Packard Bell hits with fast Santa Rosa notebooks
updated 03:10 pm EDT, Mon May 14, 2007
Packard Bell Santa Rosa
Although long absent from the US, the recently revitalized Packard Bell has just released a pair of EasyNote portables based on Intel's new Santa Rosa mobile architecture. The SB85 and SB86 are each quick mid-range notebooks with a 15.4-inch display and extensive connection options, including an HDMI output, eSATA for fast external hard drives, and 802.11n for Wi-Fi. A 1.3-megapixel webcam is tucked into the display lid. Each is also game- and HD-friendly with a GeForce 8600M GS for quick 3D.
The choice of model depends on the user's focus, according to Packard Bell's trim levels. The SB86 centers on absolute 3D performance with a 512MB GeForce 8600M GS, a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, and a modest 120GB hard drive. Buyers of the SB85 drop the video memory to 256MB and the processor to 1.8GHz in exchange for a larger 160GB hard disk. Either has 2GB of RAM and is preloaded with Vista Home Premium.
Both of the new portables are available now in France at prices equal to $1,624 for the SB85 and $2,030 for the faster SB86. Shipments of the systems should expand to the rest of Europe soon. [via Laptop Spirit]
