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PC Nextday’s Zoostorm 82-4200 looks plain, with clean lines and minimal controls and indicators. The only thing to distinguish it visually is the white keyboard sandwiched between the black lid and base unit. Some may find this design a bit tacky, and it’s certainly not as attractive as Sony’s VGN-NS20M/S. With its 2GHz Pentium Dual Core T4200 processor and 4GB of RAM, this laptop achieved the highest Windows benchmark scores in this category, and should cope with most tasks well. Sadly, graphics performance from the onboard Intel GMA 4500HD graphics wasn’t as good. This laptop isn’t capable of playing games. It will handle HD video, though, and its HDMI output allows you to watch movies on an HD TV. There’s also an S/PDIF output for connecting an external sound system. The generous 320GB hard disk provides plenty of storage for music and movies, and you can use the eSATA port to add more storage in future. There are only three USB ports, however, and no Draft-N wireless adaptor. The 82-4200 has a conventional 16:10 widescreen, unlike the 16:9 screens on the Acer 6530G and the MSI VR630, and has a resolution of 1,280×800 pixels. It produced bright, colourful images, but the glossy finish will reflect nearby light sources. The keyboard is a conventional, full-size model with comfortable, moulded keys and a standard layout. It’s firm, and we found it surprisingly good for a budget laptop, with a crisp, light action that made touch typing a breeze. The touchpad is large and responsive, but the buttons have little travel, and it’s hard to distinguish between them by touch. Battery life is decent at three hours, which should be enough for general use around the home or the occasional short journey.
Sadly, the 82-4200 doesn’t stand out. It’s a good enough budget laptop, with a reasonable set of features and above-average Windows performance, but Acer’s 6530G is a better all-rounder and has considerably more features.
