Uniwill 295IA - Dothan Based System with 256mb VRA | NotebookReview

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The full review is located here: http://67.18.54.176/~wisedude/forum/showthread.php?p=10705

Uniwill 295IA - The Object of Desire for anybody wanting Power and Portability.

Everybody has seen the Alienware Sentia - Now Imagine if it had a big brother - Yep, this system is the exact design and build quality of the Alienware Sentia, only it's been beefed up, with a 15.4" Wide Screen and a 256Mb ATI Mobility 9700!!!!

It still retains it's portability, weighing in at a mere 6lbs - This is the closest thing you'll ever find to Laptop Perfection!!

The review system here is equipped with the following:

* Intel Pentium M 735 1.7 GHz, 400MHz FSB, on-die 2MB L2 Cache
* 1024mb DDR 333mhz Single Chip RAM (option for 2gb max)
* 15.4" WSXGA Wide Angle Screen - with NuShield Installed
* Hitachi 60GB 7200RPM Notebook Hard Drive, Model HTS726060M9AT00
* ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 256mb VRAM
* 4 Speaker Sound System with Mini-Sub on the bottom
* DVD/CD-RW Drive
* Internal Intel BG 2200 Wireless.
* 4-in-1 Card Reader
* Instant On DVD Watching! Can Watch DVD's without having to load Windows!

Build Quality:
Top Notch! I've owned a lot of laptops, some good, some bad, but this one from the second I pulled it out of the box, I was impressed.
It's got a very solid feel to it, no loose or wek parts...
The fit and finish on the system is very nice.
The lid looks as if it were painted with a high glossy silver (it's glossy enough to where to could wax it if you wanted to!) The base is black, with silver trim. It's a good solid build all the way around, nothing feels cheap, or fragile.
The screen and bezel are sturdy and tight, there is only a little play in the dead center of the lid, but this can be expected from any laptop.

Sound Quality:
The sound quality is suprisingly good! It has 4 speakers, and a mini sub on the under side. I have been using the onboard audio and speakers since I got it for games and MP3s, and I'm impressed. The VIA onboard Audio is a great performer, I did test the system with my Sennheiser HD580 headphones, and it powered them well! I couldn't hear any noise or distortion in the headphone port like I had heard with recent Sagers!!

Heat and Fan Noise:
Well, you'll never escape heat as long as there's graphics in a laptop.
The heat on this system is not bad at all. Every once in awhile it warms up, but nothing to the point of concern. You can feel the right plam rest heat up durring gaming (that's where the GPU is at) - It's never gotten "HOT" before, and I've push this system pretty hard.

I was concerend with the stock cooling on this system, as it was using little rubber pads instead of metal to conduct heat - I had made a few modifications to the GPU heatsink - I'll write a whole second guide on that at a future date...

Fan Noise!? What fan Noise!? You can barely hear it when it's on - There were times I had to pick up the system and look, just to make sure tha fan was on!! There's only 1 single fan in the system, it works as both an intake through the bottom, and an exhaust out the right side - It's efficient.
There is also a button built on by the speakers you can push that will silence the system. (turn the fans off / on) it's VERY handy!!!!

Battery Life:
This I havn't tested to it's fullest as of yet, due to not leaving my desk much.
The first night I got it, I charged the system full, and ran it down to 0% in about 3 hours. I was installing softare, browsing the net (wirelessly) listening to MP3s, and had the screen brightness 1 click from max.
I will test the battery more when I have time and give everybody an update.

Overall, I LOVE this little machine - It's price to performance rivals any other notebook out there, and is just impressive to look at! Not to mention the bragging rights of having a M9700 with 256mb vram on a Mobile Platform.