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It’s rare to see an Intel Core i7 processor in a laptop at this price, but Advent has managed just that. Although the Core i7-620M has only two cores as opposed to the four cores of the top-end Core i7s, it’s still a fast chip and not a component you’d expect at this price.
Predictably, performed well in our benchmark results. An overall result of 105 is impressive, and makes it faster than laptops costing up to £300 more. A result of 130 in the single-threaded Image-editing test shows that when there’s only one application running, it’s incredibly quick. If you’re into photo or video editing, you’ll appreciate this processor’s performance.
Predictably, Advent has cut corners to accommodate a Core i7 into the Sienna 700’s budget. There’s a measly 250GB of hard disk space and although it’s easy enough to add external storage, there are no eSATA or USB3 ports, and only three standard USB slots.
There’s also no dedicated graphics card, so the Sienna 700 relies on the Core i7’s integrated graphics chip, which managed only 12.3fps in our Call of Duty 4 benchmark. It’s also worth pointing out that the faster processer means higher power draw, and the battery struggles to cope, lasting just over two hours in our tests showed.
Advent has used the entire width of the case to fit in a full keyboard and numeric keypad. It’s incredibly firm with no bounce at all and each separated key has a light action. There aren’t any surprises in the layout, except that the numeric keypad has only three columns and so lacks dedicated page navigation keys.
The touchpad has a glossy surface covered in small, rough squares. This means your fingertips don’t slide easily, so moving the cursor around the screen is more laborious than it should be. It isn’t helped by a stiff button and the fact that the edge of the case where your hand rests is quite sharp.
This brings us neatly to the Sienna’s design. The sharp edge is a result of the glossy lid’s clamshell design, which could be an effort to make the laptop seem thinner. It also means there’s only a small area along the front edge where it’s easy to open the closed lid.
A fast processor may be good for editing photos and videos, but the Sienna 700’s 15.6in screen isn’t up to the task of displaying them. The backlight is dull and uneven, and as a result contrast is poor. There’s a green cast that mars colour accuracy: overall the image looked lifeless and insipid.
Initially, the Sienna 700 looks like a bargain, but the small hard disk, poor battery life and mediocre screen mean we can’t recommend it. The MSI CX623-203UK is fast enough for most tasks, plus has loads of hard disk space and an excellent display.
