x86 or x64 bit versions of Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/Win7
CPU: AMD/Intel single-core processor running at 2.0 GHz
RAM: 1024MB for MS Windows XP and 1536MB for MS Windows Vista/Win7
GPU: ATI/NVIDIA/Intel dedicated, mobile or integrated graphic card with at least 128MB of dedicated VRAM and with at least DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 2.0 support.
Sound card: Integrated or dedicated DirectX 9 compatible sound card
Other: Keyboard, mouse
Recommended Requirements
OS:
x86 or x64 bit
versions of Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/Win7
CPU: AMD/Intel dual-core processor running at 2.6 GHz, Intel Pentium D
or AMD Athlon 64 X2
RAM: 2048 MB for MS Windows XP/Vista/Win7
GPU: ATI/NVIDIA/Intel dedicated, mobile or integrated graphic card with
at least 256MB of dedicated VRAM and with at least DirectX 9.0c and
Shader Model 3.0 support. ATI Radeon HD3800 series and Nvidia GeForce
8800GT (and higher)
Sound Card: Integrated or dedicated DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Other: Keyboard, mouse
INSTALL NOTES
1. Unrar.
2. Burn or mount the image.
3. Install the game.
4. Play the game.
5. Support the software developers. If you like this game, BUY IT!
Minimum System Requirements
* OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
* CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66 GHz or similar AMD
* RAM: 2 GB
* HDD: 10 GB free disk space
* Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
* DirectX: Version 9 Recommended System Requirements
* OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
* CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.0 GHz or similar AMD
* RAM: 3 GB
* HDD: 10 GB free disk space
* Graphics: 1 GB Graphics Memory
* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
* DirectX: Version 9 Supported Graphics Cards:
Minimum – nVidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 2900
Recommended – GeForce GT 440 or Radeon HD 3800 series
How to Install & Troubleshoot & Faqs & etcInstallation Information:
=========================
* Burn or mount
* Install the game using our installer in \Fairlight\ on Disc 1
* Copy the crack manually from Disc 2 or autoapply it at
the end of the setup
* Play the game
Many of this year's hottest new laptops are all about one word: Ultrabooks.
The
term Ultrabook is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new
generation of portable PCs featuring its technology.
Like Centrino but unlike Viiv, it's starting to stick as a catch-all term for thin and light laptops, or ultraportables as they're sometimes classified.
The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a MacBook Air
that isn't made by Apple, a netbook that isn't underpowered or a
laptop that's been on a crash diet. Ultrabooks all feature a Core i3,
i5 or i7 processor, plus fast SSD storage and USB 3.0 connectivity. According to Intel,
Ultrabooks also have "ultra-capabilities" - security features,
battery power, instant-on and quick standby. They'll provide a
lightweight alternative to tablet devices for people who just can't
work without a full QWERTY keyboard, although we're already seeing some
touch-enabled Ultrabooks blurring that line
Early
Ultrabook models shipped with Intel's Sandy Bridge chips, but newer
machines use the faster and lower-powered Ivy Bridge chips.
Inevitably
the newer, more powerful laptops are more expensive, with Intel aiming
for a £999/$999 target for these models, but we're also seeing some of
the machines with older chips coming in cheaper, and manufacturers are
finding other ways to keep the costs down, even with the latest chips.
But what's the best Ultrabook to buy? Check out the best Ultrabooks we've reviewed, as well as those we've got hands on with.
1. Sony Vaio T13
Sony took a while to get into the Ultrabook market, and the Vaio T13
proved to be an encouraging debut, in no small part thanks to having an
eye-catchingly low price – it's around just £680. For that price, you
don't get quite the slick performance you do from its more expensive
rivals, but the Sony Vaio T13 is a fantastic looking ultra-portable
computer that is perfectly suited for somebody looking for a day-to-day
media-friendly laptop.
Read our Sony Vaio T13 review
2. Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A
When you look at the Asus Zenbook Prime's
specs, it's no surprise that it comes at a premium price. You get the
latest Intel processor and graphics, a good amount of solid-state
storage, great build quality and, most impressively of all, a 1080p
screen that blow nearly all other Ultrabooks out of the water. Adding
those up equals a price of around £1500, so the Zenbook Prime UX31A is
firmly for those looking for something in the high end…
Read our Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A review
3. Samsung Series 5 Ultra
Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra
is small but perfectly formed. Available in 14-inch or 13-inch models,
the 13 incher is 17.6mm at its fattest point, narrowing to 14mm.
It
comes with a 128GB/256GB SSD or a 500GB hard drive (alongside a small
16GB flash drive) and incorporates an LED SuperBright screen. The only
worry? Battery life is low at around three hours in our tests. Not to be
confused with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Which is definitely not an Ultrabook.
While the original Series 9 was one of the world's thinnest laptops, the new Samsung 9 Series Ultrabook is even thinner.
The
design team has shaved off another 4mm, giving this 13-inch (1600 x
1200) laptop a waistline of only 12.9mm. Inside, a 1.7GHz Core i7 chip
does all the hard work, ably assisted by up to 8GB of memory and SSD
storage.
Gigabyte's
first dip in the Ultrabook waters hits an excellent balance between
power and affordability. The inclusion of discrete graphics and a load
of RAM means performance is exceptional, while clever additions to the
OS make day-to-day performance easy – even if you're new to computing.
The screen is a strong point too, but all this mean you'll end up paying
over £1000 for the Gigabyte U2442. It's not an unreasonable price, but it may be too high for many.
Read our Gigabyte U2442 review
6. Acer Aspire S7
Coming in both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch versions, the Aspire S7
is one of the hottest Ultrabooks yet to be released. Designed with
Windows 8 in mind, the S7's screen can fold all the way back so it's
flat in line with the keyboard, and offers a 10-point touch display with
Corning Gorilla Glass 2 to protect it. It's even a 1080p screen, as if
it wasn't impressive enough already, and is one of the lightest
Ultraportables we've seen yet.
Read our Acer Aspire S7 review
7. Lenovo IdeaPad U510
Though it pushes the idea of the Ultrabook to its limit, the Lenovo IdeaPad U510
is all about retaining some of the traditional features of the laptop,
but still getting the advantages of Ultrabooks. So, it's thicker and
heavier that most of the Ultrabooks here, and can even pack in a DVD or
Blu-ray drive, but still resumes in around a second.
The Dell XPS 13 might be a little late to the Ultrabook party, but it's one of the prettiest portables we've seen.
Amazingly,
Dell has squeezed an Intel Core i5 or i7 inside the trim chassis, along
with 4GB of memory and a 128/256GB SSD. How thin is it? 6mm at its
slimmest point.
Read our Dell XPS 13 review
9. HP SpectreXT TouchSmart
As befits the Spectre line, the SpectreXT TouchSmart
is packing some notable technology. As you may have guessed, it offers a
multi-touch display, which will be good for making full use of Windows
8, but is very much an Ultrabook, boasting the latest Intel processors
inside. In fact, it'll be HP's first lapop to offer Intel's ludicrously
fast Thunderbolt connection. Impressively, HP is also packing in Adobe
Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, so it'll be a nice multimedia
machine out of the box.
Read our Hands on: HP SpectreXT TouchSmart review
10. Gigabyte X11
Thanks to a carbon fibre shell and 11.6-inch screen, the Gigabyte X11
manages to take the sought-after crown of being the lightest Ultrabook
ever – just 975g! It's pretty thin as well, measuring 17mm at its
thickest point. But things haven't been skimped on much to get it this
light: you'll find an Ivy Bridge Intel Core processor, two USB 3.0 ports
and a 128GB SSD. It won't among the cheaper Ultrabooks, but it's
definitely one of the most notable.
Read our Hands on: Gigabyte X11 review
11. Toshiba Satellite Z930
The Toshiba Satellite Z930-10X
manages to offer an excellent balance between power and affordability.
It's a very accomplished Ultrabook – thin, light and powerful enough to
handle a wide range of tasks simultaneously. The star of the show is
undoubtedly the Ivy Bridge processor, which helps to keep the
performance in line with other Ultrabooks available on the market, but
the wide range of ports it offers are boon as well.
Read our Toshiba Satellite Z930 review
12. Asus Zenbook UX32A
The original Asus Zenbook
is an Ultrabook that still takes some beating, so we always knew its
successor would be a great offering. The design and usability are great,
from the slickness of Windows 7 with the Ivy Bridge processor to the
great keyboard with the subtle backlight. Like its predecessor, the Asus Zenbook UX32A
is also slim and light enough to carry around all day and the range of
connections, especially the three USB 3.0 ports, is excellent.
Read our Asus Zenbook UX32A review
13. Lenovo IdeaPad U410
The
Lenovo IdeaPad U410's trick is really bring out a value proposition,
offering offering a high-end hardware configuration in a mid-level
assembly – it's an Ultrabook for the masses. The fact that the Lenovo
IdeaPad U410 offers both a third-generation Intel core CPU and a
dedicated GPU from Nvidia, along with a healthy amount of storage, makes
this one of the most-efficient Ultrabooks that we've come across yet.
The build quality may be pretty average, but this is all about bang for
your buck, and it delivers.
Read our Lenovo IdeaPad U410 review
14. Dell XPS Duo 12
We're going to count the XPS Duo 12
as an Ultrabook, even it is a slightly odd one. Sure, it opens like a
laptop, then the touch-enabled screen flips round and you can use it as a
tablet. The design isn't new – Dell's used something similar before –
but getting it with light and powerful Ultrabook innards is, as is the
touch-friendly Windows 8. The screen is protect by Gorilla Glass, and
it's a 1080p display, so it'll look brilliantly crisp. All this will
come at a price, predicatably, but it'll be a great way to make full use
of Windows 8.
Read our Hands on: Dell XPS Duo 12 review
15. Acer Aspire S5
Thin (15mm) and light (1.35kg), the new Acer Aspire S5
isn't much of a design departure from the older Acer Aspire S3, but it
takes advantage of its Ultrabook DNA with a 13.3-inch display,
Thunderbolt technology, SSD storage and a fast Intel CPU. If you're
looking for a primary laptop that can handle the rigours of everyday
life, but be as light and svelte as humanly possible, you've found your
ideal laptop.
Read our Acer Aspire S5 review
16. Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus review
The
Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus is the first Ultrabook we've seen that isn't
from an established, global computer company. That isn't to say
Novatech is small.
The British firm has been selling both
components and customised PCs for a while, and in keeping with
tradition, there's plenty of choice with its Ultrabook range, with the
option of an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, and varying quantities
of storage and memory.
The Core i3 Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus
model that we were sent is priced at just £625, and comes with 4GB of
memory, a 128GB SSD and Windows 7.
Read our Novatech nFinity 2367 Plus review
17. Sony Vaio S Series 13P
The Vaio S Series 13P
is one of the most expensive Ultrabooks we've seen yet, but if you've
got the money, it could well prove to be worth it. Both the portability
and usability are excellent – so much so, that the excellent
specification could almost be forgotten, but you'd be letting yourself
down. A Blu-ray drive, a Thunderbolt connection, a backlit keyboard, an
SSD and good battery life… the only thing lacking is a 1080p screen.
Read our Sony Vaio S Series 13P review
18. Toshiba Z830-10N
Toshiba has gone for the thin and light aspects of Ultrabooks with gusto in the 13.3-inch Z830-10N,
but has still made a point of including a range of ports, including
VGA, HDMI, three USB ports, Ethernet and a card reader, making it a good
choice for business use. And, of course, it's got an SSD for speedy
operation along with an Intel Core i3 processor – not at the top end of
performance compared to the others here, but it should be fine for work
use.
Read our Toshiba Z830-10N review
The 13-inch laptop has gone on leaps and bounds recently, thanks massively to Intel's Ultrabook specifications.
At the moment, all Ultrabooks feature 13-inch screens, with 14 and 15-inch models incoming later this year.
In
many ways, a 13-inch laptop is the perfect size for a portable PC;
they're not as fiddly and squint-inducing as netbooks, but not as heavy
and awkward as a full-on notebook.
The price of these machines is
higher than netbooks though, so if your wallet's feeling the strain we
recommend you take a look at our guide to the 15 best netbooks in the world today.
Or for a broader view, look at our 20 best laptops in the world today. But whatever you do, read on to find our favourite 13-inchers of the past few months - all in price order.
1. HP Envy 13 - £533
HP's
Envy cost a whopping £1499 when we reviewed it, and we rightly
criticised it for being far too expensive. Now that price has dropped to
under £1000, making it a worthy competitor to Apple's 13-inch MacBook.
Like the MacBook, it sports a quality build, lozenge-type keys, a lovely
screen and a dedicated graphics card. Unfortunately, battery life isn't
that great, but if you fancy buying something of Apple's inscrutable
quality without the Apple branding, look no further. Read our HP Envy 13 review
2. Acer Aspire S3 - £680
Acer's
take on the Intel Ultrabook specifications may not be quite as skinny
as half-sister company Asus' Zenbook, but the price is certainly slimmed
down. Packed with a Core i7 processor and 4GB of memory, the Aspire S3
proved a capable multi-tasker able to run powerful photo and video
editing software. The keyboard is impressive for such a slim machine,
and we were impressed by just how quietly it ran. 149 minutes of battery
life won't see you taking it on extended trips, but the price and form
factor makes it an ideal first venture into the Ultrabook market. Read our Acer Aspire S3 review
3. Lenovo IdeaPad U300S - £893
Sitting
firmly between other Ultrabooks in terms of both price and performance,
Lenovo's IdeaPad still proved that Intel's specifications make for
versatile and powerful little lappies. Lenovo has prioritised business
use on the IdeaPad, so you'll find a comfortable keyboard and matt
screen. While the latter may not be ideal for photos and movies, it's
perfect for working outside or in the glare of the sun. Long battery
life and low weight make it great for long business trips, and while the
design is nothing special it's still head and shoulders above
non-Ultrabook laptops. Read our Lenovo IdeaPad U300S review
4. Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U - £900
Toshiba's
Ultrabook somehow includes a sub-woofer, an ethernet port and three USB
ports in a package that weighs a mere 1.1kg and is just 16mm wide at
its thickest point. The miracle of micro-engineering comes at a cost,
though: it's one of the flimsier Ultrabooks we've looked at. It's not
quite as powerful as other Ultrabooks we've looked at, although it
proved perfectly adequate for photo editing and was quick to boot up and
shut down. Battery life impressed, too, and we reckon it'll last a full
day of real-world use. Read our Toshiba Satellite Z830-10U review
5. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Late 2011) - £942
Intel's
Ultrabooks may have Apple's 13-inch ultraportable firmly in their
sights, but they still have quite a fight on their hands. The MacBook
Pro's handsome looks make everything else look a little bit pathetic,
and the buttonless touchpad is one of the best we've ever seen. This
update includes a faster processor and larger hard drive, on top of
standard Mac-centric luxuries like a backlit keyboard, an excellent
screen and an HD webcam. Read our Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Late 2011) review
6. Asus Zenbook UX31 - £1,000
An
incredible introduction to Intel's Ultrabook specification, Asus'
Zenbook is a draw-droppingly well-designed piece of kit. It draws
favourable comparisons to Apple's MacBook Air, with an ultra-slim form
factor (just 17mm at its widest point when closed) and distinctive
concentric design on the lid. Add to this powerful components, long
battery life and excellent sound, and you've got an immensely capable
little laptop. The fact that the biggest problem we had was with the
trackpad buttons says it all here, really. Read our Asus Zenbook UX31 review
7. Dell XPS 13 - £1,000
The
Dell XPS 13 makes its debut in March and it looks like a cracker. The
first thing that strikes you about the XPS 13 is how compact it is.
Despite it being a 13-inch display, the 31.6 x 20.5 cm footprint is
narrow and Dell makes no secret of its desire to be smaller than the
13-inch MacBook Air but with a similar screen size. It's thin, too, with
a 6-18mm footprint and is a gorgeous-looking device. Our previous
Ultrabook design best has to be the Asus Zenbook but the Dell XPS 13
really cuts it. It looks the part and feels it too at 1.4Kg. Read our hands on: Dell XPS 13 review
8. Samsung 9 Series - £1,300+
Although we've reviewed the old model - check out our Samsung 9 Series review
- we got hands on with its successor at CES 2012. The original Series 9
was one of the world's thinnest laptops, but Samsung has managed to
shave another 4mm from its size-zero body, and the updated 13" model
measures just 12.9mm when closed. The 15-inch version measures just
15mm, and one certainly gets the impression that Samsung wants to prove
a point to the Ultrabook crowd. Duralumin, the tough alloy used on the
original model, has been axed - possibly because it was prone to
scratches - and replaced by standard aluminium, which feels much more
resilient, and should stand up to contact with other items in your bag. Read our Hands on: Samsung 9 Series review
9. Sony VAIO Z Series - £1,931
Just
under £2,000 is a lot to spend on a laptop, especially one so small.
But this Sony VAIO is basically a desktop in a tiny laptops' clothing,
and it includes a proper desktop Core i7, 6GB of DDR3 RAM and an Nvidia
GT 330M graphics chip. You needn't worry about this beefy setup draining
the battery, either: we got a decent 285 minutes out of it. It's all
wrapped up in VAIO's exquisite style and rugged build quality, and the
screen is a sight to behold. As we said in our review, "this is easily
one of the best laptops you can currently buy." Read our Sony VAIO VPC-Z12V9E/X review
Can LG's first quad-core phone offer anything different?
LG desperately needs a
reboot at the sharp end of the smartphone market - can its slim
quad-core offering, in the shape of the much-vaunted Optimus 4X HD, step
up to the plate?
We got a few promises from LG in the form of offerings like last year's Optimus 3D
– but that just felt a bit gimmicky. LG needs to pull something out of
the bag if it wants to muscle in on an arena now dominated by Samsung,
HTC, Sony and Motorola.
On paper the Optimus 4X HD appears to
have it all. Thin and light, a True HD-IPS screen, all the connectivity
options you could ever hope for, NFC, 8MP HD camera, Ice Cream Sandwich and a Quad-Core processor. And
had this been early 2012, then this would have blown the competition
out of the water. But a few months (and a Galaxy S3 / One X release)
later, it doesn't feel that revolutionary. Especially when you look at the price.
SIM
free and offline, you'll pay around £430 ($670). On a contract, expect a
two year deal at around £26 ($40) a month to get this handset for free.
Price wise, it's mildly cheaper than Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3 but is on a direct collision course for your vote with something like HTC's current baby, the One X. As
far as the dimensions go, this is a handset that should fit comfortably
in the palm if you've got decent sized pincers. It's very square to
look at and instantly makes us think of the Samsung Galaxy S2.
In
fact, aside from the lack of a physical home button and the inclusion
of an LG logo, you could quite easily get the two confused at first
glance. It's only marginally bigger at 132.4 x 68.1 x 8.9mm, and heavier
at 133g.
The
beauty of no home button is that LG has made the screen a little bit
longer (it uses the soft keys that Google much prefers but some
manufacturers eschew). We did have issues occasionally when holding it
with one hand as reaching down to the bottom of the screen with a thumb
led to it feeling like we may drop it.
But there is a great
decorative metal trim around the sides which we found gave us something
to hold onto. And another warning – it is an absolute fingerprint
magnet.
Want to know which quad-core beast is the fastest? Check out our test of the 4X alongside a Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X:
Round
the sides, there's little to remark on: a volume rocker up left, a
power/standby button and headphone jack up top and the charging port
down below. We do have to give special mention to the rear panel where
you'll find the camera and LED flash. LG
has really done something special here and given it a brushed, hard
plastic feel which really does make it feel a premium device. It's
actually the same as the back found on the LG Prada 3 and that, combined with that metal trim, gives it a feeling of quality.
As
far as the screen goes, it's fairly good. Yes, the resolution is spot
on – it's a True HD-IPS LCD capacitive job. And yes, LG does make
amazing TVs so we expected something good. The resolution is 720x1280
(312ppi density) spread over a 4.7-inch screen. But there's a slight
problem with it. Recent
handsets have had the screens moved really high up against the glass
protecting them from the elements. So, on a handset like the Samsung
Galaxy S3, Sony Xperia S or HTC One X, you get a really vivid, sharp, almost-too-perfect display.
But
on the Optimus 4X HD, there is a huge gap between the screen and the
glass. So much so that we think we could see the gap when we held the
phone at an angle. And that means that some of the amazing clarity is
lost in the ether.
It also meant that occasionally, taps didn't
register and left us wondering if this was actually a resistive display
like those we used to use. Not so often it annoyed us, but often enough
to evoke a sigh and a grunt. We
also felt a little let down by the lack of a notification LED. They are
a bit marmite. But there is something handy about being able to glance
at your phone without touching it to see if anything needs your
attention.
Third party apps like NoLED are all well and good – but they're no substitute for the real thing.
