To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more

PC Nextday Zoostorm Versa 83-6701 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £700
inc VAT

Specifications

17 in 1,440×900 display, 3.0kg, 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 4.00GB RAM, 320GB disk, Windows Vista Home Premium

http://www.pcnextday.co.uk

The Zoostorm Versa 83-6701 has a Core 2 Duo T9300, the fastest processor here at 2.5GHz, but a slower frontside bus speed than the 2.26GHz P8400 found in the Samsung Q310.

This means that it lagged slightly behind in our PCMark benchmarks. With a GeForce 9300M GS, it also achieved comparable Call of Duty 4 scores to the Q310. However, Zoostorm’s processor consumes more power, and has a battery life of just one-and-a-half hours.

The 83-6701 shares the same chassis as Novatech’s X60MV, but has a more adventurous black and white livery. The lid has a glossy piano-black finish, while the keyboard panel and the keys are white, with a silver border around the keyboard itself. Although it’s uncluttered, the acres of white below the keyboard will inevitably become tarnished over time. It also features the same all-in-one touch pad and buttons unit that we don’t like: the buttons are stiff and have very little travel. The keyboard is better than the X60MV’s, though, and feels firmer, with good travel and feedback.

The Zoostorm 83-6701 also suffers from the same lack of expansion, with only three USB ports, no HDMI port and no support for Gigabit Ethernet or Draft-N wireless networking. It doesn’t even have a webcam. It does, however, have a 320GB hard disk, which is ample for multimedia files.

We were impressed by the quality of LCD screens this month, and the 83-6701’s was no exception. Lighting was even and colours were accurate. However, the contrast wasn’t as good as on the Satellite’s screen (right), and its glossy finish won’t suit brightly lit environments.

While it performs well, the Zoostorm 83-6701 lacks expansion and has a poor touch pad. The Asus X71SL has a Blu-ray drive and, at £50 less, is better value.

Basic Specifications

Rating ***
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T9300
Processor clock speed 2.5GHz
Memory 4.00GB
Memory slots 2
Memory slots free 0
Maximum memory 4GB
Size 37x359x268mm
Weight 3.0kg
Sound Realtek High Definition Audio
Pointing device touchpad
Power consumption standby 2W
Power consumption idle 38W
Power consumption active 59W

Display

Viewable size 17 in
Native resolution 1,440×900
Graphics Processor Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS
Graphics/video ports VGA
Graphics Memory 256MB

Storage

Total storage capacity 320GB
Optical drive model Optiarc AD-7560S
Optical drive type DVD+/-RW +/-DL

Ports and Expansion

USB ports 3
Bluetooth no
Wired network ports 1x 10/100
Wireless networking support 802.11b/g
PC Card slots 1x ExpressCard/54
Modem Yes
Supported memory cards SD, MMC, Memory Stick Pro
Other ports minijack audio output, minijack microphone input, minijack S/PDIF output

Miscellaneous

Carrying case No
Operating system Windows Vista Home Premium
Operating system restore option restore partition
Software included Cyberlink DVD Suite

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £700
Details www.pcnextday.co.uk
Supplier http://www.pcnextday.co.uk

Read more

Reviews