TechRadar Verdict
Despite being a good general performer for the home, this laptop doesn't do what it does on the tin well at all
Pros
- +
Tough build
- +
Sharp screen
- +
Impressive performance
Cons
- -
Poor battery life
- -
Dull design
- -
Dodgy graphics performance
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Novatech is a UK-based company and offers a wide range of laptops for both consumer and corporate buyers.
The X60R Pro (£633 inc. VAT) is an affordable entry-level gaming system, but it's an anonymous product that fails to stand out from the crowd.
The 3.2kg chassis is quite large. While it's not too heavy for moderate travel use, this machine's 89-minute battery life is poor. We've seen far larger and more powerful laptops run for almost three times this long, so it's a result that's difficult to excuse.
Large screen
The gun-metal grey and black design won't win any awards, but provides a neutral look for the home or office. Build quality is impressive, and the chassis is sure to hold up well over time. The rear of the panel is equally resilient and unlikely to be easily scratched.
The 17-inch screen is ideal for gaming and watching movies. It's not the brightest we've seen, but images are crisp and colourful. The 1440 x 900-pixel resolution is also nicely sharp, so it's easy to work across multiple windows.
The increased chassis size allows room for a wide and spacious keyboard. It has a slightly sharp typing action, but is otherwise very comfortable to work on. A numeric keypad is fitted on the right-hand side for easy gaming and data input use.
Entry-level gaming
While the X60R is sold as an entry-level gaming laptop, it massively under-performs. Its nVidia graphics card is a solid choice for the price, but performance is bettered by many rival laptops – even those that aren't aimed at gaming. However, there's enough power for basic gaming and editing your photos and videos.
Home and office performance is also strong and easily matches its rivals, so this laptop can be used for a range of uses for the whole family.
Disappointing connectivity
The 200GB hard drive is sufficient for family use. The dual-layer DVD rewriter lets you write up to 9.5GB of data to compatible discs, while the 3-in-1 card reader also provides access to external Flash storage cards.
Unfortunately, poor connectivity further hinders the Novatech. Only a VGA-out port is included for connecting to external displays, with no DVI or HDMI ports for digital connections. This is a strange choice for a laptop geared towards gamers and is sure to disappoint.
While the Novatech X60R Pro is by no means a terrible laptop, it's just too average to recommend. It fails to fulfil its gaming aims and provides performance more akin to cheaper laptops.
