This well-specified notebook is equipped with the latest Intel Core i3-380M processor, running at 2.53GHz, and has a whopping 6GB of RAM. It also has a 640GB hard disk, which is twice the size of most laptops' disks. The fast processor, extra RAM and bumper storage space point to a laptop that's ideal for editing photos or even videos.

Having said that, an overall score of 90 in our benchmarks means HD video editing will push the RV511 to its limits. While it scored 107 in the single-threaded image-editing test, the i3-380M's dual cores weren't able to keep up with our reference PC's four cores, and the score dropped to 78 in the multi-tasking test. That's still an excellent result for a mid-price laptop, though.

A dedicated Nvidia GeForce 315M graphics chip with 1GB of memory provides 3D acceleration, although a score of only 16.3fps in our Call of Duty 4 test is disappointing. It's barely more than the Core i3's own integrated chip can manage, and it's only useful for older games or those optimised for network play. Even then, you'll find you have to turn off most of the eye candy to get playable frame rates. However, the Nvidia card will also speed up certain operations in graphics and video-editing software that supports CUDA.

Despite all this power, the RV511 lasted for almost five hours in our light usage battery test, thanks to Nvidia's Optimus technology, which switches from the dedicated graphics chip to the integrated one when running on battery power. This is more than enough to be productive on long commutes, although at 2.4kg the RV511 is pushing the limits of portability.