSI runs Windows! Vista Home Premium 64-bit to be exact. I have an Lenovo U110, which is an amazing laptop all on its own, but I found myself wanting a bigger screen, and the x340 is the perfect answer, its 13.4" LED-backlit LCD screen is bright and show good vivid color contrast. The keyboard is not as responsive as the Lenovo (which generally regarded as having the best keyboard in the industy), but nevertheless, it is a very respectable keyboard that show little flex during typing. The HDMI 1080p works perfectly on my Samsung LCD, which I used quite often not just to watch video, but also to simply use it as a large computer monitor along with my cordless Logitech keyboard and mouse. The HDMI also passes audio to my Samsung LCD TV speaker, not sure if it pass 5.1 digital surround signal since I don't have an HDMI-capable AV receiver. This is just about the most perfect ultra-portable laptop, with its price, weight, large 13.4" screen. The only thing I can think of that would make this laptop perfect is an additional USB port (currently only 2) and the additional of a second/right mouse button, and perhaps a slightly more powerful battery. The standard 4-cell last a little over 3 hours of mixed use with Wifi on at all time with FTP upload, web browsing, document creation and screen brightness set at about 75%. I know some of you might also want to add DVD/blu-ray drive to the mix, but the resulting increase in price, size and weight will not justify the benefit. This is a wonderful laptop for those of us who want a small and light ultraportable with a large screen, but didn't want to spend more than $1000 for a new laptop.Read Best Reviews of MSI X320-037US 13.4-Inch Laptop - Black Here
Pros:* Beautiful design
* Lightweight
* Runs Vista well
* Cool operating temps
* Did I mention beautiful design?
Cons:
* Absolutely horrible keyboard
If MSI does not release a replacement keyboard for purchase, I will likely get rid of this thing.
Want MSI X320-037US 13.4-Inch Laptop - Black Discount?
Other than the keyboard, I absolutely love this machine. The LED screen is bright and crisp just as my MacBook Pro. I was just about to buy MBA before I read about this laptop.I installed Ubuntu 9.04 and with minor tweaks (mostly to xorg.conf for the weird screen resolution), got everything working correctly. I need to use Unix as I'm a software engineer and the performance of this does not disappoint. It is now the portable machine for the RubyHead.
0 comments:
Post a Comment