Comparison of 13.3” ultra portable computers: mobility and performance

Dell, the third largest computer manufacturer in the world has hit hard with their Inspiron 13z Laptop, aimed at home users. With a thickness of 2.23 cm, we are close to the Apple MacBook Air (1.94 cm) in size terms. Of all the laptops reviewed in this 13.3" article, this is the thinnest of all. The Inspiron 13z almost comes with the best hardware package for this range of computers. It is built from a standard base with a 1.3 GHz ultra-low voltage processor (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300), 4 GB of DDR3 memory which can be extended to 8 GB, and the 64 bit version of Windows 7 Premium Home Edition.

This laptop stands out with its 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive and a 1.3 MP webcam. Instead of the traditional Intel GMA 4500MHD video card, we instead find a more powerful and dedicated chipset: the Nvidia GeForce 105M (512 MB). This chipset will allow you to play the latest 3D and FPS games (although anything above 1 024 x 768 probably wont be possible), with it also being more then sufficient for playing Full HD videos (NVIDIA HD PureVideo technology).

What makes Dell’s offer stand out from the competition is its weight of 1.79 Kg, with not just the eight cell battery included providing a life span of 11 hours and 23 minutes, but also an internal DVD drive (DVD+/-RW) allowing you to watch DVD videos, listen to audio CD’s and install any operating systems or applications you want!

The network connectivity options are standard, with and Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802 a/b/g/n) mini-card, and Bluetooth modules. The only default with this machine that has an unbeatable quality/price rapport ($1000) is that it only comes with a 10/100 Ethernet card and not a more powerful Gigabit connection to allow for faster file transfers, to a NAS for example.

Manufacturer link
Average price: $1000