Laptop-Review.eu

Another laptop from MM Vision. You are probably thinking, ”this looks exactly like Vision Notebook NB598+”. You are right, it does in fact look like it, but it has different hardware. Let us see if MM Vision brings something new to the table with the NB588.
Vision Notebook NB588 can be regarded as the little brother of the NB598+. It offers some powerful hardware like Intel’s Core i7-720QM processor, 1GB ATi HD5650, 4 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive and a pretty sweet screen of 15.6 inches with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. I can already reveal we like this product quite a lot, so read on to find out why.

The product was kindly lent to us by MM-Vision.dk

Specifications and accessories:

- Intel Core i7-720QM 4x1,60GHz (Turbo 2.80GHz) 6MB cache
- Intel PM55 (IbexPeak-M) chipset
- Kingston 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM DualChannel (2x2 GB)
- 500GB HDD S-ATA Fluid 7200rpm
- ATI HD5650 1GB GDDR3 dedicated RAM
- 15.6” FullHD-LED Glare panel 1920x1080
- Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN
- Atheros AR8131 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
- 6-cell Li-Ion high-end battery 5200mAH
- Super Multi DVD-burner DualLayer
- Dimensions: 373mm(W) x 245mm (D) x 27(H)
- Weight: 2.7 Kg

From €1,165.00 at www.mm-vision.dk


Construction & Design

















The chassis is the same as for the NB598+ from MM Vision, so no surprises here. You get the impression of a nice and easy device that you can get started on right away. It is primarily black and grey, combined with blue diodes on panels and buttons. There is a less visible pattern running over the surface around the keyboard, which is a bit like the one you find in HP’s DV series where it is more pronounced. This device still manages to differentiate itself via the various elements like speakers, buttons and touchpad which are built into the chassis.


Keyboard & Touchpad



The touchpad flows into the surface of the chassis, so there is no physical frame to speak of. That does require some getting used to, and can be challenging until you get a feel for how large the surface is. The left and right mouse buttons are integrated into a single bar, which means you have to press at the very edges – that can get annoying. At the top right of the touchpad is a small button that deactivates the touchpad, useful if you have an external mouse for example.



The keyboard is of good size and easy to get used to. The letters are printed clearly and it just works well. It does tend to flex a lot at the right around the Enter key, but it is not something you notice during normal use.


Ports & Connectivity


Left



On the left we first have the Kensington lock slot, followed by a USB 2.0. After that we have a vent for cooling, RJ-45 LAN port, and then VGA and HDMI outputs.


Right



On the right we have 3x USB 2.0 ports, in-between which you find the TV-tuner (available separately). After that we have the optical drive, in this case a Blu-Ray/DVD combo. Finally we have the DC-in jack for the power supply.

Front



From the left we have a switch for (de)activating WLAN, then an infrared receiver, card reader for SD, MMC and MS standards, and finally the audio jacks.

Rear



No ports at the rear.

Bottom



At the top right we have the lid for the hard drive. The lid in the middle covers the RAM blocks and other replaceable components, and at the bottom we can see the battery.

I/Os




Display and Audio

Display









The display measures 15.6 inches and is LED-backlit. It is of the Glare type – that enhances colours and contrasts, but also makes the display very reflective. It runs a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, allowing you to fully enjoy those high-quality HD movies.
The angle of view is incredibly wide, and there are no problems viewing the display from the side. The view from above is also quite good – the picture will get brighter but remain crisp. The colours really wash out if you view it from below, though. The backlighting is homogenous, i.e. evenly distributed across the screen.

Audio



There are two speakers – one in each corner – which produce decent audio. The sound is really as expected – trouble with the treble and especially some deeper notes, but nevertheless acceptable for some music and gaming. The volume is not impressive, but it can get high enough.



Heat & Noise

In idle mode, little heat is evolved and the fan is barely audible. At full performance the fan really gets going, but it is not noticeable with some sound on. The temperature also goes up a bit, but it is not a problem.



Benchmark & General performance

The computer is put up against some of the latest devices we have reviewed, in order to give you an idea of how it performs compared to its contemporaries. The laptop ran at the “High performance” power profile when testing with power supply, and ”Powersaving” when testing with battery. In games, the device ran at its full resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixel and whatever settings otherwise stated.

Laptops for comparison:

Asus N61Jv
Read the review here http://www.laptop-review.eu

Fujitsu NH570
Read the review here http://www.laptop-review.eu

MM Vision NB598+
Read the review here http://www.laptop-review.eu


Battery:

BatteryEater 2.70





Idle test settings
Brightness: 1/10, hard drive standby after 10 minutes, "Powersaving" power profile and WiFi active.

Classic test settings
Brightness: 10/10, hard drive standby after 10 minutes, "High performance" power profile and WiFi active.

The computer lasts about an hour at full performance, which is pretty much the same as the larger model NB598+ from MM Vision. It can go for 3.5 hours on idle though, which is more than both NB598+ and NH570 from Fujitsu, but not enough to beat Asus N61Jv.  


Processor

wPrime 2.03



Both devices from MM Vision go through the wPrime test in about 15 seconds, which is quite good. Both have a Core i7-720QM processor from Intel, so the results should not be all that different.
Graphics:


3DMark









The two MM Vision computers are even in the 3DMark test as well – again expected since both have an HD5650 GPU from ATi, which performs really well.


Overall

CineBench R11.5





MM Vision takes point with the i7 processor in the CPU test, and the ATi GPU in the OpenGL test.


PCMark Vantage





Finally we see a difference between the two MM Vision computers. What separates the two – other than €400 – is that NB598+ features an SSD which gives it a huge boost in terms of reading/writing rates. As such NB598+ gets a better score as the PCMark test also accounts for storage device performance.


Gaming

Battlefield: Bad Company 2





The computer does not quite manage to get a smooth gameplay going, but considering the resolution of 1920 x 1080, the result is not bad. Lower the resolution a bit and you can easily get a great gameplay with high details.

Bioshock 2





The same goes for Bioshock 2. The gameplay is not optimal when everything is cranked all the way up, but adjust the resolution and the game runs perfectly.


Conclusion

Vision Notebook NB588 looks like NB598+ in almost all aspects, so the scores are inevitably similar. The device has powerful hardware and can deal with most challenges without any trouble. It caters to both gamers and multimedia users, and can in general be used for a bit of everything.
There are a few downsides, such as the borderless touchpad and susceptibility to fingerprints due to the glossy chassis. But with an i7 processor, ATi HD5650 graphics card, 500 GB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM, and superb resolution on only a 15.6 inch display, this device should meet most needs and you certainly get a lot of power for just €1,165.00. If you like this one but desire a computer with an SSD, check out the NB598+ as it has also proven its worth.



Pros:
Powerful hardware
Good display - Full HD
Simple design

Cons:
Fingerprints

Touchpad

Battery:	tid 3 / 5
Graphics:	3 / 5
Construction:	3,5 / 5
Mobility:	3,5 / 5
Software:	3 / 5
Overall:	3 / 5