USER EXPERIENCE & CONCLUSION
Summing up what we’ve seen so far, we’ve had the GIGABYTE U2442V handle pretty much all our benchmarks with ease coming up with numbers that hover around 25%-50% of the desktop Core i7 system and exchange blows with a quad-core FM2 A10-5800K platform. With these results, we can assume the Ultrabook from GIGABYTE can handle daily tasks with ease. Add to that the impressive gaming numbers we pulled, although not maxed out, are still very pleasing.
Looking past performance graphs, a lot of the strength of the U2442V lies with the intangible benefits it has. First and foremost is the size of the device. Compared to other ultrabooks, GIGABYTE made it a point to include plenty of connectivities. Sacrificing form for function, the rich assortment of ports makes the the U2442V a bit thicker than most Ultrabooks but take note that this one still fits within the specs of Intel at 20.5mm thickness. Moving on, Intel’s Smart Response technology gives the u2442V a boot-up time of no less than 14 seconds which is very snappy and that responsiveness is also present in standby. We’d still hope the device wakes up faster but as it is, it’s very good already. Also a nice feature to have is a Intel’s SmartConnect technology which even in standby mode lets the device access the network to download emails and the likes. Extra functionality like the backlit keyboard are also very good additions.
Looking closely though we still have a few negative observations with the U2442V. First up is the color, either give us something plain or offer more colors. We personally feel the “champagne gold” tint isn’t very likable. In some angles it looks plain silver or aluminum but up close it looks like tarnished metal. A tip to GIGABYTE: some people decide purely on looks alone. Staying with pure brushed aluminum could’ve been a better choice in our opinion. Second up is the exhaust vent which dumps hot air out the back, unfortunately part of this exhausts gets blocked by the lower part of the screen bezel which in turn heats up as well which isn’t very nice. Other than though, everything’s pretty solid.
In closing, GIGABYTE offers a packed Ultrabook that adheres to Intel’s vision of a responsive and highly mobile computing platform. GIGABYTE’s personal touch adds a whole new level of value to the device with its vast offering of ports yet still maintaining the designated size requirements set by Intel’s Ultrabook initiative. Depending on configuration, GIGABYTE is asking for around 999$ to 1299$(Php 55,590 locally) for the their Ultrabook. Most Ultrabooks lie within this price range or even higher, again it depends on configuration. For this specific model it contends with other 14″ variants from Dell and Lenovo both of which have their own strengths and weaknesses which is up to the buyer’s requirements. For GIGABYTE’s offering, they bring in heavy performance in a small package.
GIGABYTE manages to impress us with their Ultrabook offering. The U2442V is certainly worth checking out especially if you have your eyes set in the Ultrabook segment. We give the GIGABYTE U2442V Extreme Ultrabook our Silver Award. The U2442V comes backed by a 2-year warranty and comes pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium.
2 Comments
Where To Buy In The Philippines? 😀
Contact nyo po distributor nila for info sa retailers:
Jen1ne Distributors Inc.903-6185 loc 204.
Look for Ryan Trinidad.
Hope that helps!