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Packard Bell EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1 Notebook Review

Affordable long-runner. The low price is not the most striking property of the EasyNote TF71BM. It primarily attracts attention with its long battery life.

For the original German review, see here.

The Bing version of Windows 8.1 enables laptop manufacturers to offer their devices cheaper than before. Consequently, an increasing number of 15.6-inch laptops with Windows are found in the below 300 Euros (~$384) sector. Packard Bell's EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1 belongs to these devices. Our test shows just how much laptop the buyer gets for a price ranging from 250 to 270 Euros (~$320 to ~$346).

All low-priced laptops are contenders of the EasyNote. We would, for example, name the recently tested Asus X551MAV-SX391B, Lenovo B50-30, and Lenovo G50-45.

Case & Connectivity

The EasyNote's casing is comprised of black, matte plastic. The wrist rest and lid's back are additionally textured. The base unit exhibits the usual weak points that we encounter in many devices. The casing can be dented slightly beside the keyboard and under the touchpad. We also find that the base unit can be twisted a bit too strongly. That is all the more true for the lid. The EasyNote does not have a maintenance cover, but opening the casing is nevertheless possible. After removing all screws from the device's underside, the top side of the base unit can be carefully levered off. Note: The upper part is connected to the motherboard via various ribbon cables. The motherboard also has to be removed to replace the installed working memory module for a larger model.

The connectivity does not present any surprises. The most necessary ports are installed, but Acer ("Packard Bell" is a brand from Acer) has positioned most interfaces to the laptop's rear. On the one hand, this keeps the desk neat and tidy and the areas beside the wrist rest remain free from cables, but on the other hand, using the ports is rather uncomfortable.

The casing is plastic. (Picture: Acer)
The casing is plastic. (Picture: Acer)
The EasyNote is sold for a price starting at 250 Euros, ~$320. (Picture: Acer)
The EasyNote is sold for a price starting at 250 Euros, ~$320. (Picture: Acer)
The lid's back is textured. (Picture: Acer)
The lid's back is textured. (Picture: Acer)
Left: Kensington lock slot, USB 2.0, memory-card reader.
Left: Kensington lock slot, USB 2.0, memory-card reader.
The DVD burner is on the right.
The DVD burner is on the right.
Rear: power socket, combo audio, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet.
Rear: power socket, combo audio, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet.

Input Devices

EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1: input devices
EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1: input devices

The EasyNote is equipped with an unlit chiclet keyboard without a number pad. The level, roughened keys provide a normal drop and clear pressure point. The keyboard yields slightly when typing on it. All in all, Acer supplies a decent keyboard that also allows frequent typing. The multi-touch ClickPad has a size of approximately 10.6 x 7.8 cm. The large surface enables using gestures easily and has a short drop and clear pressure point. The pad's suave surface makes it easy for the finger to glide over it.

Display

The 15.6-inch screen in the EasyNote features a matte surface. Its brightness of 176.7 cd/m² is meager. However, the screen offers a good contrast (532:1) and black level (0.37 cd/m²).

158
cd/m²
161
cd/m²
157
cd/m²
173
cd/m²
197
cd/m²
172
cd/m²
195
cd/m²
190
cd/m²
187
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei N156BGE-L11 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 197 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 176.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Center on Battery: 197 cd/m²
Contrast: 532:1 (Black: 0.37 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.93 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 10.03 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
51% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
55.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
80.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
53.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.62
EasyNote vs. sRGB
EasyNote vs. sRGB
EasyNote vs. AdobeRGB
EasyNote vs. AdobeRGB

The screen's average DeltaE 2000 shift is 8.93 in state of delivery. That is in line with the laptop's price level. A rate less than 3 would be desirable. The screen also exhibits a bluish cast.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
The EasyNote outdoors (shot in overcast conditions).
The EasyNote outdoors (shot in overcast conditions).

The TN screen in the EasyNote can only offer limited viewing angles, but we did not expect anything else at this price level. The screen's matte surface makes outdoor use possible. However, that only applies to surroundings that are not overly bright due to the screen's low brightness.

Performance

The Packard Bell EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1 is a very low-priced, 15.6-inch laptop. Its primary application fields are office, Internet, and video playback. Our review sample is sold for a price starting at around 250 Euros (~$320). Another version with 4 GB of working memory is available for approximately 330 Euros (~$423).

Processor

A Core processor cannot be expected in a laptop for approximately 250 Euros (~$320). Thus, an Intel Celeron N2830 dual-core processor (Bay Trail) is installed in the EasyNote. It clocks with a base speed of 2.16 GHz that can be increased to 2.416 GHz via Turbo. The CPU's full performance can be retrieved in both AC and battery modes. The CPU's performance is roughly positioned between the E-Series and A-Series APUs from AMD.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
2145
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
2387
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1171
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
0.82 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
0.44 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
5.86 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
5.32 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
67 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
36 Points
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.44 Points
HP Compaq 15-h024sg
Radeon HD 8210, E1-2100, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.23 Points -48%
Lenovo B50-30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012
0.32 Points -27%
Asus X551MAV-SX391B
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.43 Points -2%
HP 15-g005ng
Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
0.6 Points +36%
Acer Aspire E1-532
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
0.61 Points +39%
Packard Bell EasyNote TE69HW-29574G50Mnsk
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2957U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
0.62 Points +41%
Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
0.56 Points +27%
Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4
HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
0.79 Points +80%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.82 Points
HP Compaq 15-h024sg
Radeon HD 8210, E1-2100, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.46 Points -44%
Lenovo B50-30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012
0.62 Points -24%
Asus X551MAV-SX391B
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
0.81 Points -1%
Acer Aspire E1-532
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1.14 Points +39%
Packard Bell EasyNote TE69HW-29574G50Mnsk
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2957U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1.2 Points +46%
Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1.98 Points +141%
HP 15-g005ng
Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2.01 Points +145%
Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4
HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2.01 Points +145%

System Performance

Subjectively, the laptop runs smoothly although it only has 2 GB of working memory. The memory configuration is first noticed when multiple windows are open. Users who need more working memory will have to replace the installed module with a 4 or 8 GB module. Acer informed us that there is only one working memory bank available. The PCMark benchmark scores were unsurprising and are on the level of comparably equipped laptops, such as Asus' X551MAV.

Task manager
Task manager
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
1231 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
1007 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
1310 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1231 Points
Asus X551MAV-SX391B
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
1214 Points -1%
Packard Bell EasyNote TE69HW-29574G50Mnsk
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2957U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1492 Points +21%
HP 15-g005ng
Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
1967 Points +60%
Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2011 Points +63%
Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4
HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
2092 Points +70%

Storage Devices

The user gets quite a bit of storage capacity despite the low price. A 500 GB hard drive from Seagate with 5400 revolutions per minute is installed in the laptop. The drive does its job inconspicuously and delivers overall good transfer rates.

Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
Transfer Rate Minimum: 26.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 117 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 87.3 MB/s
Access Time: 20.2 ms
Burst Rate: 95.5 MB/s
CPU Usage: 9.8 %

Graphics Card

The HD Graphics core in the laptop also comes from Intel. It supports DirectX 11 and clocks with speeds of up to 750 MHz. It does not have much computing power. AMD's GPUs like the Radeon R4 (Beema) and Radeon R5 (Beema) that are found in comparable laptops are considerably stronger.

3DMark 11 Performance
214 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
15921 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
1211 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
214 Points
Lenovo B50-30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012
218 Points +2%
Asus X551MAV-SX391B
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
227 Points +6%
HP Compaq 15-h024sg
Radeon HD 8210, E1-2100, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
369 Points +72%
Acer Aspire E1-532
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
480 Points +124%
Packard Bell EasyNote TE69HW-29574G50Mnsk
HD Graphics (Haswell), 2957U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
544 Points +154%
Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4
HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
784 Points +266%
Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
795 Points +271%
HP 15-g005ng
Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
831 Points +288%

Gaming Performance

The hardware configuration cannot cope with most 3D games. Only a few titles achieve a smooth frame rate - in a low resolution and low quality level. These games include Sims 4 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Games from the Windows store should mostly run without problems.

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 14.4 7.4 4.8

Emissions

System Noise

The fan is usually inactive in idle mode, and only the hard drive's noise is heard. The fan speeds up when the laptop is loaded. We noticed that the fan produced a quiet whistling/whining noise that can quickly get annoying in the stress test. This was, however, not observed during normal laptop use. The Asus X551MAV that we recently tested operates quieter in total.

Noise Level

Idle
31.8 / 31.8 / 31.8 dB(A)
HDD
31.8 dB(A)
DVD
36.3 / dB(A)
Load
36.3 / 36.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The EasyNote in the stress test
The EasyNote in the stress test

The EasyNote performed the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in AC and battery modes in the same manner. While the CPU clocked with full speed, the GPU operated with 720 MHz. The casing did not get excessively warm; the temperatures remained clearly below 40 °C at every measuring point. The Asus X551MAV's temperatures are overall lower.

Max. Load
 30.5 °C
87 F
36.6 °C
98 F
28.2 °C
83 F
 
 31.2 °C
88 F
33.3 °C
92 F
26.7 °C
80 F
 
 26 °C
79 F
25.8 °C
78 F
26 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 36.6 °C = 98 F
Average: 29.4 °C = 85 F
27.3 °C
81 F
38.5 °C
101 F
34.7 °C
94 F
27.2 °C
81 F
34.4 °C
94 F
31.7 °C
89 F
25.5 °C
78 F
25.7 °C
78 F
26.2 °C
79 F
Maximum: 38.5 °C = 101 F
Average: 30.1 °C = 86 F
Power Supply (max.)  43.1 °C = 110 F | Room Temperature 23.7 °C = 75 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.4 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.6 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38.5 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.9 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26 °C / 78.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+1.7 °C / 3.1 F).

Speakers

The stereo speakers are installed on the EasyNote's underside. Their output tends to sound slightly muffled-tinny. Speech is well-intelligible. A better audio experience can only be achieved with headphones or external speakers.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Like the Asus X551MAV, the EasyNote has a low power requirement of below 10 watts in routine use. The laptop consumed up to 16.9 watts during our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour). We noticed that the EasyNote has a slightly higher energy requirement than the X551MAV over the entire load range. Asus seems to have a better control over the power management.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 7.4 / 9.7 / 9.9 Watt
Load midlight 14.9 / 16.9 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The EasyNote surprises with its battery life. The combination of an energy-efficient CPU and high battery capacity (53 Wh) provided us with a runtime of 7:09 h in our practical Wi-Fi test. Many considerably higher-priced laptops cannot compete with this. Even the Asus X551MAV is far remote from that (4:04 h). Websites are opened automatically every 40 seconds in the Wi-Fi test. The energy-saving profile is enabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m².

Battery Runtime
WiFi Surfing
7h 9min
Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
Asus X551MAV-SX391B
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142
Lenovo B50-30
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012
HP 15-g005ng
Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45
Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive
Battery Runtime
WiFi
429
244
-43%
217
-49%
291
-32%
230
-46%

Verdict

Despite its low price, the buyer gets a decent laptop with Packard Bell's TF71BM-C8R1, which is suitable for basic office and Internet applications as well as for video playback. The very good battery life alongside a matte screen and a relatively good keyboard even make using it as a mobile typewriter possible. The screen pleases with its matte surface and decent contrast rate. However, its brightness is very low at the same time, and it only offers unstable viewing angles. Acer considerately includes a two-year warranty on the laptop.

An alternative for the EasyNote would, for example, be Acer's Aspire E1-532 (Celeron 2955U, HD Graphics (Haswell)). It has more computing power than the EasyNote and is presently sold for approximately 250 Euros (~$320, without a Windows operating system). Lenovo's G50-45 (AMD A6-6310, Radeon R4 (Beema)) is also an alternative with AMD innards. It costs around 300 Euros (~$384). Asus' X551MAV-SX391B based on identical hardware is also available for 300 Euros (~$384, including Windows 8.1).

Update 10/10/2014: Acer informed us today that the EasyNote only has one working memory bank. In case of an upgrade, the existing module would therefore have to be replaced. We adapted the corresponding parts in the text.

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In review: Packard Bell EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de.
In review: Packard Bell EasyNote TF71BM-C8R1. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de.

Specifications

Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1 (Easynote Series)
Processor
Intel Celeron N2830 2 x 2.2 - 2.4 GHz, Bay Trail-M
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Core: 750 MHz, 10.18.10.3496
Memory
2048 MB 
, DDR3, single-channel, one memory bank (filled)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, Chi Mei N156BGE-L11, TN LED, glossy: no
Storage
Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142, 500 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 420 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Valleyview SoC - HD Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio jack, Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MS
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Atheros Communications AR9565 Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
Matshita DVD-RAM UJ8E2Q
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 27.1 x 382 x 258 ( = 1.07 x 15.04 x 10.16 in)
Battery
53 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Windows 8.1 (64 Bit) + Bing
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, Acer Video Player, Cyberlink PhotoDirector 3, Cyberlink PowerDirector 10, Cyberlink PowerDVD 12, MS Office 365 (trial), Norton Internet Security (trial), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.4 kg ( = 84.66 oz / 5.29 pounds), Power Supply: 276 g ( = 9.74 oz / 0.61 pounds)
Price
249 Euro

 

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Links

  • Manufacturer's information

Compare Prices

Pros

+Matte screen
+Long battery runtimes
+Decent keyboard
+Usually operates quietly
 

Cons

-Dark screen
-Fan whistles/whines during full load

Shortcut

What we like

The matte screen and long battery life.

What we'd like to see

A brighter screen and a maintenance cover.

What surprises us

That a two-year warranty is included on the device despite its low price.

The competition

Asus X551MAV-SX391B, Lenovo B50-30, Lenovo B50-45, HP 15-g005ng, Lenovo IdeaPad G50-45, Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4, Acer Aspire E1-532, Packard Bell EasyNote TE69HW-29574G50Mnsk.

Rating

Packard Bell Easynote TF71BM-C8R1 - 10/09/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
70 / 98 → 71%
Keyboard
71%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
60 / 80 → 75%
Weight
60 / 20-67 → 85%
Battery
90%
Display
76%
Games Performance
37 / 68 → 54%
Application Performance
39 / 92 → 42%
Temperature
92%
Noise
90%
Audio
30%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
64%
74%
Office - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2014-10-16 (Update: 2018-05-15)