When it comes to computers, Hewlett Packard and Sony are among my favorite laptops. In the desktop arena, there is nothing like a favorite. I manipulate my desktops a lot—hence I do not give much thought when making a purchase. I simply go for whatever catches my fancy without exceeding my intended budget.

But recently, when I had to choose a desktop-replacement laptop, my priorities concentrated on performance. I have never been a fan of IBM laptops (during its days). And now that it has been taken over by Lenovo, I am still not a fan. No question, IBM (then) and Lenovo (now) produces high-quality laptops. But the ancient design, which both companies have steadfastly maintained, continues to put me off. I just don’t like the design and superficial looks of IBM and Lenovo Thinkpads.

However, things changed (at least momentarily) when I waved cosmetics aside in pursuit of raw power. Lenovo Thinkpad W700ds easily became my first choice of a desktop replacement laptop despite its archaic appearance. This PC packs a lot of power. And at five kilos, it is still portable—though barely just!

This is the first laptop that I have seen to come with double screens. The main screen measures 17 inches (with native resolution of 1920x1200), whereas the second retractable one stretches to 10.6 inches (with 768x1280 res).  The PC also sports double 200GB Hitachi Travelstar hard drives, which spin at a respectable 7,200rpm, and are seated in a RAID 0 format. The main memory consists of 4GB 1,066MHz DDR3 chips, which is upgradable to 8GB DDR3.

Powering the heartbeat of Lenovo W700ds is an Intel Core 2 Quad Mobile Q9000, whose modest 2GHz clock-speed churns out impressive performance. Its Nvidia Quadro FX 3700M with a dedicated 1GB GDDR3 graphics memory ensures that even the most recent of games performs without any hitch or blink. I really like that this PC comes equipped with a novelty Blu-ray writer: although, the writing speed leaves a lot to be desired.

Another thing that I like about the laptop is that its battery pack is a condensed Lithium ion with a fantastic 7,800mAh capacity. This nearly doubles the average laptop’s battery; yet, the PC’s power-hungry appendages ensure that it barely exceeds three hours of moderate use. The keyboard is fashioned in the traditional IBM style, which could not be described as bad; although they certainly could have been better. Other features I liked are the in-built fingerprint reader, the Pantone color calibrator, the stylus-dependent Wacom tablet, and the multi-purpose card reader it came with.

Although, this computer is designed to be a traveler’s desktop-replacer, its sheer weight and relatively unimpressive battery life would place reasonable restriction on its trips. Still, its buyers would take solace in the fact that it packs a punch—in terms of raw power. It also has a number of high definition multimedia characteristics. I particularly enjoy its professional-class video adapter, as well as the quadcore processor driving its muscles.

With all said, my impression of this laptop is very positive. Its revolutionary second screen is a big advantage (for those that need it). Although I still frown at its less than flashy design, I am quite satisfied with its performance and overall feature range. For instance, even as 2009 ambles into its last quarter, dual hard disks and dual screens are still novelty in mobile computers. The same could be said of Blu-ray burners and DDR3 memory chips.

And since I am nowhere near a hardcore gamer, both the quadcore CPU and the pro-level graphics card more than suffice for all I needed to do. The machine is well-built, powerfully endowed, and has enough versatility to embrace just about any task. It is not cheap; yet, its pros considerably outweighed it cons. I’m having a great time with it; and I seem to be enjoying it as the days pass by.