Performance: Overall this laptop's performance was excellent. Tasks like email, word processing and web browsing will be speedy and you can even accomplish tougher tasks like video editing and mid-range gaming at top speed. It was among the fastest with writing, creating spreadsheets, video chat and other productivity tasks. It was among the fastest for mainstream gaming, viewing and editing photos and editing music, and among the fastest with productivity and Web-based tasks such as word processing, Web browsing, casual gaming and video chat. In addition, demanding video games will show smooth graphics and have a quick response. It is among the top tested models for games, and in our tests it could maintain an average of 66 frames per second using medium gaming settings, and 18 frames per second using maxed out gaming settings. The sound on movies, music, and games was acceptable with the built-in speakers, but if you're looking for the best sound you might want to add speakers or use headphones.
Portability: At 7.75 hours, battery life was long enough to get you through a typical workday. At 4.7 pounds, this is lightweight for a laptop this size.
Ergonomics: The keyboard, touchpad, labeling, and LED indicators were all well-designed, making it comfortable and convenient to use. The keyboard has large keys and was comfortably sized. The keyboard was lighted. There's a dedicated number pad. The touchpad supports use of multiple-finger gestures to zoom and scroll.
Display: The display quality was very good overall. Colors were accurately reproduced, realistic, and natural looking. The display was anti-reflective, so there was little or no glare when viewing in a brightly lit room or outdoors. The display has a wide viewing angle, especially important if more than one person needs to see the screen at a time, say, for a video or presentation.
Useful features and attributes on this model include: There's a 256GB solid-state hard drive, which uses less power and accesses data more quickly. You can connect common external devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray burners to the USB 3.0 port for maximum performance. Gigabit Ethernet provides fast transfer of data over a local network. This laptop is compatible with HDMI for connecting to an HDTV.
Downsides: There's no optical drive like a CD or DVD reader, so you'll have to buy an external drive if you need one. The battery is not easily removable.
