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3D is everywhere these days. From new TVs to Hollywood blockbusters to gaming consoles, the technology, which has been around for ages, is now poised to give consumers a more immersive, in-your-face form of entertainment in the home. And the PC is no exception. In fact, it’s a natural fit. The PC games we’ve been playing for years are already rendered with a 3D engine—stereoscopic technology and a suitable set of glasses just bring them to life. Newer games will only optimize that potential. Add to this a spate of Blu-ray 3D movies coming down the pike and you can see why the PC is well within the clutches of this latest trend.
Sure enough, a cadre of new 3D laptops and monitors make it possible for you to enjoy stereoscopic content both on your desktop and on the go. The vast majority of these offerings rely on Nvidia’s 3D Vision kit—a set of powered shutter glasses, a USB-connected IR emitter, and the appropriate drivers—which, when paired with the right GPU (a GeForce 8 series or newer) and a 120Hz screen, provide an “active” 3D experience. In other words, as a rapid succession of alternating screens presents slightly different views to each eye, the shutter glasses ensure that the correct view is seen by the correct eye by shuttering the opposite lens accordingly.
Passive solutions for the PC also exist. These rely on polarized screens and glasses, which help resolve a double set of images shot from slightly different angles by filtering out one image for each eye and thus creating the illusion of depth.
Besides these major distinctions, there are several other points to consider before investing in a 3D experience for your PC. Our reviews of several new 3D laptops and monitors will help educate you on what’s out there and what kind of features to look for to meet your 3D needs.
For folks who have no interest in 3D movies
Newcomer Origin made an impressive debut with its Genesis desktop system in our August issue, so we were anxious to see what it could do with a 3D gaming laptop.
We received the company’s very first 3D model—the unit it demoed at this year’s E3 gaming expo. In that context, the choice of hardware makes a lot of sense. This 15.6-inch EON15-3D sports a GeForce GTX 285M—arguably the burliest mobile graphics card available. Certainly better than the GTX 260M in our zero-point rig and quite capable of hitting a playable frame rate on a 1680x1050 external display (up from the unit’s native 1366x768) with lots of visual effects enabled—in non-3D conditions, that is.
To achieve 3D, the EON15-3D uses Nvidia’s 3D Vision kit. The laptop comes with the requisite emitter, shutter glasses, and 120Hz screen. Enabling 3D is simply a matter of entering the Nvidia Control Panel, selecting Enable Stereoscopic 3D, and completing a straightforward setup wizard.
Gamers will appreciate the EON15-3D's GeForce GTX 285M.
While Nvidia’s list of 3D Vision–worthy games is vast, some games are more worthy than others. Both of our gaming benchmarks, for example, are noted as having “Excellent” 3D Vision support. But while the 3D effects in Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2 are certainly noticeable, we weren’t particularly captivated by the experience. Newer games developed with 3D Vision in mind—Just Cause 2 and Mafia II being two prime examples—make for a more compelling experience.
You’ll want the experience to be special, because 3D carries a performance hit. After all, stereoscopy requires that twice as many screens are generated, one for each eye. With 3D enabled, we saw our Call of Duty frame rate drop from 68.87 at a res of 1680x1050 to 39.1 at 1366x768. We wanted to test the laptop with one of the large 3D panels we’re also reviewing in this story—the EON15-3D is the only laptop that has the necessary dual-link DVI-out (which could also come in handy for a 30-inch display). Unfortunately, the port would only output at single-link throughput—a snafu Origin attributes to the earliness of our build. We did, however, verify that the laptop could display 3D content using a 120Hz 3D projector via HDMI.
That would be a great way to display Blu-ray 3D movies, if only the EON15-3D supported them. While the GTX 285M provided some of the strongest gaming numbers in this roundup, the card is not compatible with Blu-ray 3D playback (Origin also offers a Blu-ray 3D–compatible GTS 360M option). You can still play regular Blu-ray movies on the laptop’s BD-ROM/DVD combo drive.
The EON15-3D’s other attributes include a quad-core Core i7 proc, a 500GB Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive, and 4GB of DDR3/1333 RAM. Physically, the machine is surprisingly unadorned for a gaming rig, but the matte-black body is solid with a big keyboard, full number pad, and a lots of connectivity options.
Is it worth a whopping $2,600? Not when there are less-expensive options that make fewer compromises.
| CPU | 1.73GHz Intel Core i7-820QM |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3/1333 |
| Chipset | Intel PM55 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 285M |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Momentus XT 500GB HDD (7,200rpm) / SSD hybrid |
| Optical | LG BD ROM/DVD burner |
| Connectivity | DL DVD-D, HDMI, Ethernet, modem, four USB 2.0, eSATA, media reader, webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, headphone, mic, line in, digital S/PDIF |
| Lap/Carry | 9 lbs, 11.2 oz / 7 lbs, 12.7 oz |
| Zero Point | ||
|---|---|---|
| Premiere Pro CS3 (sec) | 1,320 | 900 |
| Photoshop CS3 (sec) | 153 | 146 |
| ProShow Producer (sec) | 1,524 | 866 |
| MainConcept (sec) | 2,695 | 1,732 |
| Far Cry 2 (fps) | 32.7 | 37.5 |
| Call of Duty 4 (fps) | 58.2 | 68.9 |
| Battery Life (min) | 100 | 49 (-51%) |
Our zero-point notebook is an iBuypower M865TU with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo T9900, 4GB DDR3/1066 RAM, a 500GB Seagate hard drive, a GeForce GTX 260M, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. Far Cry 2 tested at 1680x1050 with 4x AA; Call of Duty 4 tested at 1680x1050 with 4x AA and anisotropic filtering.
Quad-core proc; fastest mobile GPU available; Dual-Link DVI port.
Incompatible with Blu-ray 3D; expensive; abysmal battery life.
Covers almost all the bases
Toshiba’s Satellite A665-3DV presents an interesting juxtaposition to Origin’s machine—for one thing, it costs $1,000 less. Like Origin’s EON15-3D, the A665-3DV features a 15.6-inch, 1366x768, 120Hz glossy screen, and uses Nvidia’s 3D Vision kit.
This machine, like Origin’s, also comes with a 1.73GHz Intel Core i7-740QM quad-core processor, which makes for strong performance in all of our content-creation benchmarks. The A665-3DV has a bigger hard drive than the Origin rig (640GB vs. 500GB), but it’s slower (5,400rpm vs. 7,200rpm), which could account for the latter’s lead in productivity apps. A more significant difference between the two machines, however, is the A665-3DV’s use of a GeForce GTS 350M for graphics chores. While this is considered an enthusiast GPU, its scores in Far Cry 2 and Call of Duty 4 were 33 percent and 42 percent lower, respectively, than those of the Origin’s GTX 258M. Indeed, at our standard gaming benchmark settings, using 4x AA and anisotropic filtering and running at 1680x1050 on an external display, the GTS 350M reached just barely playable frame rates.
The optical drive in the A665-3DV reads and writes Blu-ray discs.
Obviously, this didn’t bode well for 3D game performance. We saw CoD 4 drop to 24.5fps at the notebook’s 1366x768 native res. Yes, you can improve matters by lowering settings—in FC2, for example, we could reach 31.2fps at 1366x768 by turning all the quality settings to low. Lowering the resolution could also provide a boost. But we found ourselves questioning whether the enhanced realism and immersiveness that 3D promises isn’t offset by diminishing all graphical details.
One thing the GTS 350M has going for it is the ability to play Blu-ray 3D movies. And a nice perk of Toshiba’s A665-3DV is that it comes bundled with Corel WinDVD for Blu-ray 3D—none of the other notebooks here include a Blu-ray 3D player, meaning you have to shell out another hundy for the privilege. If watching 3D movies on a small laptop screen doesn’t float your boat, an HDMI port lets you connect to a 120Hz 3D projector.
The A665-3DV is notable in a couple other respects. It’s the only rig in this roundup that offers BD burning as well as reading through its optical drive. And its 12-cell battery actually makes it viable to use away from a power outlet. Quad-core and discrete GPU notwithstanding, the laptop played a DVD in power-saving mode for more than two hours before losing juice. And still, the laptop had the second-lightest weight of the bunch.
Aesthetically, the A665-3DV is only slightly more ornate than the Origin EON15-3D—it’s all-black finish is spruced up some with texture on the laptop’s lid and around the keyboard, which itself is underlit by blue LEDs.
Were it not for the compromises inherent to playing 3D games on mobile-graphics power, we’d say the A665-3DV is a pretty good deal.
| CPU | 1.73GHz Intel Core i7-740QM |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3/1066 |
| Chipset | Intel HM55 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTS 350M |
| Hard Drive | Toshiba 640GB HDD (5,400rpm) |
| Optical | Matshita BD/DVD burner |
| Connectivity | VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, three USB 2.0, one USB 2.0/eSATA, headphone, mic, ExpressCard/34, webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Lap/Carry | 8 lbs, 2.1 oz / 6 lbs, 11.7 oz |
| Zero Point | ||
|---|---|---|
| Premiere Pro CS3 (sec) | 1,320 | 900 |
| Photoshop CS3 (sec) | 153 | 148 |
| ProShow Producer (sec) | 1,524 | 990 |
| MainConcept (sec) | 2,695 | 1,933 |
| Far Cry 2 (fps) | 32.7 | 25.1 (-23.2%) |
| Call of Duty 4 (fps) | 58.2 | 39.4 (-51%) |
| Battery Life (min) | 100 | 155 |
Our zero-point notebook is an iBuypower M865TU with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo T9900, 4GB DDR3/1066 RAM, a 500GB Seagate hard drive, a GeForce GTX 260M, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. Far Cry 2 tested at 1680x1050 with 4x AA; Call of Duty 4 tested at 1680x1050 with 4x AA and anisotropic filtering.
Quad-core proc; includes Blu-ray 3D player; write BD discs; 12-cell battery.
Performance hobbled in 3D games.
Next Page: 3D Laptop Reviews continued »
Comments are closed on this article
Untia
August 21, 2011 at 7:32am
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JamiePeri
July 24, 2011 at 3:26am
I was recently browsing a site that in my opinion has the best product reviews on the net and I found this laptop. I think the A665-3DV is an awesome piece of technology and if you buy one of these you won't regret it. Just looking at the components makes my skin all tingly! This is a wonderful piece of equipment for all you gamers out there.
kakdzikri
October 14, 2010 at 6:30am
3D Showdown: 8 3D Notebooks i like it, therefore you can ceck at lcd monitor
Mr_Imortall
October 14, 2010 at 2:02am
Could i get this pic in a higher res plz be a great desktop pic!
angelsix
October 13, 2010 at 7:02pm
I rebuilt my computer system about 9 months ago. I'd like to watch 3d movies and play 3d games on it, but don't know what parts have to be upgraded, or how feasible ($$$?) it is yet. Is my Sapphire Radeon TOXIC HD 5850 going to do it, or not? Do I need just any blue ray drive, or is there some addt'l spec. I'll need to enjoy 3d? Obviously, that's a lot more depth that this article aimed at, so this isn't a criticism, just an expression of hope for a future article.
cquinndesign
October 10, 2010 at 4:56am
Maximum PC Guys, thank you thank you so much for this article. My buddy came over with the latest Maximum PC mag he just picked up at the newspaper stand...well this was the first article I read and I love it. We have been waiting on buying a 3DTV because of pricing and the technology is to new. This is a perfect article for reviewing some of the latest products out there. I love it, it really explains alot. Keep up the good work people!
drexeltim
October 06, 2010 at 6:47pm
I just wanted to add a few comments here. First off I own both the Zalman and the Alienware. The review for the Alienware is pretty much spot on. It's a great 3d monitor, with a little bit of ghosting (less then the first gen Viewsonic and Samsung screens which I have also seen).
I think you guys may have missed the boat on the Zalman display though. You seem upset that it doesn't include 3d BR software, but failed to mention that the Alienware and Asus displays do not include it as well. Cyberlinks Power DVD software plays 3d Bluerays on all three monitors as it has support for 3d vision displays as well as line-interlaced displays like the Zalman.
You also mention difficulty in using the supplied IZ3d gaming software with the Zalman. I agree the IZ3d software was difficult to install and register. The Zalman display however has a leg up over the nvidia displays as it can use all three major 3d drivers (IZ3D, Tridef, and Nvidia). You can use the nvidia 3d vision driver (which is built in to all of Nvidia's latest driver releases) as long as you have an nvidia card. Simply connect the monitor go to the nvidia control panel and go to the stereoscopic tab and enable 3d vision. You do NOT need to buy a 3d vision kit to use the Nvidia driver with the Zalman monitor. I've haven't used the tridef driver very much and thus cannot comment on its effectiveness.
You also mention the narrow viewing angle of the Zalman monitor. This is a real issue. You have a very limited viewing angle to see 3d. In my experience once you are in the viewing angle there is not ghosting at all. This problem also has a benefit. Since you are using passive glasses you don't have any issues with the flicker and headaches that some people (not me) suffer from using active shutterglasses. Finally I also found that the Zalman glasses do not block as much light as the shutters and thus leave you with a bright image. Another advantage of the Zalman is that it can be used without a nvidia card(using the IZ3d, or tridef drivers). It can also be used in an EYEFINTY 3d setup using these drivers.
I can easily rec. either the Alienware or the Zalman. Each has their own adv. and disadv. but I would rate them nearly equal overall not an 8 and a 3.
You guys should have also known about the the 3d blueray issue. You need blueray software to play blueray movies.
Nimrod
October 06, 2010 at 3:36pm
I read this in the mag. It seems that any one who buys into this now is an early adopter selling them selfs short on some essential features. A "3D" computer that cant play 3DBR or stream 3D content to a TV? Give me a big fat freaken brake.
Im not saying its worthless, but I couldnt honestly tell my any one i knew that i had a 3D computer THAT COULDNT PLAY 3D MOVIES. Kind of a joke
Biceps
October 06, 2010 at 12:25pm
First, thank you so much for the review! It is great to see what the options are for 3D computing coming up, and where the pitfalls are *cough* Zalman *cough*.
A suggestion: Split the review into two - one for laptops and one for monitors. I cannot compare a $3000 gaming laptop to a $500 monitor; they are completely different beasts.
A question: why only review three of the 3D monitors? My feeling is that most MaxPC readers are going to in the position of upgrading a desktop rig to display 3D, and that it will be a significant minority who are interested in laying out big chunks of change for 3D laptops. I know that the options available for 3D monitors are extremely limited (I think Tiger Direct only has three options for 3D monitors for sale) - was this the issue, or was did something else affect the decision? I am very interested in upgrading my desktop to 3D, and MaxPC reviews do play a large part in my purchasing decisions - hence the question.
Thank you!
sotoa
October 06, 2010 at 11:48am
I'm still waiting to see if they'll come out with a 3D, 1080p, 17" (or so), DX11, USB3, laptop.
