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First Intel Santa Rosa systems reviewed

Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman, Senior Editor
May 08, 2007

The systems here represent some of the very first laptops featuring Intel's revamped Centrino platform, code-named Santa Rosa.

While marketing jargon comes and goes, Centrino is one bit of clever stickerware that's scored big with the public. Laptops bearing the Centrino sticker (introduced in 2003) basically feature a specified combination of processor, chipset, and wireless-network interface, promising a seamless online experience and a better battery life. You can identify Santa Rosa systems by their new Centrino stickers: Centrino Pro for added IT manageability, and Centrino Duo for everyone else.

What do the new Centrino Duo and Pro platforms offer to you, the laptop-buying public? To summarize, the new Centrino includes a handful of new Core 2 Duo processors with clock speeds as high as 2.4GHz; a new motherboard chipset with a faster 800MHz front-side bus and an optional dedicated memory cache; a new integrated graphics chip with a larger allocation of memory; and a new wireless card with support for Draft-N wireless. (For more detail on each of these items, we direct you to this Centrino review on Crave.)

The nearly identical Gateway systems (the 14-inch E-265M and 15-inch E-475M), and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad R61 are a little dry, aimed squarely at business users (although the Gateways are stylish enough to pull double duty in the home). In contrast, the HP dv9500t is designed for fun, with a giant 17-inch display and plenty of consumer-friendly extras for that portable, home theater experience.

Our initial testing of these systems showed modest gains in performance and battery life over similar non-Santa Rosa models. For now, we think that while the new Centrino platform is not a huge leap forward, it's good enough to quickly become the default choice for many consumers. As we test more new Centrino Pro and Centrino Duo systems, we'll get a better picture of the performance advantages to be found in the Santa Rosa platform.


  remove this product remove this product remove this product remove this product
Product name Gateway E-475M
Gateway E-475M  
Gateway E-265M
Gateway E-265M  
Lenovo ThinkPad R61
Lenovo ThinkPad R61  
HP Pavilion dv9500t
HP Pavilion dv9500t  





Review date May 09, 2007   May 09, 2007   May 09, 2007   May 09, 2007  





CNET editors' rating 7.4 out of 10 7.4
Very good
7.4 out of 10 7.4
Very good
7.6 out of 10 7.6
Very good
7.9 out of 10 7.9
Very good





Users' rating Be one of the first to rate this product! Be one of the first to rate this product! 6.3 out of 10 6.3
Good
6.5 out of 10 6.5
Good





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Review summary Gateway's first take on the new Intel Centrino platform (aka Santa Rosa) is a solid performer that will fit in at home or in the office. This 14-inch mainstream model--Gateway's first take on the new Intel Santa Rosa platform--is a solid performer for home or office. The IBM blueprint is still evident in the Lenovo ThinkPad R61, but the addition of a wide-screen display and all the latest Centrino Duo tricks make this a ThinkPad that could woo home users along with its legion of fans among business travelers. The HP Pavilion dv9500t is a great choice for home users who don't want to spend a fortune on a large entertainment notebook.





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My Products
Basic Specs
Product Description Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz - 15.4 in LCD passive matrix Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz - 14.1 in Lenovo ThinkPad R61 7733 - Core 2 Duo T7300 2 GHz - 14.1 in TFT active matrix HP Pavilion Dv9500t - Core 2 Duo T7100 1.8 GHz - 17 in TFT active matrix





Dimensions (WxDxH) 10.1 in x 15.4 in x 1.3 in 10 in x 14.1 in x 1.2 in 13.2 in x 9.3 in x 1.4 in 15.2 in x 11.7 in x 1.6 in





Weight 7.9 lbs 7.3 lbs 5.5 lbs 7.7 lbs





Processor Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 / 2 GHz ( Dual-Core ) Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 / 1.8 GHz ( Dual-Core )





RAM 2 GB DDR II SDRAM 2 GB DDR II SDRAM 1 GB (installed) / 3 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 ( 1 x 1 GB ) 1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM ( 2 x 512 MB )





Hard Drive 100 GB - 7200 rpm 100 GB - 7200 rpm 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm





Optical Storage 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) with double-layer write capability 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) with double-layer write capability DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - Plug-in module DVD±RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM





Display 15.4 in LCD passive matrix 1680 x 1050 14.1 in 14.1 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) - 24-bit (16.7 million colors) 17 in TFT active matrix 1440 x 900 ( WXGA+ )





Audio Output Sound card Info unavailable Sound card Sound card





Networking - Bluetooth , - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11 a/b/g - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11 a/b/g Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11a , - IEEE 802.11b , - IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - Gigabit Ethernet Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11a , - IEEE 802.11b , - IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11n (draft)





Battery Lithium polymer Lithium polymer Lithium ion Lithium ion





OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista , Vista Business Microsoft Windows Vista , Vista Business Microsoft Windows Vista , Microsoft Windows Vista Business Microsoft Windows Vista , Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium





CNET Labs Battery Drain Test: DVD Playback (min) 157 152 128 162





Localization Info unavailable Info unavailable English Info unavailable





Windows Vista Certification Info unavailable Info unavailable Windows Vista Capable Info unavailable





System Type Info unavailable Info unavailable Notebook Notebook





Built-in Devices Info unavailable Info unavailable ThinkLight , Stereo speakers , Wireless LAN antenna Stereo speakers , Wireless LAN antenna





Embedded Security Info unavailable Info unavailable Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip , Fingerprint reader Info unavailable





Cache Memory Info unavailable Info unavailable 4 MB - L2 cache 2 MB - L2 cache





Card Reader Info unavailable Info unavailable 4 in 1 card reader 5 in 1 card reader





Floppy Drive Info unavailable Info unavailable None None





Optical Storage (2nd) Info unavailable Info unavailable None None





Storage Removable Info unavailable Info unavailable None None





Graphics Controller Info unavailable Info unavailable Intel GMA X3100 - 128 MB Intel GMA X3100





TV Tuner Type Info unavailable Info unavailable None None





Telecom Info unavailable Info unavailable Fax / modem - 56 Kbps Fax / modem - 56 Kbps





Wireless NIC Info unavailable Info unavailable ThinkPad 11a/b/g Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN





Input Device Info unavailable Info unavailable Keyboard , UltraNav , TrackPoint Keyboard , Touchpad





Voltage Required Info unavailable Info unavailable AC 120/230 V Info unavailable





Run Time (Up To) Info unavailable Info unavailable 5.7 hour(s) Info unavailable





Microsoft Office Ready Info unavailable Info unavailable Includes a preinstalled image of select 2007 Microsoft Office suites. Purchase a Medialess License Kit (MLK) to activate the software. Info unavailable





Manufacturer Warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable 3 years warranty 1 year warranty





Platform Technology Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Intel Centrino Duo





Product name Gateway E-475M   Gateway E-265M   Lenovo ThinkPad R61   HP Pavilion dv9500t  





Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications





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