Hi-Grade Notino D7000-1602 review

If you want a PC with more processing power, two heads are better than one - at least that's the thinking behind dual-core processors.

By squeezing two separate processor cores on to a single chip, manufacturers can produce chips that can carry out more calculations at once. And that extra processor core means that your PC can carry out processor-intensive jobs, such as video rendering and audio encoding, up to two or three times the speed of a single core processor.

The downside of increasing a PC's processing muscle invariably means more power is consumed, which inevitably means that the computer produces more heat. While that might not be much of a problem for desktop PCs, which remain plugged into the wall and have large cases with meaty fans to keep them cool it can be the kiss of death for a laptop a power-hungry processor. Not only are you limited to short jaunts away from the mains, but the hefty heatsinks required to keep things cool will leave your shoulders aching if you attempt to carry your laptop over any significant distance.

Intel's latest dual-core chip for laptops is, however, here to change all that. The mobile version of the new Core 2 Duo processor- originally code-named 'Merom' - is designed to provide serious computing power, while keeping power consumption low. Intel claims a 20% increase in performance, while maintaining the same battery life as its previous generation of Pentium-M laptop processors.

But the improvements go further than that. Core 2 Duo represents a complete rethink of the way mobile processors are designed, concentrating on how the chip utilises its processing power, rather than dwelling on old-fashioned measures of performance such as clock speed. The processor in the Hi-Grade is the T5500 model, the lowest model currently available in Intel's new line-up, with a clock speed of just 1.66GHz belying its high-performance pedigree.

First impressions

Outwardly, the Hi-Grade's looks don't quite match up to its cutting-edge credentials. It's a fairly sombre-looking gunmetal grey - more of a businessman's accessory than a shiny toy for tech-savvy posers. It is, however, reassuringly solid and although the lid gives a little more than we'd like under firm pressure, it provides reasonable protection for the laptop's delicate display.

Open it up and a handful of shortcut buttons to open applications, such as the web browser and email, sit at the top-left of the keyboard. Whether you actually use these is up to you, but one very useful inclusion is a button to immediately turn on and off the Hi-Grade's built-in Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi constantly poll to checks for wireless networks in the area - an activity that consumes a lot of battery power. Having a quick and easy way to turn it off, rather than having to fiddle around with icons in the Windows System Tray, means that you're much more likely to do so when your wireless link is not in use.

Screen test

Getting a laptop with a display that's easy on your eyes is crucial - you won't be able to replace it with another as you might with a desktop monitor. Fortunately, the Hi-Grade has a good one.

It may not have the 17in screen that many high-powered 'desktop-replacement' laptop models have, but the 15.4in widescreen display is more than enough when using standard Windows software, such as word processors or even photo editing. It runs at a resolution of 1280 x 800, which is increasingly common for widescreen laptops and strikes a good balance between having icons that are large enough to read comfortably and a fair amount of Desktop space to display documents and pictures on.