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At this price you can't expect stellar performance but for most purposes the R60+ is more than capable. The 1.6GHz CPU and 2GB of RAM ensure it'll run the usual basic applications without any problems, and it won't begin to chug just because you have anti-virus and other applications running in the background. Vitally, unlike some "cheap" notebooks it has no problem running Vista.

As noted previously, however, you won't be enjoying any games. Even fairly scalable games such as Trackmania Nations Forever, the free edition of Trackmania United Forever, proves a challenge and only running the game at the ugly minimum settings provided a playable 44.5 frames per second.

This, however, is pretty unimportant compared to battery life and it's in this department that the R60+ ultimately let's itself down. On paper there's no reason to be concerned, but despite a configuration that should suit decent battery performance, a relatively low capacity battery meant a mediocre two hours and 28 minutes in the Productivity segment of MobileMark 2007. This marginally improved in the Reader test, but the DVD playback test ended before two hours and when you compare this against the Samsung R700, the R60+ even trails it despite having a smaller screen and integrated graphics.

This rather poor battery performance is a bit of a problem. For this price one can accept plenty of compromises, be it in features or in merely competent performance. But, one thing that everyone wants and/or needs is reasonable battery life and though the R60+ may suffice for some, other similar specified and priced machines can offer a lot more longevity away from the mains.

Verdict

For some the price may prove very tempting, but disappointing battery performance makes a significant dent in its appeal. If you can accept this weakness, however, this is a solid notebook that benefits from a large hard drive and adequate performance for most users.

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