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13 Jul 2005
This is one of the largest laptops around and, at 2.9kg, it is also one of the heaviest. So it is surprising, then, that the Z71A uses one of the slowest processors in the group: a 1.6GHz Pentium M, and just 512MB of RAM. This spec is more akin to an ultraportable than a desktop replacement, which puts it in awkward territory.
A large footprint gives the Z71A room for a decent-sized keyboard. It has a mini FireWire and five USB ports, but AJP hasn’t made use of the PCI Express port. Fortunately, the Z71A puts its considerable girth to good use by incorporating a widescreen 15.1in thin-film transistor (TFT) display. This offers decent all-round viewing angles, making it ideal for watching movies with a group of people.
It is supplied with an eight-speed DVD drive that can write to both plus and minus formats. It is also compatible with dual-layer media, making it perfect for creating large backups if users run out of space on the 80GB hard drive.
The Z71A is also good for general office tasks, but customers won’t be able to make the most of its attractive display in 3D games. It uses the Intel 915GM chipset, with an integrated Intel graphics adaptor. This is an improvement over the graphics cards in previous Centrino notebooks, but users won’t be able to increase the level of detail in demanding games such as Far Cry.
The upshot of this lacklustre performance is a considerable three-hour battery life. This is not quite as long as the Megabook S260, but if customers want a notebook that remains powered for a decent amount of time away from the mains, the Z71A is a bulky but viable option.
At just £851.88, the Z71A is very inexpensive – less than half the price of Sony’s Vaio VGN-S3XP. If users have no desire to play games and are on a tight budget then this laptop is definitely worth a look.
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