LG R500 Review

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by Jerry Jackson

The LG R500 is the new top-of-the-line notebook in the R-series from LG Electronics. The notebook offers a solid foundation for performance thanks to Intel Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa) processors, nVidia GeForce 8600m GS dedicated graphics and plenty of RAM and HDD storage space. Although LG officially advertises the R500 as a &quot;business notebook&quot; the R500 is also perfectly capable of serving as a full-featured consumer notebook or budget gaming notebook. Unfortunately for our readers in the US, the LG R500 only available outside the US at this time ... starting at about $1,899 in Canada or 1,499 euros.

Our LG R500 review unit features the following specifications:

• Microsoft Windows Vista Business
• Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.0GHz)
• 15.4&quot; Fine Bright WXGA TFT LCD
• nVidia Geforce 8600m GS 256MB
• 2GB DDR2 system RAM
• 160GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• DVD SuperMulti dual layer drive
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet
• Wireless LAN: Intel 4965AGN
• Bluetooth
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• 5-in-1 memory card reader
• 1GB Intel Turbo Memory
• 6-cell Li-Ion battery (2600mAh)
• 90W AC adapter
• Dimensions(WxDxH): 357mm x 260mm x 33-38mm
• Weight: 2.8 Kg (with battery)

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Build and Design

The overall construction of the R500 is plastic but the notebook is remarkably solid and suffers from little or no flex even when significant force is applied. The design itself is very &quot;traditional&quot; in terms of overall shape but there are unique accents in terms of paint and refined edges. The LCD lid on the R500 does not have a latch to hold it closed, but the hinge mechanism works well and firmly holds the lid in place.

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The screen lid and palm rests are coated with a distinct &quot;wave&quot; pattern and high gloss finish. The wave pattern on the lid is a combination of black and blue while the wave pattern on the palm rests and touchpad is a combination of light and dark gray. The overall effect is both stylish and unique ... but some users might find it makes the notebook look less professional. The angled front edge of the notebook gives the R500 a distinct design. The only negative issue with the angled front edge is that the 5-in-1 card reader located at the front of the notebook is somewhat recessed on the angled edge ... which makes it difficult to insert or remove memory cards.

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One minor annoyance with the design of the LG R500 is the blue LED on the back of the screen lid. While the blue LED is a nice touch by itself, whenever you open a web browser to surf the internet wirelessly the blue LED flashes on and off until you close the web browser. Needless to say, if you're browsing the web at a local coffee shop, at work, or in class you have a bright blue light flashing that says, &quot;Look at me! I'm on the internet!&quot; We really wish there was an option to disable this LED.

Screen

The 15.4&quot; widescreen display on the R500 is a gorgeous WXGA 1280 x 800 glossy display with excellent contrast and rich colors. Although the resolution isn't quite as impressive as some of the WXGA+ 1440 x 900 displays we've seen, the display on the R500 doesn't suffer from &quot;graininess&quot; or any other problems such as stuck pixels or bleeding edges. The display features fairly bright and even backlighting even under the strong lights in our office.

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Vertical viewing angles on the R500 are average with colors &quot;washing out&quot; as you view the screen from above and colors beginning to invert as you view the screen from below. That said, most people don't view their notebook screens in this way and the screen looks fabulous from normal viewing angles.

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Horizontal viewing angles proved even more impressive on the R500 as we could still easily read text and view images on the screen even if we stood to the far left or far right of the screen. Multiple people certainly won't have any trouble watching a DVD or viewing a business presentation on this notebook.

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Webcam

The integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam on the R500 is a nice feature with mixed performance. The pre-installed LG SmartCam software makes it quick and easy to capture still images or live video using the built-in webcam. The video frame rate was good enough to capture smooth motion but colors came out a bit pink under our florescent office lighting. Overall, the webcam is perfectly capable for online video chat or business video conference calls.

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Keyboard, Touchpad and Other Input Buttons

The keyboard on the R500 was a pleasant surprise. The full-sized keyboard is solid with almost no flex and even includes a dedicated number pad. The keys have minimal travel with excellent cushion and response, and there is a good combination of dedicated keys and fn combo keys.

The only issue I encountered with the keyboard involved the layout. Since the R500 doesn't use the standard US keyboard layout I found myself making many typos. That said, this isn't really an issue since the R500 isn't being sold in the US.

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The touchpad and touchpad buttons are slick and responsive. Both the touchpad and buttons are covered in the same &quot;wave&quot; pattern and high gloss finish as the palm rests. This gloss coating gave the touchpad a very durable feel and the recessed fingerprint reader located between the touchpad buttons worked well without being accidentally triggered while using the touchpad.

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The only dedicated media buttons on the R500 are related to volume and SRS virtual surround sound controls.

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Performance and Benchmarks

The R500 we received for review is equipped with the Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM and nVidia GeForce 8600m GS dedicated graphics. The dual core processor and plenty of system RAM are more than enough of a foundation for everyday performance, but the 8600m GS video card means the R500 is perfectly capable of playing most current video games and won't suffer any lag when viewing high definition video files.

In addition, the R500 packs 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory. Intel claims that Turbo memory provides improved software loading speed ... about 2.6 times faster than HDD and about 20 percent shorter booting time. While our own tests of various notebooks equipped with Intel Turbo memory haven't proven these claims, the LG R500 was impressively fast during regular web browsing, word processing and playing multimedia files. Our standard set of benchmarks also indicate the R500 provides more than enough performance for most uses.

Another item of note in terms of overall performance is that the R500 comes with virtually no bloatware pre-installed. Given the fact that most notebooks in this same class come loaded with dozens of useless applications that hog system resources it's refreshing to see a notebook without a ton of bloatware.

Super Pi comparison results:

Notebook	Time
LG R500 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	1m 00s
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	0m 58s
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500)	0m 54s
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	0m 59s
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	0m 58s
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	1m 01s
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300)	0m 59s
HP dv2500t (1.80GHz Intel 7100)	1m 09s
Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7300)	0m 59s
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo T7200)	1m 03s
Toshiba Satellite P205-S6287 (1.73 GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T5300)	1m 24s
Toshiba Satellite A205 (1.66GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 34s
HP Compaq 6515b (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52)	2m 05s
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T2400)	0m 59s
Dell Inspiron e1705 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 02s

PCMark05 comparison results:

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
LG R500 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS 256MB)	4,702 PCMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	4,522 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,925 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,377 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)	4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)	4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)	3,646 PCMarks

3DMark05 comparison results:

Notebook	3D Mark 05 Results
LG R500 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS 256MB)	4,752 3DMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	2,157 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	2,840 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	910 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	3,116 3DMarks
HP Compaq 6510b (2.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, Intel X3100)	916 3DMarks
HP Compaq 6515b (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1270)	871 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	2,013 3D Marks
Dell Inspiron e1705 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	1,791 3D Marks
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB)	4,236 3DMarks
Alienware Aurora M-7700(AMD Dual Core FX-60, ATI X1600 256MB)	7,078 3D Marks
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,092 3D Marks
Dell XPS M1210 (2.16 GHz Core Duo, nVidia Go 7400 256MB)	2,090 3D Marks

3DMark06 comparison results:

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
LG R500 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS 256MB)	2,776 3DMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,055 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,329 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	532 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66 Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

HDTune results:

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Input and Output Ports

The port selection on the R500 is quite good for a 15.4&quot; notebook in this price range. The inclusion of HDMI out for high definition video output, three USB 2.0 ports, Firewire, card reader and PC Card slot mean most users will have every port they need for day-to-day use.

Left side view with heat vent, VGA out, USB port, and PC Card slot.(view large image)

Front view with 5-in-1 memory card reader in the center under the front edge. (view large image)

Right side view with Firewire, headphone out, microphone in, audio out, optical drive, two USB ports and security lock slot. (view large image)

Rear view with HDMI and S-video out, battery, modem, Ethernet and DC power jack. (view large image)

Audio

The built-in speakers on the R500 are better than some built-in speakers but lacked the full range and bass that can be heard in notebooks with built-in subwoofers. That said, the R500 benefits from virtual surround sound via &quot;SRS WOW HD&quot; and &quot;SRS TruSurround XT.&quot; These software-based virtual surround sound audio engines help turn the &quot;tin can&quot; sound from the R500 into reasonably loud and clear sound.

The SRS WOW HD setting actually made listening to music and DVD movies a reasonably enjoyable experience using the built-in speakers. Pressing the SRS button located next to the volume buttons switches between SRS WOW HD, SRS TruSurround XT and SRS Off. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between SRS Off and SRS TruSurround XT.

Heat and Noise

The R500 does a spectacular job controlling both heat and noise. The fan remained whisper quiet yet kept heat under control. The areas near both the memory and hard drive (left palm rest) did feel warm during benchmarking, but temperatures remained comfortable enough to keep the R500 on the lap. The ambient temperature in our office was 77 degrees Fahrenheit during testing and the fan exhaust temperature never jumped above 101 degrees. The most heat came from the AC adapter which averaged around 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

The top view with Fahrenheit temperature readings. (view large image)

The bottom view with Fahrenheit temperature readings. (view large image)

Battery

Battery life on the R500 with the 6-cell battery was only average. With the screen brightness set to full, wireless on, and Vista power settings set to &quot;High Performance,&quot; the R500 powered down in just more two and a half hours (2 hours and 33 minutes). With power management set to &quot;Power Saver&quot; and screen at half brightness the battery lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes while browsing the web.

Conclusion

The LG R500 is a solid business notebook with plenty of power for consumers interested in everyday gaming. The quality 15.4&quot; glossy display, durable build, sizable hard drive, and a good selection of ports help make the R500 great for business professionals who don't mind a little more weight than a 14.1&quot; notebook. The Core 2 Duo processor, plenty of available RAM, and nVidia dedicated graphics likewise give the system an impressive feature set in terms of performance.

Bottom line, the LG R500 is an excellent notebook in the 15.4&quot; display class for business professionals and consumers alike. Too bad we can't buy this here in the United States.

Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Awesome screen
• Solid construction
• Minimal bloatware
• Low heat and minimal noise

Cons:

• Poor location for multi-card reader
• Glossy &quot;wave&quot; pattern is beautiful or ugly depending on your point of view
• Annoying blinking LED when you browse the internet.

 

Nice review!

Does look like quite a notebook there. Too bad about the blinking LED thingy . . . Even the G1 can get the lights to be turned off . .. man . . .

 

Seems like LG still has some things to learn about building a business-class notebook. They need to make the design more subdued (though I like the way it looks, but as a consumer notebook), and what's up with the blinking LED? What were they thinking?

Also, they need to improve the keyboard layout. I understand that this is not available in the US, but what up with the two backslash keys? They really need to get rid of the one next to the left shift key; I primarily use the left shift key when I type, so that keyboard layout wouldn't work very well, to put it lightly. If they made it into a US layout, this would be a nice keyboard with the dedicated numeric keypad. On a 15.4", no less!

 

Thanks for the review Jerry. It's hard to find information on LG products anywhere but here on NBR.com. Unfortunately the whole LG line is inherently flawed by the low-resolution screens. It's something that I usually associate with ultra-budget notebooks.

Low res. = no sale.

 

I quite like the design. Nice review, btw.

 

I agree that the glossy wave pattern and blinking LED make this notebook look much less professional than it is. I guess LG was trying to give the R500 a unique appearance but it does make the notebook look more like a consumer machine than a business notebook.

On the other hand, I really do think LG deserves high marks for not loading the R500 with a ton of bloatware. The only applications that you "might" be able to call bloatware on the R500 are the LG SmartCam software (which is actually very useful for the webcam) and LG Intelligent Update (a nice application but not necessary for people familiar with Windows Update and surfing the web for drivers).

Some of the recent Toshiba business notebooks we reviewed have more bloatware than most consumer notebooks.

The screen on the R500 really does look quite nice despite only being 1280x800. Compared to the 14.1" and 15.4" 1280x800 screens we've seen on recent Dell notebooks this screen looks like it's higher resolution even though it isn't.

 

It's a beautiful laptop

 

First of all, I really wish manufacturers coordinate and don't name their models exactly the same, I can't tell you how befuddling it is when in the office and someone is referring to the R500 and I don't know whether it's the ultra slim 12.1" Toshiba or a 15.4" LG notebook. Whoever was second between Toshiba and LG needs to give up the R500 name and call it something else.

Rant aside, this is a nice looking notebook, better than the Dell Inspiron in terms of overall looks. Yeah, the blinking light is annoying, but at least you won't have a problem with low flying planes running into you.

 

Thanks for the review. Just over 3 hours on battery is quite respectable.

Is it actually a full-sized keyboard or are the keys slightly smaller in order to make room for that embedded numeric keypad?

John

 

The main keys are all full sized, but the "~" key, tab key, and left shift key are smaller ... but I'm not sure if that's common for keyboards in Canada and Europe.

 

Awesome... I was just looking at that notebook yesterday - right now I'm trying to decide between it, the Asus F3SV-B1 (advantages: cheaper, T7500, 1650x1050 res; disadvantages: 1GB less ram (but in only one slot), build quality inferior?, bulkier) and a Dell Vostro 1500 (advantages: cheaper, more flexible configuration; disadvantages: wait time)

As to the LG update being bloatware... well, I checked out the driver support on the LG website, and while it is nice to see that they have Vista and XP drivers, and that the Nvidia drivers are more up to date than those available for Asus, navigating the site is a nightmare! I think having a piece of software to grab the drivers for you might be welcome with an LG machine.

 

Oh, and for the most part we use the US keyboard config in Canada... except for those who use french keyboards

 

I like that this 15.4" model has a numpad. Very unusual. I also like the looks of the notebook very much. Nice review!

 

hi all !

I bought the same notebook a week ago and did have hard time to find the right notebook for me.

the screen was, at first, my big disapointment. but after two days of using it, and if one considers that this resolution is the equivalent of having a wsxga on a 17'' (pixel to pixel size), the only thing to consider is that ther is less room.

nevertheless : the quality of the screen is gorgeous and far away better then a non business entry level glossy screen.

I did agree with the great cooling system.

well, after all, the choice was easy because of the hdmi port which is a great add to a notebook... i am used to wok with presentations on HDTV screens, and this is a revolution compared with a s-video signal.

the LG intelligent update may be considered as a bloatware but it does a great job when uninstalling unwanted softwares (like "lg magnifier", unusefull in my mind).

also a good point for LG : all drivers are up to date... just look at 2700 in 3Dmark2006... all the others using the same graphic adapter are usually at 2300-2400...

Well, i think this is a really great piece of equipement.

another thing :

i am french speaking, and was waiting for this version of the laptop.

A month ago (or so) LG was only selling the R500 with the english QWERTY Kboard, the SKU for canadian french was then added. In this pre-English_only-version, the screen was a 1680x1050, like the S1... so maybe it is still possible to find some high-res English KB R500 on the market.


thanks

YAnn

 

Mmmm... nice notebook, nice review! Thanks Jerry!
I was seriously considering buying this some weeks ago, so i collected some info and I can solve some of your small concerns:
1. in europe it is sold with a 1680x1050 screen, so forget 1280x800!
2. the layout of that keyboard (including small ~, etc.) is usual for almost all european countries, with only some secondary keys changed to reflect different needs by different languages (do you americans use òàùèéç letters?). LG keyboards are replacaple and they produce also other layouts so it's only a limited problem

My only concern is with the numeric keypad: how can you make calculations without the decimal point near the numbers?
However, it really seems a good non-business notebook!

 

I don't think its that bad looking of a business notebook, LG is kind of like "business with flare" and laptops like the S1 are quite suitable in an office environment.

Nice review though (*waits for an S1 refresh -,-)

I should also add i've seen a lot of screens and LG are definitely some of the best.

 

Just a couple of tid bits on the LG R500. First the keybaord has some different keys, as it is a Canadian Bi-Lingual keyboard which requires a few additional keys for the French accents. Second, the screen will be upgraded to 1680x1050 in October. So just wait a few short weeks.

BTW. I have an R500, and it rips. But the flashing light can be covered quite easily with a "Dell Sucks' sticker.

Cheers.

 

I seriously thought about getting this computer, but the expensive price ($1799 Canadian) and lackluster warranty (only 1-year limited) was a deal-breaker for me. The HP 8510p not only sells for $159x Canadian, it sports a 1680x1050 screen, Radeon HD2600 (siginificantly faster than the 8600GS from what I've been told) and a 3-year warranty - not to mention future wireless-N support.

 

Oh, I forgot, you get the 3 year warranty with the R500 as a free upgrade. So that answers your warranty issue. And the R500 has wireless N as well. Really the R500 is the unit to buy. Not to mention, it has TPM, Turbo Memory, and LG wireless is wicked amazing because they use high gain antenae and it pulls down every single international wireless band. So the only thing left is the price. But the quality of the LG R500 is the best you will find. (LG used to build thinkpads) Cheers.

 

Thanks for the info. So I assume every store now sells it with a 3-year warranty?

edit:
Is the glossy lid an option?

Check out the following site:
http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/r500expressdualseries_r500ub01a9.jhtml

If you check the "folded" pic, the lid is clearly matte.

 

Not sure about the Matte lid issue. Perhaps it was just the only photo they had at the time. I have never seen a matte lid on any demo floors. All glossy. The LG P1 used to have a matte blue lid. Kind of cool looking.

 

That's a great solution!

 

The unit on sale at the store near me here in Toronto comes with a regular US keyboard layout... still 1280x800 though

 

Are you sure ?
i was thinking that the screen was before wsxga+ and changed 2 months ago for the wxga. i wanted a wsxga+ and i was told it was impossible.
if you are right, i will take mine back to the dealer and wait two weeks

Yann

 

Beautiful. I already had an order down for this notebook in late June but it was delayed so many times so I cancelled the order and opted for an Asus G1S. Mainly, compared to the LG, my G1S is... HOT... don't even want to touch the bottom of the notebook after playing games for a while, and the video card temperature hits 100 degrees celsius (portable heater?) Otherwise, I think my G1 would be a fair bit more powerful graphically (1100 more 3dmark06) but still, if I were to make the decision again, I still wouldn't really know which one to pick.

 

and as well, seems it's GDDR3 after all. GDDR2 cards can only reach about 2200 3dmark06 even when OC'ed to max.

 

Please stop it with this imprint business. at most imprint the company logo but all this organic imprint BS is becoming a bore. Im surprised HP is still using it. and people still going for it.

 

I am pretty sure on the 1680x1050 screen upgrade. I spoke to some resellers that have heard it is coming. Speaking of the heat issue, try opening an LG notebook sometime, and you will notice something very unique. The unit is clearly designed internally to vent heat, and improve natural dissippation. Also, they have something called multi source cooling that uses copper tupes to channel heat. Looks cool as well. Someone told me they are starting to use carbon nano tubes on the fins to increase cooling as well. My R500 does heat up, but it is never too hot to put on my lap. And the fan is quiet. But the G1S does look good. Asus is building some good units. As far as the imprint, yeah, give me the glossy black color. There is a reseller in Ontario that will get your notebook painted with automotive paint in whatever color you want. LCD cover. Looks great. This is an (expensive) option.

 

I knew i wasnt nuts! I remember seeing (like others posted here) when the LG R500 was first listed on the LG Canada website as having a WSXGA+ screen (1680x1050). And then poof it was gone in late August I believe (or something like that).

I am definitely pushing this laptop for my brother, as he is searching for a replacement to his Toshiba Satellite M30. But he wants to know, is there an extended battery for this unit, or the prospect of LG releasing an extended battery for this unit.

I am going to have to contact Microbytes ( http://www.microbytes.com) to get updates for him (especially on the possible upcoming 1680x1050 version), as they are the only seller that I know of in Montreal that sells LG computers.

 

Am I safe in assuming this notebook is capable of supplying 1900 x 1200 resolution for an external 24" monitor?

 

LG Canada has updated their site:

Now in addition to the LG R500-UB01A9 (Vista Business) and LG R500-UP01A9 (Vista Home Premium)...there are now 2 more LG R500-U.CBB1A9 (Vista Business) and LG R500-U.CPB1A9 (Vista Home Premium). I am sure however that these two "new" model numbers will replace the first two, as the only difference is that in the latter ones you have the "one time option to choose between French and English"

come on WSXGA+ model...i'll give you a cookie

 

From the horse's mouth (i.e., LG Canada customer service rep, received on Oct. 2nd):
"Currently we are still working on incorporating the 1680x1050 screen into the R500 model, and we do plan on introducing it shortly, but I do not have a solid eta on that currently, there's still a lot to be done before it's considered ready for production. Please continue to check our website, as soon as the new revision is out, that'll be the first place it'll appear."

 

funny when i called around the same time you did..they told me "we are having problems with so many pixels in such a small screen..we hope by christmas"

but anyways they are out now:

R500-U.CBX1A9
T7250 – Genuine Windows Vista Business with XP Pro Media Kit – WSXGA+
http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/r500expressdualseries_r500u.cbx1a9.jhtml

R.500-C.CP01A9
T7500 – Genuine Windows Home Premium – WSXGA+
http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/r500expressdualseries_r500c.cp01a9.jhtml

R.500-C.CB01A9
T7500 – Genuine Windows Vista Business – WSXGA+
http://ca.lge.com/en/products/model/detail/r500expressdualseries_r500c.cb01a9.jhtml

All three of these carry 3 year warranties now

 

Plastic, yes but not the base
LG Notebook Features: LG Notebook Benefits:
Authorized LG Service Centre Compudata is the LG Service Centre!
Faster service times without third party delays
Carbon Fibre Base Carbon Fibre is lighter and more durable then plastic
Helps prevent heat translating through the notebook to your lap
Premium Constructed Shells Lighter and more durable
Elaborate Heat Pipe Technology Helps dissipate much of the heat passively
Decreases operating noise
Quad & Hexa Band Wireless Antennas Better wireless reception in locations where a standard wireless antenna may have difficulties
Award Winning Design Red Dot Award Winner
iF Design Award Winner
Sleek looking / Light weight laptops
Best LCD Screens Brightest / Widest Viewing Angle LCD

Source:
http://www.compudatasolutions.ca/content/systems/systems-mobile-computing.html

I do not know if my LG Ls50a was built like that but I have drop my laptop many time (3 times from a moving moto in Vietnam..yes yes I like to beat my laptop ) and it still work perfectly...and yes my casing is a little bit scrap but everythings work well...

I have a R500 coming in Vietnam by one relative...will keep you update on the features and toughness...

 

I'm planning to get a new notebook. I'm leaning towards an LG because their specs/$ seems to be pretty good. I see that there are some Canadian users here. I was wondering if you could give me some help.

- where/what kind of places can I see one in person? The places I've called don't carry them - they just order it when a customer requests it. I'm in Vancouver.

- I'm actually looking at the R700 as well. It looks like it's not as expensive as some of the R500 (I haven't studied in detail to understand why...). I noticed that R500 on ca.lge.com has a 3 year warranty, but R700 only has 1. So that means R700 is less reliable? (it being a 17")

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

but now, with screen res of 1650x1050! tadaa! but wait! there's more bob! you also get an inflatable george bush doll!

 

guys why isnt there a review of the new LGR500, here are some of the specs:
T7500 core2duo
2Gig ram
8600m GT ddr3
biometric sensor+bluetooth+mic+webcam
1680X1050 display
prices are around 1700 canadian dollars...
why isnt there an official review of this laptop... is it a good one ?

 

you're right,
I have the first generation of R500 (dual 2.0 7500, 2Go, 160GoHD, 8600GS and 1280x800) and the new one must be a killer....
I hope they did work on intgrating a 9cell battery because the 8600GT is a huge energy eating card.

Yann

 

looks like lg is updating the r500 series to penryn and 8600 gt - wow.

would a laptop with a 8600 gt generally run hotter and consume more energy (compared to a 8600 gs) even while one isn't playing / utilizing 3d capabilities?

i would be particularly interested in the difference in fan noise on this particular model but it being so new probably means it has not found any owners yet...

would the more energy efficient design of a penryn maybe compensate for the more hungry gpu (heat -> noise)? who knows...

 

It's using the nVidia video 8600 series.

Won't this have the same problem then as the HP and Dell where your gpu (Video Card) will eventually die on you?

http://mobile.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/01/0142219&from=rss
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/04/12/there-are-no-mobile-g846-problems

Any people experiencing it here at notebookreview.
http://www.notebookreview.com/searc...F;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:11&hl=en&btnAction=SEARCH

 

what do u think about followin spec and price of LG R500
LG R500-CP58B
T7500 2.2GHz C2 Duo
Ram : 2GB
Hardisk : 250GB
Nvidia 256MB dedicated card
DVD RW
15.4" wxga ( not sure abt resolution)
56K,wifi,bluetooth,card reader, cam
Vista Home Premium....
Price : 812 dollar including all taxes ( Rs.65,000, In Pakistan )

Also, PLEASE can anyone tell me About the "LG R500-CP58B", I cant find CP58B anywhere on the internet

 

This looks like a nice laptop. Good review. Thanks