Product Listing

LG R590 - Multimedia Powerhouse!

By Andy Sim & Aloysius Low - 13 Jan 2011
Launch SRP: S$2399

Performance Benchmarking

Performance Benchmarking

For our performance tests, we will pit the LG R590 against the Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 which has a similar quad-core processor under the first generation Core i-series. On the other hand, what differentiates the three notebooks are their discrete GPU of choice, since they all wield different graphics units in their midst. LG's WideBook, however, might not necessarily have the edge over the IdeadPad since the Radeon HD 5730 (650MHz) actually touts a faster clock speed than the GeForce GT 335M (450MHz). We'll leave it to our benchmarks to do the math on the notebooks' overall performance quotient eventually. Also note that the LG R590 is running on the slightly older PM55 chipset, although there is little to separate the two mobile chipsets with a similar integrated south bridge architecture.

Specifications / Notebook LG WideBook R590 Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Dell XPS 15
Processor Intel Core i7-820QM
(1.73GHz quad-core with 8MB L2 cache)
Intel Core i7-740QM
(1.73GHz quad-core with 6MB L2 cache)
Intel Core i5-460QM
(2.53GHz quad-core with 3MB L2 cache)
Chipset Intel PM55 Intel HM55 Intel HM55
Memory 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 6GB DDR3
HDD 640GB SATA (5400 RPM) 750GB SATA (5400 RPM) 640GB SATA (5400 RPM)
Video NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M

 

PCMark Vantage

Close numbers were crunched on Vantage, meaning the LG R590 barely emerged as the overall winner amongst the three multimedia laptops. Honestly, there is little to tell them apart in terms of productivity and processing power, although the R590 did have a slight upper hand in the Memories and Movies suites. If gaming is what you are after, then you might want to keep an eye out for the Lenovo Y560. The IdeaPad ultimately blew the rest away with a Gaming score of 5,724 points, whilst Dell, surprisingly, didn't do so well with a final tally of 3,444 points despite its mid-range GeForce GT 435M GPU. Then again, the Core i7-820QM CPU can turbo speed up to 3.06GHz, so results might be quite different at that speed and level. For what it's worth, results on 3DMark will provide a better gauge in terms of the notebooks' graphics performance; that's coming up next.

 

 

3DMark06

Yet again, Lenovo's ATI Radeon implementation proved hard to beat according to its 8,669 3DMark score line. On the bright side, LG didn't fare that badly either with a substantial 8,425 3DMarks aggregate. This puts the WideBook in good stead when it comes to gaming and mutlimedia playback. To ensure the LG notebook is capable of smooth high-def video renders, we tried running a 1080p clip (18Mbps bitrate) to determine how the laptop would cope. For die-hard movie fans, you might be pleased to know the Final Fantasy 13 trailer ran almost stutter-free at every turn with extremely crisp and satisfying visuals to boot. Now that we know it's good enough for HD films, what about gaming visuals then? 

 

Far Cry 2

Intensive gaming titles require a good deal of processing power apart from a notebook's graphical prowess. As such, it is the entire computing package that matters, and not the quality of the discrete GPU alone. To obtain a rough gauge of the R590's gaming potential, we've used Far Cry 2 as a reference of choice, an FPS game based on the Dunia engine which is slightly less demanding than the original CryEngine used on the first iteration. Based on a resolution of 1024 x 768, the LG WideBook managed to reach frame rates of 59.54fps on the Medium settings. In other words, titles such as Far Cry 2 is definitely playable on the milder presets. However, as you can tell from the graph below, its frame rate took a large hit when we pushed the settings to High, dropping to 34.96fps as a result (albeit still playable). Although the R590 allows a resolution of up to 1600 x 900, it's best to stick with a smaller resolution whilst "fragging" and to avoid frills such as anti-aliasing for a smoother gaming experience. 

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8.0
  • Design 8
  • Features 8.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Value 8
  • Mobility 7.5
The Good
Zippy Performance
Vibrant Screen
Comfortable Keys
3D-ready Notebook
The Bad
Steep Price
Average Battery Life
Chunky and Heavy
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